We just got back from a trip to Disneyland and California Adventure, and I’m still feeling the magic and the 23,886 steps I took. From Star Wars land to the popcorn on Main Street, everything felt like stepping into a storybook. Once we got home, the boys and I started listening to some jazzed up Disney songs to keep the mood going, and one really stood out, Esperanza Spalding’s version of “Chim Chim Cher-ee.” It’s a beautiful take on a classic tune, and it brought me right back to the feeling of walking through the park.
“Chim Chim Cher-ee” originally came from the 1964 movie Mary Poppins, starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The song won an Oscar and has become one of Disney’s most iconic tunes. But Spalding gives it a whole new vibe. Her version is jazzy, smooth, and full of wonder. It’s part of an album called Disney Jazz Volume I: Everybody Wants To Be A Cat, which features different jazz artists covering Disney songs in their own unique way. Another one of my favorites off the album is Gilad Hekselman’s cover of “Belle.”
Esperanza Spalding is a Grammy-winning bassist and singer known for blending jazz with soul and pop. If you haven’t heard of her before you might not realize she’s playing upright bass as well as singing on most of her music. She’s an incredible artist with a super unique style. I love covers of classic songs like this. It reminds me to be creative and playful, just like Disneyland reminds us.
Fun Fact: When Disney offered Julie Andrews the leading role in Mary Poppins, she was 3 months pregnant. They assured her they would postpone filming until the baby had come.
Fun Fact II: Esperanza Spalding taught herself violin as a kid and eventually joined the Chamber Music Society of Oregon. She started playing bass in high school when her music teacher walked in, saw her experimenting with the instrument, and showed her a bass line on the spot.
Not So Fun Fact III: The Indian Jones ride at Disneyland was closed for renovation. So was Small World.
Song: “Chim Chim Cher-ee”
Artist: Esperanza Spalding
Album: Disney Jazz Volume I: Everybody Wants To Be A Cat
Year: 2011
Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee
A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be
Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-oo
Good luck will rub off when I shakes ‘ands with you
Or blow me a kiss, and that’s lucky too
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My name is Michael Sanchez and I’m an avid record collector and obscure song searcher. My goal is to post (hopefully) one song a day that’s been on my stereo/turntable frequently. If you don’t like the song… too bad 🙂 You can just wait for the next one. I do use A.I. here and there to help with writing and grammar. All the info I find is from wikipedia/youtube/interviews/news articles/personal stories I’ve heard/random googling. If you notice any mistakes, let me know or just keep it inside and be mad. Thanks!
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