Okay, maybe it’s not an official holiday, but it is one that should be celebrated by musicians who like to cover songs without having to worry about paying licensing fees or violating the copyrights of songwriters.
This year musical works from 1925, the middle of the Roaring 20s, age out of their copyrights. I like to review these selections to see whether there are any I want to add to my repertoire of original tunes.
The law gives creators such as composers a limited time that they can profit from their work. Anyone can use these works as raw material for their own creations without fear of a lawsuit. Musicians can construct their own arrangements and record them without paying licensing fees and perform them in public without owing a fee to a Performing Rights Organization.
Familiar names such as Duke Ellington, Ferd “Jelly Roll” Handy, and Bessy Smith are included on this year’s list. Here is a sample of what has become available:
Always by Irving Berlin.
Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, (the “Mother of the Blues”) songs Army Camp Harmony Blues (with Hooks Tilford) and Shave ‘Em Dry (with William Jackson).
Sweet Georgia Brown, by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, and Kenneth Casey. (This was a favorite piece I remember from my high school marching band days.)
Yes Sir, That’s My Baby, by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson.
Duke Ellington’s Jig Walk and With You (both with Joseph “Jo” Trent who wrote the lyrics).
Jelly Roll Morton, Shreveport Stomps, Milenberg Joys (with Paul Mares, Walter Melrose, and Leon Roppolo).
Fats Waller, Anybody Here Want to Try My Cabbage, Ball and Chain Blues, Campmeetin’ Stomp
Bessie Smith, The Empress of the Blues, songs: Dixie Flyer Blues, Tired of Voting Blues, and Telephone Blues.
W.C. Handy, Friendless Blues, Bright Star of Hope.
Subsequent arrangements, orchestrations or recordings of public domain songs, however, might still be subject to copyright protection. For example, the Beatles recording of Sweet Georgia Brown would still require permission, according to Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School.