CHRIS SMITH:SADDLE-de-MOOCH [Song] New York 1915 Start Price USD 9.99 Current Price USD 9.99 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Thursday, November 20, 2008 End Time Thursday, November 27, 2008 Location Duluth, Minnesota See more about 'CHRIS SMITH:SADDLE-de-MOOCH [Song] New York 1915' Description SADDLE-de-MOOCH: Words & Music by Chris Smith and Cecil Mack; Published by Jos. W. Stern & Co., New York 1915 This is a very raggy nonsense song by two of the best African-American composers on Tin Pan Alley -- Cecil Mack (R.C. McPherson, 1883-1944) and Chris Smith (1879-1949.) Both were members of ASCAP and collaborated on a number of tunes. Smith is perhaps the better-known of the pair because of his jazz standard, Ballin the Jack (1913) written with James Burris. Saddle-de-Mooch is definitely as much "rag" as it is "song." It's scored in the key of G in 4/4 time, with the standard 16-bar verse, and an unusual chorus length of 20 measures. The verse is mildly syncopated, but the composers really tear it up in the chorus, launching into a tricky dotted-8th/16th note riff on an E7 chord and working through the cycle of 7ths twice before their extended closing 10 bars, in which the title mantra, "Scaddle-de-Mooch" is matched with a repeated melody figure, launched with a triplet in the treble, underscored with both hands in the treble on the piano. It works. This copy has seen some use, but is in pretty good used condition. The spine and the turning edges are clear-taped in places, including on the cover -- but not very noticable there because of the dark brown frame. And the cover photo of star Nora Bayes is just fine. Max Morath  Place a Bid!