Rhapsody For Rachmaninoff  click here 

 

https://youtu.be/DvCgiEZ7WDw 

" Invitation"  This is a lush and haunting theme from a 1952 film with Invitation as the film's title.Lyrics by Paul Francis Websterwho specialized in adding lyrics to film music after the fact. Best Example The Shadow of Your Smile, music by Johnny Mandel
It has the same mysterious song elements as Laura and Stella by Starlight. All three songs pursue a highly charged adoration of the female star of each film.
This is a performance by Rosemary Clooney with an arrangement by Nelson Riddle. They had a passionate romance which also led to some of her best recordings.

 https://youtu.be/z3IkB48eFjc

" Laura" This David Raksin/Johnny Mercer song is an evergreen classic that has been recorded over 300 times. This special version features Kenny Colman, a little-known Canadian singer who was praised by Frank Sinatra as a superior singer of classic ballads. One can never get enough of Laura, a song that many famous songwriters, like Cole Porter, wished that they had written.

https://youtu.be/_7jJjyuAFms 

" It Amazes me." This as song for all men who are surprised that any attractive woman would find them worthy of attention or even long term relationships. AS Tony Bennett admits in this Cy Coleman song, he is humbled by the fact that a woman could like him, something for which he is most grateful. Since humility is not always a trait belonging to all men ( including myself) the song can serve as a reminder for us to be grateful for the women who bless our own lives
PS It took me 82 years to learn this.

https://youtu.be/6Jf0gEq0YWY 

" Everytime We Say Goodbye" This is a 1944 song by Cole Porter. But is not one of his smarty-pants, sophisticated and risque songs. It is a sober and tender comment on the pain of separation. Strangely enough, given the Covus 19 devastation,it could also serve as a song to acknowledge the passing of one laid low by the virus. It is sung by Lady Gaga in a very respectful and mature performance style.More than 70 years after the song was written, it still has relevance today.

https://youtu.be/aUm41zP63lo




https://youtu.be/aUm41zP63lo

Cole Porter: A history and songs of a great American original. In a live stream with Michael Feinstein and Carnegie Hall:

https://youtu.be/lkOTJcXq-rE 

George Gershwin concert with Michal Feinstein  A streaming program sponsored by Carnegie Hall   

https://youtu.be/MMBhRtuubdU 

"  Laura"--A jazz and vocal treat. David Raksin wrote this haunting melody for the famous film with Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney with Clifton Webb as the deranged villain.
It had little public appeal until Johnny Mercer wrote those evocative lyrics and soon it became a standard for all time. The Singer Unlimited was spun out of the Ji-Lo's and added a female voice to replace the original high tenor sound of Clark Burroughs. Those four singers would record a number of separate vocal lines and eventually become a chorus through the arranging genius of Gene Puerling. Gene's vocal wizardry is combined with the imaginative jazz arrangement of Rob McConnell, founder and leader of the 21 piece Boss Brass ensemble.
Here you have a marvellous melody, arranged for a large number of over-dubbing lines from 4 singers and McConnell's solid jazz support of both the song and the singers.

NOTE: A number of famous songwriters have stated that Laura, was one song they wished that they had written.

https://youtu.be/GlnI05l-Jks

 A Time for Love: Johnny Mandel was a master arranger/composer with such movie song hits like The Shadow of Your Smile, Emily,The Theme from M:A:S:H and many others. He also did wonderful arrangements for singers like Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand & Michael Buble. He could make great songs sound even better with his dynamic orchestrations supporting the singer and the song. A Time For Love. The lyrics are by Paul Francis Webster who also wrote the words for The Shadow of your Smile. Very descriptive as in
                            " A time for summer skies
                               For Hummingbirds & Butterflies
                                For tender words that
                                Harmonize with love"
The singer is Jane Monheit, a sultry jazz and cabaret performer who has a great feeling for love ballads, as in her version of Haunted Heart by Jonathan Schwartz & Howard Dietz.

https://youtu.be/0ubBEo69Mis \    A time for Love

https://youtu.be/23dTy9rn0Rc       Haunted Heart

" Somewhere Over The Rainbow" Over the Rainbow was voted the best song of the twentieth Century by the Recording Industry.
For many, it will recall Judy Garland's iconic role as the lttle girl from Kansas who went off to see the Wizard of Oz and her many adventures on that journey.
This version, by the wonderful operatic singer Renee Fleming, is a totally different approach. First of all, the arrangement is so sumptuous and fully orchestral,it would rival any operatic aria written in the twentieth century by Puccinni, the acknowledged master of the bel canto singing style as heard in his La Boheme or Madam Butterfly. Renee Fleming invests her performance with a passion that illuminates the masterful harmonic of composer Harold Arlen that enhances the melody with which almost everyone is familiar.At MGM, Producer Arthur Freed had to fight studio executives who though the song was too advanced and complex to be appreciated by a mass 
audience.Fortunately, Freed prevailed. In addition,the lyrics of E.Y.Harburg have given hope to so many people. In a way,his words encapsulate the once defiant optimism  of an earlier era in America, something that now seems to have disappeared.
I would urge you to listen not with the nostalgic memory of the Garland film but as a classical vocal and orchestral composition. Right at the end ,Fleming creates her own cadenza, a trope that allows singers, musicians and composers to improvise
a personalized ending based on the main themes of Arlen's composition.

" The Girl From Ipanema" Since Portugal is the country posting the most pageviews on this blog, I always admired how Brazilian composers especially the Emperor of Bossa Nova, Antonio Carlos Jobim who is seen in this version of The Girl From Ipanema. He created and popularized the Bossa Nova which is sung in Portugese, the native language of Brazil. The Bossa Nova rhythm  is the most interesting musical trend since the 1960's . It can even be applied to standards from the Great American Songbook like in Irving Berlin's 'Change Partners. It's sung by Sinatra in true Bossa Nova fashion and accompanied by Jobim himself.

https://youtu.be/pUdnWMaysJs 

https://youtu.be/IaUp2aNKMFY    Sinatra

Retirement Planning. " Wait Till Your 65" From the musical On a Clear Day, Lerner & Loewe wrote a delightful song satirically extolling the virtues of a financially secure
retirement. I dedicate this to Wendy Hickey, my financial advisor who had me wait till 75 to enjoy the bounty of a trouble-free retirement. 

https://youtu.be/lEggjtfmnE4 

" Rhapsody for Rachmaninoff" I had developed a musicological relationship with Michael Conway Baker, an award-winning Wsr Coast composer. Iwas paricularly impressed with his ballet score for"Washington Square"based on the movie " The Heiress" which starred Olivia DeHavilland & Montgomery Clift, as a fortune hunting suitor. I helped Michael with editing some of his autobiography. He especially warned new composers to avoid teachers and academics who believe that melody or tonality was not pure and tended to excite emotions rather than succumb to a sterile, formal analysis favoured by a purely academic approach. He played his tribute to Rachmaninoff for me and,ultimately dedicated the printed score to my wife Ann Weissengruber.Ann always searches to find the melody or singing line in any composition,something that was always at the center of Michael;s own compositional efforts.
 Listen to Michael at the keyboard playing with an all female string ensemble. The melody is dominant throughout the entire piece.

https://youtu.be/bWyaEoErruc 

" A Nightingale Sang in Berkely Square." After the German bombing of London ceased temporarily, this gentle song was often played to reassure Londoners that peace and tranquility would once again return when the Nightingale would sing its lovely song. Vera Lynn included this as one of her wartime songs that lifted the spirits of the British people.
This is a wonderful performance by Sir George Shearing and Mel Torme. I saw them do this version at The Royal York Hotel. As Shearing duplicated the trill of the Nightingale in high notes on the piano, the audience broke into a lengthy applause for both Shearing's piano playing and sensitive interpretation of Mel Torme.
   
https://youtu.be/CJKjn2OtyH0 

AT LAST:  Glen Miller recorded this song for  the 1941 film Sun Valley Serenade. Music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Mack Gordon. It later became a soulful hit for singer Etta James.  This version is by iconic singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, who demonstrates what constitutes a song " Standard.'  It's a song that, although written more than 50 years ago, is still being played and heard regularly. Joni  Mitchell is a very accomplished songwriter herself and
benefits from the symphonic style arrangement that surrounds the entire performance,


https://youtu.be/WQK4QKGbcTI

" Suppertime" Irving Berlin wrote a song in 1933. Introduced by Ethel Waters, it's about a wife's reaction to news that her husband has been lynched and how she has to tell her children that father will " Not becoming home no more !' The current social unrest around systemic racism is a reminder of the long and sad history of racism in America. You can hear the anguish in Ethel Waters voice because she had experienced the virulent racism in the South.
Earlier on, Waters introduced Harold Arlen's Stormy Weather at the Cotton Club. She had 12 encores of that song.

 https://youtu.be/Y5Zvjjbc-Hk

"  WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN"  Composed in 1944 by Carl Fischer, pianist and conductor for pop singer Frankie Laine who also provided such touching lyrics.
The song meets the demanding "quality criteria" of the Great American Songbook and also achieving popularity with a mainstream pop music audience.
Additional bonus. I have provided two versions, the firsr by Ella Fitzgerald, the second by Frank Sinatra. How fitting since Ella and Frank have recorded more high quality songs of the Great American Songbook than anyone other than  Tony Bennett.
I believe Ella's version is the most tender and sympathetic performance of the many hundreds of songs I've heard her sing. She provides a slightly more optimistic tone than Sinatra, that superb singing actor, who conveys a world-weary sadness despite the promise of an eventual  reconciliation with his loved one.
Sinatra has described himself as a manic-depressive, with his depressive side perhaps on display in this performance.

 https://youtu.be/mrFkyEG7eWw

https://youtu.be/o1Ty13_juCc 

" Spring ( and pandemics) can really hang you up the most." Tommy Wolfe and Fran Landesman once wrote a song that dispensed with all the alleged glories of springtime.Instead, the song belives that springtime charms are largely illusory.The optimistic " we shall overcome" rhetoric around the pandemic reality may also overlook the battles that are still to be fought and won. Minimizing the significance of the challenges ahead may also ' Really hang you up the most."
Jane Monheit performs a passionate and sobering worry about both spring and the virus. The verse or introductory section says it all.

 https://youtu.be/s-Gik7DVYWQ

"  A perfect example of jazz improvisation" Theories of what constitute improvisation in music may be helpful. But listening to great examples of this art form makes it emotionally available.You may  be familiar with Debussy;s Clair De Lune from his Suite Bergamasque. Pianist Fred Hersch begins by playing the composition as written and as we know it. Then he takes off in a magical , accelerated flight of fancy. We now hear aspects of the basic melody but augmented by what Hersch feels inspired him to build on the original, creating a new composition of his own,
In fact, much of classical music uses theme and variation tropes. Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini contains 18 different treatments of the original theme. 

https://youtu.be/wEMWZM3k_q0

" A Jazz Pianist describes his approach to playing"  Bill Evans, a major influence in jazz piano developments explains how he approaches his approach to improvisation and more technical aspects of his art. Even if you are not a pianist or song scholar, the way he talks about his musical convictions lets us in on the mind of a true artist. He plays for himself and what pleases him. Fortunately. it also pleases many others.

https://youtu.be/P-8VamlySXU

"

' Two Jazz ballads that sound like classical piano ballads or nocturnes. Billy Strayhorn's "Lotus Blossom,"   played by Fred Hersch , just as it was written and not requiring improvisation. It was already perfect.
Next is "Valentine," played live by it's composer, Fred  Hersch. There are some improvised passages but since Hersch was the composer, he could augment his original conception with some moments when he could re -compose the piece but never stray too far from the original.
Chopin or Rachmaninoff would not be ashamed to put their names on such pianistic gems.


https://youtu.be/N3lzKxt20Zo


https://youtu.be/1BARaUnqeBs

" April in Paris" In 1932 Vladimir Dukelsky ( renamed VERNON DUKE by his friend and supporter George Gershwin to Americanize the name for am aspiring popular songwriter) The Russian born classical composer, a contemporary of Igor Stravinsky, teamed with a New York lyricist E.Y Harburg,to write a song evoking all the majesty and thrills of the City OF Light. The verse or separate intro section is placed not at the beginning, as is normal, but tucked away in The middle before the rousing refrain starting with " I never knew the charm of Spring, never met it face-to-face""
Dawn Upshaw, a classicly trained singer ,,unlike many of her contemporaries, does know how to sing American popular songs. As a rule, she doesn't try to reach the balcony as opera singers are required to do.  However, In the middle section, she unleashes her emotional conviction in the songs message as the orchestra also rises to the occasion..

https://youtu.be/u2OkHbT5yFQ 

" Corrected version of " Autumn in New York"

This is the Dawn Upshaw version that has replaced the one I originally sent out, that version no longer available.'' 

pLEASE LOOK AT THE PERFORMANCE NOTES ON THE ORIGINAL VERSION # 1.

https://youtu.be/WyfFxkyLsQQ        cORECTED VERSION

" For Once In My Life"   Tony Bennett introduced this song by Ron Miller and it is one of Tony's own favourite numbers. Here he teams with Stevey Wonder to produce a wonderful recording with both singers demonstrating the personal emotional depths in their singing styles. The arrangement is superb and highlighted by Stevey's harmonica solo backed by the string section.

 https://youtu.be/v8PUjQpu78s

" American in Paris"  George Gershwins orchestral masterpiece given the best performance I have ever heard. The Venezuelan conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, hs such an emotional affinity for the music that he inspires the orchestra to literally 'blow their brains out." This piece really captured the essential buoyancy and uninhibited joy of the American zeitgeist.
Musicologist Robert Kaufman, a former brass instrumentalist was also enthralled by the spirited authenticity of Dudamel's interpretation,especially by the trombone and French Horn sections.

https://youtu.be/EGt000iascg 

"  That Face " Producer and Manhattan celebrity David Susskind was enraptured by the face of Joyce Davidson who he eventually married.She was a Canadian born television interviewer and personality who. with husband Susskind, became part of the glittering Manhattan social scene. David loved the song written by Lew Spence and lyrics by Alan Bergman ( inspired by his soon-to-be wife Marilyn with whom he co- wrote lyrics for Michel LeGrand,Johnny Mandel, Dave Frishberg and Barbra Streisand.)
Whenever Joyce and David entered the Cafe Carlyle, a watering hole for Manhattan society,singer & pianist Bobby Short would immediately start playing "That Face" much to the couple's delight and appreciation.
Here it is performed by Fred Astaire whose clear diction and articulation of the lyrics conveys the passion evoked by " That ( marvellous) Face."



 https://youtu.be/q5lznRBoMIo

" Imagine writing 3 great songs in one night !" Bandleader Isham Jones did so in 1924. Inspired by the brand new piano his wife had presented, he wrote " I'll Se You In My dreams" , "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else", and perhaps the best one " It Had to be You."
All three are presented in this post. 

I'll see you in my Dreams--Pied Pipers with Jo Stafford 
https://youtu.be/ZgJ0GHXqAyI

Sinatra: The One I Love belongs to Somebody Else
https://youtu.be/Az8Mst7jCHA

" It Had to be You "Johnny Mercer favourite song Barbra Streisand & Michel Buble duet

https://youtu.be/ATcUiyBaKhM

Richard Rodgers two great songs about "SPRING." Spring is here is a somewhat sombre reflection that although Spring is here but" Nobody Loves Me." These lyrics reflect the unhappy and unsuccessful love life of lyricist Lorenz Hart. He even later wrote the song " Nobody's Heart (belongs to me) The melody is quite plaintive, especially when one just hears it only as an instrumental, wihout those sorrowful words.Frank Sinatra aptly conveys the sad lament inherent in Lorenz Hart's lyrics.
" It Might As Well Be Spring, whose poetic lyrics were by that "cockeyed optimist" Oscar Hammerstein. A happily married family man and mentor of Stephan Sondheim. He exclaims that " I'm As Busy As a Spider spinning day dreams. I'm as jumpy as a puppet on a string, I'd say that I had Spring fever, but it isn't even Spring." Doris Day's sunny persona is very suited to Hammerstein's hopeful lyrics which refer to Spring Fever as the cause for her restlessness, waiting for something to happen in her life.
These two very different word smiths both benefit from the spendid melodic gifts of Richard Rodgers.

https://youtu.be/O8HH5zEn-Ec

 
https://youtu.be/Jm3D4_Ij_cU

" Spring will be a little late this year " Here in Ontario, Canada, Spring is definately late with only a scraggly forsythia in sight. Words & Music by Frank Loesser ( Guys & Dolls. How to succeed in Business, Most Happy Fella) The song was written for a 1944 film " Christmas Holiday"
Here it is sung, in a live performance, by Carly Simon along with noted songwriter Jimmy Webb,


https://youtu.be/gg_zRHfLHh0

" Need a pandemic pick-me-up ?  Listen to"A Wonderful Life" by Joe Williams and " Here's To Life" by Shirley Horn.
They both acknowledge that life can be difficult but optimism is still possible to sustain us all through the world-wide pandemic dilemma.

 https://youtu.be/x1HVtXRAKK0


https://youtu.be/QOj1JryGj8A

' 'A Saloon Singer"-Bobby Short. In Manhattan, famous people would flock to the Carlyle Hotel to see and listen to Bobby Short, a consummate singer of songs, old and new, sometimes borrowed, sometimes blue. With consummate phrasing and crystal clear articulation,he brings to life the songs of Cole Porter, George & Ira Gershwin, Rodgers & Hart and newer songs of the day.
This is a brief clip of what a typical Bobby Short session would sound like. The response of such an elite audience is very animated.

https://youtu.be/36F-yVW6aDw 

" Lush Life", by Billy Strayhorn, is a very long and highly complex song. Sinatra failed in his attempt to record this as the soundtrack indicates. He just gave up and in the refrain, you can hear him straining and several notes were actually off pitch.
In contrast, listen to Queen Latifah perform it beautifully .You can see and hear how well Strayhorn, at age 21, mastered a striking melody and provided insightful lyrics describing the Lush Life.

https://youtu.be/O2-MalOvxD4 


https://youtu.be/mub-gyuPFlw

"  What is a fugue ?" Several people wanted to know more about what constitutes a fugue in musical terms. This was in reference to a 
fugal approach to Harold Arlen's Over the Rainbow I had posted earlier.
I believe the attachment explains the nature, form and intent of a fugue.

https://youtu.be/vAFETgpt9PA 

" Make the Man Love Me"  From the musical ' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' music by Arthur Schwartz and Lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Dorothy was one of the finest female lyricists who worked with Jerome Kern, Jimmy McHugh ( The Sunny Side of the Street) and Cy Coleman on several musicals like "Seesaw.'
The song has a lovely verse that establishes the mood and content of what is to follow in the main chorus or refrain. It is sung by Maureen McGovern in a controlled but passionate exploration of a desire to be loved, in this case, by the character's own husband, a very troubled soul.
The piano accompaniment provides a near orchestral background. I have found that sometimes  just a piano, accompanying a singer, allows one to focus on the melody itself and how well the singer delivers the words and music.
Concert or art songs by opera and classicly trained singers are often ably supported by just the piano. 

https://youtu.be/Bncn-14-OeE

" Why did I choose You" & " I,m All Smiles'
Two great songs from a musical The Yearling. It was based on the book by Margaret Rawlings which became a film starring Gregory Peck & Dorothy McGuire.
Barbra Streisand sings " Why Did I Choose You". an explanation for the reasons behind a love while Andy Williams sings I"m All Smiles" which could be the response of any male saluted in the Streisand song.

 https://youtu.be/r2808C5f1XM


https://youtu.be/gTpPOrAT4Ec

 '  For old fart Canadians, a radio reminder. "  In the forties and fifties, CBC radio had a very successful radio variety show called Thee Happy Gang. Here is that theme song, one that sends a useful message for todays' sobering situation. Keep Happy with The Happy Gang. Do you Remember the show, old-timer?

 https://youtu.be/b8Ycx7XzgHwhttps://youtu.be/b8Ycx7XzgHw

"  Simple Gifts "  This Shaker hymn harkens back to a time when ordinary, every day pleasures satisfied   pre 20th Century Americans. This humble philosophy is now being observed by many in response to the restrictions on the usual social habits, the ones we followed prior to the onslaught of the current virus.
Y0-Yo Ma plays the cello part with the vocal by Alison Krauss.

 https://youtu.be/baNueuDCue0

"  The Heather on the Hill " Today, on a blustery Toronto spring day,I spied a bunch of heather for sale at my local high-end emporium. I started singing to myself the song The Heather On The Hill.It was from lerner & loewe's BRIGADOON.The movies starred Gene Kelly & Cyd Charisse as star-crossed lovers in a make-believe land set in Scotland.
Now my pink heather plant is in our window sill looking out on our private garden enclave. The plant prompted me to post this lovely song sung by Gene Kelly.
 I will also post an instrumental version with George Shearing , arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon. He was a Toronto musician who found fame and fortune in Great Britain as a major composer and arranger of light,classical music.

https://youtu.be/3jPcyiOr02k 


https://youtu.be/v2cQeQWVuo8 

"  Searching for beauty & optimism ?  A Song of Summer, by Frederick Delius . An 11 minute tone poem that should evoke contemplation and serenity . This is something we all need during these perilous and fractious times.

 https://youtu.be/2qsriktzVFw

"  A Time For Love"   Another song by Johnny Mandel. lyrics Paul Francis Webster for the film An American Dream. The words of Webster are quite poetic
" As time goes drifting by" "A time for summer skies & hummingbirds & butterflies "'. As sung by Tony Bennett, the lyrics adjust magically to the wonderful melody of Mandel.

 https://youtu.be/ko_QMd0ZBjQ

"  I Have dreamed"  Richard Rodgers, like Jerome Kern, was a notorious stickler for wanting his songs to be sung exactly as they appeared on the printed sheet music. He hated how vocalists and jazz musicians altered the tempos and added improvisational twists to the original compositions.
He did compliment Dorsi Day saying " Her version of  " I Have Dreamed" was the finest interpretation he had ever heard of  his famous waltx from "  The King and I."

Doris Dy was much more than the young lady courted by Rock Hudson or James Garner in polite sex comedies. Will Freidwald, a most critical song scholar, described her voice sounding like " Liquid Sunshine."

https://youtu.be/8ncM4w4BeZk 

"  Eydie Gorme Sings Two Cole Porter ballads."  Although Cole Porter wrote clever,fast-paced songs with ingenious rhymes, he had a more thoughtful & restrained side to his writing both music and lyrics.
" Why Shoudn't I ?" ponders the wisdom of falling for romance whereas  " Every Time We Say Goodbye" speaks of the heartbreak from even the briefest departure.
Both songs are sung by Eydie Gorme, a singer who also had a lengthy solo career in addition to her duet career with husband Steve Lawrence. Gorme has a clear, penetrating voice with a 4 octave range \She can also softly caress tender love ballads like the two songs performed here.

 https://youtu.be/veh3AUY7gjk

https://youtu.be/PNC3yRte1FM 

"  Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most " A song from the post- Great American Songbook era but having the same musical and poetic qualities as its predecessors. Music is by Tommy Wolfe and lyrics are by Fran Landesman
The ending has a memorable descending melodic line. The lyrics are quite colloquial and noteworthy
and well-matched to Tommy Wolfe's sinuous melodic structure.
Jane Monheit is a rising jazz and cabaret performer who is building a very substantial catalogue of traditional standards and more recent worthwhile compositions.

https://youtu.be/KPvy-leSy6E 

"  Spring is Here"   This is a somewhat sad reflection of Rodgers & Hart asking " Why Doesn't the breeze delight Me etc." Given the current pandemic situation, there is not a lot to inspire the typical anticipation of what a new season can bring. In fact, ten years later, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein 11 wrote,  " It Might as Well Be Spring", a much more positive perspective on the predictable delights of springtime.
I offer both versions , each one of which offers musical and poetic pleasures. Both songs are given fine performances by Frank Sinatra , First arrangement by Nelson Riddle, The second by Don Costa, a great writer for strings.

 https://youtu.be/LZi-l9jVgeU      Frank Sinatra

https://youtu.be/rRZVSWDW2Jo   Sinatra

" Missing versions of Yesterdays ( Jerome Kern) & Yesterday ( Paul McCartney)
An earlier Facebook post compared two versions of songs dealing with personal memories. 
The versions I had quoted are no longer available due to copyright restrictions. 

Instead, Ella Fitzgeral subs for Sinatra on Yesterdays while Paul McCartney performs Yesterday in a live concert.

 https://youtu.be/GNJecweyc4o


https://youtu.be/wXTJBr9tt8Q 

"  Richard Rodgers-Master of the Waltz : "  Some of the finest 2oth Century waltzes were written by Richard Rodgers wih lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein 11. I must confess since I was raised by Austrian parents who lived in Vienna ,  the city where the waltz was embedded as the hallmark of Austrian musical traditions. There is something about the ebullient three-quarter time rhythm. the dramatic rise and fall of the melody that lifts one's spirit and puts one in a dancing mood. I began hearing these pieces at age 3 and started piano practice at Age 5, starting with Strauss waltzes and more advanced songs as I grew older included ones by Tchaikovsky and Ravel.
Here is Julie Andrews, accompanied by Andre Previn and a symphony orchestra. He, himself, was a refugee from Berlin who made his mark, first in Hollywood?; then as a Principal conductor in London, St. Louis and Pittsburgh and as a guest conductor around the world.

 https://youtu.be/urhJzgrOLAg     PART 1

" It's So Peceful In The Country " In praise of the life-giving affirmation of a rural lifestyle. This is by Alec Wilder, who wrote a definitive, scholarly analysis of the innovators who created the Great American Songbook tradition. He knew men like Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Irving Berlin and Harold Arlen.
The singer is Eileen Farrell, one of the few operatic and concert singers who could also master the unique vernacular of popular American song.
I dedicate this to Elva Reid who still resides on an Ontario farm property that has been in her family for many generations. We have not seen each other for many years but the memory of our family visit to her wonderful, bucolic retreat is still fresh in our memories.


https://youtu.be/m9hZ4bKnMS0

" Most Popular Songs on this Blog."
 333 Classic American Popular Songs have been posted on this blog resulting in 36,722 page views.
Data collected indicates the 5 most favourite songs 
as selected by page viewers around the globe.

* 1: " A Child is Born " Music by Thad Jones. Lyrics by Alec Wilder. This version sung by Tony Bennett.

* 2 :  Richard Rodger'  A Master of the Waltz. Lyrics by Oscar Hammestein Jr.  Julie Andrews with symphony.

* 3:  " I Wish It So"  Music and Lyrics by Marc Blitzstein.  Sung by Rosemary Clooney.

*4:  " Lotus Blossom "  A solo piano piece by Billy Strayhorn, played by Fred Hersch.

5:  ' Sure Thing"   Music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Ira Gershwin.  Sung by Dianne Schuur.
 

"  Isn't It Romantic ?"   A most cherished song by Rodgers & Hart.  It starts with a preliminary ' verse' that sets the subject and mood that is to follow in the main chorus or refrain. Lorenz Hart wrote so poignantly about love and romance  which eluded him throughout his life. His song "Nobody's heart belongs to me" is a sad description 
  of his lifelong disappointments.
The song scholar, Michael Feinstein, has an encyclopedic grasp of the Great American Songbook canon as demonstrated by his inclusion of a verse. Many versions do not use the intro and that is a shame.

 https://youtu.be/L-HjX9By0js

"  Don't Bite The Hand that feeds You " Even going back to WWI, there has always been legitimate dismay when immigrants and refugees complain about conditions after having been accepted in countries like Canada, Great Britain, the USA and Australia.
This is a reasonably restrained version of the song by Gene Autry. It expresses what many people feel about ingratitude of some newcomers to a better place only to complain.

 https://youtu.be/AJHuX2Xio7A

"  I Loved You " This song is based on a poem written several hundred years ago by Alexander Pushkin, Russia's greatest poet. He was descended from a line of African princes and is still a cherished figure in Russian artistic circles.
The poem was set to music by Claus Ogerman, a German arranger and orchestrator and sung by the Singers Unlimited. The orchestra is led by Robert Farnon, noted Canadian composer and arranger. This is a marriage between Russian Poetry and modern classical composition and sung by an amazing group of singers very much in the Great American Songbook tradition.

 https://youtu.be/_mKKpckIP0

" I'll Be Seeing You "  Music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Irving Kahal. This song evokes many memories of WW Two. Many families and loved ones were separated during the turmoil of that war and the lyrics evoked the memories of loved ones, hoping that soldiers would again return home. Memories such as " The old familiar places, A children's carousel, a chestnut tree, a wishing well ." The singer is Judy Collins whose plaintive and reflective performance clearly expresses the longing inherent in the song.

 https://youtu.be/175ck3rY6ZY

"  You Fascinate me So"  Another Cy Coleman song . with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh ( Witchcraft lyrics) Sung by Morgana King in a very rhymic arrangement that makes one want to tap toes, fingers and anything else at hand.
Ms. Leigh had some of the same rhyming ingenuity as Lorenz Hart, of Rodgers & Hart fame.

https://youtu.be/0wA4YlpdsiY 

"  The Best is Yet To Come"  Given current events, is it believable that the best is still yet to come ?  Regardless, this bouncy song by Cy Coleman was written at a time when such optimism was possible. The singer, Morgana King. She played Marlon Brando's wife in Godfathers 1 & 11 because she had an Italian heritage and advised the Director on many unique Sicilian traditions.

 https://youtu.be/OAV0VrAbApY

"  I Love MY Wife '  (But my eyes do wander)   Cy Coleman wrote a wonderful score for a musical called " I Love My Wife"  The title song confesses the wandering and somewhat salacious point-of-view of a husband who confesses a desire for dalliance. Whether one approves is a personal matter. Regardless of the lyrics intent, the song itself is a marvellous creation and sung so well by Sinatra whose marriages were at best rocky. The arrangement picks up the spirit of waltz meter which always makes a song really move.

 https://youtu.be/qcffy3V7ydw

"  The Folks Who Live on the Hill"   A classic Jerome Kern melody supported by very poetic and wistful lyrics bt Oscar
Hammerstein 11. Peggy Lee captures the sentiment about sharing a place in hill country. The arrangement isby Nelson Riddle who asked Frank Sinatra to conduct Peggy Lee's performance knowing that he could coax the most from the singer, the orchestra and the Riddle arrangement. Given the perilous times, the thought of pursuing a place to share an idyllic hideaway is a most fetching notion. Would that we could.

 https://youtu.be/Q4KqMKq8m_Q

' " Rain-Falling from the skies " This is a most emotionally reflective song with the singer wanting the "rain to wash away my tears." This is Sinatra at what he does best-showing his emotional nakedness during another love quandary. Listen near the end when he becomes more optimistic for " When that sun appears, I'll see my love again !"
Nelson Riddles arrangement recreates the sounds of falling rain in a most atmospheric manner.
Great song, great singer, great arranger-a musical trifecta. 

https://youtu.be/XLjtJZdBhtE 

This not an American Popular song.  However, Maurice Ravel, outstanding French impressionist composer, was highly influenced by American jazz. You can hear it the first movement of his Concerto in G.
Gershwin wanted to study with Ravel in Paris. Ravel asked him "   How much money did you make last year ? "
Gershwin answered " $ 100,000 USD."
Ravel then answered " I want to study with you !"

The bristling excitement of  the American zeitgeist ( spirit) in the 20's and 30 's is evident in this piece of music. It's Ravel's answer to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and American in Paris.

 https://youtu.be/FX4y7EMBG6A

" My One and Only Love "  This is a most tender tribute to the one designated as the One and Only Love . Written by Mellin & Wood, it has been covered by Frank Sinatra, Julie London and many other well-known singers of mature, popular songs. This version by Sophie Millman stands up to any of the versions performed by more famous singers . I sate this for the following reasons. Born in Russia and raised in Israel, Ms. Millman imbues the fine melody and endearing
lyrics with a low-burning, incandescent glow. It is supported by a gently pulsating bossa nova type rhythm that moves the song forward that does not overpower the singer's delightfully langorous interpretation. There is an elegant and unexpected accordion passage in the arrangement that adds even more grace to this recording. The world is fortunate that younger singers continue to find and interpret song "standards" that have stood the test of time and speak to all generations of listeners who favour well-made, literate songs
Thank you very much Sophie Millman.

https://youtu.be/3vYVUsaR9ec 

"  Where Do You Start ?"    Ending a long-term love relationship has a sadness all its own Whatever the reasons, there will always be vestigial remains of the things that were delightfully shared by both partners. The music is by the great Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Allan & Marilyn Bergman, Sung with such sincerity and conviction by TonyBennett, "
 "Where Do You Start " tells the tale of the kinds of things that would run through one's mind during the period of planned separation After listing the many different things that could come to mind, it concludes with these words:

               " And though I don't know where
                                And don't know when
                  I'll find myself in love again
                  I promise there will always be
                  A little place no one can see
                  A tiny part deep in my heart
                   That stays in love with you."

https://youtu.be/uGG3fbOtAKg 
             

"  You Are There "   This is a reflective and poignant song for someone who has lost a loved one still imagines that person is  somehow still around. It may only be a fleeting moment but it certainly has a profound effect whenever it may occur.
The singer is new to me. Roseanna Vitreo conveys the emotions felt during such intervals with a lovely melody by Johnny Mandel and lyrics by Dave Fishburg. The piano  accompaniment by KennyWerner is lush and romantic and  in complete accord with the singer. The song may describe similar moments in one's own life.

 https://youtu.be/ZScfz65CrQc

" Loving You" Complete, unrestricted love. For the musical " Passion", Stephan Sondheim wrote Loving You. It is a serious dramatic offer of devotion that indicates such passion in " It' Who I am, It's why I live" and ends  convincingly with " And I would die for you ! "  Such heightened emotion is quite rare in love songs and can be sung by either a male or female. I would hazard a guess that any woman would be thrilled by having such words sung to them. ( Most men , like myself, would be unable to express their feelings in so naked a manner.) The melody itself is quite entrancing.
Michael Ball, in a live concert, sings the words with great passion and conviction in a perfect singing/acting performance.
He should make you a believer . I hope you agree. 

https://youtu.be/wjW2o56NwAM

" Sure Thing "  Music by Jerome Kern, words by Ira Gershwin. I have a story to tell regarding this song. On a busy weekday, I was driving on Toronto's broad Avenue Road when this song came on my radio. The voice of Diane Schuur was so clear, natural and convincing that, after 8 bars,  I dangerously pulled over to the side of the busy road to hear the rest of the song. That was 25 years ago but the memory still burns brightly. There is so much great honesty, clarity and artistry in her performance that it never ceases to amaze me. Such is the power of song . That is why I have devoted the last ten year of my life to documenting and sharing my passion with people all over the world thru the miracle of the internet.

 https://youtu.be/satH82RCmMY

" SPEAK LOW "  A dramatic love song by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Ogen Nash from 1943's "One Touch of Venus."  It's sung here with the magnificent voice of Dianne Reeves, a  jazz diva indebted to the vocal influences of Sara Vaughan & Ella Fitzgerald.

https://youtu.be/ZmsSB9-XYk4 

"  Where is the one ?"  I'm sure that everyone, while growing up and even into adulthood, will wonder who might eventually be that great lover, partner or spouse. Some may have very specific criteria. Others may wait for that unexpected bolt of lighting " when your heart stood still."_This song by Alec Wilder explores such personal musings while Sinatra gives a very convincing performance of the words as well as the melody.

https://youtu.be/4eKejIx1qAs

" And then my heart stood still "  Much has been written about L0ve at First Sight. Whether it is hopeless aspiration or something very real, Rodgers & Hart explore the power of such a possibility in one's life. Judging from the power and conviction in Frank Sinatra's performance, one can think that he believed in the prospect of being smitten by the prospect of love at first sight.

 https://youtu.be/NT73sJou_Js

" Long Ago & Far Away"  An Academy Award- winning song with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. In this case, the music was not by brother George but from Jerome Kern, the Godfather of The Great American Songbook. It is a stunning performance by Maureen  McGovern, she of the powerful four octave vocal range, supported by a lush string orchestra.

 https://youtu.be/qV00jjX3L2E

" Manhattan"  Rodgers & Hart's love poem to the Big Apple tours so many different aspects of Gotham. There are excellent photos to enhance Lorenz Hart's witty lyrics and clever rhymes.
Singer Mary Cleee Harran has the right, light touch to capture the spirit of Manhattan as it was when the song was written.

 https://youtu.be/VM2i_m4JJAs

" America The Beautiful" If one despairs of the current state of affairs, remember the words of Katherine Lee Bates, written after visiting Pikes Peak & inspiring her to write 
   America, America, God shed his grace on thee
  And crown thy good  WITH BROTHERHOOD 
  From sea to shining sea. 
   Listen to a marvellous musical hymn to the original dream of America. Ruby Braff's cornet is like a modern day Gabriel , soaring majestically over Dick Hyman's pipe organ.
Braff was a direct descendant of Louis Armstrong and he sounds like the young
 Armstrong at his most powerful playing. 
 I always get a musical thrill  no matter how
 many times I hear this inspirational song.

https://youtu.be/Uot1HrVHG_8 

 

" The Bandit of Brazil"  Two friends of mine from Michigan State were today lauding the virtues of this pop song from the 50's. I admit to being a musical snob reared on classical music, jazz and The Great American Songbook. This song is hardly representative of Classic American Popular Song ( from Jerome Kern to Stephen Sondheim)
However, for Turf Kauffman who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the '50's commercial pop era and David Stone who still has visceral memories of growing up in NYC listening to the Top 50, I post the only version I could find. It is a very strange collaboration between Stan Kenton, he of the screaming modern Big Band jazz arrangements and Tex Ritter, the cowboy singer who I believe also sang the title song from High Noon. There is a honesty to the lyrics lionizing that Bandit from Brazil who robbed a rich ranchero.

https://youtu.be/hr9SkFgyG5Q

" I'' ll Be Around "  A song by Alec Wilder states that people will wait for that special someone who , for now, may be involved with another person. But it bravely ends with the belief that "I'll Be Around when he/she is gone. " Sung by Carol Welsman, her performance is so authentic I asked her if there was an autobiographical aspect influencing her performance. ? She did state that " I think in everyone's life there is a person who you'd wait around for on some level and I did have a personal story from which to draw." That is also true for me personally.
Carol's performance is every bit as good as those recorded byFrank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Mel Torme and , somehow, conveying even greater  intense emotion.
Guido Basso's flugelhorn accompaniment is equally impassioned and lyrical, so characteristic of his melodic genius.

https://youtu.be/u-bzRePbk4g

" PENSATIVA"   A wonderful bossa nova arrangement  of a Clare Fischer song. It is played by The Boss Brass with an arrangement by an old high school friend Rick Wilkins, still living InToronto. Rick also takes a tenor solo in addition to the wonderful guitar of Ed Bickert and a great ballad flugelhorn solo by Guido Basso.
 The brass section ,near the end, is divided into upper and lower segments which do musical battle that is quite exhilarating.

 https://youtu.be/PSJ6zhHD8c0

Haunted Heart:  A most deeply felt song by Arthur Schwartz  with insightful lyrics by Howard Dietz. One must listen attentively to grasp the poignancy of the message as it relates the lasting memory of a romance gone astray. This is not background music.
Sung by Jane Monheit backed by a rich string based arrangement of Allan Broadbent.
"  Be still, My Haunted Heart !"

https://youtu.be/23dTy9rn0Rc 

I Get A Kick Ought of: Cole Porter often had an impish and saucy sense of humour. Sinatra had a similar disposition and Porter & Sinatra are a perfect combination in " I Get A Kick Ought of You"  again with a swinging Nelson Riddle arrangement. Franks' clever articulation on "Fab  u lous ' face and " Ter if ic ly" too demonstrate his clever affinity and love of language.

 https://youtu.be/wSrHvNr8QQQ

Someone to watch over me. Ella Fitzgerald sings a memorable Gershwin Brothers song with a sensitive arrangement by the great Nelson Riddle but this time enhanced by The London Symphony orchestra. Listen to the purity of Ella's voice and a performance that makes Ira Gershwin's words so believable and tender.


https://youtu.be/J94EWJ_sT2o

OH ,YOU CRAZY MOON ! In 1939, composer Jimmy Van Heusen met lyricist Johnny Burke and they produced their first song which became quite popular. Sung by Mel Torme, accompanied by a sumptuous string orchestra, Torme's articulation, timbre and absolute pitch do real justice to a delightful song in which Torme talks directly to the moon, blaming that moon for fostering romance with another man who stole his lover-All because of the power of the moon to stimulate romance.

 https://youtu.be/A_QytdvAGpE

"  Tony Bennet sings" The Shadow .of Your Smile" This classic Johnny Mandel song from The Sandpiper is given a lush string setting while Tony is joined by a young Spanish singer. In the video, they discuss their approach to singing and agree that it has to express emotion right from the heart.
You can hear the tenderness and warmth in their singing in both Spanish & English/

 https://youtu.be/xb9X7gVN6cA

(I) "Don't get around much anymore."  This Duke Ellington song perfectly describes my current mobility concerns after two hip and one knee replacement and foot problems. This is not a plea for sympathy but a description of the difficulty many old geezers & geezettes face as they age. A cane helps, so does a handicap parking pass and Extra Strength Tylenol. I tend to be able to do many things I have always done but at a much more leisurely pace.

Tony Bennett, who sings the song with Michael Buble, is ten years older than I but still does move pretty well. I guess that singing and painting every day does keep you energetic as well as mobile.

Meanwhile, I have to just "Keep Truckin' since life is grand and music is a great healing force.

https://youtu.be/_XL1vGOLmvM 

Women rhapsodizing about their Man: Two Rodgers & Hart songs " Wait Till You See Him" and " He Was Too Good To Me"  are pure expressions of unrestrained love and adoration of a man they adored.
They are sung by Barbara Cook, a leading Broadway diva whose voice and dramatic ability are able to capture all the passion and eloquence of both the music and words of these remarkable songs. 

https://youtu.be/M4M_u5b5m5E         Wait till you see him

https://youtu.be/I_lEm4xl7WU            He Was too good to me

Sinatra sings about a sad & Rainy Day.  Of the more than fifty Jimmy Van Heusen songs recorded by Sinatra, this is often considered to be Van Heusen's finest composition. The lyric is by Johnny Burke who worked with the composer on a number of earlier songs introduced by Bing Crosby. Noted song scholar Alec Wilder wrote that " This is a very powerful and affecting song  In my opinion it is a great illustration of absolute honesty, quite irrespective of its extremely inventive character as a melody."

Sinatra's performance is clearly in keeping with the sombre mood of the piece and brings his dramatic capabilities to the highest possible level.
https://youtu.be/kUx2qUD8uo0
'

"  But Not For Me "   A classic George  and Ira Gershwin song that believes there is no love song for the singer, concluding that " There is no knot ( wedding) for me "  Sung by American opera baritone, Jubilant Sykes who is able to render a non-operatic and tender performance of such a sadly reflective song.

 https://youtu.be/TQ_6KObLdWA

Two Porgy & Bess songs: Perhaps George Gershwin's greatest creation, Porgy and Bess is an native folk-opera drawn from Afro-American life in South Carolina. " I Got Plenty of Nuthin' " is sung by baritone Jubilant Sykes. It expresses a positive view of life despite the relative poverty of people living in Catfish Row. " Bess, You is my Woman Now" is a thrilling duet between Jubilant Sykes and Maureen McGovern. She possesses  a  four octave vocal range and great interpretive power.This is a composition that compares with any twentieth century opera aria by the great Puccini.
Wonderful songs, wonderful performances.

https://youtu.be/yrRtYZxvAPE