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I mentioned Kid Ory in connection with the Muskrat Ramble in a previous post. Mr. Ory was a jazz trombone player from Louisiana. He had two careers in music, one prior to the Great Depression, after which he retired, picking it up again in 1943. My father was a fan of Kid Ory’s playing. When I was a teenager, he found a couple old New Orleans style jazz records featuring Ory and played them a lot around the house.

Here’s Ballin the Jack…

Ballin the Jack is an older tune from 1913 at which time it was a dance craze:

First you put your two knees close up tight
Then you sway them to the left, then you sway them to the right
Step around the floor kind of nice and light
Then you twist around and twist around with all your might,
Stretch your loving arms straight out into space,
Then you do the Eagle Rock with style and grace.
Swing your foot way ’round then bring it back.
Now that’s what I call Ballin’ the Jack

The term Balling the Jack was or became railway slang and gambling slang, perhaps meaning risking everything on one attempt. Of course it was also a slang for having sex:

My baby’s coming home.
I hope that she won’t fail because I feel so good, I feel so good.
You know I feel so good, feel like balling the jack.

Here’s a brief interview with Mr. Ory…

And one more tune, The Tiger Rag. I like this one a lot.

The photo in this post, by the way, is the Kid Ory House in New Orleans.