Song of India (song)

"Song of India" is a popular song adapted from the aria "Pesni︠a︡ indiĭskogo gosti︠a︡" (Song of the Indian Guest) from Rimsky-Korsakov's 1896 opera Sadko.[1] The melody was also used for the 1918 song "Beautiful Ohio", which became the official song of the U.S. State of Ohio.

Tommy Dorsey recording

In January 1937, Tommy Dorsey recorded an instrumental jazz arrangement featuring Bunny Berigan on trumpet, which became a jazz standard.[2][3] Coupled with "Marie", the 78 rpm disc (Victor #25523) was a major hit for Dorsey, containing two of his most enduring recordings on one record, and which helped make him and his band into a household name as a popular music artist in the United States.[4]

Other recordings

• Paul Whiteman also recorded a foxtrot arrangement of the song in 1921.[5]
• Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians recorded the song in 1936
• Glen Gray and the Casa Loma Orchestra recorded the song in 1938
• Ted Heath in 1957
• The Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1959
• 1964 version by The New Tommy Dorsey Orchestra directed by Sam Donahue with Larry O'Brien
• The Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of Buddy DeFranco in 1967
• Joe Loss and His Orchestra in 1970
• Enoch Light and the Light Brigade in 1973
• Another recording was Danny Gatton's Redneck Jazz Explosion in 1978.
• Sarah Brightman on her 2013 album Dreamchaser.

References

1. "Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay, 1844-1908. Sadko (Opera). Pesni︠a︡ indiĭskogo gosti︠a︡" in Library of Congress Authorities, accessed 5 November 2015.
2. Sullivan, Steve (4 October 2013). Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings. Scarecrow Press. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-8108-8296-6.
3. Gioia, Ted (27 September 2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
4. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Jazz: The Definitive Guide to Jazz Music. Backbeat Books. p. 355. ISBN 978-0-87930-717-2.
5. "Paul Whiteman And His Orchestra - Cho-Cho-San / Song Of India". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-05-18.