Copenhagen (song)

Copenhagen is a jazz standard composed in 1924 by bandleader Charlie Davis and recorded in that year by the Wolverine Orchestra in a foxtrot tempo. The title refers to Copenhagen tobacco, favored by Davis's bass player.

Composition, Early Performances, Arrangements, and Recordings
On April 5, 1924, Davis's jazz band began an engagement at the Ohio Theater in Indianapolis, Indiana, and performed the song "Copenhagen." That evening, members of The Wolverines, including cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, heard the performance and asked Davis to be allowed to perform the tune in their own engagement. Davis agreed; the Wolverines worked out their own arrangement in the course of engagements at Indiana University and elsewhere over the following weeks. The Wolverines recorded it at Gennett Studios in Richmond, Indiana on May 6, 1924. "Copenhagen" was published in the same year (in the Wolverines' arrangement) by the Melrose Bros. Music Company of Chicago, Illinois. At least nine other recordings of the tune were released in 1924 alone. The Wolverines recording features a brief cornet solo by Beiderbecke; the recording by Fletcher Henderson and His Orchestra, arranged by Don Redman, features a solo by Louis Armstrong.

Notable Recordings

 * Fletcher Henderson and Louis Armstrong 1924-1925. Timeless Records, 1991. CD Release 2008.
 * Bix Beiderbecke and The Wolverines 1924-1925. Timeless Records, 1993. CD Release 2008.
 * Essence Of Swing: Glen Gray & The Casa Loma Orchestra. Drive Archive, 1997. CD Release 2007.
 * The Complete Tommy Dorsey Volume 7. Hallmark, 2010.