12 Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie”

There is a weird transition between the American folk and blues music over to jazz before becoming early rock and roll. How does mainly instrumental swing jazz eventually become vocal rock and roll?

American apartheid. 

Jim Crow laws in the US were put in place to legalize racism. Prior to these laws, but post civil war, there were many thriving black communities as the previous barriers of being treated as less than human were gone. 

In music, this meant that a black musician could become classically trained and play in the more formal music halls. Once the Jim Crow laws came in, they were barred from performing in these places. Where could they play? With the untrained folk and blues players. Take the musicians who could play complicated classical pieces and combine them with the more dance hall oriented folk and blues players and you get the birth of jazz.

Jump blues is the musical style that is the missing link between jazz and rock and roll, and, in my view, the best of the jump blues is Louis Jordon and his Tympany Five. Jump blues keeps the jazz swing/shuffle but keeps it tighter. There’s more energy than jazz and leaned heavy into amplification when that came along. There was an emphasis on hooks, solos, and vocals. If “Choo Choo Ch’Boogie” doesn’t get your foot tapping, I don’t know what will. 

One thing to point out, Jump blues pre-dates the backbeat. You might find yourself feeling like there is one in this song (or if you hear a later recording there may actually be one) but the emphasis is on all four beats, not just two and four.