Joe Maize and his Cordsmen - Misirlou

From his album “Presenting Joe Maize and his Cordsmen” (Decca DL 8817, 1958). Lux & Ivy brought me here!

The quartet had been going for some 9 years at this stage, playing top hotels in the mainland States as well as Hawaii, where Joe's virtuosity on the console steel guitar was very well received. Usually accompanying the 46-year-old band leader were: Johnny Cassinari (accordion), 'Little' Joe Tobia (spanish guitar) and Chubby Dorin (bass). Always joking around (in-between skits were part of the act), they also had their own TV show and were as watchable as they were listenable.

The origins of Misirlou are disputed; some say it was first performed by the Michalis Patrinos rebetiko band in Athens, Greece in 1927 (it was later recorded by them in 1930). The first known recording was credited to the singer Tetos Demtriades in 1927, working alongside Nikos Roubanis, who claimed composer credit for the music. Some think the song originated in the late 19th Century, but it could be older.

Sounds to me like a “trad arr Joe Maize” job!