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David Adom sings St. James Infirmary

St. James Infirmary Blues" is an American folksong of anonymous origin, though sometimes credited to the songwriter Joe Primrose . Louis Armstrong made it famous in his influential 1928 recording.

Alexey Asantcheeff PIANO
Leonard Bucur DOUBLE BASS
Jonathan Joubert GUITAR
Julien Machet BATTERY
David Adom LEAD VOCALIST

"St. James Infirmary Blues" is based on an 16th-century traditional English folk song called "The Unfortunate Rake" (also known as "The Unfortunate Lad" or "The Young Man Cut Down in His Prime"), about a soldier who uses his money on prostitutes, and then dies of a venereal disease.
The title is said to derive from St. James Hospital in London, a religious foundation for treatment of leprosy. There is some difficulty in this, since it closed in 1532 when Henry VIII acquired the land to build St. James Palace. Another possibility is the Infirmary section of the St James Workhouse, which the St James Parish opened in 1725 on Poland Street, Piccadilly, and which continued well into the nineteenth century. This St James Infirmary was contemporaneous with the advent of the song.
As I was a-walking down by St. James Hospital,
I was a-walking down by there one day.
What should I spy but one of my comrades
All wrapped up in a flannel though warm was the day.
—"The Unfortunate Rake" (trad.)
Variations typically feature a narrator telling the story of a young man "cut down in his prime" (occasionally, a young woman "cut down in her prime") as a result of morally questionable behavior. For example, when the song moved to America, gambling and alcohol became common causes of the youth's death. There are numerous versions of the song throughout the English-speaking world. It evolved into other American standards such as "The Streets of Laredo." The song "Dyin' Crapshooter's Blues" has been described as a descendant of "The Unfortunate Rake", and thus a 'direct relative' of "St James Infirmary Blues". Blind Willie McTell recorded a version for Alan Lomax in 1940,and claimed to have begun writing the song around 1929. However, the song was first recorded as "Gambler's Blues" in 1927 by Fess Williams and his Royal Flush Orchestra.
The tune of the earlier versions of the song, including the "Bard of Armagh" and the "Unfortunate Rake", is in a major key and is similar to that of the "Streets of Laredo". The jazz version, as played by Louis Armstrong, is in a minor key and appears to have been influenced by the chord structures prevalent in Latin American music, particularly the Tango.
Like most such folksongs, there is much variation in the lyrics from one version to another. This is the first stanza as sung by Louis Armstrong on a 1928 Odeon Records release:
I went down to St. James Infirmary,
Saw my baby there,
Stretched out on a long white table,
So cold, so sweet, so bare.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be,
She can look this wide world over,
But she'll never find a sweet man like me.

DAVID ADOM AT Le Petit Journal Montparnasse FRIDAY JULY 18 / 2014

13 rue du Commandant Mouchotte 75014 Paris


David Adom chante St. James Infirmary
St. James Infirmary Blues est une chanson folk américaine d'origine inconnue, bien qu'elle soit parfois attribuée à Joe Primrose. Son enregistrement par Louis Armstrong en 1928 l'a rendue célèbre.

Alexey Asantcheeff PIANO
Léonard Bucur CONTREBASSE
Jonathan Joubert GUITARE
Julien Machet BATTERIE
David Adom CHANT

Il existe de nombreuses versions studio ou live de cette chanson