Puppini Sisters Carry The Torch

When thinking about what I was going to do for my Saturday night post, I did what I often do, and opened up my iTunes and decided to look through it, and to get some inspiration. I am checking out the favorites, and just would like to go in a different direction, so I move on. I start looking at song titles, and find several in an album, and the light goes off. The album is 'Hollywood', the 2011 release from The Puppini Sisters, and I realize I should go with it.

For those who might not know them, The Puppini Sisters are not real sisters, but were students who met in music school in England. They took on the personae of sisters as a tribute to the Andrews Sisters, a group all three loved and admired. The music on the 'Hollywood' album was a combination of old favorites from some great movies, and a couple of new songs. Marcella Puppini, Kate Mullins and Stephanie O'Brien recorded the vocals for the album, although O'Brien has since left he band, to be replaced by Emma Smith. The first song on the list tonight would be a song with a strong identity of it's own. "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" was first introduced to the world by Carol Channing in the 1949 musical, 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', based on a novel by Anita Loos. The show had lyrics by Leo Robin and music by the great Jule Styne. But it is perhaps best known from the performance by Marilyn Monroe in 1953 film version of the musical. Somehow, the Pippini Sisters manage to make me forget about those other versions, and simply enjoy theirs. This is the Puppini Sisters singing the classic "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend".

"I Got Rhythm" was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1928 musical, 'Treasure Girl'. For that show, it was intended as a ballad. The song was revived and made uptempo for the 1930 musical, 'Girl Crazy', when it was performed by Ethel Merman. When the Puppini Sisters take it on, the give you something very much their own. They give you some ballad, some syncopation, and everything you want it to be. This is The Puppini Sisters singing "I Got Rhythm".

When it comes to an iconic MGM musical moments, it is hard to beat the next song. Have Judy Garland in a men's jacket and shirt, a fedora, stockings, and heels and singing a great song, it is tough to top. Somehow, though, Judy managed to do it on her own television show, when performed it as a mash-up with "Happy Days Are Here Again", sung by Barbra Streisand. "Get Happy" was introduced by Ruth Etting in 'The Nine-Fifteen Revue' in 1930. It was the first song composer Harold Arlen and lyricist Ted Koehler wrote together. But the song is really best known as a song sung by Garland in the 1950 film 'Summer Stock'. But this is how The Puppini Sisters sing "Get Happy".

The next song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in the 1961 movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. It was first performed by Audrey Hepburn in the film. "Moon River" had music by the great Henry Mancini and lyrics by the amazing Johnny Mercer. Many other have sung the song, but I can't really think of one that compares with the iconic performance of Hepburn. Still not everything in life is a competition, and once the ladies take it on, they show you they will be able to do their thing, and not worry about the rest. This is the Puppini Sisters singing "Moon River".

The album is a delicious collection, a flirty journey from start to finish. They manage to combine fun with a feeling of authenticity that keeps me pressing play! For more about the Puppini Sisters, visit their official website. You can purchase 'Hollywood' from iTunes and Amazon.

The Ladies Sing the Songs of Arlen & Koehler

Clockwise: Diana Krall; Judy Garland; Barbra Streisand; and Will Swenson with Patti LuPone & Audra McDonald.

This week, I am taking my inspiration from a songwriting team, composer Harold Arlen and lyricist by Ted Koehler. The duo began working together in the 1920s, and continued writing together through the 1940s. During that period, they both also worked with others. They wrote for vaudeville, as well as for Broadway and Hollywood. During the 1930s, they also wrote songs for The Cotton Club, Harlem's top nightclub. There the music was performed by some of the great names in Jazz, including legendary performer Duke Ellington. Many of their songs became hits, and the artists were lining up to sing them. That would be the artists back in the day, and the artists today. The first song we'll hear is "Let's Fall In Love", written in 1933. The song was originally intended to be a nice, upbeat song, but soon many singers were putting a swing beat on it, making it the song we all know. In 1999, Jazz artist Diana Krall recorded the song for her album 'When I Look Into Your Eyes', and often played it at live shows. So here is Mrs. Elvis Costello, although you might know her as Diana Krall, singing "Let's Fall In Love".

Now, whenever Judy Garland sings a song, it becomes a classic. And when she takes on a song with music by Harold Arlen, something magical happens. Such is the case when she sang a little song in the movie 'Wizard of Oz', called "Over The Rainbow". And it certainly was not the last of Arlen's songs Judy took on. There were so many, it would be hard to remember them all. But one such song was "I've Gotta Right to Sing the Blues", written for the Broadway show, Earl Carroll's 'Vanities', which opened in 1932. It was recorded by some of the great big bands of the day, like Cab Dalloway &His Orchestra, Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, Lee Willey & The Dorsey Brothers, and Benny Goodman & His Orchestra. The song remained popular, so it is no surprise it was recorded for her 1957 album, 'Alone'. This is Judy Garland singing "I've Gotta Right to Sing the Blues" live on 'The Judy Garland Show' in the 1960s.

The next song was written in 1929, and could be one of the more popular songs, if not the most popular of the great songs they have written. They wrote the song as a Gospel-like song, and it was first recorded by Ruth Etting in the Broadway show, 'The Nine-Fifteen Revue'. The show was not a success, closing after a one week run. The song could have easily gone away, but that was not to be. When people think of the song "Get Happy", it is the huge musical number featuring Judy Garland singing "Get Happy" in the 1950 MGM musical, 'Summer Stock'. Soon the song was a signature tune for the singer, and over a decade later, when she was performing on her television show, Garland sang with while a young Barbra Streisand sang one of her early hits, Happy Days Are Here Again", written by Milton Ager & Jack Yellen. This was a showstopper, and Streisand was nominated for an Emmy for her appearance on the show. The moment was so iconic, it was recreated by Ryan Murphy on 'Glee', featuring Lea Michele and Chris Colfer. They were not the only duo to reference the pair. As part of a PBS Special, the glorious Audra McDonald invited her friend Patti LuPone to play Judy and Barbra as they sing "Happy Days Are Hear Again/Get Happy".

The final entry tonight was written in 1941, and first sung by Helen O'Connell and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. But it was really more than twenty years before the most notable recording was made of the song, by a young girl in New York City. In October of 1962, Barbra Streisand recorded her first version of the song, and it was released as a single. The B-side was "Happy Days Are Here Again". I guess people liked it, because the following year, Streisand was back in the studio to record a new version for 'The Second Barbra Streisand Album'. This is a wonderful video of Streisand singing "When The Sun Comes Out" live on her 1965 television special, "My Name Is Barbra"

Have a great weekend!

Lawd, Have Mercer... Love Songs of Johnny Mercer

Clockwise: Emmy Rossum; Maxine Sullivan; Billie Holiday; and Barbra Streisand.

Since it has been rather hot and humid in the Mid-Atlantic region, I was in the mood for some song of summer when I was putting this post together. While going through my iTunes - yes, I have a stupid amount of music on my external drive - I came across the song "Summer Wind". I had two versions, one by Lyle Lovett, and the other my Westlife. As I thought about the song, I remembered it had lyrics by the great Johnny Mercer, and there you have it, the birth of a post. So that left with the duty to find the songs and artists I wanted to include. First up, I wanted to see how many people have recorded "Summer Wind", and I was intrigued with the notion that Emmy Rossum had. Now, I knew Emmy could sing, but have been enjoying her on the Showtime series 'Shameless' so much, I'd forgotten about it. I hadn't realized she released 'Sentimental Journey', a collection of classic songs from the 1920s to the 1960s. Honestly, I really enjoy her version of the first song, written in 1965 by Mercer with Heinz Meier. So here is Emmy Rossum singing "Summer Wind".

Since I was picking songs by Johnny Mercer, there is no way I could ignore a beautiful song like "Skylark", with lyrics by Mercer, and music by the great Hoagy Carmichael. It was long rumored Merer wrote the lyrics while trying to get over an affair he had with Judy Garland, who at the time was engaged to another man. While I have no idea if that is true or not, it would certainly explain the very real melancholy in the song. The song was written in 1941, with wonderful eraly recordings by Anita O'Day and Helen Forrest. However, I decided to go with the lovely recording by Maxine Sullivan. In 1947, Sullivan recorded teh song with the Ellis Larkins Trio. Please enjoy Maxine Sullivan singing "Skylark".

There are just a few songs it seems so very wrong to not include in any discussion of the man. For my money, the top of the list would be the song with music by Henry Mancini, written for the iconic 1961 film, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. It was sung in the movie by the wonderful Audry Hepburn, and a recording by Mancini and his chorus became a hit. Almost immediately, it became a classic, and sung by many. Singer Andy Williams became closely identified with his recording. But I opted to go with a truly beautiful recording by one of my favorite singers of all time. Yes, I am speaking of the great Barbra Streisand, who recorded "Moon River" for her 2003 release 'The Movie Album'. I love it.

And, for the last song of the evening, I have to chuckle, for it is the second of the four that has also been affiliated with the Divine Miss M, Bette Midler. On the final night Johnny Carson hosted the tonight show, he invited Middle to be his final guest, and that she sing a particular song, one of his favorites. That song was "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)", written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1943 movie musical 'The Sky's the Limit'. While the movie might not be remembered as one of the greats from the period, this song definitely is. It has been sung by the best the music business has to offer, but there is one that stands out to me. I just love the recording by Billie Holiday, off her 1957 album 'Songs for Distingué Lovers'. So here is 'Lady Day' singing "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)".

I hope you enjoyed this visit to Mercer-land. I know I did.

Torch, Arlen Style

Clockwise: Helen O'Connell; Eva Cassidy; Aretha Franklin; and Dinah Washington.

Tonight I am inspired by the music of the great Harold Arlen. Truthfully, it started this morning when a song come to mind, and I just kept humming it. But first, more about the man. In 1905, Arlen was born Hyman Arluck, in Buffalo, New York, United States, the child of a Jewish cantor. He took piano lessons as a child, became a popular act in the Buffalo area. In his twenties, he made his way to New York City, and soon changed his name to Harold Arlen. In the 1930s, he and lyricist Ted Koehler worked together often, and had a regular gig writing songs to be performed at the popular Harlem nightclub, The Cotton Club. Arlen also began writing music for both Broadway and Hollywood musicals, as well as for popular singers of the day. This brings me back to my inspiration for this post, that song that kept playing in my head. While I will admit it was the Barbra Streisand version, it was "When The Sun Comes Out" that was playing loud and clear. The song was written by Arlen in 1941 with Ted Koehler, and originally sung by Helen O'Connell with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. And so I picked that version to play here, for it is really wonderful.

Arlen also worked with other lyricists, some of the best around. In 1941, he was writing with Johnny Mercer on a film with the working title 'Hot Nocturne'. They wrote a great song, introduced in the movie by William Gillespie. That song was "Blues In The Night", and soon the movie title was changed to match the song. And the song quickly became a standard, a part of the Great American Songbook, and recorded by some of the biggest names in the music business. I picked a version that was recorded in 1997, by the late Eva Cassidy. Cassidy, who passed away the year before, was working on the album at the time of her death. Eva had a magical way to blend her acoustic Pop and Blues roots to make amazing music, and loved taking on some of the iconic music. Here is her recording of "Blues In The Night".

In 1954, Arlen released another project written for the great Judy Garland. He had, of course, worked with her earlier, when he worked on a little film named 'The Wizard of Oz'. So when he began working on the film 'A Star Is Born' with lyricist Ira Gershwin, everyone had to know magic was bound to happen. And it most certainly did. I still remember quite vividly the scene in 'A Star Is Born' when Esther Blodgett, played by Judy, is jamming with some studio musicians and she sings "The Man That Got Away". It was magnificent. But I've had Judy singing the song on the blog before, and decided to try something a little different, so here is a lovely version by Dinah Washington, recorded for her 1962 album 'Drinking Again'.

And, if I was covering the music of Harold Arlen, I couldn't ignore the great song written, according to lore, in front of a drug store in Hollywood in 1938, could I? Legend has it while driving up Sunset Boulevard after a rain, Arlen noticed a rainbow over the iconic Schwab's Drug Store, and it inspired a song for the project he was working on. He was writing the music for the musical 'The Wizard of Oz' with E. Y. Harburg, which became a huge hit in 1939. That would include the song sung by Judy Garland, "Over The Rainbow". And once again, I have posted Judy singing it before, so I tried to find something new, and was thrilled when I found this version by Aretha Franklin, which is truly wonderful. Enjoy.

Have a great weekend!

Dark Monday • St. Louis Woman

For today's tribute to Broadway musicals, I thought to feature 'St. Louis Woman', a musical with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was based upon the novel 'God Sends Sunday' by African-American writer Arna Bontemps. The musical opened at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York on March 30, 1946 and ran for 113 performances. The original cast included Robert Pope, Harold & Fayard Nicholas, June Hawkins, Pearl Bailey, Ruby Hill, Rex Ingram, and Milton J. Williams. While many may not react when hearing the title, I know there are at least three songs that are great American Songbook standards. I will start with the wonderful Pop/Jazz classic, "Come Rain Or Come Shine". It is a wonderful song, and today I will bring you a performance by the glorious Mary J. Blige.

The next song you should know is the delicious "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home". The song was written for a character playing a women of, shall we say, questionable virtue. After all, "free and easy, that's my style" says a lot about a character in the 1940s. It was sung by many different singers, from Judy Garland to Sammy Davis, Jr. It was also featured on 'The Second Barbra Streisand Album', and also on her television special, 'Color Me Barbra'. Sit back and enjoy a 24-year-old Barbra singing "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home".

Now, I loves me some Audra McDonald, especially when she raises that amazing voice to a classic by Arlen and Mercer. So when I found the clip of Audra singing "I Had Myself A True Love", I was delighted. This song, a beautiful look at lost love and heartache, is perfect for Audra, and perfect for me to hear.

Hope your Monday was great!

Ladies Love Harold Arlen

Clockwise: Harold Arlen; Peggy Lee; Diana Krall; Norah Jones; and Leslie Uggams.

Harold Arlen was a music from the time he was a teenager, and moved to New York City to pursue his love of music. He wrote some of the most memorable songs of the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, with hits almost too countless to name. While the following might not be his most famous, for I think maybe Over The Rainbow would rank at the top - they are however great songs, each worthy of a new listen. Also, I found some performances by some incredible ladies, each one brilliant in their own way. First up, I off you the sexy Leslie Uggams singing I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues. It had lyrics by the gifted Ted Koehler.



I couldn't find a recorded version of the song by Lesie Uggams, but you can purchase her 2003 Jazz album, On My Way To You, on iTunes and Amazon. The album features the music of Allan and Marilyn Bergman.

There are certain singers who I think can take your breath away on just so many levels. With Miss Peggy Lee, she most certainly can do that. Her voice has such depth to it, I could listen forever. Her phrasing offers so much, so expressive. This made her seem, in many ways, like a woman ahead of her time. She had such confidence, and carried with her a great understanding of the world. Here she is singing I've Got The World On A String, with lyrics by Ted Koehler and music by Arlen.



You can find Miss Peggy Lee's version of the song on Sugar 'N' Spice, purchased on iTunes and Amazon.

I just love the song Come Rain Or Come Shine, and knew I wanted to include it in this post. It has music by Arlen, and lyrics by the great Johnny Mercer, so you know it was fantastic. Countless singers have recorded this iconic tune, but I wanted to find something that was special, and with a great deal of luck, I did. Here is Norah Jones getting a musical hand from Wynton Marsalis on Come Rain Or Come Shine.



You can find Jones' version of the song on Here We Go Again: Celebrating The Genius Of Ray Charles, purchased on iTunes and Amazon.

In less deft hands, a song like Let's Fall In Love could come across as a sweet and fluffy pile of cotton candy. The song, written by the classic team of Arlen and Koehler, is so much more, and you can hear it when delivered by the sexy Diana Krall. Krall is a chanteuse of sorts, a modern day balladeer who commands who delivers time and time again when she performs. Her taste is impeccable, for she is married to the brilliant singer/songwriter Elvis Costello, the father of her twins born in 2006. Color me not surprised she delivers a glorious version of Let's Fall In Love.



You can find the song on Krall's 1998 release, When I look In Your Eyes, which can be found on iTunes and Amazon.

Reconstructing Oz

Well, I often convince myself I have run out of ideas, and will never write another post again. Blogger's block, so to speak. So I go to YouTube, and meander through... And I found a clip of a concert version of The Wizard Of Oz, starring Jewel, Jackson Browne, Roger Daltry, and Nathan Lane as Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. Shot in 1995, I don't really remember this, but as one can only guess, Nathan was fantastic. Give it a watch as Nathan Lane sings If I Only Had The Nerve.



Well, that got me to thinking there are some great songs on the soundtrack, and they have been given some excellent treatments by a variety of people, so let's take a look at that. Take, for instance, this amazing duet with Barbra Streisand and songwriter Harold Arlen with a jazzy cover of Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead.



You can find this on Barbra's Duets album on iTunes and Amazon. One of the joys of this post is the next clip. I had heard of the Afghan Whigs, but hadn't realized they had recorded a cover of The Cowardly Lion's If I Only Had A Heart on the 1996 EP Bonnie & Clyde. The Cincinnati-based rockers serve an ample helping of blues in their music, so it is no real surprise this is a brilliantly moody and smokey take. I love it.



The band broke up in the late 1990s, although they have been reported to be playing together again. Although I can't find The Afghan Whig's If I Only Had A Heart online, you can purchase their most recent album, 1965 album on iTunes and Amazon. Once I started this, I remembered seeing a post by artist manager Dom Denny with singer/songwriter Joshua Payne, so I decided to check out his music. While doing this, I watched the following video, thinking it was very cute. So here is Joshua singing If I Only Had A Brain, the Scarecrow's song.



You can find out more about Joshua Payne on his official website. Although he didn't record the song, you can find his latest release, One Pass (The Working Tapes) Vol. 1, on iTunes and Amazon. I have mentioned my next artist before, because I find her music irresistible. Eva Cassidy had an amazing voice, and when it was just her and the guitar, magic was sure to be present. The following video was recorded live at the Blues Alley club, in Washington DC. Be prepared to be moved by her cover of the iconic song, Over The Rainbow.



Eva Cassidy passed away at age 33, after a battle with cancer. The video tape above was taken just months before she passed. But she left a legacy of amazing and heartfelt music. You can find Over The Rainbow on the Simply Eva album on iTunes or Amazon.

Sunday Morning with Diahann & Judy

To ease you into this Sunday morning, I thought I would offer the angelic voices of Judy Garland and Diahann Carroll singing a medley of songs by the great songwriters, Harold Arlen and Richard Rodgers. This was on the The Judy Garland Show, and aired in February of 1964. Both ladies had immense talent, and respect for one another. It shows in their performance.