From Pop to Jazz: Men Sing the Classics

Clockwise: Boz Scaggs, Rick Astley, Bryan Ferry, and George Michael.

I love having my Saturday night Jazz session, but I must admit to sometimes being unsure if I could offer up anything new. While coming up with nothing for this week, an idea popped into my mind that I quite liked. What if I could post songs from some of my favorite singers from the 1970s and 1980s? After all, many went on to release Jazz discs. And I know exactly where I'd like to start. When I hear the name Boz Scaggs mentioned, I definitely go back to my high school years, when everyone was listening to his music. "It's Over" and "Low Down" were bit hits in 1976, and his amazing "Lido Shuffle" was huge in 1977. When I heard he made an album of Jazz music, I must admit I was intrigued. It seemed to me his voice would be great with the material, and his musicality made for it. To hear him take on a song written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1928 for the Broadway musical 'Funny Face', it is something special. To prove my point, this is Boz Scaggs singing "How Long Has This Been Going On".

"How Long Has This Been Going On" can be found on the album 'But Beautiful: Jazz Standards Volume 1', released by Boz in 2003. You can purchase the album from iTunes and Amazon. Next up, we have one of my favorite artists from the 1980s, Rick Astley. I loved his music back in the day, when he was controlling the charts with hits like "Never Gonna Give You Up" in 1987, along with "Together Forever" and "She Wants To Dance With Me" in 1988. After many years on top of the charts around the world, Astley stepped away from the music business in 1993. About a decade later, he made a comeback, first with Pop, but also with an album of Jazz songs. One of the tracks on the album is "These Foolish Things", a great song with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Jack Strachey in 1936. This is Rick Astley singing "These Foolish Things".

"These Foolish Things" can be found on the album, 'Portrait', release in October of 2005. Unfortunately, you can't purchase the album as a digital download from iTunes and Amazon in the United States. But you can order it as an import CD on Amazon. Few people managed to rule the charts over the course of a couple of decades quite like the amazing George Michael. From his time with Wham!, with the worldwide hit "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" that reached #1 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and just about anywhere else that had music charts in 1984, to his solo career starting in 1987, Michael is still making music with that gorgeous voice of his. I love that he covered "My Baby Just Cares For Me", a jazz standard written by Walter Donaldson with lyrics by Gus Kahn for the 1930 film version of 'Whoopee!'. He takes it on with a light and sexy feel, and I just love it. This is George Michael with "My Baby Just Cares For Me".

"My Baby Just Cares For Me" can be found on George's 1999 release, 'Songs From The Last Century'. You can purchase the album from iTunes and Amazon. Finally, I thought I would end the post with another of my favorites from the 1970s, Bryan Ferry. I first got to know his music through the band Roxy Music, which had hits like "Love Is The Drug" in 1975, and "More Than This" in 1982. The band was the darling of the critics, both in his native UK, as well as in the US. And I loved them, too. Ferry managed to be the odd bird who somehow balanced being the creative force behind Roxy Music, as well as having a solo career. As a solo artist, Ferry explored a lot of music, classic and original. I chose his cover of "Love Me Or Leave Me", the second song here written by Walter Donaldson and the lyrics by Gus Kahn. This one was written for the 1928 Broadway show 'Whoopee!', the show that was the basis for the 1930 movie. I enjoyed this live performance by Bryan Ferry of the wonderful song "Love Me Or Leave Me".

"Love Me Or Leave Me" can be found on 'As Time Goes By', released in 1999. You can purchase the album from iTunes and Amazon. So there it is, a quartet of men who had songs on the charts a few decades ago, all of whom were part of the soundtrack of my youth. They all went on to dabble in Jazz, and do a pretty good job at it.

Men Can Really Carry a Torch

Clockwise from upper left: Boz Scaggs; John Stevens; Tony Hadley; and Rick Astley.

While it is true that I usually give my Saturday nights to the ladies who steal our hearts with the gift of song, tonight I thought I would change it up a bit, and give some men a chance to carry the torch, at least for this week. When deciding what direction to go with this thought, and decided to check my own collection, and was struck by an idea, which doesn't happen nearly as often as you'd think. Anyway, what if I were to offer you the music of some amazing guys you might not have realized they made some torch music of their own? Rather than going into more detail, I will begin with one man I loved back in the 1970s, when his Pop music was topping the charts. With songs like "Lowdown", "Lido Shuffle" and "We're All Alone", Boz Scaggs was a big part of the soundtrack to my high school years. His album 'Silk Degrees' was an amazing one, to be sure. But almost 3 decades later, Scaggs released the album 'But Beautiful', which is a wonderful collection of classics, including "For All We Know". This was a popular song published in 1934, with music by J. Fred Coots and lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. It has been recorded by so many, but perhaps best remembered by the Nina Simone version. But here is Bozz Scaggs singing "For All We Know".

A very young John Stevens was a contestant on the thrid season of American Idol, when the producers first discovered how to demonize a contestant. Perhaps some remember his bright red hair, but I remember the wonderful tone of his voice, and a sense of timing that might not be right for Urban Pop, but is made for the standards. In 2005, Stevens released the album 'Red' on the Maverick Record label, co-founded by Madonna. One of the songs off the album was "I Only Have eyes For You", the gorgeous song with music by Harry Warren and lyrics by Al Dubin. The song written in 1934 for the film 'Dames', and introduced by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler. But here is John Stevens singing it 70 years later.

I will be out and proud, and tell you I was a bit Rick Astley fan back in the day. His music was everywhere in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The richness of his vice was so special, I couldn't resist it. His dance-friendly Pop songs were fantastic, and I spent a fair share of time at clubs making moves to his music. But like so many, when a new decade brought new flavors in music, Astley was shuffled to the side. But in 2005, Astley released his first album in a while when 'Portrait' came out. I thought it was outrageously good, with Astley taking on some classic songs, putting his own spin on them. An example of that would be his version of "These Foolish Things", the standard written by Eric Maschwitz and Jack Strachey.

Another man whose name came to our attention in the 1980s, Tony Hadley had many hits as the lead singer of Spandau Ballet. His tone was just so nice, and his voice was so crisp and clear, he was just so damned memorable. With songs like "True", he was able to shine. And like many bands from the period, they were unable to capture that success again, and soon they broke up. But Hadley continued singing, both in the studio and in musical theater. And in 2006, he released the album 'Passing Strangers', a Jazzz/Swing album that fit beautifully with his voice. Here he sings "The Good Life", a song written by Sacha Distel and Jack Reardon. The song was published in 1962 and make popular by the great Tony Bennett.

Hope you enjoyed the men tonight! Have a great weekend!

Modern Torch

Clockwise: John Barrowman; Sinéad O'Connor; Boz Scaggs; and Dave Koz.

Normally on Saturday nights, I offer up a salute to some of the great ladies of Jazz from the 1930s and beyond, singing songs of love and loss. Great torch singers brought a whole life of experience that filled the songs with such weight, so much depth. This week, I thought I would point out it wasn't just the singers of yesterday who could deliver the goods, using the material that remains timeless. And I will begin with a song by the great Cole Porter. He wrote "After You, Who?"for the 1932 musical The Gay Divorcee, featuring the great Fred Astaire. While "Night And Day" might have been the huge hit from the show, Porter was never one to throw away an opportunity to impress. Here John Barrowman sings "After You, Who?" and reminds us all how important love is.



The song can be found on the album John Barrowman Sings Cole Porter on iTunes and Amazon. Next up, there is a stunning performance of a song written by the great team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Originally written for the 1940 show Pal Joey, "Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered" has been sung by the greatest names in the music business. Here I offer you a wonderfully vulnerable vocal from the amazing Sinéad O'Connor.



This song can be found on Sinead's album Am I Not Your Girl? on iTunes and Amazon. While the next song might not be as old as the others, it certainly is every bit as popular. In 1961, a film was released that had everyone talking. While not a musical, it did have a song that was sung by the lovely star of the film, Audrey Hepburn. Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini wrote "Moon River" for Hepburn's vocal range, and to be a character piece in Breakfast At Tiffany's. It was recently recorded by Dave Koz, who plays his saxophone to perfection. Koz is joined on "Moon River" by Barry Manilow, both on piano and vocals.



You can find this duet on Dave's album At The Movies on iTunes and Amazon. And finally, we have a stunning song with music by J. Fred Coots and the lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. "For All We Know" was released in 1934, and was immediately on the list of songs all the greatest singers wanted to be singing. In 2003, Boz Scaggs relased an album of Jazz standards, and included his own very special version of "For All We Know".



You can find a recording of this song on Boz Scaggs' album But Beautiful on iTunes and Amazon. It is really a great collection. Hope you enjoyed tonight's selections, and you are having a great weekend.