"ST. LOUIS WOMAN" A MUSICAL WITH GREAT SONGS

" St. Louis Woman"  A Musical With Great Songs: Having had success with E.Y.Harburg in creating " Bloomer Girl ", Harold Arlen now considered collaborating with Johnny Mercer on a musical version of little-known play God Sends Sunday. The play was based on a novel by Arna Bontemps who converted the novel in a collaboration with Countee Cullen. Both authors were part of the Harlem Renaissance movement which led to the emergence of African American writing in the 1920's.
Set in turn-of-the-century St. Louis, it tells the story of Little Augie, a black jockey who falls in love with the sultry Della Greene. She is the property of Biglow Brown, a saloon owner who is shot by a former mistress. Brown believes that Little Augie shot him and places a dying man's curse on the superstitious jockey. Little Augie's winning streak comes to an end and the ever fickle Della leaves him. Ultimately, Della and Little Augie are rejoined in a happy ending.
 The musical provides a number of excellent songs, beautiful costumes, colourful characters and settings like stables, a bar, a funeral parlor and a ballroom. Given the earlier success of
Porgy and Bess ,  an all-black cast seemed logical and commercially viable.
There are a number of songs to be presented in the correct sequence  allowing the listener to follow the various characters and the storyline.

The first song is  " L'il Augie Is a Natural Man." introduces the main male  character who brags of his prowess and luck as a jockey. In the original 1946 production, he was played by Harold Nichols, one half of the fabulous Nichols Brothers dance team. His brother Fayard played a rival jockey and, at one time, was married to actress/.singer ,Dorothy Dandridge.

The song is performed by Johnny Mercer, lyricist. He created the colourful and authentic
Afro American vernacular of such phrases as " Sleep Peaceful Mr. Used to be" .Even the song titles like " Any Place I Hang  My Hat Is Home" " Come Rain Or Come Shine" 'Ridin' on the Moon' are replete with local colour . Mercer, a true Southern boy is right at home not only with his own lyrics but the exuberant performing styles of black performers ,


MERCER LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uf3EFOS0r6U

" THE EAGLE AND ME"--EMANCIPATION ANTHEM

" The Eagle And Me"-Emancipation Anthem:  " Bloomer Girl" wove two dominant themes into the 1943 stage musical. Women's rights and freedom from slavery. A runaway slave sings this positive expression of people with the need and the right to be free. Set in 1860, as the Civil War began, emancipation was a principle held by President Lincoln against the staunch resistance of slave owners, mainly in the Southern states. The stage production was in 1943, at a time when there were savage race riots in Detroit, Mobile Alabama and Harlem. Blacks serving in the Armed Services were still segregated and fighting for equality with their own government. These race relations issues were very prominent at the time Bloomer Girl was launched.

The part of the runaway slave was played by Dooley Wilson,( Sam, the piano player in the film " Casablanca."  )He begins with an introductory verse that sets the stage for his eloquent plea for freedom in the refrain.

                          Free as the sun is free
                         That's how it's gotta be
                         Whatever' s right for bumble bee
                         And river and eagle is right for me
                         We gotta be free
                         The eagle and me !
No doubt Dooley Wilson had been scarred by his own experiences growing up in a segregated America although he did have a decent career as an entertainer, a career that blacks were allowed to pursue as long as they were not considered to be " Too Uppity and knowing their place."
It is a fetching and emotionally rich performance that surely resonated with the audience as it should for listeners today.

Carmen McRea also sings a more up-tempo, jazzy version that is no less effective than Dooley Wilson's earlier recording.

Dooley Wilson Link: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Zad8aC4Bg
Carmen McRae Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3QTjzWUCGQ

RIGHT AS THE RAIN -FINE " BLOOMER GIRL" BALLAD

"Right As The Rain" --Fine " Bloomer Girl" Ballad: Despite their pre-marital squabbling, Evalina and her Southern suitor and their significant different attitudes and beliefs, Evalina and Jeffrey realize that they were made for each other and despite the uncertainty brought about by the tragic Civil War,,there is a concluding tender duet between the two lovers. "Right As The Rain" is a song that demonstrates Arlen's ability to write a pure melody, one that flows seamlessly to not just one conclusion but a second new ending theme. Initially the song concludes with " It's right as the rain that falls from above and fills the world with the bloom of our love." That would normally constitute a fitting ending to the song. But Arlen, ever the master of a unique approach to composition, allows for a brief instrumental pause before the lovers conclude with " If rain must fall and day must dawn, this love, this love must go on."  Once again the composer and the poet/lyricist Harburg, create an artful and compelling ballad.

I believe it is appropriate to hear both a male and a female version although if you return to the previous post, with the Barbara Cook and Keith Andes version of " Evalina", the video continues and they sing the love duet " Right As the Rain" with acting that supports the dramatic aspects of the musical itself.

Leontyne Price, the noted opera and concert singer combined with arranger/conductor Andre Previn to create an intense but controlled version of the Evalina role.

The second version is by Jack Jones, a pop singer and son of Allan Jones who appeared in a number of big budget Hollywood musicals. Jack Jones sings with the convincing ardour that Jeffrey Calhoun would have demonstrated in the stage version.

Note: These two different styles and approaches demonstrate that there are a number of different ways that a song can be effectively presented-the formal restraint of the classical style and the more relaxed and informal pop singer style are equally valid. All that is required is that any singer must understand and believe in the composition and the story told in the lyrics while adding their own unique understanding and interpretation.

LEONTYNE PRICE LINK:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5PFLogttFE

jACK JONES LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgOEwxrrvo

"BLOOMER GIRL" ARLEN'S FIRST BROADWAY MUSICAL

" Bloomer Girl: "   Arlen's First Broadway Musical:  Although life was easy and lucrative for Arlen and Harburg in Hollywood, they were never that involved in the production of the film. They were told to create songs to fit a situation decreed by the screenwriters and directors. In many cases, their songs were far superior to some of the wartime films on which they worked. Both became frustrated at being songwriters for hire and longed for a fuller creative involvement in the stories being told. Creating a full-blown stage musical was something that came to life when Arlen was given a script by Lilith and Dan James. The essence of the story was a crusade for women's rights and the abolition of slavery. Dolly Bloomer was Amelia Jenks Bloomer who designed a knee-length skirt which would replace the old-fashioned hoop skirt. In the play,Evalina is a young niece of Dolly Bloomer whose father is a wealthy industrialist. He is set to arrange a marriage with an aristocratic, Southern slave owner .. Edward Jablonski, Arlen's biographer wrote that the plays  " "Themes , touching on the plight of women and blacks in the United States, were enlightened even in 1944."  As the couple debate their opposite beliefs regarding womens rights and the issue of slavery, Arlen and Harburg wrote a lovely period -style tune called " Evalina." In it, the ardent suitor cajoles a feisty Evalina with such sweet talk as "  Tell me, tell me how long, Ya gonna keep delayin the day, Dont't ya reckon its wrong , Triflin' with April this way?" Fortunately, there is an early television  version of " Evalina" featuring a duet between a young Barbara Cook and Keith Andes, a fine actor and singer. It effectively depicts the courting rituals of the mid-nineteenth century and is a delight to witness. There is an authenticity to the scene that is a tribute to the ability of the composer and lyricist to understand  and re create the courtly customs of yesteryear.
Note: It's a fairly long segment but the first 4 minutes provide the essence of the song which has a captivating simplicity.  If you continue after the conclusion of " Evalina ", you can hear the love duet " Right As The Rain" which is described in more details in the post hat follows this segment.

" Evalina" Link': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdcXbcji9Co

"OUT OF THIS WORLD" LAST WARTIME FILM EFFORT

"Out Of This World"  -Last Wartime film effort.  In 1945, Arlen and Mercer completed their final flag-waving film called Out Of This World. It was a trite attempt to capitalize on the swooning bobby soxer craze a la Sinatra popularity. Eddy Bracken, a comic actor plays a shy messenger boy who is shoved onstage at a benefit concert. When he starts to sing, he sounds just like Bing Crosby who actually provides the vocal rendition. Despite the silliness of the film's premise, Alec Wilder praises the " Long lined ballad that does not have a verse as the main chorus instantly sets up a misterioso out-of-this-world mood. It is one of Arlen's most direct and deliberately unrhythmic  melodies and unlike any of his other lyric ballads. It is a very strong song,with splendid support in a John Mercer ;lyric."
Tony Bennett provides a sensitive performance in keeping with both the ethereal melody and the  the unrestrained worship of the love object. The arrangement also manages to capture the exotic mood of the song . t
POSTSCRIPT: I also found a fine Lena Horne version in which the singer demonstrates her dramatic talent transforming a song into a personal expression. Both versions feature a strong rhythm to underscore the tension inherent in the song itself.

Bennett Link  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlOTv2AmPY4

Horne Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua6-a-Jb2O8

" AC -CENT--TCHU-ATE THE POSITIVE" ARLEN AND MERCER SCORE AGAIN

" Ac--Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive"   Arlen and Mercer Score Again !  In 1944, Arlen and Merce againt teamed in another wartime film called Here Come The Waves . There was a big drive to enlist both women ( as Waves) and men into Navy service as the war effort ramped up, especially in the Pacific arena. It is an infectious, rousing melody and matched by Mercer's use of sermon-like invocations to " Eliminate the Negative." The song is still quite popular despite the fact that the film version has Crosby and Sonny Tufts in blackface.

It is embarrassing to see such a stereotypical portrayal given today's more enlightened attitudes but it  is worth seeing because it is a historical fact. Crosby as a mailman and Sonny Tufts as a uniformed doorman do perform well despite the overly drawn, so-called black singing styles. The production number, done as part of an actual stage show, is quite well done with imaginative choreography generating quite a positive atmosphere on the stage scene from the film.  
 
As a contrast, listen to Johnny Mercer sing his own song with the Pied Pipers.
It reflects his deep Southern heritage without descending into a paternalistic imitation of gospel sincerity. Mercer also sings the verse which is an important element insetting the stage for the " sermon" abut to be delivered to . again. "Eliminate the Negative."
Crosby/Tufts Link: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GLz5OjosOo

Mercer Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3jdbFOidds






























9 referring to

"ONE FOR MY BABY"- A SONG STILL TRAVELS THAT LONG,LONG MUSICAL " ROAD"

" One for my Baby:--A song that still travels that long, long, musical "road:"  Arlen and Mercer created another classic song for the film " The Sky's The Limit."  Unlike the serene and almost classical ballad form of " My Shining Hour:, they fashioned what has aoften been called the definitive saloon song. " One For My Baby" ( and One More For The Road) begins with what biographer Edward Jablonski said that " The song begins with one of the most original first lines ever written, It's quarter to three" as he unburdens himself to Joe , the bartender."
Alec Wilder, a very pro Arlen advocate, was never certain of the reasons for the song's universal popularity. He always felt that the lyrics, as they unfold tell the sad and bitter tale of the man who laments that " This  torch that I've found, Must be drowned or it soon might explode". In addition to the evocative nature of the love-lost character Mercer's words, the melody has a late-night saloon character which Jablonski claimed was due to the fact that" "Arlen was one of the few white musicians who could play these authentic styles ; not even Gershwin equaled Arlen in playing the blues."
 In the film. Astaire is depressed because of his breakup with Joan Leslie. He starts drinking heavily. He dances off his frustration and starts demolishing glasses and finally shattering the large mirror behind the bar

Astaire's violent  drunken behaviour is totally at odds with Frank Sinatra's iconic performances. Sinatra not only sings the song but acts out the words during his live performances. His is one of the most memorable combination of singing and acting to be found in  twentieth century popular music. Sinatra makes us believe in the anguish that he portrays so convincingly as he ends the song singing " Make it one for my baby, and one more for the road-That long,( it's so long,) long road" while the piano accompaniment slowly plays out a 4 bar resolution of the song.
The Capitol studio recorded version, with Nelson Riddle ,is also interesting and is added for comparative purposes.

ASTAIRE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD7sqGJ3NBg

SINTRA LIVE LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJpJoYYGzjM

RIDDLE STUDIO VERSION: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOHvxxEIE3o

" MY SHINING HOUR" THE TITLE ALSO DESCRIBES THIS ARLEN/MERCER CREATION

"My Shining Hour"  The Title also describes this Arlen/Mercer creation:  In 1943, America was fully engaged inWW11. As usual, Hollywood jumped on the patriotic bandwagon and churned quite a number of war related films. " My Shining Hour" was a more dramatic movie than some of the fluffy All Star movies like " Star Spangled Rhythm ."  Fred Astaire plays a pilot on leave back in America. He runs into night club singer, played by 18 year old Joan Leslie. They danced together and he follows her home while she resists his attempts to gain her approval. She believes he is a slacker, unaware that he has served in battle. As they walk to her residence, Fred tries to convince her that " My Shining Hour"  the song she sang earlier , was too serious and offered a lighter version in which he rhymes " hour" with " Mischa Auer: as well as offering " Was it stingers or Bacardis? " to which she retorts " Was it Tony's or was it Sardi's ? "
It is a tender and lovely scene in a wartime context as they begin to warm towards each other. Arlen's biographer, Edward Jablonski wrote that the song has " A direct, melodic simplicity and a lyric to match the melody with  pure, simple poetry as an expression of wartime uncertainty." Alec Wilder added that the song " Achieves the objective of, let us say, sexless innocence and distilled simplicity."
The first performance is the scene from the film showing the walk to Leslie's home and the lighter version of the song Leslie sang earlier in the nightclub
 
 The second performance features Margaret Whiting around a piano accompanied by Michael Feinstein as part of a musical tribute to Arlen on the Larry King Show. As a young girl, Whiting grew up around a number of Hollywood composers like Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin Harry Warren and Arlen, Harburg and Mercer. Her father, Richard Whiting was a collaborator with Kern , Mercer and others .She actually heard a number of famous songs at Hollywood parties long before they were ever recorded.
.
Astaire Leslie Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj9UMnM8cP8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=895N9LGrKJ4
Whiting Link:

HAPPINESS IS JUST A THING CALLED JOE

Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe:  In 1940, an original stage musical called Cabin In The Sky" opened on Broadawy. It starred the transcendent Ethel Water as Petunia in love with Little Joe, played by Dooley Wilson. Lena Horne played the temptress Georgia Brown seducing Little Joe.The Devil, played by Rex Ingram was behind these shenanigans all the while.
In 1943, a film with the same name was released again starring Waters, Horne and  Rex Ingram in their original roles. Eddie( Rochester) Anderson played Little Joe. Director Vincente Minnelli wanted a song to show Petunia's love for the wayward Little Joe. Harold Arlen and E.Y Harburg collaborated on " Happiness is just a thing called Joe" with Ethel Waters demonstrating compassion, her wonderful singing voice and dramatic skill recreating her original role. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington also appeared in the film.

The song has a lengthy verse that that sings of " Skies ain't gonna cloud no more, the crops ain't gonna fail no more" because " A certain man with eyes that shine, Voodood' up this heart of mine." Then the main refrain begins with the familiar line " It seems like Happiness is Jes' a thing called Joe--------Does he love me good, that's all I need to know."" 
 It is a song greatly favoured by female singers who seem to be able to relate the song to their  relationships with their own man of the moment.

The initial version is an actual clip from the film with Ethel Waters trying to sooth a critically ill Little Joe by demonstrating her unchanging love for the wandering heart of Little Joe. It is a poignant and powerful dramatic moment.

The second performance is by Peggy Lee who does sing the touching verse and then the main chorus with an equally heartfelt and  blues tinged version. Note the reference in the verse to catching " a Rainbow" by the tail " - by the lyricist who also wrote " Somewhere Over The Rainbow."

LINK- WATERS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxA1ePIElgw

LINK-PEGGY LEE:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuN7ycu5pwU

" HIT THE ROAD TO DREAMLAND'

" Hit The Road to Dreamland: Although " That Old Black Magic"  was  the hit song in the film "  Star Spangled Rhythm" , there was another fine song called "Hit The Road To Dreamland." It featured Mary Martin and Dick Powell in a good -night song while they were lingering in the dining car of  a transcontinental train.  As Edward Jablonski, Arlen's biographer described the scene ." Hit The Road" featured an infectious rhythmic counterpoint by the Golden Gate Quartet, a black gospel group that also performed secular material." Anxious to end their long working day, the Quartet joined Martin and Powell in some amusing patter, all destined to get Martin and Powell to finally turn in for the night.
Mercer came up with some  musician's hip jargon like " Dig you in the land of nod" : knocked out moon........a-blowin' his top" in the blue" which perfectly matched the loosely swinging tune offered up by Arlen.

The scene was one of the more delightful highlights of " Star Spangled Rhythm"  and is shown in it's entirety in the following film clip. Mary Marin's delightful exuberance and fine contralto singing voice are quite in evidence in contrast to the very light-voiced and square singing style of Dick Powell, a better actor than he ever was as a singer.

LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxP2ox5pTwc

"THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC" STILL HAS US IN IT'S SPELL

" That Old Black Magic"  -- Still has us in it's spell !" In 1942,  Arlen and Mercer now turned their attention to a new film assignment, Star Spangled Rhythm. America was now fully engaged in a massive war effort and Hollywood complied by invoking patriotic themes in their lighter musical offerings. Arlen biographer,Edward Jablonski, pointed out these films were " Virtually plotless, were morale builders, many of which fell under the category of the cliché " star-studded."  For a dance production number , Arlen played a potential melody for Mercer who suggested that with some additional bars of music, Mercer could fashion a narrative " story" instead of a conventional romantic film song. Jablonski adds thatMercer took the additional bars of music away with him." When he returned he had a song entitled
" That Old Black Magic." In the film, the song was performed by Johnny Johnson, a former band and radio singer who played a soldier who dreams about a ballerina, played by Vera Zorina. She was the wife of George Balanchine, the noted choreographer who created the film's ballet sequence.
Alec Wilder pointed out that Arlen used his octave drop device in three places and " Never resorted to the repeated note as much as he does in this song, which may dampen my ardour somewhat." (Note-Wilder had an abhorrence of too may repeated notes and was critical of George Gershwin's tendency to use repeated note motifs.) 

Here are two contrasting versions of the song. Sarah Vaughan sings in a relatively restrained manner which is attractive in contrast to  many over-heated versions, especially Billy Daniels excessive" showmanship" at the expense of the song itself.
Tony Bennett, in a rare pairing with the Dave Brubeck quartet, provides a swinging jazz version which still conveys the essence of the lyrics which Arlen felt needed " to tell a longer story in order to make it's point with sufficient drama and thereby a better song was written."


Sara Vaughan Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82r9VQuet_k

Tony Bennett Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEQBXxfHa3g

"THIS TIME THE DREAMS" ---ON ARLEN & MERCER

" This Times The Dreams " ---On Arlen and Mercer:  After introducing " Blues in the Night" in the 1961 film "  Blues in The Night.",  you would have thought that was a more than sufficient contribution to the film . The song quickly became number One on the Hit Parade. The song continues to appeal to musicians  and listeners who still marvel at the what Alec Wilder  describes as a song that is" Certainly a landmark in the evolution of American popular music, lyrically as well as musically." Not content with that triumph, Arlen and Mercer wrote a lovely ballad for a night club scene in which Priscilla Lane briefly sings " " This Time The Dreams on Me." 
Dick Haymes provides a more recent version with his effortless way with a traditional ballad.

First Version-Priscilla Lane: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66YaOSCjNtY

Haymes Link:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYJANaR1y3Y

NOTE: Will Friedwald ,in his " Biographical Guide to The Great Jazz and Pop Singers,"  believed that  :Dick Hayme' talent seems beyond reproach--without a doubt he was one of the best ballad singers ever heard in American popular music-but his career choices beyond music most often seem questionable." With his smooth style, solid baritone voice and good looks,  his work with the bands of Harry James, Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey gave him a solid musical grounding with America's finest arrangers, musicians and bandleaders. In fact, Haymes was the first of the big band singers to make solo recordings even before his rival Sinatra  was able to break his contract with Tommy Dorsey. Despite all his personal difficulties with alcoholism, Internal Revenue, Customs and Immigration and broken marriages,,Friedwald concludes that" His is one of the richest legacies in all of pop singing." That is the Haymes legacy worth remembering.

"BLUES IN THE NIGHT" AN ARLEN & JOHNNY MERCER CLASSIC

" Blues In The Night" An Arlen & Johnny Mercer Classic:  It is impossible for me to restrain myself from going over the top in extolling the virtues of this song. So I won't.
Written for the 1942 Warner's film " Blues in the Night" , Arlen and Mercer created a near perfect marriage of music and words. Both men were deeply immersed in jazz and blues idioms and Mercer's southern background helped him fashion such highly original and genuine folk expressions. Arlen wanted to write a true blues number for the film and after studying W.C Handy's " A Treasury of the Blues", he began to play with various possible themes. Suddenly. as he later recalled, " I got this little notion and the fires went up and the whole thing poured out ! " He rushed to play the song for Mercer who jotted down several possible lyric ideas. Arlen felt that the first important twelve bars " didn't hang together." After looking through some four pages of Mercer's sketches, he was attracted to  several lines Mercer had written but which were not included in the song. Arlen suggested that those lyrics start off the piece.

                      My mama done tol' me, when I was in kneepants,
                      My mama done tol' me son !
                      A woman'll sweet talk, and give ya the big eye,
                      But when the sweet talkin's done,
                      A woman's a two-face,
                      A worrisome thing who;ll leave ya 't sing
                      The blues in the night.
" Blues in the Night" has an  unusual structure with a series of twelve and eight bar phrases between two sections where two measures are to be whistled ( using a musical theme introduced at the beginning of the song.) Alec Wilder was particularly fond of Mercer's " indigenous, salty, earthy, regional placename lines."
So impressed were the Warner executives that they scrapped the initial title " New Orleans Blues" and the movie became " Blues in the Night."
Sometimes, an original and truly artistic song can also become a popular " hit" song. That was the case with this Arlen/Mercer collaboration prompting a number of big ands like Benny Goodman, Woody Herman and Harry James ro record the song. In February of 1942, the song reached number One on the Hit Parade.
  Frank Sinatra and Nelson Riddlle combined to create a memorable version of this song in their wonderful album recording " Only The Lonely."  Sinatra adopts a rueful and restrained interpretation matched by Riddle's own arrangement which does not shout but quietly conveys the sorrowful nature inherent in the music and the lyrics. The whistling motif is included and may have been done by Sinatra himself.
There is also a version to be sung by a female in which Ella Fitzgerald laments the fact that it's a man who is the one who will " Leave you to sing, the blues in the night."  Her version is more angry and intense and quite improvisational as befitting her historically strong jazz inclinations. Ultimately, it seems that either a man or a woman can leave you to sing "The Blues in the Night."

SINATRA LINK:
                      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Uakf7Fjek

FITZGERALD LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niOkDUnyBnA

A WONDERFUL ARLEN/KOEHLER SPIRITUAL

A Wonderful Arlen/Koehler Spiritual:  The first collaboration of Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler was " Get Happy" an infectious and genuine tribute with what Arlen's biographer Edward Jablonski said were " Words rooted in Negro spirituals, which had become a part of American musical consciousness since the late nineteenth century with the debut ( and popularity) of the Fisk Jubilee Singers." The introductory verse started with the shout " Hallelujah" with the rest of the song introducing words such as " judgment day" "troubles" " the Lord and the River (.Jordan)"

A number of years after the 1930 success of " Get Happy" Arlen and Koehler collaborated on a decidedly non-commercial musical venture called Americanegro Suite. This unconventional concept from two white songwriters was intended to be a honest tribute to the power and often jubilant religiosity of  a musical tradition that offered sustenance and hope for Afro Americans. Arlen and Koehler had spent considerable time in the Cotton Club and were well-versed and respectful of the black musical experience and its most admired performers.
Six songs were created . as Jablonski commented that " They were conceived, it is true, in the Negro narrative idiom, but they are almost without exception genuine musical creations , not experiments in imitation." After playing the songs for Jerome Kern, whose opinions Arlen cherished, Kern went out of the room and came back with a handsomely carved walking stick and presented it to Arlen as  tangible appreciation of what Arlen had created. The cane had once belonged to Jacques Offenbach and was highly prized by Kern.
Further positive appreciation of the Suite came from Hall Johnson, the noted composer, arranger and choir director. Johnson was most familiar with the spiritual idiom having completed many choral arrangements of traditional spirituals. He stated, quite definitively, that "  Of all the many songs written by white composers and employing what claimed to be a Negroid idiom in both words and music, these six songs easily stand far above the rest." Credible praise indeed !"

Please listen to " Where Is Dis Road A-Leadin' Me To ?"  A sixty-six bar aria has a number of challenging shifts in tempo and a vocal range that requires a thoroughly trained vocal capability. It is performed by Eileen Farrell, a magnificent opera and concert soprano who also was an accomplished singer of popular songs and who had a close musical and personal relationship with Harold Arlen.
This is music making of the highest standard and remains true to the rich and soulful Afro American spiritual tradition..
It is performed as a concert song with a sensitive and supportive piano accompaniment.

LINK:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRdgqMRRFKQ

" WHEN THE SUN COMES OUT" ARLEN & KOEHLER STRIKE MUSICAL GOLD AGAIN

" When The Sun Comes Out"- Arlen & Koehler strike musical gold again.  In 1941, in between movie assignments, Arlen magically came up with what biographer Edward Jablonski described as a bluesy ballad, " a vintage Arlen invention-it bristles with his musical sleight-of-hand, unexpected key changes and ingenious melodies." Alec Wilder, a noted Arlen supporter, said that " No one but Arlen could have written " When The Sun Comes Out."  Wilder went on to praise the release which was such a logical an extension of the initial theme although most releases introduce a different thematic approach from the main theme. There is also an arresting introduction of a major motif with the lyric " Love is funny" and an optimistic note near the end with the possibility of a knock on the door " Then you'll know that my love walked in, After the sun comes out."
 Wilder concluded that the song " Has a warmth and tenderness seldom to be found in a song."
Arlen's ability to artfully shift from minor to major motifs was also evidenced in the beginning of the release of " Like A Straw In The Wind."

There are a number of versions of the song with the first by Barbra Streisand whose live performance is a full blown , emotionally charged diva showcase and quite different from her much earlier recording as a teenager.

As contrast, Mel Torme provides a restrained and beautifully articulated version that also honours the melody and the lyrics but with the precision and artistry of a highly skilled musician not just a superior singer. I believe that the moody, chamber jazz arrangement is by Marty Paich who did many of Torme's recordings in the 1950's.

STREISAND LINK:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqW7aglo7Es

TORME LINK:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zF1FEQ7d98Y

GROUCHO MARX SINGS ARLEN/,HARBURG'S "LYDIA, THE TATTOOED LADY"

Grouch0 Marx sings Arlen/Harburg song " Lydia the Tattooed Lady"  For the 1939 Marx brothers romp "At the Circus", Arlen and Harburg fashioned a song spoof for Groucho Marx. Marx was a friend of E.Y.Harburg and got the idea for the number after an evening at Groucho's house devoted to , of all people, Gilbert and Sullivan. Harburg said that   Groucho " Would gather us there, play complete operas and sing along with them." Seeing the comic's verbal dexterity, Harburg felt he could show off his own cleverness with " the rhyming schemes and verbal juggling." The results was one of Arlen's favourite Harburg lyrics, the clever and sly " Lydia the Tattooed Lady." In the movie, Marx is accompanied by brothers Harpo and Chico and a few hangers on.
It is a delightful and zany number with clever rhyming of historical and geographical references throughout.

When asked which singer he felt was the most favourite singer of his own songs, Arlen ever the diplomat, would simply reply " Groucho Marx."
Please savour this Marxian descent into verbal and musical anarchy so characteristic of the Marx brothers' inventive comedy style and Harburg's own lyric wit in full flight.

LINK :   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4zRe_wvJw8

" LIKE A STRAW IN THE WIND" A GREAT UNKNOWN TORCH SONG

" Like A  Straw In The Wind" -A Great Unknown Torch Song. In 1941, Arlen and Koehler wrote several independent songs, one of which is " Like A Straw in the Wind." I must caution myself against making too extravagant praises for a little known song by Arlen and Koehler. From the first 8 bars, I was once again transfixed by the bone-weary, sorrowful lament that Arlen also found in" Ill Wind" The Man That Got Away " Blues in the Night"" Moanin' In The Mornin' and " Stormy Weather". Although it would quite easy for such songs to become bathetic or even trite and predictable, Arlen and his lyric partners always manage to invest such songs with genuine emotion and personal conviction. Early in his career, Arlen was fortunate to find, in Ted Koehler, someone who understood the nature of  the legitimate torch song. Working in the Cotton Club enhanced both an appreciation and understanding of the difficulties of the Afro American existence at that time.

The sheet music indicates the refrain should be played ( Very Slow, with great feeling."
Although  Arlen's melody is not in the true 12 bar blues style, there is an inevitable tonal coloration that can only be thought of as reflecting the essence ,if not the form ,of the blues tradition and his own father's vocal improvisations.
Harburg's lyrics are not overwrought but simple statements of regret such as" And when your man is gone your world just falls apart" or " Nothin' you try to do helps you to comfort your heart" and finally when " Trouble steps in and makes you feel LIKE A STRAW IN THE WIND."
This song deserves a much wider exposure. I fervently hope that there will be new performances by singers and musicians who can do justice to this little known musical gem.
I regret that there are not any great versions on YOUTUBE.

Barbra Streisand starts out respecting the song as written However,,partway through, she descends into a frenzied improvisational invocation of other Arlen song lyrics that is disconcerting. It is a shame because she liked and admired Arlen and even recorded " Ding Dong The Witch is Dead" early in her recorded career and has done justice to other Arlen songs later in her career, some of which will be heard on future posts.
I reluctantly include her version but only for the initial segment and need for you to hear the melody and words.
I had a chance to play the full piano part and it is wonderful and something a jazz pianist could really cherish.
There is a marvellous harmonic occurrence just at the beginning of the release when the minor tune jumps into an major e natural note that is arresting. It typifies Arlen's ability to introduce the unexpected that can radically alter one's perception of the tune and, once heard, can never be forgotten. It occurs on the note expressing " gone"  ending the phrase " My Man is "Gone".



STREISAND LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E2SyPTnikk

"OVER THE RAINBOW" -GREATEST 20TH CENTURY SONG

" Over The Rainbow"- Greatest 20th Century Song:  This Harold Arlen, E.Y.Harburg masterpiece was voted the best song of the 20th century and also the best film song written over the same time period. Of course, much of its popularity stems from the iconic film " The Wizard of Oz" which holds such treasured memories for millions of people  of all ages. The heart rending performance by young Judy Garland is also clearly fixed in our collective memories. The song will always be linked with her performance although there have been many other performances over the years with new ones emerging every year.
  I have been developing a major online survey project to determine what musical related elements make people enthusiastically say " I Really Love That Song ! "
   With an online focus group, the song was provided along with a survey form. Participants were asked to rate the relative importance of a number of musical elements as reasons for their love of this song. Generally, there were several factors that people cited for their enthusiasm.  Follow up telephone sessions also provided additional insights into listeners' song related methods for judging songs that they admire.
 A full analysis and report on the survey will be publicly available in the near future.
  Now to the singing. I was aware that there are strong individual memories that the film holds for the listener and using the song from the film itself could overshadow the music related aspects I am trying to identify. Participants did admit that they had very vivid feelings about the song and . that they would try to minimize They were asked  focus on what was originally created and represented in the sheet music-the music and the lyrics that Arlen and Harburg delivered.
I selected a version by the celebrated Broadway performer Audra McDonald because she clearly has a strong personal identification with the song and has a voice that can deal with the vocal challenges of  the song. She is accompanied by only a solo guitar to highlight the essence of the song.  I also have included a version by Ella Fitzgerald whose ever youthful voice and natural singing style is equally impressive in conveying the longing in the heart of a young girl in dust- swept, Depression era Kansas.

McDonald Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9_vZJK7LIc

Fitzgeral Link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-7VprPX8kg

BUDS WON'T BUD- A HUMOROUS LOOK AT ONE-WAY ROMANCES

Buds Won't Bud- A Humorous Look at One-Way Romances:  The last song from  Hooray For What ! is one of Arlen and Harburg's wittiest take on the ins and outs of romance.  With a number of expertly rhymed jests, the singer lamentst on what doesn't work in the world " When the one you love won't ;love you." Among other things, " Breeze won't breeze, Eenie meenies minus moe  when the love you love says  heigh ho. There are a whole lot of similar non- functioning consequences as a result of the failed one-way romance . Nonetheless, the singer is able to amusingly cite, what's wrong when "Dew won't dew, one and one ain't even two, when the love you love, won't love you.

The first version is sung by Judy Garland whose career was closely linked with famous songs that Arlen, Harburg and Ira Gershwin all wrote for Garland.

In addition, Arlen himself recorded the song. Listen to his jazz and blues inflected interpretation of the song. It reinforces the influence of black music traditions and styles and the minor tinged feel of his father's cantorial influence.
Despite the singer's lack of romantic success, the tune and lyrics are so sly and peppy that one keeps bouncing along with the song so insidious are the talents of Arlen and Harburg.

Garland Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al8CfgFrcAw

Arlen link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0M4Msoz5_k

UNDER THE " NEW" NOT THE OLD APPLE TREE

Under the " New" not the Old Apple Tree:  Another song from "Hooray for What"  was " In The Shade of the New Apple Tree." It was a gentle and witty  parody of a popular 1905 parlour song that extolled the virtues of an old apple tree. Arlen's biographer, Edward Jablonski, described the song as having  " A gentle melody, swinging rhythm, amiable harmonies and a whimsical A-A-B-A structure."

 Harburg's lyrics mentioned that " Though the world is new and fancy free, the old moon's above you and the words are still I love you, In the shade of the new Apple Tree."  The song concludes with " Hey Nonny -oh, fortunately There'll always be You and Me ,  In the Shade of the New Apple Tree."
Although not well known, the song became very important to Arlen and Harburg's film careers. Arthur Freed who eventually became head of MGM'S famous musical film unit was looking for his first film project for Louis B. Mayer. A former song writer who , with Nacio Herb Brown,wrote the songs featured in " Singing In The Rain"  felt that, in Jablonski's words" There was something in the song's character, something in the frolicksome, whimsical tune and the lighthearted witty lyrics, that convinced Freed he had found the perfect team to score his film---if it ever got made." Several years later, Freed selected Arlen and Harburg to write songs for " Wizard of Oz."  Their brilliant collaboration was proof indeed  that there was  something new musically under that New Apple Tree.

The version you will hear is a dance band version with an unknown female vocalist.

LINK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5UorMxTqLc

" DOWN WITH LOVE" -AN ANTI-ROMANCE SONG

"Down with Love"- An Anti-Romance Song        Arlen and his many collaborators wrote a great number of positive love and romance songs. Arlen, himself, had a great love for his wife Anya Taranda. Ted Koehler, E.Y Harburg, Johnny Mercer, Leo Robin and Ira Gershwin all collaborated with Arlen on the power and necessity of love.
However, in 1937, Arlen and E.Y. Harburg decided to provide a reality check on too optimistic a view of the romantic ideal. After all, not all relationships and marriages do end on a happy note.
  In the musical " Hooray for What", staged by Vincente Minelli, Arlen and Harburg took an angry swipe at " Moon and June and Roses and Rainbow's End. ( Note ironically that two years later they also wrote " Over The Rainbow").
 Harburg even suggested that we should " Give it back to the birds and the bees and the Viennese " . This well-orchestrated diatribe against too rosy a view of relationships is clearly provided in Audra McDonald"s forceful performance. Listen especially to the last two minutes of her astonishing version of the song. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and Audra performs that sentiment as a most accomplished singing actress.
In the same show, " the boys" wrote more positive songs which we will feature in the next post. Stay tuned!

LINK http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYE-gSTwB20

JOLSON AND MERMAN SING ARLEN FILM SONGS

Jolson and Merman sing  Arlen film songs: In the mid-1930's, the Broadway musical business was experiencing difficulty while the Depression area economy was still in the tank. Most of the talented composers and lyricists then ventured to Hollywood with movie studios needing musical talent for the growth in the film business. Arlen and Harburg's first Holywood assignment was an Al Jolson film, to be called The Singing Kid.  At the same time Arlen worked with lyricist Lew Brown on an Ethel Merman, Eddy Cantor movie called Strike me Pink. Ethel Merman was given a torch song by Arlen and Lew Brown entitled " First You Have Me High/Then you have me low." It uses a number of short phrases to underscore how distraught the singer has become. Arlen's  most distinctive stylistic device, the octave leap, is again used and is quite effective. Personally, I would have preferred a more sensitive and soulful rendition like that of an Ethel Waters or Lee Wiley. Merman has such a powerful persons, its hard to imagine her in such a despondent state of affairs.

With the Jolson film, Arlen and Harburg had Al Jolson sing to six-year old Sybil Jason. He serenaded her with Your the Cure for What Ails Me. It is an attractive , upbeat number which Arlen himself described as a lyric number in which the words are more significant than the melody.
Both Merman and Jolson were overpowering in their delivery and more effective on the stage than in movies, except for Jolsons ground breaking role in The Jazz Singer.

Merman Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9iFKmjhM3Q

Jolson Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75I5IoRiduE