Red McKenzie (1936) FIRST RECORDING [I CAN'T GET STARTED]

The first recording of the Duke/Gershwin standard "I Can't Get Started", performed by Red McKenzie and His Rhythm Kings. Recorded on April 3rd, 1936 in New York for Decca Records. The JGC History series features specifically curated playlists to help trace the lineage of some of the most influential jazz compositions of all time. Join me on Patreon for Lead Sheets, Play-Alongs, Transcriptions, Lessons and much more: https://www.patreon.com/jazzguitarcomprehensive Some notes about the composition as found on https://www.jazzguitarcomprehensive.com/ Composer: Vernon Duke Lyricist: Ira Gershwin Year: 1936 Origin: Introduced in the Musical Revue Ziegfeld Follies of 1936. Style: Usually performed as a ballad. Form: A-A-B-A (32 Bars) [8-8-8-8] Key: Most commonly played in C Major Harmony/Overview: The harmony of this composition is very functional. The main theme revolves around a I - VI - II - V, and this makes up the majority of the song. In bars 3-4 of the A sections it is very common to hear descending II - V's as opposed to simply a III - VI - II- V. As early as Dizzy Gillespie's recording from 1945 musicians were beginning on III7 in the 3rd bar and descending in semi-tones every 2 beats (an exercise in tri-tone substitution). This would eventually evolve into the descending II - V's that have become synonymous with the way many musicians approach the tune. This commonly used reharmonization can be heard on recordings from the likes of Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, and Sonny Stitt to name a few. The bridge continues in a very simplistic manner, beginning with a II - V to IIMaj7 before making its way back to the tonic once again. Recordings: This song has been recorded over 250 times. It was first introduced by Bob Hope and Eve Arden in the 1936 Musical Revue Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, and was first recorded by Red McKenzie and His Rhythm Kings in 1936. Many legendary artists have left behind recordings of this standard and it continues to be one of the most popular and widely known ballads in the repertoire. JGC Top Picks: Billie Holiday, 1938 Sonny Rollins, A Night at the Village Vanguard, 1957 Charles Mingus, Jazz Portraits: Mingus in Wonderland, 1959 Please consider supporting this channel through a donation, https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/jazzguitarc You can also support me on Patreon for much more musical content, https://www.patreon.com/jazzguitarcomprehensive Be sure to subscribe to my main channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsHefbnzId7of6XcFJWh8UQ As well as my second channel for Play-Alongs and Loops: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPZJrGlk1zNvczjpbNbyOiA The World's Premier Site for Jazz Guitar Education and Beyond https://www.jazzguitarcomprehensive.com/ #RedMcKenzie #ICantGetStarted #JazzHistory

Added 9 Apr 2026