TJB knockoff in "Joker" movie

Mike Blakesley

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Staff member
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We just played the movie "Joker" at the theatre.... listening to it from my office, I was surprised to hear the TJB arrangement of "Spanish Flea." Upon further listening, it's NOT the TJB but a knockoff group playing the famous arrangement. Upon checking the movie credits, I found it it's played by "Ray Davies and his Button-Down Brass."

I wonder if they checked with Herb's people about using the TJB version but were turned down. It wouldn't be surprising because the song is used at a particularly disturbing moment in the film.
 
Ooh! I never heard of THAT imitator before! I just added it to my book. Thank you!

(Incidentally, I'm now listening to "Whipped Cream: The Trumpet of Ray Davis & His Button Down Brass" on Spotify. Although even Spotify lists that last name as "Davies" the cover clearly spells the name "Davis" without an E; I'm guessing that his real last name had no E.)
 
A quick search, and I found the The Ray Davis tune here:





Sounds like a pretty reasonable imitation of the original!
 
I wonder what is the point of this..... is this "Ray" guy expecting to sell millions of records by copying TJB songs? Seems like a lot of trouble/expense to go to for very little results.

On the other hand he probably got paid pretty well for the use of the song in the Joker movie.
 
Plus his version was probably more affordable than Herb's version...

--Mr Bill
 
Plus his version was probably more affordable than Herb's version...

--Mr Bill
Exactly. Frankly it's a nice arrangement. I prefer this to the "reimagined" Herb album where he is massacuring some of his own stuff, notably "America", and let's not forget Herb himself had leaned on another version of Whipped Cream in the past...
 
I prefer this to the "reimagined" Herb album where he is massacuring some of his own stuff, ...

"massacuring"? Is this some new medical procedure for treatment of crowds, LOL?

I wouldn't call it a massacre, merely further versions of the tunes. It is surely Herb's prerogative to reimagine, reinterpret or otherwise? Just as it is our prerogative to avoid the tunes we don't like? 😉
 
"massacuring"? Is this some new medical procedure for treatment of crowds, LOL?

I wouldn't call it a massacre, merely further versions of the tunes. It is surely Herb's prerogative to reimagine, reinterpret or otherwise? Just as it is our prerogative to avoid the tunes we don't like? 😉
Glad you like it. That's what it's all about!
 
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