It Never Entered My Mind-Another Rodgers & Hart Classic. Like Jerome Kern, the one composer who Rodgers held in such high esteem, Rodgers should be regarded as the supreme writer of wonderful melodies whether writing with Lorenz Hart or Oscar Hammerstein Jr. There4 is no doubt that his work with Hammerstein yielded much more substantive dramatic results like Oklahoma, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I and The Sound Of Music, The only Rodgers and Hart musical held in any significant regard was Pal Joey. Nonetheless, songs like It Never Entered My Mind still have a great deal of current interest for both singers and jazz instrumentalists whereas one does not hear singer and instrumentalist covering"Oh What A Beautiful Morning" or "Bali Hi" or "Climb Every Mountain", all Hammerstein related theatrical works.
" It Never Entered My Mind" starts quite simply and soberly with the second section almost a complete restatement of the theme. However, in the bridge or release middle section, the song gathers momentum becomes more positive and rises to a dramatic climax with " And Now I Even Have To Scratch My Back Myself".
Version 1 features the thrilling voice of Leontyne Price, a word renowned opera and concert singer. She is accompanied by Andre Previn who also provided the orchestral arrangement. Note the power and intensity as she hits the high note on" myself, at the end of the bridge.
LINK :
http://youtu.be/XKyHHMoXfGo
Version 2 features Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddle in a less dramatic and wistful approach but equally effective as the more dramatic version of Miss Price.
Again, this proves the maxim that a well -constructed, popular song can be interpreted in any number of different ways as long as the singer or instrumentalist is true to the songwriter's fundamental intent..
LINK: http://youtu.be/1fleh1LBFGA
Monday 29 April 2013
Thursday 25 April 2013
"SONGBIRD"-THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVELY SONG
" SONGBIRD" Thank you for your lovely song: There is a double connection to be made with the performance of " Songbird." It is a song, music and lyrics by Loonis McGloohan,that conveys appreciation of an avian recital in much the same way that Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer provided in " Skylark", the subject of an earlier post on this blog. ( Post titled : " Hoagy and Johnny-2 Country Boys and Skylark) The lyric ends with the words " Thank You For Your Lovely Song." I also wanted to thank Eileen Farrell, who was accompanied on the piano by the composer for her lovely song. Farrell was a major opera and concert singer who was equally adept with distinguished popular music. Not all classically trained singers have the sensitivity and natural style of singing but Dawn Upshaw, Kirie TE Kanawa, Fredrica Von Stade , Barbara Cook and Kathleen Battle come to mind as those capable of meeting the unforced and relaxed vocal demands of the classic popular song. Thomas Hampson has a wonderful voice but he is stillted and stentorian in performance, reflecting what Stephan Sondheim said in in one of the songs in " A Little Night Music" when referring to " A Tenor Belching The Bartered Bride."
Readers of this blog will have become aware of how entranced I am by the arrangement and orchestrations supporting the songs being presented. A case in point is Renee Fleming singing " Over The Rainbow" with full symphonic support by the Beijing Symphony. The harmony is bewitching, the interplay between woodwinds and strings never fails to overwhelm me. ( Note " This can be heard on an earlier post " A Matter of Style-Can an Operatic Style Do Justice to the Classic American Songbook?)
At the same time, I am aware that sometimes a singer, accompanied only by a piano or guitar, can also showcase the beauty of the song and the performance as two artists perform as one. AN example is Andre Previn's sophisticated and imaginative accompaniment of Julie Andrews singing two Kurt Weill Songs.( Post titled " Two By Weill so Stay a While"")
link to "SONGBIRD"
http://youtu.be/7Ry5AfKiXbY
Readers of this blog will have become aware of how entranced I am by the arrangement and orchestrations supporting the songs being presented. A case in point is Renee Fleming singing " Over The Rainbow" with full symphonic support by the Beijing Symphony. The harmony is bewitching, the interplay between woodwinds and strings never fails to overwhelm me. ( Note " This can be heard on an earlier post " A Matter of Style-Can an Operatic Style Do Justice to the Classic American Songbook?)
At the same time, I am aware that sometimes a singer, accompanied only by a piano or guitar, can also showcase the beauty of the song and the performance as two artists perform as one. AN example is Andre Previn's sophisticated and imaginative accompaniment of Julie Andrews singing two Kurt Weill Songs.( Post titled " Two By Weill so Stay a While"")
link to "SONGBIRD"
http://youtu.be/7Ry5AfKiXbY
Tuesday 23 April 2013
" WHEN THE WORLD WAS YOUNG" MEL TORME-MERCER LYRICS
" When The World Was Young" Mel Torme with Johnny Mercer Lyrics: Philippe Gerard, a French composer wrote a very reflective song called " When The World Was Young." Johnny Mercer, that talented lyricist and singer in his own right, crafted some lovely English lyrics which have been recorded by a number of American singers .
The version you will hear is with Mel Torme.
The song starts in a minor. reflective mood in which the elderly singer talks about his present situation in which he is still popular but then begins to sing about earlier, youthful days.
The music becomes more light and positive, starting with " Ah The Apple Trees, Sunlit memories and ends with Only Yesterday, When the World ( and I ) were young ." The memories are blissful , filled with images of the outdoors and the sunlit memories with which listeners may also be able to identify.
The music is very much in a decidedly European style but Mercers's English lyrics bring the message home in an elegant and meaningful manner.
Mel Torme is a singer with perfect articulation and sensitivity, perfect pitch and vocal timbre, something well illustrated in this version. Here Torme is accompanied by the great pianist George Shearing and The Boston Pops Orchestra
LINK:http://youtu.be/NwqEs2ID-SQ
The version you will hear is with Mel Torme.
The song starts in a minor. reflective mood in which the elderly singer talks about his present situation in which he is still popular but then begins to sing about earlier, youthful days.
The music becomes more light and positive, starting with " Ah The Apple Trees, Sunlit memories and ends with Only Yesterday, When the World ( and I ) were young ." The memories are blissful , filled with images of the outdoors and the sunlit memories with which listeners may also be able to identify.
The music is very much in a decidedly European style but Mercers's English lyrics bring the message home in an elegant and meaningful manner.
Mel Torme is a singer with perfect articulation and sensitivity, perfect pitch and vocal timbre, something well illustrated in this version. Here Torme is accompanied by the great pianist George Shearing and The Boston Pops Orchestra
LINK:http://youtu.be/NwqEs2ID-SQ
Sunday 14 April 2013
COME RAIN OR COME SHINE-A SONG DRENCHED WITH THAT BLUES FEELING
Come Rain or Come Shine- a Song Drenched With That Blues Feeling: Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer wrote a wonderful musical in 1946. In " St. Louis Women" they were demonstrating their joint ability to write musical material true to the Afro-American horse racing milieu in which the story is set. Growing up in Buffalo, Arlen's family shared the same house with an African American family and Arlen was always comfortable with black people. Mercer growing up in Savannah Georgia played with black children and absorbed much of their musical traditions and unique vocabulary and modes of expression.
In " Come Rain Or Come Shine" , Arlen starts the song by repeating the same note 13 times creating a loose,insistent rhythm matched by Mercer's highly personal repeated use of the singular word " I " -" I'm Gonna Love You-Like Nobody's Loved You" -Come Rain or Come Shine ( this phrase is used at least 6 times to stress that fact he singer will persist in their love fixation regardless of whatever comes along ( Come Rain Or Come Shine.)
Although the song does not follow the 12 bar blues pattern of an orthodox blues song, the feeling that is generated has the same bone-weary feel as a classic Arlen blues song
like " Blues In The Night" which has been presented in an earlier blog posting.
Like that earlier Arlen/Mercer classic sung by Frank Sinatra in his 1958 record " Only The Lonely" with arrangements by Nelson Riddle, " Come Rain or Rain Shine" was arranged by Don Costa, a writer Sinatra started using in the 1960's. Costa was especially gifted in writing for a string section as can be ably demonstrated in this song.
Sinatra's performance leaves one convinced that he really means that he will never relent in his pursuit and capture of that special person.
LINK: http://youtu.be/cEhnbzReC3g
In " Come Rain Or Come Shine" , Arlen starts the song by repeating the same note 13 times creating a loose,insistent rhythm matched by Mercer's highly personal repeated use of the singular word " I " -" I'm Gonna Love You-Like Nobody's Loved You" -Come Rain or Come Shine ( this phrase is used at least 6 times to stress that fact he singer will persist in their love fixation regardless of whatever comes along ( Come Rain Or Come Shine.)
Although the song does not follow the 12 bar blues pattern of an orthodox blues song, the feeling that is generated has the same bone-weary feel as a classic Arlen blues song
like " Blues In The Night" which has been presented in an earlier blog posting.
Like that earlier Arlen/Mercer classic sung by Frank Sinatra in his 1958 record " Only The Lonely" with arrangements by Nelson Riddle, " Come Rain or Rain Shine" was arranged by Don Costa, a writer Sinatra started using in the 1960's. Costa was especially gifted in writing for a string section as can be ably demonstrated in this song.
Sinatra's performance leaves one convinced that he really means that he will never relent in his pursuit and capture of that special person.
LINK: http://youtu.be/cEhnbzReC3g
Saturday 13 April 2013
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE- A SONG THAT PROMOTES THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TO LIFE
Accentuate The Positive-A Song That Promotes The Right Attitude To Life: Many of the songs already posted on this blog deal with the myriad sorrows of loves lost or disappointments in human relationships. Admittedly, those are aspects of life that are real. However,it is also refreshing to have a song that extolls the virtues of dealing positively with whatever misfortunes confront us. In 1944, Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer, combined to write an infectious, up-beat song for the movie " Here Come The Waves". The verse demands that people " Gather 'Round Me Everybody, Gather 'Round Me While I Preach Some, Feel a Sermon coming on Me,etc." and concludes with " While I Start Review -in, the Attitude of Doin Right !"
The " preaching" starts in earnest like an old-time revival meeting. By accentuating the positive, you eliminate the negative and " Latch on To The Affirmative and Don't Mess With Mr. In Between." Throughout the song, we are urged not to give in to misfortune and " To Have Faith Or Pandemonium's liable to Walk Upon The Scene"
The song draws upon Black American musical traditions and the kind of strength that Black Americans have relied upon from their own spirituals, a foundation of their church and community traditions.
The first version is a live performance by Barbara Cook, from Atlanta, Georgia. Now 86, and still going strong, her energetic and rollicking performance is a perfect enactment of the message of the song-get out there and do battle with self-doubt and defeatism. Barbara Cook herself has gone through a series of professional and personal disappointments only to emerge stronger, more confident and helping to perpetuate the rich legacy of The Great American Songbook.
The second version is sung by Johnny Mercer, lyricist and fine performer of his own material. Steeped in the musical traditions of the Deep South and raised in Savannah Georgia, he also embodies an outlook on life that is life affirming.
LINK: BARBARA COOK: http://youtu.be/bYim922qC0Y
LINK: JOHNNY MERCER: http://youtu.be/f3jdbFOidds
The " preaching" starts in earnest like an old-time revival meeting. By accentuating the positive, you eliminate the negative and " Latch on To The Affirmative and Don't Mess With Mr. In Between." Throughout the song, we are urged not to give in to misfortune and " To Have Faith Or Pandemonium's liable to Walk Upon The Scene"
The song draws upon Black American musical traditions and the kind of strength that Black Americans have relied upon from their own spirituals, a foundation of their church and community traditions.
The first version is a live performance by Barbara Cook, from Atlanta, Georgia. Now 86, and still going strong, her energetic and rollicking performance is a perfect enactment of the message of the song-get out there and do battle with self-doubt and defeatism. Barbara Cook herself has gone through a series of professional and personal disappointments only to emerge stronger, more confident and helping to perpetuate the rich legacy of The Great American Songbook.
The second version is sung by Johnny Mercer, lyricist and fine performer of his own material. Steeped in the musical traditions of the Deep South and raised in Savannah Georgia, he also embodies an outlook on life that is life affirming.
LINK: BARBARA COOK: http://youtu.be/bYim922qC0Y
LINK: JOHNNY MERCER: http://youtu.be/f3jdbFOidds
Monday 8 April 2013
IF YOU LIKE IRVING BERLIN, YOU'LL LOVE THIS MEDLEY
If you like Irving Berlin, You'll love this medley: Jerome Kern, the acknowledged Godfather of the Great American Songbook tradition has stated quite simply " That Irving Berlin is American Music" High praise from so esteemed a songwriter as Mr. Kern. It is an acknowledgement that Berlin had a vast output of songs contributing both music and lyrics in a great variety of styles and topics from jazzy ragtime, to tender and romantic ballads and inspirational numbers like " God Bless America." It has been reported that Irving Berlin wrote a complete song, both music and lyrics, every day. Many of these might never have been published or even performed in public but it indicates the energy and commitment of the little boy who emigrated from Russia to eventually become the most widely known popular American songwriter. Alec Wilder, that inveterate scholar of the Great American Songbook has sated that " The solid, straightforward pop songs of Berlin are minor masterpieces of economy,clarity and memorability" referring to classic ballads such as " What'll I Do" and " Always".
His songs written for the theatre, songs such as " Cheek to Cheek" " To Hat, White Tie and Tails" and " " Change Partners" were often introduced by Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers or Ethel Merman and contain more sophisticated compositional and lyric content . His major Broadway achievement was " Annie Get Your Gun" includes such well known numbers like " The Girl That I Marry" " I Got Lost in his Arms"
" I Got the Sun in the Morning" " They Say it's Wonderful" " Doin' What Comes Naturally" and finally, that great closing number " There's No Business Like Show Business".
Plus we need to remember his seasonal songs like " White Christmas" and" Easter Parade.
After studying more than 17,000 songs written between 1900 and 1950, Alec Wilder has flatly stated that
" Let it be said that he is the best all-around,over-all songwriter that America has ever had. I can speak of only one composer as the master of the entire range of popular song-Irving Berlin."
To bring this talent to light, listen to Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence in their heartfelt 22 minute tribute to Berlin accompanied by another American institution The Boston Pops, conducted by John Williams.
After so many years, the love and affection Gorme and Lawrence have for each other and this wonderful music is there for all to see and enjoy.
LINK" http://youtu.be/Q3S2g9WfnHI
His songs written for the theatre, songs such as " Cheek to Cheek" " To Hat, White Tie and Tails" and " " Change Partners" were often introduced by Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers or Ethel Merman and contain more sophisticated compositional and lyric content . His major Broadway achievement was " Annie Get Your Gun" includes such well known numbers like " The Girl That I Marry" " I Got Lost in his Arms"
" I Got the Sun in the Morning" " They Say it's Wonderful" " Doin' What Comes Naturally" and finally, that great closing number " There's No Business Like Show Business".
Plus we need to remember his seasonal songs like " White Christmas" and" Easter Parade.
After studying more than 17,000 songs written between 1900 and 1950, Alec Wilder has flatly stated that
" Let it be said that he is the best all-around,over-all songwriter that America has ever had. I can speak of only one composer as the master of the entire range of popular song-Irving Berlin."
To bring this talent to light, listen to Eydie Gorme and Steve Lawrence in their heartfelt 22 minute tribute to Berlin accompanied by another American institution The Boston Pops, conducted by John Williams.
After so many years, the love and affection Gorme and Lawrence have for each other and this wonderful music is there for all to see and enjoy.
LINK" http://youtu.be/Q3S2g9WfnHI
Sunday 7 April 2013
RICHARD RODGERS--MASTER OF THE WALTZ IDIOM
Richard Rodgers-Master of the Waltz Idiom: Richard Rodgers is readily acknowledged as a superb writer of ballads with sublime melodies whether writing with Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein or Stephan Sondheim. He even wrote his own lyrics for " No Strings ", a 1960's musical.
However, an even more distinctive accomplishment is Rodgers mastery of the waltz musical form. The Carousel Waltz, which has no lyrics, is as marvelous, dramatic waltz underscoring the carnival setting of that musical. Other Rodgers waltzes have been described as the equal of any waltzes written in the 20th century according to David Raksin, the composer of" Laura " and a noted musicologist and University lecturer. If one looks at the entire list of the songs in The Great American Songbook, there are not a great many waltzes compared with ballads, blues, up-tempo, rhythm numbers.
After all, the waltz is essentially a European creation. I am venturing a theory, based on no particular valid scholarship, that coming from a Germanic background, he might have unconsciously been influenced by earlier classical waltz pieces. The ones you will be hearing have all the sweep and grandeur that we typically associate with Strauss, Ravel Tchaikovsky , Mahler and even Prokofiev 's Romeo and Juliet ballet score.
The Waltz medley is in two parts with " Do I hear a Waltz" written with Stephan Sondheim and the rest all written with Oscar Hammerstein for Carousel, South Pacific, State Fair, Oklahoma and the The King and I.
These songs have been arranged for full orchestra, featuring Julie Andrews and conducted by Andre Previn.
I must confess a personal bias. Both my parents were Austrian immigrants and I was immersed in the Viennese waltz traditions at a very early age. There is such a dramatic lift and inner pulse that propels any Waltz melody that I cannot resist. So my love affair with that entire musical and cultural tradition has naturally gravitated to the seminal three-quarter time creations of Richard Rodgers. I hope you share my appreciation of this distinctive musical art form.
NOTE: Future posts will highlight an equal number of superb waltz numbers written earlier with Lorenz Hart.
LINK: PART 1: http://youtu.be/urhJzgrOLAg
LINK: PART 2: http://youtu.be/ix4VLxoRdGI
However, an even more distinctive accomplishment is Rodgers mastery of the waltz musical form. The Carousel Waltz, which has no lyrics, is as marvelous, dramatic waltz underscoring the carnival setting of that musical. Other Rodgers waltzes have been described as the equal of any waltzes written in the 20th century according to David Raksin, the composer of" Laura " and a noted musicologist and University lecturer. If one looks at the entire list of the songs in The Great American Songbook, there are not a great many waltzes compared with ballads, blues, up-tempo, rhythm numbers.
After all, the waltz is essentially a European creation. I am venturing a theory, based on no particular valid scholarship, that coming from a Germanic background, he might have unconsciously been influenced by earlier classical waltz pieces. The ones you will be hearing have all the sweep and grandeur that we typically associate with Strauss, Ravel Tchaikovsky , Mahler and even Prokofiev 's Romeo and Juliet ballet score.
The Waltz medley is in two parts with " Do I hear a Waltz" written with Stephan Sondheim and the rest all written with Oscar Hammerstein for Carousel, South Pacific, State Fair, Oklahoma and the The King and I.
These songs have been arranged for full orchestra, featuring Julie Andrews and conducted by Andre Previn.
I must confess a personal bias. Both my parents were Austrian immigrants and I was immersed in the Viennese waltz traditions at a very early age. There is such a dramatic lift and inner pulse that propels any Waltz melody that I cannot resist. So my love affair with that entire musical and cultural tradition has naturally gravitated to the seminal three-quarter time creations of Richard Rodgers. I hope you share my appreciation of this distinctive musical art form.
NOTE: Future posts will highlight an equal number of superb waltz numbers written earlier with Lorenz Hart.
LINK: PART 1: http://youtu.be/urhJzgrOLAg
LINK: PART 2: http://youtu.be/ix4VLxoRdGI
Saturday 6 April 2013
COLE PORTER'S " IN THE STILL,OF THE NIGHT"
Cole Porter's " In the still of the Night" Cole Porter wrote a number of love songs that are impassioned pleas of love, dramatic, and sensual. " Night & Day" " Begin the Beguine" " I've Got You under my Skin" and " What Is This Thing Called Love". " In The Still Of The Night" was written for the film " Broadway Melody of 1940." It constantly builds to a crescendo-like climax that states" Do You Love Me As I Love you, Are You My life's complete. My Dream come true. Or Will this dream of mine fade out of sight ---------------In The Chill, still of the night."
It is highly intense melody and matched by the lyrics which suggest ultimate despair if his dream is not realized.
Steve Lawrence, an excellent , powerful, baritone sings effortlessly in a genuine swinging manner, much like Sinatra would often do in a number of this type Yet Lawrence has his own brand of showmanship and is accompanied by a Nelson Riddle arrangement that furthers a Sinatra comparison. One will find it hard to resist snapping one's fingers while listening to this live performance. Will Friedwald, author of the encyclopedic , 800 page " Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers" described Lawrence as " A Swingin' Lover of the highest magnitude, a pop crooner with a beautiful voice and with rhythm like nobody's business," The rhythmic pulse in this song is irresistible I think you will agree.
Link http://youtu.be/-Zxbkv4XKTM
It is highly intense melody and matched by the lyrics which suggest ultimate despair if his dream is not realized.
Steve Lawrence, an excellent , powerful, baritone sings effortlessly in a genuine swinging manner, much like Sinatra would often do in a number of this type Yet Lawrence has his own brand of showmanship and is accompanied by a Nelson Riddle arrangement that furthers a Sinatra comparison. One will find it hard to resist snapping one's fingers while listening to this live performance. Will Friedwald, author of the encyclopedic , 800 page " Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers" described Lawrence as " A Swingin' Lover of the highest magnitude, a pop crooner with a beautiful voice and with rhythm like nobody's business," The rhythmic pulse in this song is irresistible I think you will agree.
Link http://youtu.be/-Zxbkv4XKTM
Monday 1 April 2013
SPRING (MAY) BE A LITTLE LATE THIS YEAR
Spring Will be A Little Late This Year: Frank Loesser, a highly talented lyricist/composer is best known for his amazing success as a Broadway composer of such hits as "Guys and Dolls," How To Succeed In BusinessWithout Really Trying" and " The Most Happy Fella." In 1943, he wrote a tender ballad for a film " " Christmas Holiday"starring Deanna Durbin, a latter day Jeanette MacDonald. "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" is a tender and wistful song that laments the fact "That you have left me and Winter continues cold, Cause time heals all things so it's merely that Spring ( and love) will be a little late this year."
On the other hand , Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote that " It Might As Well Be Spring" since it was a more optimistic view of two young people off to the Iowa Sate Fair. More pessimistically, Rodger & Hart believed that " Spring is Here, Why doesn't the breeze delight me-Maybe it's because Nobody Loves Me"
An earlier post showcased a Tommy Wolf song proclaiming that " Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most." There you have it- a number of songs ranging from the ebullient to the depressed and all dealing with the arrival of Spring and its evocation of any number of emotions.
The version that most effectively captures that odd mixture of sadness yet latent hope in Loesser's song is by Ella Fitzgerald whose effortless articulation and vocal warmth can charm any responsive listener.
POSTSCRIPT: Lyn Loesser, Frank Loesser's first wife was reputed to be a somewhat of a difficult person. Those who knew her slyly referred to her " As the Evil of Two Loessers ! "
LINK: http://youtu.be/xhxTUMXrywg
On the other hand , Rodgers & Hammerstein wrote that " It Might As Well Be Spring" since it was a more optimistic view of two young people off to the Iowa Sate Fair. More pessimistically, Rodger & Hart believed that " Spring is Here, Why doesn't the breeze delight me-Maybe it's because Nobody Loves Me"
An earlier post showcased a Tommy Wolf song proclaiming that " Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most." There you have it- a number of songs ranging from the ebullient to the depressed and all dealing with the arrival of Spring and its evocation of any number of emotions.
The version that most effectively captures that odd mixture of sadness yet latent hope in Loesser's song is by Ella Fitzgerald whose effortless articulation and vocal warmth can charm any responsive listener.
POSTSCRIPT: Lyn Loesser, Frank Loesser's first wife was reputed to be a somewhat of a difficult person. Those who knew her slyly referred to her " As the Evil of Two Loessers ! "
LINK: http://youtu.be/xhxTUMXrywg
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