Jeff Barnhart: Hal, we’ve wanted to return to an in-depth exploration of a single tune, and this one is the Mt. Everest of the classic jazz repertoire. Pick-up bands run scared from it, people argue at length about what section goes where, and the dozens of recordings from 1924 to the present jumble the sections around at will. Yes, it’s time to go to “Copenhagen!”
The tune’s origin is unusual in that a recording of it ignited huge interest in the piece. Traditionally, a lucky band would make a “hit” recording of an existing tune or the selection was an original composition by the bandleader and/ or one or more of the band members. In the case of “Copenhagen,” bandleader (and composer of the tune) Charlie Davis performed it with his Orchestra on April 5, 1924 at the Ohio Theatre in Indianapolis, IN. The piece might have remained in obscurity—Davis’ outfit failed miserably in their one attempt to record any piece in their repertoire—if not for notable members in the audience, specifically the Wolverine Jazz Band including cornetist/leader Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke. “Copenhagen” rocked them back in their seats; they requested it be repeated several times during the night and asked Davis his permission to record it, which he enthusiastically granted.
The Wolverines then played several gigs leading up to their May 6, 1924, recording date, including an engage
