Here is an unprecedented pairing of two of our greatest living jazz singers and a Gershwin classic. Backed by Bill Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington at the drums, They Can’t Take That Away From Me is a memorable moment that isn’t likely to fade for a mighty long time.
God Bless The Child was written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939. It was first recorded in May 1941 by Billie and released in 1942. Her version of the song was honored with the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1976.
After being heard by producer John Hammond, who liked her voice, Holiday signed a contract with Brunswick Records in 1935. Collaborations with Teddy Wilson produced the standard What a Little Moonlight Can Do.
Billie Holiday’s best-selling record Strange Fruit was a sombre blues account of racism in the South. In 1939 Time Magazine derided the song as propaganda for the NAACP. ironically, 60 years later Time selected it as ‘song of the century’!
On April 22, 2021, the National Endowment for the Arts, in collaboration with SFJAZZ, presented a virtual tribute concert celebrating the 2021 NEA Jazz Masters. Topsy, originally written for the Country Basie Orchestra is performed in the top video. It featured Wynton Marsalis on trumpet, Dan Nimmer playing piano, Vince Giordano on both guitar and bass, and Jason Marsalis playing drums. For more background and the complete concert, click the link above.
Below is the Irving Berlin standard Cheek To Cheek, swung by Dee Dee Bridgewater, backed by the SFJAZZ High School All Stars Big Band. Yes, High School!
Above, Joe Williams sings Alright, Okay, You Win, an old chestnut from his Count Basie days at the Ella Awards in December of 1990. Then, at the end of the evening in a wonderful mayhem, all the singers plus honoree Frank Sinatra join in a reprise of the tune … more fun than anyone ought to be allowed to have. It sure must have been a blast to be in that room, that night! Below, simply some down and dirty blues as Count Basie’s “number one son” Joe Williams [here in his prime] sings Five O’Clock In The Morning on television’s Judy Garland Show.
Many performances feature what they call All Stars but this 1994 Carnegie Hall Concert actually had the proof in the pudding … jazz legends one and all! Imagine J.J. Johnson, Roy Hargrove, Jackie McLean, Joe Henderson, Kenny Burrell, Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Christian McBride, Kenny Washington, Betty Carter and Dee Dee Bridgewater all in the same place, at the same time, on the same stage! Charlie Parker’s Now’s The Time was the perfect vehicle to deliver standout moments like Betty Carter trading fours with J.J. Johnson, Roy Hargrove, Jackie McLean and Joe Henderson! Actually, you don’t have to imagine it. Here is the grand slam finale of that concert!
You can hear the concert in its entirety on YouTube at https://youtu.be/PTPuhLp8fWM
When it comes to sharing the spotlight, Oscar Peterson is the poster boy. For example, at the Bern Jazz Festival in 1988 Oscar added several numbers by the incredible Carmen McRae … such as “Sometimes I’m Happy”. Peterson played piano, naturally, while Dave Young was on bass and Martin Drew on drums to round out the trio. In a more intimate setting back in 1969, the trio had Sam Jones playing drums and Bobby Durham on bass, and shared the spotlight with yet another superstar in the person of Dexter Gordon. The tune is an uptempo arrangement of “You Stepped Out Of A Dream”.
“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and introduced to the public in the 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is popularly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter theme. The song was released in no fewer than eight recordings in 1949 and was originally an invitation to leave, not to stay.
Some on the fringe say the lyrics are ‘sexist’ … I say they seem near-perfect for welcoming in the New Year, especially in places like the bone-chilling northeast where January brings more than just cold and fireplaces are more than just atmospheric!
Bing Crosby was always a hero of Michael Bublé. At last in 2012, during Bublé’s Home For The Holidays Christmas Special, Michael got to realize his long standing dream of singing a duet with Bing. Through the miracle of modern technology they sing White Christmas together, and even exchange a bit of banter!
In 1963, Judy Garland hosted a live Christmas special and created a rare moment with Mel Torme and his now famous composition, The Christmas Song. Mel’s tune became an instant Christmas standard … although it was actually written in July of 1945 during a blistering hot summer in an effort to “think cool!”
The earliest known recorded version of Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town was by banjoist Harry Reser and his band on October 24, 1934. This 2017 version has British singer-song writer Seal performing a duet with Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, through the miracle of modern technology. It’s seamless, it swings, it’s great!
It’s A Marshmallow World is an excerpt from Dean Martin’s star-studded 1968 Christmas Special, featuring Dean and a few of the fetchingly beautiful girls he likes to surround himself with … constantly. While Deano is largely thought of as a pop crooner, he is a talented, versatile entertainer [a member of the ‘Rat Pack’] and a performer who definitely adds to the many colors of Christmas!
You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To is from a live 2005 Seattle (DVD) concert entitled “Deedles Is My Name”. Diane Schuur is backed by Maynard Ferguson and his powerful Big Bop Nouveau Band, although many of the songs feature the more intimate setting of a quartet. It’s fascinating to hear Diane trade riffs with Maynard, mimicking his exuberant, high-flying sound.
Billy Joel’s New York State Of Mind, featuring Diane together with the sensuous sax of Stan Getz, was first released as a 45 RPM single and on her “Deedles” album with Dave Grusin in 1984… then again on her “Best Of” album in 1995. Below you’ll hear the original 45 release, nostalgic clicks, pops and all. By the way if you ever wondered where Diane Schuur’s nickname “Deedles” came from, it was an affectionate name her mother called her as a child and it just sort of stuck!
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