Stalebread Charlie and the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band

May 14, 2018
Stalebread Charlie and his band were real figures in the early history of jazz. Homeless newsboys who played hot tunes on jug band–style instruments, they busked the streets of New Orleans’ legendary Storyville neighborhood in the 1890s. Mahin (Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters) explains the band’s roots in a loving, wry voice (the narrator is revealed to be the band’s feline mascot). Tired of surviving by stealing food and evading the police (the newsboys “liked to take their food to go. But sometimes they didn’t take it fast enough”), Stalebread convinces his skeptical peers that they can make money with music. After some false starts, the band takes off, and “the boys filled their hats with coins and their bellies with beignets.” The story uses onomatopoeias—“Sing-Taka-Taka,” “Scatta-Pat-Scat,” and “Skippity-Bippity-Skip”—to convey the band’s sound, and buoyant illustrations by Tate (Strong as Sandow) show a lively depiction of street life. But the book succeeds as a prompt for readers to learn more about these seminal young musicians. The book includes an author’s note and illustrator’s note, as well as instructions on how to make a kazoo. Ages 4–7. Author’s agent: Minju Chang, BookStop Literary. Illustrator’s agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

May 1, 2018
Drawing from the little that's known about Emile "Stalebread Charlie" Lacoume, Mahin presents a fictionalized story about the homeless New Orleanian boys who innovated "spasm band" music, considered one of jazz's precursors.In 1895, Stalebread and pal Warm Gravy, both white, live in Storyville, which "smelled like trash and looked like trouble." The boys steal to eat, constantly dodging the coppers. Hearing a trio playing one night, Stalebread hatches an idea. "Gravy! We'll start a band. We'll never be hungry again!" With an old stovepipe to sing through and a pebble-filled can to shake, the boys debut their rhythms--to the neighborhood's general disdain. "No one liked their music. Not even the alley cats." A boy called Cajun (the band's sole kid of color) joins up with his "comb-made kazoo." Pennywhistler Monk is next, followed by kids on washboard, spoons, and cigar-box fiddle. Though more often chased off than cheered, the boys' luck finally turns when they bravely improvise for patrons at Mac's Restaurant and Saloon. Mahin's jaunty narrative uses occasional rhyme, and onomatopoeic words scroll through in arcing display type. Illustrator Tate's note mentions finding supporting research for his intentional visual diversity: Among the diverse denizens of Storyville, he depicts a black cop. The text ends abruptly, but Mahin's note adds lively details. An upbeat introduction to the scrappy origins of a little-known bit of American musical history. (craft activity) (Picture book. 5-7)

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April 15, 2018
Grades 1-3 Stalebread Charlie and his buddy Warm Gravy, homeless white kids living in 1890s New Orleans, are desperate for food or money. Inspired by adult street musicians, Stalebread decides to start a band. He finds an old stovepipe and starts singing into it. He puts some rocks in a can for Gravy to shake. Other boys join them, playing a comb-made kazoo, pennywhistle, cigar-box fiddle, washboard, and spoons. Lively cartoon illustrations convey the movement of music, with colorful swirls suggesting sound waves, and phrases such as skippity-bippity-skip and zip-zee-zoo representing the noises made by the instruments. Based on actual events, the book ends with an author's note, which offers further context for so-called spasm bands, which were part of the musical evolution leading to jazz, fusing influences from blues, folk, gospel, ragtime, brass-band, and dance-hall music. Little is known about the real Stalebread Charlie, but this story provides an intriguing glimpse into historical possibility. Instructions are included for making a homemade kazoo, as well as a link to more music crafts.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Set in 1895 New Orleans, this fictionalized account of the instrument-making street kids who formed the Razzy Dazzy Spasm Band is brought to life with bouncy, colloquial narration and brightly colored, super-cartoony illustrations. Author and illustrator notes with historical context about the orphans that comprised the real-life band fill in occasional gaps in the storytelling. Includes instructions on "how to zip-zee-zoo on a homemade kazoo."

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)