A dance band arrangement by the sophisticated Manhattan darlings led by banking scion turned jazz entrepreneur Roger Wolfe Kahn. A few flourishes of jazz interest in this one – You’ll hear Miff Mole on trombone and later on: Joe Venuti on violin – who states the melody at 1:49 and then launches into a hot solo starting at 2:07. Jazzers like Tommy Gott, Arthur Schutt, and Vic Berton also populate the band – as Kahn had an ear for talent and paid well for players.
The song was written by Joseph Meyer with lyrics by Al Dubin and Billy Rose – the title an Americanized riff off a line from the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám involving a loaf of bread and jug of wine. It was performed by Jack Buchanan and Gertrude Lawrence as part of the original Broadway production of Charlot’s Revue of 1926 – which opened at the Selwyn Theatre on November 10, 1925 – just a month before this recording was made.
Fun pop culture trivia: in the 1956 Warner Brothers cartoon “Broom-Stick Bunny”, Witch Hazel references this song by singing “A cup of Vosne, a spider, some glue. A lizard’s gizzard, a eel’s ear, or two.” when preparing a witch’s brew. Later, she brews a beauty potion intended for Bugs Bunny and when serving it, she happily sings “A cup of tea, a cookie, and you.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/looneytunes/comments/1de9kyd/broomstick_bunny_1956/
Recorded in New York City on December 15, 1925.
Released as Victor 19935.
Credits:
Roger Wolfe Kahn – director
Tommy Gott, Leo McConville – trumpet
Miff Mole – trombone
Arnold Brilhart, Owen Bartlett – clarinet, alto sax
Harold Sturr – clarinet, tenor sax
Joe Venuti, Joe Raymond – violin
Arthur Schutt – piano
Domenic Romeo – banjo, guitar
Arthur Campbell – tuba
Vic Berton – drums