Orange Blossom Special - The Polyjesters

We continue Country Music Week today with a non-Disney cover from the Polyjesters. I'm not in the habbit of posting non-Disney songs but you'll see why I'm posting this one once you hear it.

Orange Blossom Special is a fiddle tune named after the Orange Blossom Special passenger train that ran in New York City in the early to mid 20th century. Now, before I get many comments about how this track is actually bluegrass, let me explain:

While traditional bluegrass music has roots in jazz, blues and folk, there was a movement in the 70s that introduced electronic instruments into the all acoustic genre creating what people call progressive bluegrass, or newgrass. This style has become popular amongst modern country artists and many have recorded bluegrass albums. Today's post is an example of traditional bluegrass while tomorrow's post will be more progressive.

But let's talk about this track for a bit. Orange Blossom Special was written in 1938 by Ervin Rouse and Robert Russell "Chubby" Wise and popularized by the grandfather of bluegrass, Bill Monroe. Johnny Cash has a version of it too on the album of the same name.

The POLYJESTERS have taken this song and have stuck in a few other songs just for fun. You'll hear Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (Mary Poppins), Be Our Guest (Beauty and the Beast), I've Got No Strings (Pinocchio), and Chim Chim Cher-ee (Mary Poppins) as well as the theme to James Bond.

Check out this other post for more info on the Polyjesters.

Orange Blossom Special The Polyjesters 2001

King of the Swingers - The Polyjesters

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