GREAT MELODY, GREAT LYRIC, GREAT RENDITION

[Mark Blackburn]

I hear you singing in the wires . . .

James Taylor's Facebook page just alerted us to a one-minute snippet of James telling an interviewer . . .

“I often tell my kids that the difference between my upbringing and theirs was that we didn't have the distractions that people have today: You could have a 'long thought' – you know, without it being interrupted.” Citing as an example, Mr. Taylor, who turns 72 this day (3/12/2020) recalled those precious moments of his childhood ....

“Long weekend afternoons, spent lying on the rug outside my parents' bedroom, listening to the record player playing these great Broadway musical soundtracks” [and] “one of the cast albums we listened to was SOUTH PACIFIC, a beautiful, beautiful musical by Rodgers & Hammerstein, with some great songs in it: 'There ain't Nothin' Like a Dame' – great tune! 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair' – 'Some Enchanted Evening' . . . ”

Happy birthday, James. Have we told you lately that we love you?

I refrained last night from posting a reflection on James Taylor's perfect 'covers.' This seems as good a moment as any to share a particular favorite:

Don't you love it when young fans armed with guitars, get to perform their own 'covers' of favorite songs by James? I'd just been thinking of his own take on Glen Campbell's signature song, Wichita Lineman. Just as an aside this great song was welcomed by students of the Great American Songbook for a melody so long-legged with beautiful intervals, you don't notice it doesn't have a bridge. (Those middle parts that James-the-songwriter does so well.)

On an August night three summers ago, after Glen Campbell's death had just been announced, our favorite living singer-songwriter was ready with a beautifully-arranged cover of Glen Campbell's most lovely ballad – a song composed (words & music) by the great Jimmy Webb. This song was Mr. Webb's favorite of his 'musical children' and . . . well, bet he loved to see James Taylor do it justice.

Like all great 'orchestral' arrangements for 'covers' of famous songs, this one alludes in subtle ways to the original by Glen – yet allowing James to put his own stamp on things.

In keeping with the shared hope that loved ones who've left us, look down smiling on tributes such as these: James doffs his cap, at song's end, bows his head and looks heavenward with a smile of thanks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0So36yceuho

 

[Mark Blackburn]

“Do I know where Hell is? Hell is in 'Hello'!”

My compatriot (and Canada's greatest gift to U.S. social commentary) author Mark Steyn is also my favorite musicologist. If he didn't exist, I'd consider myself quite learned about 'The Great American Songbook' – the best of Broadway and Hollywood musicals of my parents' generation. [I turn 73 tomorrow; my favorite living singer/songwriter, James Taylor turned 72 today (3/12/2020).]

Anyway. Mr. Steyn can pick a song (“any song”) and re-arrange its history into paragraphs that positively sing. Like this one – ostensibly about the guys who wrote My Fair Lady and the song from Paint Your Wagon that, “50 years ago exactly” this week, was a No. 1 hit for Lee Marvin – "Wand'rin' Star." A long paragraph (225 words) that races through your imagination at light speed: Yes, Truth & Humor' in lyrical words only Mr. Steyn seems able to muster on a regular basis:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...ature=emb_logo

Born in 1918, [Alan Jay] Lerner was a generation younger, and not at all born under a wand'rin' star except where women were concerned: Seven divorces burned through the millions from Brigadoon, Gigi, Camelot My Fair Lady et al, and left him in hock not only to his exes but also to the fearsome Internal Revenue Service. [“Fritz”] Loewe was cannier: It took just the one wife to convince him married life was not for him, and thereafter he flitted through a cavalcade of increasingly younger passing fancies, under no illusion they were anything more. He thus retained his fortune, including the Palm Springs pad with the supersized bed that rotated to face the desert or the mountains or some appealing combination thereof, and the yacht anchored just off his favorite casino at Cannes - in contrast to Lerner, who was insufficiently liquid to pay his final medical bills at Sloane-Kettering. There is a famous story of Lerner and Loewe in London, stopping in at a Park Lane Rolls-Royce showroom after lunch with the impresario Binkie Beaumont. Each man picks out a Rolls. Alan reaches for his checkbook, but Fritz stays his hand. "I'll get these," says Loewe. "You paid for lunch." At the end of Lerner's life, Fritz Loewe could still have bought both cars, but it's not clear Alan could have bought both lunches.

Most helpful "comment" below the video with 615 'thumbs up' -- this one:

John Gould (1 year ago)
I am 82 in a month. This song still sits with me as I traveled most of my life esp. going where I had never been on purpose. Never had a sleeping place, a job , friends or family and sometimes not enough money to get me further down the road. I mostly did this while dragging a wife and kids with me. I am still a house painter and drywall man after 54 years but settled down these last 5 years. What a voyage...

Edited March 12, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

Linda's FUNNY VALENTINE - "still, you're my favorite work of art!"

Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio is playing 'my favorite work of art' rendition of MY FUNNY VALENTINE – my 'emotional favorite' version because it was (almost) the 'final' arrangement from the pen of Nelson Riddle; the maestro left us before the end of this final musical collaboration with singer Linda Ronstadt. He didn't live long enough to know their three-LP series would sell six million copies.

It's as if America's most influential arranger had said, “What can I do to make this one fresh to our ears?” He did just that. It's a girl song, no matter how well Sinatra did it, and deserved Linda's best-ever (to my ears) rendition to one of Nelson Riddle's very best orchestrations.

It opens with a string quartet 'sound,' like a classical 'gavotte' before Linda is joined by a nylon-string guitar, that sounds more like a lute -- in keeping with the 'drawing room' string-ensemble sound, which suddenly fades to silence as Linda begins to sing. In my mind's eye, I see Ms Ronstadt on stage with a big crescent paper moon hanging over a cardboard sea. Wonder how they staged it on Broadway? That night in the 1930s when some forgotten actress sang it 'live' for the first time. It could not have sounded better than this!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZTVNhjp7H8

[Beneath the video, the “comment” with the most thumbs-up (37) is by an informed 'aficionado']
gogo delux (4 years ago)

Gorgeous. So many contemporary singers who try to sing the standards bore me to tears. They are often overwhelmed by the orchestra or simply don't have the warmth, sadness and vocal beauty of Ronstadt. You can hear her ranchera heritage, a bit of her country rock belt and her pure joy of singing with a superb conductor, arranger and musicians. They create an envelope of musical compliments to her notes. She is visually and vocally something from a dream.

 

[Mark Blackburn]

Some Day My Prince Will Come – Disney & Oscar & Nelson

In his autobiography Nelson Riddle shared fond memories of recording an album with 'Canada's greatest gift to jazz,' Oscar Peterson. 'Jersey Lou' Simon, Siriusly Sinatra's programmer-extraordinaire, at least once a month, includes a track from their wonderful collaboration; a moment ago it was the love song from Snow White -- Someday My Prince Will Come. In three minutes flat, they cover so many variations, from an opening that could be mistaken for Bill Evans (intentional?) then, chorus after chorus of accelerating piano virtuosity -- blended with the finest jazz orchestration imaginable! Is this one at YouTube? Yes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcJoY4xFXNk

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

 

NANCY – Old Devil Moon

Awoke from a nap (hey, I turned 73 today and the grand kids will soon be here to wear me out) – hit the “back one hour” button on computer streaming channel 71 "Siriusly Sinatra" -- and it's Nancy: with the most endearing version (to my ears) of OLD DEVIL MOON. Makes me forget all the others – except for the one from the Reprise Repertory Theater thingee that none of us own. From 'Finian's Rainbow' that opened on Broadway the year I was born. Love what Nancy does with these words:

You and your glance make this romance too hot to handle  / Stars in the night blazing their light can't hold the candle to your razzle-dazzle ....

I know we've celebrated this one before – having deja vu admiring the guitarist, Billy Strange. Concerning whom, Nancy herself recalls, "

“One of the songs that Billy Strange and I used to do together – just voice and guitar. We'd keep a few songs like 'Nice 'n' Easy' and 'Old Devil Moon' in the wings, to use as encores, if we had an especially nice audience. They were my favorite moments because they were so intimate, and quiet.”

 

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

It's 4:44 and a lark is waking up in the meadow . . .

Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio just played a track from AMERICAN STANDARD. I know (from a distance) their “programmer-extraordinaire” 'Jersey Lou' Simon and think this was his way of saying: THIS one's my favorite. Among the first we celebrated with Nancy at Sinatra Family – with this thought:

“Students of Broadway and the American Songbook describe Rodgers & Hammerstein's OKLAHOMA! (with exclamation point) to be a landmark musical -- unlike anything that had gone before: the first to have songs that actually 'propel the plot' and advance the story line. Leave it to James Taylor to recapitulate this one and, to coin a phrase, "make it his own." The arrangement – the celestial guitar chords – are simply sublime! Performed slightly more slowly, almost out-of-tempo, so we can catch all the words: Wish the 'Kings of Broadway' could have heard THIS version of their song, whose melody is beloved by jazz artists – ever since Oscar Peterson showed them the way to this gem!

As it played on channel 71 a few minutes ago, I realized that, like an Oscar Peterson arrangement, every second note James Taylor plays on this one is a different chord. Jazz guitarists would be – must be amazed. Also James' delivery is exquisite: listen to the phrasing and timbre of his voice especially on words like these:

I can feel the day getting older, feel a sleepy head near my shoulder – noddin' droopin' close to my shoulder till it falls – kerplop! The sun is swimmin' on the rim of a hill, the moon is takin' a header; and just when I'm thinkin' all the earth is still . . . a lark wakes up in the mead'r . . .

https://open.spotify.com/track/3kJJtv9juaxcspjbC1bNXT

Edited March 14, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

“And the Land we belong-to, is grand!”

A few days ago, James Taylor shared with fans on Facebook a link to his own rendition, several years ago, of the opening number of the very first (1943) Rodgers & Hammerstein Broadway musical, OKLAHOMA! – “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning.” Concerning which, my favorite musicologist (and fellow-Canadian) Mark Steyn shared this informed note with his fans:

“We have Rodgers & Hammerstein to thank for inventing the 'conventions' of Broadway – especially the most important one: Let the story dictate the tone. To those who used to scoff at the R&H format, the obvious reply was: WHAT format?

Oklahoma opens with a woman alone on-stage churning butter. In the distance we hear a solo voice:

Oh, what a beautiful mornin' – oh what beautiful day . . . ”

Mr. Steyn remarks on the deceptive simplicity of Richard Rodgers' unforgettable tune: “It seems as simple as a folk song. But no anonymous farm-hand's sing-a-long would have [the protagonist] 'Curly' sing 'morning' on D-natural, and then, in the equivalent spot two lines on, sing 'feeling' on D-sharp. You need a professional for that: they signal Curly's intensity of feeling about the land he belongs to . . .

[Once more with feeling: most viewed (13,087 in four years) complete with lyrics only Oscar Hammerstein II could have written, Mr. Taylor would agree]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5LfVHshVXM

 

[Mark Blackburn]

OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING - my favorite 'live' version, yours too?

Ray Charles was one of those rare birds – a popular singer without 'influences.' Completely original: 'One of a kind.' Part of what Sinatra had in mind when Frank dubbed Ray “The only true genius in the business” (of singing). It's worth recalling that Sinatra admitted to being influenced himself by one or two FEMALE singers (including the one Frank dubbed “Lady Day” – Billie Holiday). But our favorite singer recognized Mr. Charles was 'one of a kind' and we'd never see his like again.

And we haven't. No one can sing with Ray Charles' vocal 'athleticism' – his utterly unique phrasing and appealing vocal mannerisms. His vocals have always appealed to both ordinary souls who “know what they like” (but couldn't say why) as well as the most musically-informed and 'gifted' musicians, then and now.

The 'intuitive genius' that is YouTube circa 2020 just sent my way this most perfect example: Ray Charles on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1993. Surely the finest 'live' version of OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING that jazz fans could ever hope to enjoy! The stars were aligned that night: Ray is radiating joy of life – with the tightest of jazz bands and his recently acquired electric keyboard – played to perfection. And when Ray was really enjoying himself, he would swivel around on the piano bench, as if recalling his childhood, – those round-seated, rotating piano stools on wheels (that delighted millions of us kids! Remember? Whatever happened to them all?)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cjk-m78lBQ

Edited March 14, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

Straight to the heart – the Sam Robson 'choir'

I awoke this day recalling something my late Mom said to me when she was not yet 50 years old and I was 20 something. She'd had a vision of heaven in her sleep and awoke with a joyous feeling like no other. It was “beyond words” to describe -- except for one detail. That the 'floor' at her feet, extending outward was “like a sea of glass.”

Coincidentally or not (Mom always said “There ARE no coincidences!”) after noting that the President of the United States had declared this Sunday March 15 to be a 'national day of prayer' I went in search of my favorite hymn, performed 'a capella' by a group of young men in Tennessee (25 years ago). It wasn't there, but in its place, something even more beautiful.

A young singer who looks barely out of his teens – with a fantastic vocal range that includes a deep bass/baritone, made himself into a 'choir' – an angelic one, you may agree. The hymn, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY includes words about a "sea of glass" around the heavenly throne. Mom would have loved this. Ranging from six to 18 voices, the SAM ROBSON 'choir.' Does this do it for you too?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBSB8BK7mBQ

[Mark Blackburn]

Barbra's lovely “SPRING CAN REALLY HANG YOU UP THE MOST”

“Look” said my Irene, pointing out our kitchen window at the bare branches of a 'Manitoba Maple' tree: “Three Robins!” They waited just long enough for us to declare, 'Early Spring!' Then one by one they flew away, in different directions. Reminding us of the opening words of an obscure but favorite song about Spring – that it, of all the seasons, “can really hang you up the most.” With its poignant opening words:

“Spring is here, there's no mistaking Robins building all their nests from coast to coast . . . ” [and its witty last words] that “doctors once prescribed a tonic: 'sulphur & molasses' was the dose. Didn't help one bit. My condition must be chronic . . . [and] "Old Man Winter was a gracious host. But when you keep praying, for snow to hide the clover, Spring can really hang you up the most.”

Best ever rendition? According to some of us, the most recent (2009) recording by Barbra Streisand – to a gorgeous orchestration by . . . someone good. (Wish I could remember who arranged this one!)

Bette Midler did a fine version (the best since Sarah Vaughan helped introduce the song). Given Barbra's iconic stature, I'm guessing the song's composers Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman gave this one the nod as “best ever.”

Coincidentally (or not) for today's latest “Show #502” on Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio, Nancy Sinatra and her co-host Chuck Granata nestled this one as a perfect fit between two 'Spring' songs -- by arguably the best male vocal group of all time. (Certainly the most influential; see 'The Beach Boys.')

47. Love Turns Winter To Spring (Four Freshmen)
48. Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most (Barbra Streisand)
49. Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring (Four Freshmen)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l0EQ3Uzzb0

[Mark Blackburn]

On a night when James Taylor had to cancel his entire Canadian tour . . .

. . . the consoling joy of "Part 2 - James Taylor and The Great American Songbook" his hour-long show recorded for a world-wide BBC audience.

“During the next hour I'll be introducing a selection of my favorite American 'standards' – you know, the first level of my musical 'foundation' which would have been these songs that my parents played. When I first started playing the guitar, I would have played everything and anything I could, and I started a life-long process of interpreting these songs on the guitar. And they were the foundation of my musical vocabulary. Coming up in the show, some wonderful interpretations of songbook favorites – from Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, and Dean Martin; a classic from the great Dinah Washington . . . and a favorite of mine, from the soundtrack of 'Guys & Dolls' (Stubby Kaye's never-surpassed screen version of Frank Loesser's, “Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat”).

“The craft of writing these songs," said James, "was basically all that the author had: the changes, the lyrics, and the melody – and those had to 'work' no matter WHO sang them! As the result, I think, they are the high point of American popular music.”

“ . . . this genre of 'standards' – which people also call 'The Great American Songbook' – what exactly IS that? Well . . . to me it has to do with their being a prior generation of music – pre- Rock 'n' Roll, really. Many of them from the famous Broadway musicals that were such works of art: Carousel, South Pacific, Guys & Dolls, Oklahoma! – The King and I . . . to name a few!

“I guess if there's a cut-off date, it's somewhere in the mid-50's; but mostly they're from the 20's, 30's and 40's. Okay . . . now let's listen to I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER by Nancy Wilson. The incomparable Nancy Wilson. From her 1966 album 'From Broadway With Love.' Written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh ('Lee') – for the musical Little Me.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cjz2Isasqs

 

[Mark Blackburn]

Tony & Diana's THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME

After playing Nancy Wilson's I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER,  Mr. Taylor shared a tidbit of song history I'd never heard before about this, my favorite Gershwin song -- since I was two, and sitting on a rug, listening to Fred Astaire's version from "The Barkeleys of Broadway" (1949 movie musical). James says:

“Okay. We're going to listen now to a beautiful song – “They Can't Take That Away from Me” [sung by] Diana Krall and Tony Bennett. Written of course by George Gershwin and his brother Ira.

"The story goes that Charlie Chaplin discovered an affair between his wife Paulette Goddard” (James gives it the French pronunciation – silent D at the end) “and George Gershwin: he had them followed and, I suppose, put an end to it. [and] In the 'aftermath' George and his brother Ira wrote this beautiful song – which will always be with us!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erYN...Cp9VdLTkbl4Qrs

[Mark Blackburn]

Our “other favorite” recording of THAT OLD FEELING

Siriusly Sinatra is playing Steve Tyrell's version (my second-favorite) of THAT OLD FEELING: I'm a guitarist and Steve's arranger, Bob Mann (like Sinatra's great arranger Don Costa) writes all his orchestrations with a guitar in his lap. (A Gibson L-5, as it happens: Wes Montgomery's weapon-of-choice).

Mr. Mann plays exemplary rhythm, as well as solos that to my ears are perfection in both tone and content: he knows that what you leave out of a solo can be as important as what you leave in.

Not for the first time, I'm listening to this selection on channel 71 and thinking, THAT really is my favorite version since . . . well, you know!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc3OqtyKQ7Y

The song has a detailed Wikipedia entry that includes a note about our favorite singer's definitive recording:

"That Old Feeling" is a popular song about nostalgia[1] written by Sammy Fain, with lyrics by Lew Brown.[2] It was published in 1937.
The song first appeared in the movie Walter Wanger's Vogues of 1938, actually released in 1937.[2] Sung there by Virginia Verrill,[3] it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1937 but lost out to "Sweet Leilani".

The song was immediately a hit in a version recorded by Shep Fields and His Rippling Rhythm Orchestra, considered to have spent fourteen weeks on the charts in 1937, four at #1.

In 1952, it was included in the Susan Hayward movie, With a Song in My Heart where Jane Froman sang it in a dubbing for Hayward. Patti Page, as well as Frankie Laine and Buck Clayton, had hit versions of the song in 1955. Frank Sinatra had a hit with the song in 1960 form the album Nice 'n' Easy.

[Mark Blackburn]

Feeling down? Play the bass!

For reasons I can't explain this cheered me up.

Favorite comments below video:

CARAMORE: (6 months ago) "This was the last time I knew peace."

Vivaldithe2nd Reptiles and Amphibians:
(4 months ago) “I remember a couple years ago, me and a few of my younger cousins were playing with this toy, but one of my uncles was fed up with the singing fish and took it away, and probably even sold it.

[ME: Tell your uncle I'll give him 50 bucks for it. Right now. Ask if he does PayPal. ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxOl...PDP2f-svs8zPPg

 

[Mark Blackburn]

JACK JONES – I've Got a Crush on You

 “Siriusly Sinatra” satellite radio just played Jack Jones with my 'new' favorite version of The Gershwins' I'VE GOT A CRUSH ON YOU. Can't spot the arranger, though there is plenty on display with which to guess: the entire opening minute is breathtakingly orchestral. Is it at YouTube? (Barely. No “thumbs up” and zero “comments.”)
The kindred spirit MO JO, who posted it one year ago, thoughtfully included two names: “arranged & conducted by Byron Olson and Harry Rabinowitz.” Boy are they talented.  But not included in the long list of arrangers who have worked with Jack Jones. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vU30YU2Dg0

[Jack's extensive Wikipedia entry notes ]

John Allan Jones (born January 14, 1938) is an American jazz and pop singer[2] and actor. He is the son of actor/singer Allan Jones and Irene Hervey.[3]

Jones is primarily a straight-pop singer (even when he recorded contemporary material) whose forays into jazz are mostly of the big-band/swing variety. He has won two Grammy Awards.[2]

Jones continues to perform concerts around the world, and remains popular in Las Vegas. He is perhaps most widely known for his recordings of "Lollipops and Roses" (1962 Grammy Award, Best Pop Male Performance), "Wives and Lovers" (1964 Grammy Award, Best Pop Male Performance), "The Race Is On," "The Impossible Dream," "Call Me Irresponsible," "Lady," and "The Love Boat Theme."

Jones was born in Hollywood on the night his father recorded his signature song "The Donkey Serenade," resulting in the younger Jones' assertion that he was "practically born in a trunk."[4] He attended University High School in West Los Angeles, and studied drama and singing.[5]

His first professional break was with his father, who was performing at the Thunderbird Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He recorded several demos for songwriter Don Raye, attracting attention from the music industry. In 1959 Jones was signed to Capitol Records and released the album This Love of Mine, and a few singles. One track from that album was titled, prophetically, "This Could Be the Start of Something Big."[5]

While performing at a San Francisco nightclub, Jones was heard by Pete King, a producer and artist for Kapp Records, who quickly signed him to the label.[5] In August 1961, he recorded the ballad "Lollipops and Roses," which became a hit the following year.[3] Jones' biggest pop hit was "Wives and Lovers," written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.[3]

During the Kapp years, Jones recorded nearly twenty albums [and he worked with] such arrangers as Billy May, Nelson Riddle, Marty Paich, Shorty Rogers, Jack Elliott, Ralph Carmichael, Bob Florence, Don Costa, and Pete King.

[Mark Blackburn]

JACK JONES - You Must Believe in Spring

A wise American friend -- retired English professor, professional jazz pianist and published author SAM CHELL just responded to the above with an informed comment the Family here may appreciate. Concerning: YOU MUST BELIEVE IN SPRING -- Jack Jones' version (my favorite, since Tony Bennett's and Bill Evans' recordings). Yes, just the most recent example of why Sam's my favorite Amazon reviewer -- not to mention "best friend in Wisconsin" I may never get to meet. ("If we do," I told him a decade ago, "and you're playing in a club, I'll call out from the back, "Play Melancholy Baby!") Sam writes:

Very underrated singer. His tribute album to Tony Bennett, recorded early in the present millennium, is to my ears his most mature, soulful, expressive recording even though it got panned by fans of the "Love Boat" Jack Jones. What he lacks in the "smoothness" of his tones is more than compensated for by deep, thoughtful interpretations that illuminate the parts of Bennett hits that Tony himself missed. Much of the credit belongs to super-pianist Mike Renzi (Mel Tormé, Gloria Lynne), which may be part of the reason that Tony went to Renzi as a replacement for Ralph Sharon, his long-time accompanist, who had retired prior to the Bennett-Gaga album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oZGZprgyK8

 

[Mark Blackburn]

My friend Sam and ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE (best guitar solo)

Sent Sam a note last week about Michael Jackson's “frenetic version” of my family's favorite song ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE – recorded with the Jackson Five when Jackson was barely 14. In my note I said:

Thinking of you, Sam -- and the one melody by Jerome Kern that Steve Allen told you personally he could NOT perform (too complicated) when you requested it of him, remember?

Sam replied (as only he could):

Mark, I remember it all too well. It was the Pop Culture Association annual meeting, held that year in New Orleans. I presented a paper on the application of Harold Bloom's Oedipal Theory to jazz, illustrating my points through the closure in solos by Sonny Stitt (perfect but totally derivative) and Sonny Rollins (ragged and raw but inarguably original).

The main speaker-entertainer was Steve Allen, always an entertaining speaker but also a phenomenal composer (over 8K tunes!) and a pretty good piano player. I clearly remember him playing Jerome Kern's indisputable masterpiece, "All the Things You Are."

When he came to Carthage College (in Kenosha) early in the present millennium, I had the opportunity to converse with him a few hours before, during and after dinner at President Campbell's home. I reminded him of the New Orleans' performance, and his response was:

"You're wrong. I couldn't have played that particular tune. It's far too difficult for me."

But who am I to say who's right? He's no longer here to defend himself, so all I can report is from human memory – and mine may be no more accurate than that of many more esteemed persons.

[One for Sam – my favorite virtuoso guitar performance – “the best you've never seen” – by a Brazilian-born American Walter Rodriguez Jr.]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVUgekAwmDo

 

[Mark Blackburn]

LAST NIGHT WHEN WE WERE YOUNG (and so were our guitars)

A video titled “James Taylor's Guitar Vault” was posted on his Facebook page this day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qqlk...iywonTaXUzS35A

[In case that link doesn't work – I wrote in reply]

“Your Mother and I will be back to check in on you, in just a couple of hours” quips James as he 'puts to bed' a 'parlour guitar' (slightly smaller – this one made by his go-to luthier, James Olson of St. Paul MN).

Loved the opening with James singing a few bars, in an East-London accent, of TA RA RA BOOM-DEE-AY. Haven't heard that since my Birmingham England born Grampa sang it to me, while baby sitting me one night when I was two (Last Night When We Were Young – another you should consider for AMERICAN STANDARD II (2022).

[re “old guitars wear out”] Our mutual hero Chet Atkins told me once (as a radio interviewer in my hometown of Ottawa Canada I had 20 minutes alone with him, the summer of '71) Chet said that when I finally get a good quality acoustic steel string, “Get yourself an old (Gibson) but one that has been played a lot. They sound so fine.”

[Wikipedia note on that recommended song]

"Last Night When We Were Young" is a 1935 popular song about nostalgia and young love [1] composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. Arlen regarded it as the favourite of the songs that he had written.[2]

"Last Night When We Were Young" was highly regarded by Judy Garland, who recorded it twice, and frequently performed it.[2] Composer Alec Wilder called it a "most remarkable and beautiful song" that "goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music." Continuing, he stated that "t is unlike any other Arlen song that I have heard. However, it is unmistakably his."[3] Harburg did not know where he acquired the title, saying, "the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy".[2]

---
Best ever 'live' performance of this song?  No contest.  From circa 1965 back when most families had not yet purchased their first 'big' (21 inch screen) color TV [!]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juHvbEVn--Q

 

 

Edited March 20, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

Non-musical DVDs to 'binge' by -- while self-quarantining (LAW & ORDER 'original' all 20 seasons)

Just turned 73 and "high risk" -- and trapped indoors because of current "events beyond our control" -- and just took down from the shelf my "20 season" LAW & ORDER Box Set (now 265 U.S. -- twice that in Canadian dollars; "available from third party sellers only") and . . . well, I wrote this about it on Amazon January 22, 2016 (with a footnote six months later; it took that long, even binge-watching to work through the entire series. Still my all-time favorite.

----

Am "binge watching" the original "Law & Order" -- 450 episodes (correct) about 350 hours spread over the 20 seasons. The box set was briefly available in 2013 but (often) not available for sale at Amazon. I got my box set for a couple hundred U.S. dollars (a fantastic bargain for 20 years worth of the series) from a private seller in Colorado. We finish one episode, and my wife Irene says "Oh, put on another one!" Our record is 12 episodes in two days. We've settled back into . . . oh, four a day. Best dramatic television -- best writing, best characterization -- in the history of TV. I wondered if it would "stand up" -- not be dated. Instead, it's even better than I remembered it: After each one ends, I keep saying the same thing: "That's the best one yet! No really!" (Personal recommendation: Start with Season Four. By then they'd settled into their perfect format that would survive each new change of characters.

Good Friday post script:

At the end of Season 14, my wife's favorite character (mine too after getting to know him for 10 years worth of episodes) "Lenny Briscoe" leaves the show; his belongings in a box, as he says goodbye to his fellow detectives.

My wife despaired of Lenny being successfully replaced by any other actor. And at first, in Season 15 she didn't like Detective Joe Fontana (for the same reason his boss, Lieut. Van Buren doesn't -- his "attitude"). But then actor Dennis Farina works his own magic -- bringing such 'gravitas,' as the Latins say, to his performance.

A moment ago my wife and I watched what we both agreed to be the "best episode yet." Season 16, episode three, Disc 1, titled: "Ghosts" it is described in the considerable Wiki entry for "Detective Joe Fontana" (not the actor who portrays him, Dennis Farina!):

"In 1995, Fontana started a two-year investigation into the murder of 12-year-old Sara Dolan. Convinced that her father was involved, Fontana does not let go of the case until another murderer confesses to the crime. Fontana questioned his original judgment after extensive investigation, leading to the actual killer being convicted after Mr. Dolan testifies in court. Publicly, Fontana claimed to have no regrets about his original belief in Mr. Dolan's guilt because it was reasonable in light of the facts he had during the original investigation. He later visited Mr. Dolan and tries to apologize only to be turned away."

At that moment, when Dolan opens his front door and Fontana offers his hand and an apology, my wife said, "He'll shake it." He did not. Then we both said, in unison, "He (Det. Fontana) still did the right thing" seeking forgiveness.

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June 3 post script. Well it took six months, sometimes watching four or five episodes a day! But all good things must come to an end: My wife Irene and I just watched the very last episode of Season 20. We felt a little anxious when we put on that final track on the DVD, wondering how on earth the producers could come up with a final episode worthy of the 20 seasons of greatness this dramatic gem had provided. Well, suffice to say it was perfect. Note perfect. We were reduced to tears. Of joy. (Always the best kind, right?)

P.P.S. (3/20/2020) 

A friend at Sinatra Family Forum, Larry T said: "Mark, Congratulations to Irene and you for this worthy achievement. It is also my favorite dramatic series although I didn’t follow it when it first aired. I am drawn to the Sam Waterston era a bit more than the Michael Moriarty episodes. I love this show." [I replied] I smiled at you recalling, Larry: " . . . my favorite dramatic series although I didn’t follow it when it first aired." Me too.

 

I'm at the end of a hallway in a hospital, in a visitor area, watching a small screen TV. One other fellow in the room. I watched most of one episode and turned to the stranger and said, "That is the best thing I've seen on television in . . . " and he completed the thought -- "ever. I agree!" I asked him, "How long's this show had been on?" He replied, "This is its third season."

 

Edited March 21, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – favorite instrumental solo version

First a big thank you to TinPanFan for reminding me that my favorite female singer recorded his favorite version of THAT OLD FEELING -- and that Peggy included the lovely opening verse. Love that rendition with her husband Dave Barbour on guitar. I loved his jazz accompaniments on some of Peggy's greatest hits. Thanks for mentioning his name, Ed. Speaking of guitarists I love (indulge me please):

Songwriter John Kander celebrated his 92nd birthday March 18. Mr. Kander, together with lyricist Fred Ebb (who left us in 2004, age 76) the team of 'Kander & Ebb' composed a dozen Broadway shows. Their most famous song, is enjoyed by a crowd of about a million each New Year's Eve in Times Square. 

Neither Kander nor Ebb played guitar, but I'm thinking, you don't have to play the instrument to appreciate this solo rendition by my favorite living finger-style guitarist, Brazilian-born American, Walter Rodriguez Jr. [His view totals at YouTube number in the millions for dozens of brilliant covers of great melodies. This one for NEW YORK, NEW YORK is nearing 350,000 - posted Oct 19, 2017]

I listen in awe as Mr. Rodriguez plays deceptively simple chord progressions with his gifted fingers. Such as on the song's bridge around the 00:50 second mark and at 'the beginning of the ending' – around 1:40 – the way Walter 'resolves' it. Artless perfection. You watch and think, I could learn those chords. Oh no you can't!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izrZssT1sA8

It's a deceptively simple tune – especially when played just single notes: the melody sounds like a “riff tune” as Sinatra used to say of songs that really were. As he himself said, after turning down “Hey There” (from the Broadway hit show The Pajama Game). His friend Rosie Clooney was so happy at that – jumping at the chance to record what quickly became her greatest-ever hit and No. 1 chart-topping million seller.

When Frank met the composer he said, “Are you Richard Adler? I'm Frank Sinatra – the schmuck that turned down Hey There!” Frank said he'd looked at the sheet music and figured it was "just a riff tune."

Same type story in reverse, but with a happy ending: When Nat Cole first met Carolyn Leigh, who wrote the words to YOUNG AT HEART and offered to him first, he turned it down. “I goofed,” he told my favorite female lyricist: “I figured it was for the 'geriatric set'!” Frank jumped at the chance to turn it into HIS best selling single (and first million seller?)

[Mark Blackburn]

ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING

At a time when my church, the 2,000 year old one (with 1.5 billion members, in every nation on earth) has said -- for the very first time in its history -- "No Masses and no Easter Holy Week observances" -- I just had to replay this 'choir' and spotted a note of appreciation from Samuel Chell (my "best friend I may never get to meet") who is a professional jazz pianist and retired college English prof. Does this note speak to your musical heart too? [Sam writes]

I'm hearing some lead tenor notes that are hitting the 2nd G above Middle C (just now heard a note a half-step above that!) --and with the vibrato-less purity of a first-rate boys' choir. It's quite a tour de force, from the close harmony of the arrangement to the flawless execution to the mixing of the parts and, finally, the added task of video-graphing it.

But, admit it--isn't it more enjoyable to sing the lead part (or trade off now and then) with 2-3 other guys, like the 4 Freshmen or the Hi-Lo's? Or The Manhattan Transfer? Or why not add 5 voices, like Take 6? (I recently saw Manhattan Transfer in concert with Take 6, who frankly overpowered The Manhattan Transfer in stage presence as well vocal power.) In the classical realm the group Voces 8 is so good ("Eventide") as to sound unreal (initially I thought the contra-tenor's top notes were reachable only by speeding up the tape in the studio. Then I heard them in concert and realized they had no need for cheap tricks).

Still, perhaps the most impressive of all recordings is "Vocalese," which Manhattan Transfer recorded with Dizzy Gillespie and McCoy Tyner among others in 1985. The group slyly slips in accessible things to catch their breath (e.g. "Killer Joe"; "Boy from NYC"), then amazes with vocal transcriptions of the original improvised solos of Sonny Rollins ("Airegin") and Clifford Brown ("Joy Spring").

And as a bonus they include the 4 Freshmen on a performance of Thad Jones' lovely ballad "To You." "Vocalese" is a recording that happens once in an artist's (and listener's) lifetime--all the more rare when it's 4 artists, each required to bring his A Game. I doubt they could attain such a height ever again. The human voice is the most vulnerable of all instruments. Thanks for capturing and sharing yours so memorably.

-- Samuel Chell

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBSB8BK7mBQ

 

[Mark Blackburn]

"Rather like a habit one can always break, and yet … "

The composer who wrote the gorgeous melody for I'VE GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE would have enjoyed James Taylor's fresh, “two-guitar” arrangement of the ballad Frederick "Fritz" Loewe considered his best 'musical child.' His lyricist, Alan Jay Lerner, would surely have smiled with pleasure at Mr. Taylor's 'reading' of his poignant words – the way Mr. Taylor makes the song his own. Really, if you didn't know better, you'd assume James wrote it!

Just had to share my Joy at awaking this day to my Sirius/XM alarm clock -- and James singing this "best ballad" from MY FAIR LADY -- the show some of us still consider Broadway's “best-ever” -- same for the movie version which won multiple Academy Awards including Best Picture.

I reminded friends at Sinatra Family online about the two bonus tracks for Target stores' 'special edition' CD and as if to say 'I hear you,' channel 71's programmer-extraordinaire 'Jersey Lou' Simon chose this bonus track.

Mr. Simon has hosted a select few 'Town Hall' broadcasts with live audiences of great singers including Mr. Taylor's good friend Tony Bennett. Here's hoping, once the world gets well, we'll hear a 'James Taylor Town Hall' on Channel 71.

ACCUSTOMED TO HER FACE was My Fair Lady's 'show-stopper' closing number and, inexplicably, the one ballad Sinatra fans most wish their favorite singer had recorded. Frank gave us two up-tempo swing versions of songs from that great show.

Is Mr. Taylor's version at YouTube? Yes! with a slide that's become my favorite recent photo of our favorite living singer/songwriter walking up the driveway to his home studio where this gem was recorded. (The other 'extra' – NEVER NEVER LAND from Broadway's Peter Pan -- follows.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hU9zkx9Djv0

Edited March 22, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

“I love you Mom!” (Nancy's mother's eyes)

Hit the 'back one hour' button a couple or three times and it's Nancy Sinatra singing the most poignant song about her “mother's eyes.” Her younger voice, and a gorgeous orchestration – with strings and something that haunts my memory: someone playing a six-string electric bass, using the base of the palm to mute and employing a pick not a middle finger – that warm sound Bert Kaempfert introduced to us -- budding guitarists.

"One bright and guiding light, that taught me wrong from right, I found in my Mother's eyes.
Those 'baby tales' she told – that 'road all paved with gold' I found in my Mother's eyes."

The beautiful bridge soars (reminiscent of harmonies from the old song, 'Side-by-Side') as Nancy sings

"Just like a wand'rin' sparrow – one lonely soul
I walk the straight and narrow, to reach my goal.

God's gift sent from above – of real, unselfish love – I found in my Mother's eyes."

Who wrote this song, I wonder? It's as if it's composed by Nancy – she owns it! And that lovely guitar-focused arrangement – is that Billy Strange at his best?

A comment below the video (you know what he means)

Joey Gambino (1 year ago)
Nancy is the only voice able to sing this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tadPy752huw

An informed musical friend "Ed - TinPanFan" writes:  

"Georgie Jessel introduced "My Mother's Eyes" as noted above in 1929, and used it as a theme the rest of his career. It was written during a time when overtly sentimental songs were popular, and taken seriously (not so true later, around the Swing Era).

I've never heard it sung as beautifully as Nancy does it, but then ... consider her inspiration!"

-- Ed

 

Edited March 22, 2020 by Mark Blackburn

[Mark Blackburn]

New all-time favorite Hank Williams 'cover' by James Taylor 

69 years ago this month Hank Williams – Country's greatest-ever songwriter according to all the others – went into a Nashville studio to record I CAN'T HELP IT IF I'M STILL IN LOVE WITH YOU. Barely a year before he died, age 29 in the back seat of his Cadillac en route to a New Year's Day concert in West Virginia.

One of my own 'top three' favorite Hank Williams songs. The other two? “I'm So Lonesome Could Cry” and “House of Gold” – a song so obscure I've only ever heard one version – by the late, great Kenny Rankin – set to a full orchestral treatment by Sinatra arranger Don Costa, who gave Kenny his first set of guitar strings. But you knew that.

The shuffle play miracle that is YouTube circa 2020 just sent my way James Taylor's cover. I'm sure Mr. Williams would have loved what James does with it – the spare instrumentation, the slowed-down tempo, the other-worldly chords: And there are bass notes so low, they sound like distant thunder: I need good earphones (like my 'out-of-print' Sennheiser PX-100's) to detect such low frequencies -- they are almost 'not there.'

What a recording! Am I the last James Taylor fan to hear this one? Mr. Taylor lends his special 'gravitas' as the Latins say, to words like these:

Today I passed you on the street, and my heart fell at your feet. I can't help it, if I'm still in love with you. Somebody else stood by your side, and he looked so satisfied. I can't help it . . . [and the bridge!] A picture from the past came slowly stealing, as I brushed your arm and walked so close to you . . . Oh! Heaven only knows how much I miss you. I can't help it . . .”

 

 

 

 

[Mark Blackburn]

DOWNTON ABBEY - The Movie (2019)

Just left a 5-star review at Amazon titled, "Favorite Moments -- The Ladies Violet & Isobel, exchanging barbs and zingers to the end"

At movie's end tonight, my wife and I shared a happy silence for at least a minute -- laughing and wiping away tears of joy. And, just as we had done each season of DOWNTON and each episode, we watched The Movie first at night, then again the next day – amazed as always, with what we'd missed at first showing.

“What IS her name?” asked my Irene, of “The Dowager Countess of Grantham, Lady Violet” – How can we forget her name? “Me too,” I said. “Yet, we know all their character names!” I needed to Google and be reminded that Maggie Smith turns 86 at the end of 2020 -- and won TWO Best Actress Academy Awards. Her Wikipedia entry is so extensive, it makes her 'scene stealing' presence, in every single episode of Downton, almost an afterthought in her biography.

But her brilliant creator -- author Julian Fellowes – never fails to give “Violet” the best lines – retorts and witticisms, especially zingers exchanged with her nemesis from the very first episode, through this movie sequel. Her Wiki entry explains succinctly:

Isobel Grey (formerly Crawley, née Turnbull), Lady Merton (played by Penelope Wilton) is Matthew's widowed mother. A recurring theme during the first two series is the clash between Isobel's more modern and liberal values with the traditionalist ideas of Lord Grantham and his family. Isobel, a former nurse, constantly takes up new charitable causes, helping run the convalescent home at Downton and assisting refugees and prostitutes, though her sense of moral imperative often irritates others. She maintains a quarrelsome rivalry with Violet, the Dowager Countess, but this eventually develops into a genuine friendship,

And a joyous reconciliation as the two characters assist each other when it matters most. In the movie's penultimate scene, at a fancy dress ball in someone else's castle, Lady Mary and her Dowager grandmother Violet steal some time alone.

MARY: How long were you planning to wait, Grannie to tell us why you really went up to London?
VIOLET: Since you ask . . . I hadn't decided . . . and if I tell you now, do you promise to keep it to yourself? [Mary remains silent as the two seat themselves to talk]
VIOLET: I had some medical tests a few weeks ago and went back to London to hear the results . . . and I may not have long to live. It won't be 'too quick' . . . but of course you can never get a London doctor to be precise.
MARY: Oh, Grannie . . .
VIOLET: No, no – save tears for something sad: there is nothing sad HERE. I have lived a privileged, and an interesting life and now . . . it's time to go! [a beautiful smile, with warm eyes that sparkle] I'm leaving the family, and the place that I TREASURE in . . . talented hands.
MARY: I know Papa will be . . .
VIOLET: No. I don't mean your father. Though I love him dearly. I mean YOU. You are the future of Downton.
MARY: But . . . I have such doubts, Grannie. Are we RIGHT to keep it all going? When the world it was built-for, is fading with every day that passes? Will George and Caroline still be living that life? Are WE living it NOW?
VIOLET: Our ancestors lived different lives from us, and our descendants will live differently again, but Downton Abbey will be a part of them.
MARY: [at a loss for words, and then] It won't be the same without you . . .
VIOLET: Of course it will! You'll take over from where I left off! You'll be the 'frightening Old Lady' [Mary breaks into a big smile] YOU will keep everyone 'up to the mark.'
MARY: Thank you very much . . .
VIOLET: You WILL my darling – you are doing wonderfully. You are the best of me [peaceful smile]
MARY: Oh Grannie! I love you SO much . . .
VIOLET: Shhhh . . .
MARY: But should you be here tonight? Won't you be worn out?
VIOLET: Oh Mary I can't spend the rest of my life in a shower of, 'How are you feeling?' and 'Are you quite well?' Oh no, no, no. The point is: I'll be fine until I'm not. That is all there is to it.
ISOBEL [enters with a smile and says brightly] Here you are! The dancing's starting! You mustn't miss it [she detects something important was being said, and smiles with empathy, then leaves]
MARY: [searching in vain for the right words] You know . . . you will always be with us Grannie . . . staring from every picture, talking from every book, as long as the house stands.
VIOLET: [deadpans] Sounds very exhausting. You know . . . I think I would prefer to rest in peace. [Mary dissolves in gentle laughter, and with evident tenderness, they 'exit, stage right']