SOME OF MY FAVOURiTE SONGS AND PERFORMANCES

Some of My Favourite Songs and Performances:   one of my most perceptive blog followers asked me to name a favourite song or performance. Let me explain my own criteria which his question forced me to think about in greater depth. In some cases, I have been so overwhelmed by a singer's performance that I would select the performance even though the song itself might not be one at the top of my list. An example would be Eydie Gorme singing " I'll Take Romance " from a live television performance on Youtube- Eydie Gorme I'll Take Romance)  .Her voice is very clear and emotionally penetrating and near the end she dramatically climbs 4 octaves to end on a shattering high note. I first heard this on a vinyl record in 1958. I have never forgotten how powerful and compelling her singing was. The song is a good one but no where near the top of my list.
 Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer's " Blues in the Night"  with Sinatra singing wistfully is, on one hand a perfect evocation of the classic blues form, one of America's greatest contribution to world music. You Tube- Frank Sinatra " Blues in the Night"(The blues tradition in its myriad of forms is as popular and powerful now as it ever was. Johnny Mercer's lyrics, anchored by the recurring words, " My Momma done told me" her cautionary advice that a woman's a " A worrisome thing, who'll leave you to sing, the Blues in the night." In this performance, the words,music,Sinatra's performance and Nelson Riddle's arrangement combine to create a near perfect work of art and one that could only have arisen from the fertile soil of the classic American popular songbook tradition.
 As one who is attracted to complex harmonic construction, " All The Things You Are " is also a favourite of jazz musicians who cherish the lush chords and tricky modulations of Jerome Kern's composition which is sometimes thought of as an art song suitable as a concert piece given it's classical orientation and the rather styilized lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein Jr. I have selceted a jazz performance by Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond showing the improvisational flights of fancy that rich harmonic song construction can provide. You Tube-Dave Brubeck & Paul Desmond-All the Things You Are."

Finally ,I would come to a song that has a very deep and personal connection. It's AlecWilder's "  I'll Be Around " . It is a good song but may not have the same emotional resonance with a listener who has not vowed that they too will still be around " When he or she is gone !" You Tube-Sarah Connally sings jazz " I'll Be Around " By Alec Wilder?)

These thoughts were written at 3:30 AM as I start to recover from hip replacement surgery and who knows, on another day there would be different songs and reasons offered. It underscores the fact that popular song choices are a highly individual matter. What listeners will offer to explain the reasons for their exuberant shout " I really Love That Song" is one of my long range research goals. It is an area that has been relatively unexplored to date and one in which blog followers can participate.   Glad to be back..