The Archives of Aquarius: Public Domain In 2025

The past few years have seen a cornucopia of historic compositional works released into the world of public domain. 2025 (the year of the snake) continues the tradition, marking many significant jazz-oriented recordings slithering into public archives and becoming legally available for usage, interpretation, parody, and more. One of many entered this year is Rhapsody in Blue (Harms, Inc. 1924), by George Gershwin—an incredibly groundbreaking work for its time, based on its merging of jazz and classical. The composition was mainly conceived on a train ride in January of 1924, that Gershwin took from New York to Boston; being inspired by the rattle and hum from the tracks. He then performed it the next month with Paul Whiteman's orchestra, captivating the audience, as it effortlessly shifted between bundles of themes. The program for that evening called the piece, "An experiment in modern music of the times." Now, artists can help to make it even more modern, by adapting it for Gen Z ears. Pop pianist and singer, Ben Folds, already sampled "Rhapsody..." at the start of the new millennium, but now it is open to each and every musician, to help carry it through to the next age.

Having entered the domain in 2020, Paul Whiteman's "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" holds infinite potential for reinterpretation. In fact, it is actually a reinterpretation in itself; being a cover of Parade of the Tin Soldiers, by German composer, Leon Jessel, and also samples Cortege de Bacchus (1876), by Leo Delibris. Whiteman's version popularized out of vaudevilles in the 1920s. By 1933, it had appeared in a "Betty Boop" short, as well as becoming part of Radio City's Christmas spectacular (to which it still remains today). We shall await a whole new generational slew of Christmas films to feature this classic in their soundtracks, now free of charge. If a sequel to the classic "Elf"(New Line Cinema 2003) is ever produced, perhaps we will see Buddy, the elf, dancing and prancing to the sounds of the ..."Wooden Soldiers?" That would be a sight to see!

Another classic that is entering the domain this year, is Al Jolson's "California (Here I Come)" (M. Witmark & Sons 1924). The piece was written by Bud DeSylva, Joseph Meye and Al Jolson in 1921, and recorded on January 17, 1924. It has already been adapted into a children's song, by arranger, Paul Jennings, and covered by the likes of Ray Charles, Bill Evans and Phantom Planet, just to name a few. It also famously appeared in an episode of "I Love Lucy." In fact, it is featured just about any time a character in a film or TV show is headed back to California in the story line. Except now, it can be legally spliced into anything. It will be interesting to see how this one carries on into future times.

The whimsical Clara Smith's "Deep Blue Sea Blues" makes its domain debut in 2025. It was recorded in 1924, by Columbia, featuring Coleman Hawkins and Fletcher Henderson on saxophone and keys, as the "Queen of Moaners" tears through heartbroken lyrics about her Navy man being out at sea. Smith had a brief, but important career as a singer, collaborating with many fine artists of her time, and now "Deep Blue Sea Blues" is open to all fine artists for recreation. The lyrics have already inspired many popular songs throughout the decades. about women waiting at home, while their men are out at sea. "Brandy," by Looking Glass, comes to mind, being a different take on the story; by telling it through an observer's eye. You can now freely use your imagination to rework Clara Smith's classic for modern times yourself, in any way you'd like.

The most popular addition to this year's public pile, is definitely the composition (not recording) of Arthur Fred and Nacio Herb Brown's "Singin' in the Rain," originally sung by Doris Eaton Travis, for "The Hollywood Music Box Revue" in 1929. Of course, the song was most famously known for being sung by Gene Kelly, in 1952, for the feature film of the same title, to which it appears in the most iconic scene in cinematic history. Then, almost twenty years later, it was tainted for a whole new batch of generations, in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange. One could really get creative with this one and animate their favorite president or historical figure twirling their umbrella down the rainy sidewalk, as they dance with glee. Others entering domain this year, include Jelly Roll Morton's "Shreveport Blues" and Isham Jones' "It Had to Be You." Utilize public domain to explore the past and create the future, in the beginning of a new age!

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