“Paper Moon” (PDF) from the James & Troy Andrews album, 12 & Shorty

The 1933 showtune “It’s Only A Paper Moon,” composed by the team of Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg, and Billy Rose, was originally written for the Broadway play The Great Magoo and was also featured in the film Take a Chance the following year. Neither production achieved great success but the song’s legacy as an American standard was established in early popular music recordings. Similarly, the influence of New York City’s bustling jazz scene in the 1940s, using Broadway tunes to create bebop, led to the appearance of “Paper Moon” in the Tennessee Williams Pulitzer Prize-winning play A Streetcar Named Desire, a story that takes place in New Orleans.

The song’s 32-bar form borrows from the AABA structure popularized by the Gershwins’ “I’ve Got Rhythm,'' among other early showtunes of that era. In a bold move, a young Trombone Shorty kicks off this recording leading the band into “Paper Moon'' and confidently takes the spotlight for his trombone solo with the same flashiness and dexterity that established his reputation throughout the streets of New Orleans, playing by his brother’s side. James Andrews sings the lead along with guest vocalist Karen Grant, who is associated with the Algiers Brass Band, while keyboardist Dr. John and drummer Stanton Moore provide the backup.

Recommended reading: Jazz On Film: A Streetcar Named Desire by Selwyn Harris. Published by Jazzwise.com