Hi folks! Jamie here again from Fong Songs with a Jungle Book cover for you.
This past summer, I took the ol' Edmonton-to-Calgary Greyhound to check out the Calgary Folk Festival for the first time. While there were several notable artists including Hawksley Workman, Neko Case, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and Don Maclean, the big draw for me was the recently reunited Squirrel Nut Zippers. Now on a fine Saturday morning they shared a sidestage playing "Tin Pan Alley" tunes with fellow artists Eleni Mandell, Mary Flower, and... THE POLYJESTERS. Similar to the Squirrel Nut Zippers, The Polyjesters are a mish-mash of old styles including folk, swing jazz, country, and bluegrass. In fact, they describe their musical stylings as ka-chunk, which is also the name of their last album. They impressed me with their dynamic stage presence, impeccable musicianship, and good humour, which led me to catch their solo concert the next day. The core of The Polyjesters are brothers Sheldon and Jason Valleau, two good ol' Alberta boys, with a supporting cast that varies from album to album.
I picked up their latest CD at the festival and ordered another two from CDBaby.com. When I got their 2001 album Fiddlestix!, I was unexpectedly delighted to discover a Disney cover of I Wan'na Be Like You, which was masquerading under the title King of the Swingers. I was even more surprised when I started writing this post and found out they actually did a stint as the Fiddlestix, representing Canada on the Canadian stage at Disney World's EPCOT Center and this album is a result of that! I also beamed with Alberta pride when I read that Fiddlestix! was recorded entirely in a church in Olds, Alberta, a small town which I've passed through many a time en route to the mountains for skiing.
Earlier this month Disney finally updated O Canada!, a 360 degree film attraction at EPCOT, which had been peppered with dated Canadian stereotypes for over 25 years. Apparently it's now hosted by Martin Short and the theme Canada, You're a Lifetime Journey was re-recorded by Canadian Idol winner Eva Avila. Now there's a Disney cover for Kurtis to track down!
 | King of the Swingers The Polyjesters 2001   |
1 comments:
I was in Disney World five months ago and it was still the old Canada movie! I feel ripped off! Oh well, I guess that's a good excuse to go back.
There is another recording of this song on another Polyjesters album; the Orange Album. I think it's an actual studio recording rather than a live recording.
Thanks for posting Jamie!
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