December 27, 2014 (RD 474) Jazzy Show Tunes As we all decompress between holidays, John & Jessica provide a soundtrack based on theater music performed by jazz artists. It’s a combination of two of the things they know best: jazz and show tunes! Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra - People Will Say Were in Love (Oklahoma!) Chico Hamilton Quintet - Some Enchanted Evening (Chico Hamilton Quintet Plays South Pacific & Ellington Suite) Johnny Frigo & Bill Charlap - Poor Butterfly (Johnny Frigos DNA exposed!) Jessica Molaskey - Red, Red Robin (Pentimento) Jessica recalls violinist Johnny Frigo participating in her recording of “Red, Red Robin.” John remembers Frigo rehearsing in their apartment. Reference is also made to Frigo’s songwriting ability, as evidenced by “Detour Ahead.” Ella Fitzgerald - Detour Ahead (Best of Ella Fitzgerald First Lady of Song) Jessica mentions seeing Frigo perform a racy song in L.A. John remarks that Frigo was in Chico Marx’s orchestra. Mel Tormé & The Marty Paich Orchestra– The Surrey with the Fringe on Top (Mel Tormé Swings Shubert Alley) Jessica reminisces about being in the original Broadway cast of Crazy For You and what a magical place Shubert Alley is. Peggy Lee - Heart (Miss Peggy Lee) John and Jessica speak admiringly of Peggy Lee’s singing style. Susannah McCorkle - They Cant Take That Away from Me (Someone to Watch Over Me: The Songs of George Gershwin) Jessica recalls that when she first moved to NYC in the 1980’s, Susannah McCorkle held court at The Oak Room while John mentions participating with McCorkle at Lincoln Center in a Harold Arlen symposium. John talks about the number of jazz musician recordings of songs from the score of Annie. Steven Pasquale - Maybe (Somethin Like Love) Shelly Manne & his Friends - Ive Grown Accustomed to Her Face (modern jazz performances of songs from My Fair Lady) Bill Charlap Trio - Cool (Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein) They talk about the film of West Side Story. Jessica references how important Hal Price was in getting West Side Story to Broadway and that he was as important a Broadway producer as he was a director. Kate McGarry - I Just Found out About Love (Girl Talk) Anita ODay - Its Delovely (Anita ODay Swings Cole Porter with Billy May) John talks about the song “You Started Something” written by Leo Robin & Ralph Rainger, who also wrote “Thanks for the Memory.” Mildred Bailey - You Started Something (mildred bailey sings “me and the blues”) John notes that Leo Robin wrote new lyrics for the Frank Sinatra version of “Thanks for the Memory” Frank Sinatra - Thanks for the Memory (She Shot Me Down) They remark that Delores Hope did not like “Thanks for the Memory” and reference a time she shared that opinion when she was with Rosemary Clooney. Jessica bemoans how many contemporary vocalists don’t sing the melody. Nancy LaMott with Christopher Marlowe - Moon River (The Best of Nancy LaMott: american popular standards, Vol. 1) Catherine Russell - Everybody Loves My Baby (strictly romancin) Jessica talks about vocalese Lambert, Hendricks & Ross – Jackie (The Mouse) (the Swingers!) Talk turns to vocalese number created for John’s Rockin’ in Rhythm CD – “Lost/Perdido” John Pizzarelli with Kurt Elling & Jessica Molaskey – Lost/Perdido (Rockin in Rhythm: A Tribute to Duke Ellington) Betty Carter - Tight (The Audience With Betty Carter) Oscar Peterson Trio - Cheek to Cheek (The Complete Clef/Mercury Studio Recordings 1951-1953) John Pizzarelli - Coffee, Black (Knowing You) John shares with Jessica that a couple of weeks ago when he was doing RD solo, he remarked that a Lucy & Ethel sketch was the first time he heard “Friendship” Stacey Kent - More Than You Know (A Fine Romance) Rosemary Clooney - Will You Still Be Mine? (The Best of the Concord Years) Notes: this episode is a repeat of RD 416 “Theater Jazz” from November 16, 2013; the playlist is the same. Also, the web-posted playlist for this show lists 2 songs which are not part of the web-posted episode: Shelly Manne & his Friends “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” (modern jazz performances of songs from My Fair Lady) and The Jan Lundgren Trio “Will You Still Be Mine?” (celebrating the music of matt dennis).
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 06:25:25 +0000