The Heather on the Hill

The Heather On The Hill, is a lovely ballad from the musical Brigadoon( currently playng at The Stratford Theatre in Canada.) It's a story set in Scotland with a love duet between a visiting American and a lovely  Scottish lass named Fiona.
( Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse in the film version. )
The first is a vocal  performance by a large Brisish orchestra. The second ,an orchestral version by Robert Farnon, a famous ex Candian arranger  & orchestrator with Sir George Shearing on piano. The irony is that the elegant Scottish themed melody was by Frederick Loewe, a transplanted Austrian who also mastered British musical traditions in My Fair Lady. Both set of lyrics were by Alan Jay Lerner,who was married 8 times, hence the song " It's almost like being in love"has a unique & poignant resonance.

 https://youtu.be/TPXwgNej55o    VOCAL VERSION

https://youtu.be/v2cQeQWVuo8     Shearing/instrumental version

LUSH LIFE-Piano Magic   At 21, Billy Strayhorn wrote a marvelous and highly sophisticated song, both in its construction and with his world-wise lyrics. Sinatra, despite all his talent, felt he could not do justice to the song and stopped trying.
This is an instrumental version by the highly prized Geri Allen.
Even though the song features highly complex harmonic passages, Geri Allen adds her own harmonic richness, especially in the opening section without accompaniment. It offers a textbook example of distinctive improvising around an almost perfect compositions. The richness of her piano sound is breathtaking.
She proves that one can improve upon perfection. 

 https://youtu.be/fPW10_Nf5fQ

The Half of it Dearie Blues

Gershwin's:The Half of it Deary Blues: Gershwin is often venerated as a blues influenced composer, largely based on the popularity of his Rhapsody in Blue. It incorporated conventional aspects of the blues canon, the way in which classical,composers often adapt folkloric elements in their own extended works. Johnny Mercer, who knows a lot about American popular songwriting, ,thought that Gershin's " blues" ventures were rather academic and in,his words, were " mechanical" when compared with Harold Arlen's Blues In The Night. So many Arlen ballads that were infused with the spirit and elements that were  decidedly "bluesy" in tone and texture.
In searching the Gershwin songbook. I could only come up with one song that seemed true to the blues tradition. It is aptly named The Half Of It Dearie Blues. Sung by Ella Fitzgerald, it has a wonderful Nelson Riddle arrangement that is truly down and dirty  in the best blues tradition. I'm sure Arlen would agree since Gershwin was his earliest idol  who described Arlen " As the best of us all" in terms of classic American popular song traditions..
Gershwin's Porgy & Bess is his masterpiece does contains many aspects of black music themes in terms of subject matter and lyrical expression. 

https://youtu.be/MsY57dhQefQ 

HAUNTED HEART

Haunted Heart

The recording by Jane Monheit was missing in the previous post.

https://youtu.be/QLvEm2flvL4

You Don't Know What Love is:  Many love songs praise the ectasy of love encounters in the most poetic of expressions. But there is also the agony and heartbreak that is often part of love relationships. This song, by Gene DePaul and Don Raye, believes one must also live through the agony of " the Blues" to really understand what love is " Until you learn the meaning of the blues." Maybe, for some, there is nothing but unfettered bliss in love affairs. That would be most unusual since there tend to be ups and downs in any male/female relationship. Singer/pianist Nina Simone really explores the heartbreak and sadness suggested by the song title and her own discovery of what love is.

https://youtu.be/BguiWbW5j3Q

A Tribute :Songs About London- But before-BREXIT:  What will happen once a Brexit decision is made is unknown at present.How will it affect  England and London is likely to be quite significant. Please take some time to hear several songs, written by Londoners that celebrate the unique character of that city. Noel Coward's London Pride, is sung by Coward himself , a song he wrote at the height of WW11. Carroll Coate's, London By Night is sung by Frank Sinatra. Eric Maschwitz's & Manning Sherman's A Nightingle Sang in Berkely Square, is sung by Mel Torme and accompanied by a former Londoner, Sir George Shearing. These songs all touch on various delightful aspects of old London Town and hopefully its charms will not disappear due to disruptive political machinations.

https://youtu.be/aTsIMVIWjlQ    Noel Coward

https://youtu.be/tGhCDlLwHLQ  Frank Sinatra

https://youtu.be/CJKjn2OtyH0    Mel Torme/George Shearing

Diana Krall does Gershwin's  S'Wonderful  Wonderful symphonic version of a Gershwin classic, arranged and conducted by the brilliant German musician Claus Ogerman. Diana sings and plays with jazz improvisations supported by the pulsating bossa nova rhythm from her regular group and the orchestra.

 https://youtu.be/6mM2HkNE1nA