Take Two
Where we take two different jazz interpretations of a song
Wait 'Til You See Ma Cherie
The 1929 black and white movie Innocents of Paris was the first musical production by Paramount Pictures. It introduced to the screen a young actor-singer named Maurice Chevalier. The film featured four songs by Leo Robin and Richard A. Whiting; perhaps the best know was Louise (Every little breeze seems to whisper Louise) which we shall return to at another time. The other that remained popular for less time was Wait Til You See Ma Cherie.
I just met a friend of mine upon a boulevard
He had fallen hard, fallen very hard
Every time a pretty little cutie passed us by
He would drop his eye, turn to me and sigh
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You see that girl across the street,
There's no use talking she's mighty neat
But if you think that she is neat
Wait 'til you see ma cherie
We can listen to Maurice Chevalier singing it here in his usual 'cheeky' style.
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Ben Pollack's Park Central Orchestra recorded it on the 1st March 1929 with 'vocal refrain' by 'Charles Roberts', a pseudonym for popular singer Smith Ballew. It is clearly a recording intended for dancing (a Fox Trot) and taken at an even slower pace than Chevalier, but what is surprising is the Orchestra personnel. The list is shown with the recording below but included Jimmy McPartland (cornet); Jack Teagarden (trombone); Benny Goodman (clarinet, alto sax) and Harry Goodman (brass bass) but there is little evidence of their jazz backgrounds. The recording ends with a few bars of syncopation that suggest 'what might have been'
See that girl right over there
I mean the one with the baby stare
But if you like a baby stare
Wait 'til you see Cherie
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Everyone, everywhere seems to envy me
Eyes of blue, golden hair
Wait 'til you see
Ma Cherie
A month and a half after the Ben Pollack recording, on the 17th April, Frankie (Tram) Trumbauer took his orchestra into the studio and recorded Louise and Wait 'Til You See Ma Cherie. His was a far different approach to that of Ben Pollack. Tram was under contract to Paul Whiteman at the time and apparently was obliged to use musicians from Whiteman's orchestra - not a great problem as the personnel were: Bix Beiderbecke and Andy Secrest (cornet); Bill Rank (trombone); Izzy Friedman (clarinet); Charles Strickfadden and Rube Crozier (alto sax); Frank Trumbauer (C-Melody Sax); Min Leibrook (bass sax); Matt Malneck (viola); Lennie Hayton (piano); Edward 'Snoozer' Quinn (guitar); Stan King (drums) and Smith Ballew (vocals) this time under his own name.
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Bix and Andy Secrest take turns after Smith Ballew's vocal, I would like to say Bix plays first, but my ear is not sharp enough to tell, others may be able to; the recording is from the period when Bix had been convalescing from acute alcoholism.
Here's where she and I agree
We both are fond of a family
And will we raise a family?
Wait 'til you see Cherie.
© Sandy Brown Jazz 2025.9