This week’s song is Vol Vist Du Gaily Star by Slim Gaillard & Slam Stewart. A groovy tune with strange lyrics! What kind of language is it? Is it Yiddish or Spanish? According to the article “Who’s Yehoodi? – Scat, Jive, and Yiddish, 1938-1953” by Jonathan Z.S. Pollack, much of the song is in fake Spanish (“maña, maña, lambelo”). At the end of the song, Slim Gaillard and Slam Stewart have a brief exchange as the song is fading out: Slim: Hey! Boy! Slam: What’s the matter, man? Slim: What’s that “Vol Vist du Gaily Star” mean? Slam: Man, I [...]
