" 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