Object Details
- Artist
- Carl Van Vechten, 17 Jun 1880 - 21 Dec 1964
- Sitter
- Cab Calloway, 25 Dec 1907 - 18 Nov 1994
- Exhibition Label
- Born Rochester, New York
- Performing one night at Harlem’s fabled Cotton Club in the early 1930s, singer, composer, and bandleader Cab Calloway was suddenly unable to remember the lyrics to his song “Minnie the
- Moocher.” To fill the void, he launched into improvisational scat, singing “hi-de-hi, hi-de-ho.” His performance soon had the audience joining in, and his raucous finale, Calloway later recalled, “nearly brought the roof down.” “Hi-de-ho” became an integral part of his identity as one of the Big Band era’s most popular and respected figures.
- Much of Calloway’s success was owing to his own flamboyant style, which injected his band’s performances with a festive exuberance. Gifted at recruiting, mentoring, and holding on to good musicians, his band members included such jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie (1917–1993), Milt Hinton (1910–2000), and Cozy Cole (1909–1981).
- Nacido en Rochester, Nueva York
- Cuando actuaba una noche en el legendario Cotton Club de Harlem a principios de los años treinta, el cantante, compositor y director de orquesta Cab Calloway encontró de pronto que no podía recordar la letra de su canción “Minnie the Moocher”. Para llenar el vacío, hizo un scat improvisado, cantando “hi-de-hi, hi-de-ho”. El público rápidamente se unió a la improvisación y el estrepitoso final “casi hizo que el techo se viniera abajo”. “Hi-de-ho” se volvió parte integral de la identidad de Calloway, una de las figuras más populares y respetadas de la era de las big bands.
- Mucho del éxito de Calloway se debió a su estilo extravagante que insuflaba una exuberancia festiva a las presentaciones de su orquesta. Con gran talento para reclutar, entrenar y conservar buenos músicos, tuvo en su orquesta a luminarias del jazz tales como Dizzy Gillespie (1917–1993), Milt Hinton (1910–2000) y Cozy Cole (1909–1981).
- Credit Line
- National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
- January 12, 1933
- Object number
- NPG.90.87
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Copyright
- © Carl Van Vechten Trust
- Type
- Photograph
- Medium
- Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions
- Image/Sheet: 25 × 18.1 cm (9 13/16 × 7 1/8")
- Mat: 56.1 × 40.8 cm (22 1/16 × 16 1/16")
- Place
- United States\New York\Kings\New York
- See more items in
- National Portrait Gallery Collection
- Location
- Currently not on view
- National Portrait Gallery
- Topic
- Interior
- Artwork
- Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
- Music\Musical instrument\Trombone
- Music\Sheet music
- Artwork\Poster
- Cab Calloway: Male
- Cab Calloway: Arts and Culture\Literature\Writer
- Cab Calloway: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician
- Cab Calloway: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Songwriter
- Cab Calloway: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Dance\Dancer
- Cab Calloway: Arts and Culture\Performing Arts\Music\Musician\Singer\Jazz singer
- Portrait
- Record ID
- npg_NPG.90.87
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4d8447aad-9b7c-4c01-91fb-9c068a480653
