Air Mail Special

Count Basie and his band play "Air Mail Special", while dancers jitterbug.

It's one of more than two thousand "soundies" produced between 1939 and 1947, meant to be played on a device called a Mills Panoram. For seven years they could be found in bars, night clubs, and other places where people would gather. Think of them as music videos, available for viewing at a dime a song.

Making judgments about which version of a jazz song is best is a mug's game. There's certainly amazing energy in this version. My favorite remains Ella Fitzgerald's scat version, because, well, it's Ella Fitzgerald. But if you prefer this rendition, I wouldn't blame you.