Spencer Day • My Funny Valentine

Handsome, talented, and busy, being on tour in the Philippines didn't deter the Jazz stylist from offering a little something special to his fans in time to Valentine's Day. Spencer did a live version of "My Funny Valentine", the great song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart from the 1937 musical 'Babes in Arms'. Here is Spencer singing the iconic Jazz standard.

To learn more about Spencer Day, visit his official website. You can also 'like' him on Facebook and 'follow' him on Twitter. Be sure to check out his touring schedule, and if he is playing near you, get your ticket early. Seeing Spencer performing live is a treat you will not soon forget. His music is also available online, and you can find it on iTunes and Amazon.

Dark Monday • Blue Moon

Richard Rodgers, left, and Lorenz Hart, right.

A song can have a life that extends far beyond what might have been the plans at the time it was first written. Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote "Blue Moon" in 1933, commissioned by MGM to write for the proposed movie, 'Hollywood Party'. They envisioned it as a song for Jean Harlowe, and young girl saying her prayers, hoping to find stardom in Hollywood. This never came to be, so the song was recycled for another film, 'Manhattan Melodrama'. Hart had rewritten the lyrics for the new project, and it was sung by Shirley Ross. The film was released in 1934.

Surprisingly enough, "Blue Moon" was not a hit, and might have been forgotten. But the executives at MGM felt the song could be a hit if it had more romance, and so once again Lorenz Hart went back to the drawing board, to give the song the third set of lyrics. Instead of a coy prayer that asked "Oh Lord, make me a movie star", he came up with lyrics that are much more familiar today. "Blue moon, you saw me standing alone, without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own". It seemed to have worked, for soon artists were lining up to sing the song, and it became a hit. This is Mel Tormé's 1949 recording, making it to the Top 20 on the charts.

In 1961, the song was recorded by a group out of Pittsburgh, The Marcells. They were a Doo-wop group, a sound that was ever-so-popular back then. They decided to change up a classic, and decided that song would be "Blue Moon". They took the romantic love song almost 30 years old, and put on the new sheen of a Doo-wop jacket, and a new generation began to love the song. The song went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and stayed there for three weeks. This is The Marcells singing "Blue Moon" live.

So it just goes to show you, great music can live forever.

Songs From the Hart • Rodgers & Hart

Clockwise: Anita O'Day, Barbara Cook, Dinah Washington, and Peggy Lee.

Richards Rodgers and Lorenz Hart were a monumentally successful writing team in the 1920s and 1930s, making hit Broadway scores filled with songs that went on to be an essential part of the Great American Songbook. And when they weren't working ion Broadway, they were making Hollywood sing! With songs like "Blue Moon", "With A Song In My Heart", "Isn't It Romantic", "Blue Moon", "My Funny Valentine", "The Lady Is A Tramp", and so many others, it is no wonder they rank among the top songwriters of the day. I offer you four very talented ladies singing four great songs I haven't mentioned yet, starting with one of my favorites, Anita O'Day. Her vocal instrument is a magical thing to me, So when she takes on a great song like "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered", I get warm just thinking about it. The song, from the 1940 musical 'Pal Joey', is so soft, so tender, and Anita delivers it so sweetly. So I hope you enjoy when Anita O'Day sings "Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered".

There are just some special voices out there, and I have to say Barbara Cook is one of them. She was a glowing light on Broadway in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, including winning the Tony Award playing Marion in the original production of 'The Music Man' in 1957. In 1959, Cook released the album 'Barbara Cook Sings From the Heart', featuring the music of Rodgers and Hart. One of the tracks she sang was fro the 1936 musical 'On Your Toes', a show that was directed by C. Worthington Miner and choreographed by George Balanchine. It featured Ray Bolger, and the show ran for over 300 performances. It was originally written as a movie for Fred Astaire, but he thought it was not right for him, and it went to Broadway and made Ray Bolger a star. From that score came a delightful number that certainly grabs my attention, especially when sung by Cook. Please enjoy Barbara Cook singing "There's A Small Hotel", off her 'Sings From the Heart' album.

While many of her hits had a sexy, sultry feel, Peggy Lee was a great singer who showed through time and many styles just how great she could be. Lee began her career as a singer on the radio, and in fact had her own local show while still a teen. She moved to California, and was singing at club when she was discovered by Benny Goodman, and became his singer at the age of 21. Just a few years earlier, in 1937, Rodgers and Hart had a hit Broadway musical that was quickly made into an MGM musical. With a score that included "My Funny Valentine", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Johnny One Note" and more, the 1939 film starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney was a surefire hit. Another of the songs was recorded in 1941 by Lee and the Benny Goodman Trio, one of their early recordings. I hope you love Miss Peggy Lee singing "Where Or When", their romantic look at déjà vu.

There is something so delicious and spicy about the vocals of Dinah Washington. Both her voice and her phrasing were unique, making her a must-hear vocalist. The woman was singing from an early age, first with the Gospel choir in church, and soon was singing solo, wining a talent contest at age 15, and launched a career singing in Chicago clubs. It was there she was heard by Lionel Hampton, who helped launch her recording career. By the late 1940s, Washington was making hit records, topping the R&B charts. In 1955, she released the album 'For Those In Love', made up by some of the great love songs of the time. That would include "This Can't Be Love", from the 1938 musical 'The Boys From Syracuse'. The song is a real look at love, as opposed to the romanticized look at it. I hope you can enjoy Dinah Washington singing "This Can't Be Love" as much as I do.

Rodgers and Hart wrote so many great songs, I could put together another 50 posts. And, given time, I just might. But I hope this Jazzy interlude makes for a nice moment in your weekend.

Golden Songs From The Silver Screen

Clockwise: Doris Day; Dame Shirley Bassey; Ella Fitzgerald, and Binnie Hale.

Well, I have to admit I was wondering what to post about, and I came across an old recording by one of my favorites, Michael Feinstein, 'Romance On Film/Romance On Broadway', which featured some amazing songs that might be best known because of a spectacular and memorable performance on stage or on screen. Since many of these were older songs, I went about looking for some amazing recordings to show off what great songs they are. The first of those is a popular song written in 1945 by Harry Warren, with lyrics by Mack Gordon. It has appeared in several films, perfect for fixing the mood of a scene. I picked a song recorded in 1965 by the great Doris Day. When she sings "The More I See You", it is impossible not to feel deeply what love can be.

Next up, I have picked a song introduced by Bing Crosby in the 1960 film 'High Time'. "The Second Time Around" has lyrics by Sammy Cahn and music by Jimmy Van Heusen, a great duo indeed. For this great song, I picked the always amazing Dame Shirley Bassey, with a rendition she recorded for the 1962 album, 'Lets Face The Music'. The great singer was accompanied by the great Nelson Riddle and his Orchestra

I don't know if this post would be able to go without this song written by Herman Hupfeld in 1931. It was written for the 1931 Broadway musical 'Everybody's Welcome' and originally sung by Frances Williams. But perhaps it is best known by a version sung by a character in a 1942 movie. Club singer Sam (Dooley Wilson) sings the song in the movie 'Casablanca'. Yes, we are talking about the great song "As Time Goes By". Now, it has been recorded by a multitude of artists, but after I looked around, I decided to go with a version by Binnie Hale in 1932. There is just such charm on the recording made by this stsar of the British stage.

And, last but most certainly not least, I decided to go with a song written in 1932 by the great songwriting team of Rodgers & Hart. "Isn't It Romantic" was introduced by Jeanette MacDonald and Maurice Chevalier in the Paramount film 'Love Me Tonight'. I decided to go with a lush version recorded in 1957 by the brilliant Ella Fitzgerald recorded. It is my pleasure to share with you the great Ella singing "Isn't It Romantic".

Have a great weekend!

Saturday Night with Blossom Dearie

For those of you who might not know who the amazing Blossom Dearie is, I will start off my saying she is not related to Mayim Bialik or her sitcom character 'Blossom'. Margrete Blossom Dearie was born in 1924, in the town of East Durham, New York. As a child, she studied Classical piano, and later took on Jazz as well. After graduating high school, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. She played in several groups, but in 1952, she relocated to Paris. By the end of the decade, she moved back to New York City, recording albums and playing in supper clubs. As she built a reputation in the clubs, she also occasionally appeared on a new television program, The Today Show. Then host Dave Garroway was a fan, and it really helped her career. During the later half of the 1960s, she was playing in clubs in the US and in the UK, gaining both popular and critical praise wherever she went. She continued to play for several decades, in clubs, theaters and Jazz festivals.



Now let's get to the real point, her music. I will start with a favorite of mine, and countless others as well. This first song is "Peel Me A Grape", written by Jazz pianist Dave Frishberg, and performed to perfection by Dearie. The song offers a sexy humor that is too much fun. Check out this performance by Dearie from 1999, when she was 74 years old.



Next we will get the chance to hear Blossom sing a great song written in 1932 by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills, with lyrics added later by Mitchell Parish. "Sophisticated Lady" is a jazz standard, but no one performs it quite like Dearie.



"I Wish You Love" is a French popular song, with music by Léo Chauliac & Charles Trenet and lyrics by Trenet. Trenet first recorded it in 1942. In the 1950s, Albert A. Beach wrote an English translation, and quickly became an American standard. Enjoy as Blossom gives her own special reading of the song.



In 1927, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote the musical, A Connecticut Yankee. It was the musical take on Mark Twain's popular novel, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Several of the songs were sung by the likes of Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan, and became Jazz standards. "Thou Swell" was perhaps the most popular of them, and was given this delightful reading by Dearie.



Finally, I wanted to add in one more very special song, by the amazing Cole Porter. "Give Him the Ooh-la-la" was written for the 1939 musical DuBarry Was A Lady. The original Broadway cast included Bert (Cowardly Lion) Lahr, Ethel Merman, Betty Grable, and Gypsy Rose Lee. It was Merman who introduced the song. I have to believe Blossom's take on the song was very different than that.



Blossom Dearie passed away in 2009 in New York City, at the age of 84. But she left a wonderful legacy of music that will be enjoyed forever. You can purchase Verve Jazz Masters 51: Blossom Dearie at iTunes and Amazon.