"JUST SKAT'N' SKEET'N' HI DE HI, AND SKATTLE ATTLE AT DA DAY": FIRST EDITION OF CAB CALLOWAY'S JIVE JUBILEE OF SONGS, 1942

CALLOWAY, Cab. Cab Calloway's Jive Jubilee of Songs. New York: Mills Music, 1942. Slim folio (9 by 12 inches), staple-bound as issued, original pictorial paper wrappers; pp. 48. $1200.

First edition of this book of piano-vocal sheet music for some of Cab Calloway's most famous big band hits, including his jive dictionary featuring popular slang of the era.

This book of sheet music contains many of big band icon Cab Calloway's biggest hits, such as "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got the Swing)." "Calloway was one of America’s most beloved bandleaders, showing an unusual capability to combine discipline with sensitivity. He insisted on tidy and clean uniforms, personal responsibility, and timeliness, and yet he showed himself able to accommodate his musicians’ needs. Among African-American bands, Calloway’s payroll was probably the highest and certainly the most reliable, and he gave his musicians yearly paid vacations, even as the big band business was failing in the mid-1940s… Calloway was unquestionably one of the greatest showmen of the 20th century" (ANB). "Cab Calloway's Jive Dictionary" is also included on the inner rear wrapper and features a list of dozens of jive expressions and their translations into more familiar terms.

About-fine condition.