Contents of my talk on this subject at the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center on Sunday, October 21st.
Here’s a link to the YouTube playlist I’ll use during the talk.
The Great American Songbook – A Jazz Love Affair
Jazz musicians hear the term “Great American Songbook” all the time in reference to certain tunes in the repertoire. What is the Great American Songbook? Can one buy a copy? Who are the composers? What happens when Jazz musicians play instrumental versions of “songs”?
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The Great American songbook refers to a collection of songs generally dated from 1900 to 1950. Also referred to as American Standards, or just Standards by musicians, the canon includes popular songs spanning this era that are considered to be influential and or enduring. Also referred to as “American Classical Music” (Jonathan Scwhartz). There is no specific book or list of these compositions though many collections have been published under the name.
Tin Pan Alley: The precursor (some early overlap) to The Great American Songbook. Referred to a specific place in New York; west 28th street between 5th and 6th ave in the flower district of NYC. Generally from 1885 to the beginning of the Great Depression – early 30’s.
Publishers: JW Pepper, Hal Leonard, Alfred Music
Composers:
Jerome Kern
Richard Rogers
Cole Porter
George Gershwin
Recordings: Nels Cline, Dexter Gordon, Sonny Rollins, Betty Carter,
Ella Fitzgerald – April 25th, 2017 would have been her 100th Birthday
Career Spanned much of the Songbook’s Golden Era
1935-55 she was on Decca Records
56-mid 60’s, on Verve, She recorded 8 Songbook Volumes:
56 – Ella Fitzgerald sings the Cole Porter Songbook
56 – “ “ “ “ Rogers & Heart “
57 – “ “ “ “ Duke Ellington “
58 – “ “ “ “ Irving Berlin “
59 – “ “ “ “ George & Ira Gershwin “
61 – “ “ “ “ Harold Arlen “
63 – “ “ “ “ Jerome Kern “
64 – “ “ “ “ Johnny Mercer “
Available as a single collection:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Complete_Ella_Fitzgerald_Song_Books
Dianne Reeves
(Mention my introduction to GASB: The Real Book) All The Things You Are
Alec Wilder’s: American Popular Song: The Great Innovators, 1900–1950
Published 1972
Assumptions in APS –
- Just before the turn of the century, APS took on verbal, harmonic, melodic and rhythmic elements native to the US that distinguished it from the popular song of other countries.
- The unique qualities synthesized in the American popular song derive continuously from the innovations of a few outstanding composers.
—-’…the author is primarily concerned with the most distinctive on American popular songs – those which embody innovation in some way. He is not concerned with “Hits” as such. Perfectly miserable pieces of hackwork have caught the fancy of the same public that made some of the distinguished innovators very rich men.
Jerome Kern (1885-1945)
Exemplifies the pure, uncontrived melodic line more characteristically than any other writer of American theater music. Analyzed 652 tunes from 117 shows. For thirteen years 1904-1917 he was represented in an average of 4 Broadway shows a year.
All the things you are – multiple
From his last show “Very Warm for May” – a complete failure. Only 20 people in the audience on the second night. He was concerned that a song so complex could not be a hit. A moment after sharing this feeling with a friend he heard a passing pedestrian whistling it.
Yesterdays –
The Way You Look Tonight
Contafacts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_jazz_contrafacts
Irving Berlin (1888 – 1989)
Prolific. Wrote a complete song every day. 899 songs listed by his publisher in 1969: 593 pop songs, 306 used in musicals or hollywood
Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1911) “Highpoint in the evolution of popular music!”
George Gershwin (1898 – 1937)
Unique among famous songwriters of the time; talent and ambition caused him to search for ever expanding musical forms while still perfecting the smaller ones.
Advent of radio at the beginning of his career may have increased the popularity of his songs. Jazz musicians and Dance band directors liked his songs. Greatest popularity during the depression due to his penchant for cheery songs. Pg 128 – why jazz musicians….
Somebody Loves Me YT
Embraceable You
Nice Work if You Can Get It
I got rhythm YT – Gershwin, Bird &
Richard Rogers (1902-1979)
Roger’s work shows the highest degree of consistent excellence, inventiveness and sophistication…bearing the mark of the American song except for a few pretentious ballads written in the later part of his career with Oscar Hammerstein II.
Legend had it (1972 mind you…) among the many radio stations of the United State that a Rogers song could be heard any time, day or night, the year round. …though how such a stat can be true at the beginning of the seventies I don’t know.
It’s Easy to Remember
Have You Met Miss Jones
From “I’d rather be right” …written to avoid the prosaic plot problem of introducing two characters.
Cole Porter (1892-1964)
What is this thing called love? – YT, Billie Holiday
Just one of those things – YT, Sarah Vaughn
Harold Arlen (1905
I’ve got the world on a string – YT, Frank Sinatra
That old black magic
Vincent Youmans (1898-1946)
Alone Together
Tea for two
Burton Lane (1912-1957) Hugh Martin (1914-2011 ) Vernon Duke (1903-1969)
On a clear day
April in Paris
The Great Craftsmen:
(Non theater pop song composers – the world of the independent song)
Hoagy Carmichael (1899
Stardust
Walter Donaldson (1893
Love me or leave me
Harry Warren (1893
At Last
Isham Jones (1894-1956)
It had to be you
Jimmy McHugh (1894-1969)
On the Sunny Side of the street
Duke Ellington (1899
Prelude to a Kiss
Fred Ahlert (1892-1953)
Richard Whiting (1891-1938)
Ray Noble (1907-
John Green (1908-
Body & Soul
Rube Bloom (1902-
Jimmy Van Heusen (1913-
Like Someone in Love
It Could Happen to You
Outstanding Individual Songs 1920 – 1950
Way down yonder in New Orleans
Sweet Georgia Brown
Sweet Lorraine
Sweet and Lovely
Just Friends
I’m getting sentimental over you
My Old Flame
Stars fell on Alabama
What a difference a day made
What’s new
How high the moon
Violets for your furs
I’ll remember april
You don’t know what love is
Speak Low
Moonlight in Vermont
Laura
Great American Songbook Foundation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Songbook_Foundation
While the historical era in which the Great American Songbook was born has definitely ended, there are still songs being written today which demonstrate the quintessential characteristics of “America’s classical music” and are therefore considered part of the Songbook canon. These include Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Barry Manilow, Henry Mancini, Ann Hampton Callaway, and a variety of other gifted lyricists/composers
Alan & Marilyn Bergman
The Playground
Gordon Jenkins – Composer
Good-Bye – 1934 – iphone – Benny Goodman’s closer
Considered by Wilder to be as sad a song as he knew and a very beautiful song.