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Cab Calloway — The Jumpin' Jive
Album: Are You Hep To The Jive?
Avg rating:
7.3

Your rating:
Total ratings: 508









Released: 1939
Length: 2:48
Plays (last 30 days): 1
Hep-hep!
De-boodle-de-ack, de-boodle-de-ackasaki!
Hep-hep!
Oh, rang-tang, te-dah-dah,
Hep-hep!
Gonna tell you 'bout the jumpin' jive,
Hep-hep!
Jim, jam, jump, the jumpin' jive;
Hep-hep!
Cats gonna beat out this mellow jive;
Hep-hep!
Beat it out on the mellow side.
Boy?
Whatcha gonna say there, gate?
Oh, boy!
Whatcha gonna say there, gate?
Palomar, Shalomar, Swanee shore,
Let me dig that jive once more,
Boy!
Lay it right on down to the gator.
Oh, boy!
Lay it flat as a gator.
Now, can't you hear those hepcats call,
Yeah!
Come on, boys, let's have a ball!
The jim, jam, jump on the jumpin' jive
Makes you dig your jive on the mellow side,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
The jim, jam, jump is the solid jive
Makes you nine foot tall when you're four foot five,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
Now, don't you be that ickeroo,
Get hep, come on and follow through,
Then you get your steady foo,
You make the joint jump like the gators do,
The jim, jam, jump on the jumpin' jive
Makes you like your eggs on the Jersey side,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
The jim, jam, jumpin' jive
Makes you hep-hep on the mellow side!
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
The jim, jam, jump on the jumpin' jive,
Will make you dig your jive on the mellow side,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
The jim, jam, jump, the solid jive
Makes you nine foot tall when you're four foot five,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
Now, don't you be that ickeroo,
Get hep, come on and follow through,
Then you get your steady foo,
You make the joint jump like the gators do,
The jim, jam, jump on the jumpin' jive
Makes you like your eggs on the Jersey side,
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
The jim, jam, jumpin' jive,
Makes you hep-hep on the mellow side;
Hep-hep!
Hep-hep!
(Scat singing)
Now, I've told you 'bout the jumpin' jive,
The jim, jam, jump, the jumpin' jive,
I know you dug this mellow jive,
Oh, you dig it on the mellow side.
Comments (35)add comment
start off with some SOLID JIVE  {#Hearteyes}
Great vid to this with the Nicholas Brothers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8yGGtVKrD8
 dragon1952 wrote:

Back in the old days "hep" meant 'in the know' i.e. "That cat's hep to what's happening". And note the album cover says "Are you hep to the jive" Back in the 60's in the  SF Bay Area, if someone asked if "you were hep", it usually meant "do you get high". But in Calloway's day, 'hep' meant the same thing as 'hip' does today....in fact, I'm not sure the term 'hep' didn't morph into 'hip' accidentally by mispronunciation/misunderstanding of the original term.

 
My grandfather used to go to the Apollo and other clubs in Harlem in the 1930's. He used to say that Dope existed and you could buy a box of stixs for $1, then he said beers were 10 cents and who had a dollar on them in those days to buy weed, so they never did, at least not on their dime.  Cab may have been talking about the same HEP as the groovey dudes in the San Fran Bay, just maybe?
Fabulous Cab!! Quick jolt of energy this morning thank you!
 ScottishWillie wrote:

Excuse my ignorance but what exactly does “Hep” mean?



 
Back in the old days "hep" meant 'in the know' i.e. "That cat's hep to what's happening". And note the album cover says "Are you hep to the jive" Back in the 60's in the  SF Bay Area, if someone asked if "you were hep", it usually meant "do you get high". But in Calloway's day, 'hep' meant the same thing as 'hip' does today....in fact, I'm not sure the term 'hep' didn't morph into 'hip' accidentally by mispronunciation/misunderstanding of the original term.

Excuse my ignorance but what exactly does “Hep” mean?


Hep, hep...

I've heard so many covers of this tune (e.g. Joe Jackson), it's great to hear the original!


More like this, please. Definitely adds to the eclectic mix. 

Love the zoot suit look on the album cover. You get the sense that Cab absolutely loved life. 

And these guys were pretty amazing too:

Howard and Fayard Nicholas dancing on stage in "Stormy Weather" with Cab Calloway's band




 


 Lazarus wrote:


Miss you so much, Cynaera...

(and let me add, WonderLizard, I be no bot...  I be a human being!  Hope you are having a nice night right this minute...)
 

 
https://teespring.com/hello-i-am-not-a-robot

(i hope that link doesn't go dead when the limited run of that shirt is over)
my eggs are now on the Joisy side thank you!
Hep hep!
De-boodle-de-ack, de-boodle-de-ackasaki!
Is this the best lyric ever written?
i dare you to not move around in strange ways while seated at your workstation.  i dare you.  your coworkers will most likely be polite and not inquire, making the movements less painful.  it's impossible not to, so again, i dare you.
I agree. This is awesome. This is why I like Radio Paradise!
What he said! Are you reading Bill?
Bill:

Try following this with "Ain't Misbehavin' " by Fats Waller sometime. That might be a pretty cool combination.
Nice to hear some Cab aside from Minnie the Moocher.
 Cynaera wrote:
I used to listen to this with my dad, who played clarinet in a small club-band.  Brings back some good (and sad) memories.  Cab Calloway was a true pioneer in his day. I'm glad to hear his music on RP! Thanks, Bill and Rebecca, for keeping the big-band sound alive and bringing it to a new generation of listeners who might never have heard it otherwise.
 

Miss you so much, Cynaera...

(and let me add, WonderLizard, I be no bot...  I be a human being!  Hope you are having a nice night right this minute...)
 

thank you SO MUCH for playing that great song from Cab Caloway! bet you visited Village Music in Mill Valley once upon a time.
 Cynaera wrote:
I used to listen to this with my dad, who played clarinet in a small club-band.  Brings back some good (and sad) memories.  Cab Calloway was a true pioneer in his day. I'm glad to hear his music on RP! Thanks, Bill and Rebecca, for keeping the big-band sound alive and bringing it to a new generation of listeners who might never have heard it otherwise.
 
R.I.P. Anne. Of all the commentary of all the commentators in this crazy world, yours were unabashedly personal and rang with a truth that is so rarely encountered. Y'know, Bill, romeotuma may have been a bot, but if not for he/she/it, we'd wonder what ever became of Cynaera and her elegant postings.
So very cooooool. Love it!!!!
Now heeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrre's a story about...... jumpin' jive?

A nice surprise to hear this in the playlist, good choices as always Bill. 
A Bettie Boop cartoon would be a perfect complement
Joe Jackson does a cover of this on his Jumpin' Jive album - nice to hear the original!

jumpin' jive

Great tune!  "eggs on the Jersey side"
 chedak wrote:
All I got to say is, "Hep Hep!"
 
+1, hep hep
All I got to say is, "Hep Hep!"

 1wolfy wrote:
FUN  {#Clap}               My dad and I used to wear out 'Midnight in Moscow'   Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen....bring it on

 
YES!  Bring it on - I'll swing-dance to it and grin the whole time. SUCH good, fun music!

 Cynaera wrote:
I used to listen to this with my dad, who played clarinet in a small club-band.  Brings back some good (and sad) memories.  Cab Calloway was a true pioneer in his day. I'm glad to hear his music on RP! Thanks, Bill and Rebecca, for keeping the big-band sound alive and bringing it to a new generation of listeners who might never have heard it otherwise.
 
Love it and well said!

uh the song listings don't list this song.
Cooool Daddy-O, just slip me some skin maaaaaan.
FUN  {#Clap}               My dad and I used to wear out 'Midnight in Moscow'   Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen....bring it on

I used to listen to this with my dad, who played clarinet in a small club-band.  Brings back some good (and sad) memories.  Cab Calloway was a true pioneer in his day. I'm glad to hear his music on RP! Thanks, Bill and Rebecca, for keeping the big-band sound alive and bringing it to a new generation of listeners who might never have heard it otherwise.
Have you ever met that funny reefer man?
Hep hep, indeed. Cab's got it. Break out the zoots, cats.