The Great American Songbook

The radio has been playing a lot of good songs this Thanksgiving Day. If a country can be judged by its popular culture, we must have been very good indeed at one time. The songs that poured out of America in the 20th century were heard and sung all over the world. And what a stellium of great composers we had, some of them born here, others born in Europe and Russia. Hollywood was flooded with Jewish immigrants during and after WWII - classically trained musicians, prodigiously gifted tune-smiths. And Jazz that began as scandalous music was worked on tirelessly by men of supreme talent, white and black, elevating Jazz and creating a sound uniquely American that is today called "classic". I can't resist posting three songs. If you're "in the mood", as Duke Ellington wrote, listen in. If not, I won't be angry.

Here's Patsy Cline in a fine rendition of Irving Berlin's Always. Patsy was killed in a plane crash in 1963. This is not her original version but a dubbed version over orchestra, made in 1980. I could not find the original.



Another gorgeous version is from Ella Fitzgerald.

Having posted a marvelous religious hymn played by Jan Garbarek on the sax, I now turn to another great saxophonist, Stanley Turrentine, playing Someone to Watch Over Me by one of America's greatest - George Gershwin.



I couldn't resist a sentimental clip from a 1951 movie called Two Tickets to Broadway with Tony Martin and Janet Leigh, one of my childhood heroines. Here they sing Rodgers and Hart's Manhattan, with a little soft-shoe thrown in for good measure. Tony Martin is the widower of the incomparable dancer Cyd Charisse, who died at age 86, a few years ago. I believe he is still alive. While I'm thinking about it, another Tony - Tony Bennett - reached the top of the charts recently at age 85, the oldest singer ever to achieve such a feat. He's one of our greats and I hope he lives forever.



If you like this wildly popular song, but prefer a more dazzling performance, listen to Dinah Washington. It's fabulous.