Muggsy led several traditional, "hot" jazz bands, most notably Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtime Band (which did not, in fact, play ragtime but, rather, "hot jazz" that would now be called Dixieland). This band set the style for all later attempts to play traditional jazz with a swing rhythm section. Its key members, apart from Muggsy, were: George Brunies - later Brunis - (trombone and vocals), Rodney Cless (clarinet), George Zack or Joe Bushkin (piano), Ray McKinstry, Nick Ciazza or Bernie Billings (tenor sax), and Bob Casey (bass). A number of competent but unmemorable drummers worked in the band.
The Ragtime Band's theme tune was "Relaxin' at the Touro", named for Touro Infirmary, the New Orleans hospital where Muggsy had been treated for a perforated ulcer early in 1938. He had been at the point of death when he was saved by one Dr. Alton Ochsner who drained the fluid and eased Muggsy's weakened breathing.
"Relaxin' At The Touro" is a fairly straightforward 12-bar blues, with a neat piano introduction and coda by Joe Bushkin. The pianist recalled, many years later: "When I finally joined Muggsy in Chicago (having left Bunny Berigan's failing big band) we met to talk it over at the Three Deuces, where Art Tatum was appearing. Muggsy was now playing opposite Fats Waller at the Sherman hotel and we worked out a kind of stage show for the two bands. Muggsy was a man of great integrity. We played a blues in C and I made up a little intro. After that I was listed as the co-composer of "Relaxin' at the Touro" (quoted by Richard B. Hadlock in the notes to the Bluebird CD 'Muggsy Spanier 1939 - The "Ragtime Band" Sessions', 07863 66550).
The (then) young pianist Joe Bushkin was in the Ragtime Band in 1939 and later said of Muggsy: "When he nailed something right, he stayed with it; he wouldn't fix it if it wasn't broke".
In his time, Muggsy made numerous Dixieland recordings that still serve as favorites today. Apart from the famous Ragtime Band, his other most important ventures were the quartet he co-led with Sidney Bechet (the 'Big Four') in 1940 and the traditional band he co-led with pianist Earl Hines at the Club Hangover in San Francisco in the 1950s. During the early 1920s he played with The Bucktown Five in Chicago.
Although Muggsy's real name was Francis Joseph Julian Spanier, he acquired the nickname "Muggsy" either because of his youthful enthusiasm for a baseball hero ("Muggsy" McGraw), or because of his obsession with King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. He was known to have shadowed and "mugged" both of them, copying their styles and incorporating them into his own music. He was allowed, on at least one occasion, to sit in with King Oliver's band (with Louis Armstrong on second cornet) at the Lincoln Gardens, Chicago, in the early 1920s.
He ended his days in the 1960s, leading a traditional jazz band that included old friends like Joe Sullivan (piano), Pops Foster (bass) and Darnell Howard (clarinet). He was not a great technician or virtuoso, but he could lead a traditional ensemble with fire and guts.
Love Is Just Around the Corner
Muggsy Spanier Lyrics
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But can't you see, you've captured me.
Being so glamorous, can't you be amorous just with me?
Make it soon, take a look at the moon.
Love is just around the corner, any cozy little corner.
Love is just around the corner when I'm around you.
I'm a sentimental mourner, and I couldn't be forlorner,
Venus de Milo was noted for her charms,
But strictly between us, you're cuter than Venus,
And what's more you got arms.
So cuddle in a corner, any cozy corner,
Love is just around the corner and I'm around you.
The song "Love Is Just Around the Corner" by Muggsy Spanier is a classic love song filled with romantic lyrics. The song begins with the singer expressing his love for the person he's singing to, admiring their beauty and begging them to reciprocate his feelings. He describes himself as a "sentimental mourner" who couldn't be more forlorn when left waiting for this person in a corner. He compares the person's beauty to that of Venus de Milo, but insists that they're even cuter because they have arms. The song concludes with the singer urging this person to cuddle up with him in a cozy corner because, as the title suggests, love is just around the corner.
The song's lyrics are playful and romantic, attempting to capture the heart of the listener. The singer's desire for the person he's singing to is evident, and his comparisons to Venus de Milo suggest that he views them as nothing less than a work of art. He expresses his vulnerability in the second verse, admitting to being a "sentimental mourner" who longs for this person's attention. The song's use of "cozy corner" adds to the overall romantic appeal, suggesting that love can be found anywhere if two people are together. Overall, the lyrics of "Love Is Just Around the Corner" are timeless and continue to evoke feelings of nostalgia and romance.
Interesting facts about Love Is Just Around the Corner:
Line by Line Meaning
Beautiful miracle, pardon my lyrical rhapsody,
Addressing the beauty of the loved one in a poetic and apologetic manner.
But can't you see, you've captured me.
Expressing how deeply the loved one has captured their heart.
Being so glamorous, can't you be amorous just with me?
Asking the loved one to show affection and romance to the singer only.
Make it soon, take a look at the moon.
Urging the loved one to begin a romantic relationship soon, while admiring the moon together.
Love is just around the corner, any cozy little corner.
Love can be found in any comfortable, intimate setting.
Love is just around the corner when I'm around you.
Love is present and easily accessible when the singer is with their beloved.
I'm a sentimental mourner, and I couldn't be forlorner,
The singer is very emotional and sad without their beloved.
When you keep me in a corner just waiting for you.
The artist feels trapped in a position of waiting for the affection and attention of their loved one.
Venus de Milo was noted for her charms,
Referencing the famous statue of Venus de Milo and her beauty.
But strictly between us, you're cuter than Venus,
Comparing the beauty of the loved one to that of the famous statue and finding them more attractive.
And what's more you got arms.
Noticing and admiring the physical features of the loved one.
So cuddle in a corner, any cozy corner,
Inviting the loved one to cuddle and be intimate in any comfortable place.
Love is just around the corner and I'm around you.
Reiterating that love is present and easily accessible when the singer is with their beloved.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: IRWIN LEVINE, SANDY LINZER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind