UNDECIDED
Music: Charles Shavers- Lyrics: Sid Robin
Year: 1938
Origin of the song
The great swing bands, able to fill huge dance halls with audiences, reached their greatest splendour during the 1930s and 1940s. At the same time, small ensembles performed in a number of nightclubs, especially in New York and Chicago. One of these tiny locals was the Onyx Club, located on 52nd Street in New York. The violinist Stuff Smith, leader of the 'Onyx Club Boys' group, worked there during 1936 and part of 1937 until he moved to Hollywood to take part in a film.
He was replaced at the club by the double bass player John Kirby, a veteran of the Chick Webb and Fletcher Henderson bands, who led a small combo there. In November 1937, trumpeter Charlie Shavers joined the band, whose talent transformed the group's style. In addition to playing, he also composed songs, one of which he sent to a publishing house. Since he was untitled, they asked him for the name and he telegraphed them succinctly: 'Undecided'. The editors mistakenly took the answer by the name of the song. Some time later, Sid Robin wrote the lyrics thinking of Ella Fitzgerald. The version recorded by the singer with Chick Webb's orchestra was ranked number eight on the charts, while Kirby's previous album only made it to nineteen. Years later, the vocal group The Ames Brothers took 'Undecided' to the number two spot on the popularity charts.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
John Kirby Onyx Club Boys |
1938.10.28 |
1939.03.18 |
1 |
19 |
Instrumental |
|
Chick Webb Orchestra |
1939.02.17 |
1939.03.18 |
4 |
8 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc) |
|
1951.06.25 |
1951.09.29 |
21 |
2 (two weeks) |
Ed, Gene, Joe & Vic Ames (voc), Les Brown Band of Renown |
|
|
1951.09.20 |
1951.11.10 |
11 |
10 |
Tommy Mercer, Gloria Craig, The Skyliners (voc) |
|
|
Guy Lombardo & His Royal Canadians |
1951.??.?? |
1951.12.22 |
1 |
28 |
Kenny Gardner (voc) |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1938.10.28 |
John Kirby (b), Charlie Shavers (tp), Buster Bailey (cl), Russell Procope (as), Billy Kyle (p), O’Neill Spencer (d) |
|
|
Red Norvo Orchestra |
1938.12.08 |
Red Norvo (xil, dir), Jack Owens, Jack Palmer, Barney Zudecoff (tp), Andy Russo, Al George (tb), Hank d'Amico (cl), Frank Simeone (as), Maurice Kogan, George Berg (ts), Billy Kyle (p), Allen Hanlon (g), Pete Peterson (b), George Wettling (d) |
|
1938.12.15 |
Benny Goodman (cl, dir), Harry James, Ziggy Elman, Gordon Griffin (tp), Red Ballard, Vernon Brown (tb), Dave Matthews, Noni Bernardi (as), Arthur Rollini, Jerry Jerome (ts), Jess Stacy (p), Ben Heller (g), Harry Goodman (b), Buddy Schutz (d) |
|
|
1944.10.18 |
Charlie Shavers (tp), Coleman Hawkins (ts), Teddy Wilson (p), Billy Taylor (b), Denzil Best (d) |
|
|
1949.??.?? |
Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Gianni Safred (p), Marco Pecori (b), Aurelio de Carolis (d) |
|
|
1949.03.29 |
Erroll Garner (p), John Simmons (b), Alvin Stoller (d) |
|
|
1950.06.09 |
Roy Eldridge (tp), Zoot Sims (ts), Dick Hyman (p), Pierre Michelot (b), Eddie Shaughnessy (d) |
|
|
1950.06.?? |
Dave Brubeck (p), Ron Crotty (b), Cal Tjader (d, vib) |
|
|
1953.03.13 |
George Shearing (p), Toots Thielemans (arm), Cal Tjader (vib), Al McKiboon (b), Bill Clark (d) |
|
|
1954.06.25 |
Art Tatum (p), Benny Carter (as), Louis Bellson (d) |
|
|
1956.11.?? |
Cal Tjader (vib), Manuel Duran (p), Carlos Duran (b), Luis Miranda, Bayardo Verlardi (cng, bon) |
|
|
1957.11.15 |
Red Garland (p), Donald Byrd (tp), John Coltrane (ts), George Joyner (b), Art Taylor (d) |
|
|
1959.05.21 |
Curtis Fuller (tb), Benny Golson (ts), Tommy Flanagan (p), Jimmy Garrison (b), Al Harewood (d) |
|
|
1960.07.01 |
Louis Armstrong (tp), Trummy Young (tb), Barney Bigard (cl), Billy Kyle (p), Mort Herbert (b), Danny Barcelona (d) In Jazz Festival of Newport |
|
|
1963.06.05 |
Brother Jack McDuff (org), Red Holloway (ts), George Benson (g), Joe Dukes (d) |
|
|
Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel & Herb Ellis |
1974.06.28 |
Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis (g), Joe Byrd (g), John Rae (d) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OR RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1939.02.17 |
Chick Webb (d, dir), Dick Vance, Bobby Stark, Taft Jordan (tp), Sandy Williams, Nat Story, George Matthews (tb), Garvin Bushell (cl, as), Hilton Jefferson (as), Ted McRae (ts), Wayman Carver (ts, fl), Tommy Fulford (p), Bobby Johnson (g), Beverley Peer (b), Ella Fitzgerald (voc) |
|
|
King Cole Trio |
1939.02.?? |
Nat Cole (p, voc), Oscar Moore (g, voc), Wesley Prince (b, voc) |
|
1941.01.28 |
Count Basie (p, dir), Ed Lewis, Buck Clayton, Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Al Killian (tp), Vic Dickenson, Dan Minor, Dicky Wells (tb), Earle Warren (as), Jack Washington (as, bars), Paul Bascomb, Buddy Tate (cl, ts), Freddie Green (g), Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d), Jimmy Rushing (voc) |
|
|
1997.01.29 |
Dee Dee Bridgewater (voc), Byron Stripling, Diego Urcola, Ron Tooley, Virgil Jones (tp), Bob Trowers, Benny Powell, Clarence Banks, Doug Purviance (tb), Jeff Clayton, Antonio Hart (as), Bill Easley, Teodross Avery (ts), Patience Higgins (bars), Lou Levy (p), Ray Brown (b), Grady Tate (d) |
On cinemas
The song “Undecided” is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL
TITLE |
TITLE IN
SPAIN |
YEAR OF
PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Term of Trial |
Escándalo en las aulas |
1962 |
|
|
Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot |
¡Alto!, o mi madre dispara |
1992 |
The Ames Brothers |
|
Malcolm X |
Malcolm X |
1992 |
Ella Fitzgerald |
|
Inventing the Abbotts |
El secreto de los Abbott |
1997 |
Ray Gelato Giants |