Oswald in the doorway: the blog of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, by Ralph Cinque

This song is so sweet. It was written by a guy from St. Petersburg, Russia. His family moved to Philadelphia when he was young, where he became a violin prodigy, ultimately the lead violinist and soloist for the Philadelphia Orchestra. But, he gave it all up for swing music, forming his own Big Band in the 1930s, and becoming known as "the Stokowski of Swing." 

His name was Jan Savitt, born Jacob Savetnick, and the song, from 1939, is It's A Wonderful World.  And no, it's not the Louie Armstrong song with a similar title, What A Wonderful World. That's sweet too, in a sad and poignant way. But, Jan Savitt's song, which came decades before, is more upbeat, and it has a Dixieland Jazz quality. It really is a gem. To me, it's like a siren; it calls to me. It's a little piece of musical perfection. Most people today have never heard it, and that's why Paul Popa and I decided to record it. And as usual, Paul did some excellent guitar playing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2qWGPOdLwY&feature=youtu.be