Welcome back to the Saturday Jazz Performance! This Saturday we examine the Dixieland Crackerjacks from the Netherlands! The group was formed in 1994 and were already recording the next year. The next couple of years saw the band developing into a real professional organization with their first television appearance happening in 1997.
Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Girl?) was published and recorded in 1925. The music was written by Ray Henderson and the lyrics by Sam Lewis and Joe Young. The California Ramblers released a recording of this tune in 1925 as well as others apparently. In 1952 a Rock Hudson movie called "Has Anybody Seen My Gal" was released.
The Dixieland Crackerjacks has been a favorite at festivals and they can be seen in many videos playing at outdoor appearances on websites like YouTube. The members of the band in this performance, recorded on June 14, 2008 at the Cantanhede Dixieland Festival in Mealhada, Portugal, consists of "Slidin" Selena Brandsma-Kuiper on trombone; Michel Muller on trumpet; Koos Greven on banjo; Lielian Tan on drums; and Bert Brandsma on the bass saxophone.
Here is Art Landy's band playing this 1925 tune, in the '20s.
