Pops Armstrong ‘What a Wonderful World’

Louis Armstrong What a Wonderful World

This song is one of Satchmo’s biggest sellers. And it’s a rare occasion where he puts aside his famous trumpet. The song was written by Bob Thiele and George Weiss, and Louis was the first to record it in 1967 (it was initially offered to Tony Bennett, who turned it down). World was a major hit in England: it got to #1, and was the biggest selling song of 1968.
Pops’s casual approach suited the song’s theme, an optimistic paean amidst the Vietnam War and the cold-war climate of the uncertain 60s. Louis inserted a positive outlook on everything in his songs. Just have a listen to ‘Gone fishin’’ (with Bing Crosby), ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘A Kiss to Build a Dream on’, ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’, ‘La Vie en rose’, ‘Dream a Little Dream of me’, ‘Moon River’, ‘When your smiling’, ‘C’est si bon’ and the spiritual ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen’. And how could I not include his foray with Ella on their celebrated Porgy & Bess recording. Finally, his signature tune ‘When the Saints go Marchin’ in’. Check out the duet of this song with the very talented Danny Kaye (included in this blog).

‘World’ was used in the 1987 war-comedy Good Morning Vietnam, starring Robing Williams. The song is played with a backdrop of US helicopters making offensive forays in the Vietnam countryside. Sachtmo’s joyful song played over the top of this bellicose footage is pure bathos.

No song was prohibited for this revolutionary jazzman, as he crossed the boundaries of jazz, swing and pop.
For all of his much commented on singing style, his enunciation is excellent: you can understand him, right? It’s the final note of bars where he constructs his unique, forced vibrato. And his interpretation is up there with Frank.

Louis’s gregariousness was reflected in his work with other stars: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, to name just 3. Louis loved sharing the stage with great singers; his correlation with these great singers are the stuff of musical genius.
I must make mention of Louis’s band. He held them all in high respect, and unselfishlessly (a true jazz word) gave each one their due by affording them solos. In this combo you’ll hear piano, trumpet, clarient, bass and drums: the harmonization is memorable.

Here are three Pops songs to drool over and enjoy: ‘World’, ‘Saints’ and ‘Summertime’, with Louis mixing it with the great Ella.

Pops Armstrong What a Wonderful World

Louis Armstrong What a Wonderful World

This song is one of Satchmo’s biggest sellers. And it’s a rare occasion where he puts aside his famous trumpet. The song was written by Bob Thiele and George Weiss, and Louis was the first to record it in 1967 (it was initially offered to Tony Bennett, who turned it down). World was a major hit in England: it got to #1, and was the biggest selling song of 1968.
Pops’s casual approach suited the song’s theme, an optimistic paean amidst the Vietnam War and the cold-war climate of the uncertain 60s. Louis inserted a positive outlook on everything in his songs. Just have a listen to ‘Gone fishin’’ (with Bing Crosby), ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘A Kiss to Build a Dream on’, ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’, ‘La Vie en rose’, ‘Dream a Little Dream of me’, ‘Moon River’, ‘When your smiling’, ‘C’est si bon’ and the spiritual ‘Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen’. And how could I not include his foray with Ella on their celebrated Porgy & Bess recording. Finally, his signature tune ‘When the Saints go Marchin’ in’. Check out the duet of this song with the very talented Danny Kaye (included in this blog).

No song was prohibited for this revolutionary jazzman, as he crossed the boundaries of jazz, swing and pop.
For all of his much commented on singing style, his enunciation is excellent: you can understand him, right? It’s the final note of bars where he constructs his unique, forced vibrato. And his interpretation is up there with Frank.

Louis’s gregariousness was reflected in his work with other stars: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, to name just 3. Louis loved sharing the stage with great singers; his correlation with these great singers are the stuff of musical genius.

I must make mention of Louis’s band. He held them all in high esteem (imagine being chosen to play with Pops: you had to be really, really good), and unselfishlessly (a true jazz word) gave each one their due by affording them solos. In this combo you’ll hear piano, trumpet, clarient, bass and drums: the harmonization is memorable.

Here are three Pops songs to drool over and enjoy: ‘World’, ‘Saints’ and ‘Summertime’, with Louis mixing it with the great Ella.

Lou Reed Obituary

As I write I’m listening to Retro: The Best of Lou Reed (1989), trying to feel the vibes of this classic New Yorker musician; more specifically, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, his biggest seller which came right at the start of his solo career. Not that he needed to sell records to get famous. His avant garde music style and lifestyle ensured that would be the case.

Lewis Allan (‘Lou’) Reed was in born in 1942, halfway through WW2. He had Jewish parents. Although never publicly repudiating the Jewish religion, he did say this: ‘My God is rock’n’roll. . . . The most important part of my religion is to play guitar.’ Not too many bar mitzvahs for Lewis Allan. Brought up on Long Island, New York, he made high school senior in 1959. So far nothing to suggest his radical future, although he did undergo electroconvulsive therapy in a bid to rid him of his bisexuality (on my DVD of Reed live, there is a very sensuous negress hanging at his side. Make of it what you want). Lou was a keen radio listener, and he soon taught himself guitar.

After high school came university, viz. Syracuse University (NY; 1960). He studied journalism, film directing and creative writing. These would play no small part in his career as one of the more skilled song-writers of the 60s and 70s. By now Reed had been in several bands; he was influenced by the radical free jazz of the 50s, in particular by the legendary tenor saxophonist Ornette Coleman. At Syracuse he sat under poet Delmore Schwartz. He credited Schwartz with showing him how ‘with the simplest language imaginable, and very short, you can accomplish the most astonishing heights’. So that was his education: what would his career look like?

In 1964 Reed came across the Welsh musician, John Cale. Soon they added 2 more to the group, and The Velvet Underground, one of the most influential bands in rock music, was born. At the fear of repetition, Eno once famously stated that although few people bought their debut album (1967), every one who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band, including Joy Division, Talking Heads, Patti Smith and REM. Later they took on a young chanteuse, one Nico; she had her name suffixed on the band name. By now pop artist Andy Warhol had taken an interest in the band. So began a sometimes weird but always interesting fusion of Warhol’s art and Velvet’s music. Some of the songs Reed wrote for the band ended up in his solo repertoire, notably Heroin, so it was definitely a creative period of his life.

By 1970 Reed had tired of Underground, and he quit. Then came the best career move he ever made: he flew to London and recorded his second album, Transformer. The producers were David Bowie and top guitarist Mick Ronson, whose slashing style is a feature of the record. The outstanding songs on Transformer are ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ (see review below), ‘Vicious’ and ‘Perfect Day’. Transformer sold well; it was the pinnacle of Mr Reed’s career.

In his latter years Reed came out of his shell (he was always too confrontational to ever be gregarious). He did performances of Perfect Day with Pavarotti, then prima donna Reneé Fleming. The audience were older, and contained the educated and the glitterati, all straight. I even espied former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in the audience. He received warm applause. Lou, what were ya doin there? That was miles (not literally) from the Lower East Side, Andy and the Velvets. Was this his coming out? Was the bisexual with the coolest New York drawl ever now seeking reaffirmation from the public? Maybe. And had he at last found peace with his Maker? I hope so, for his sake.

RIP, Lou.

Review of ‘Walk on the wild side’

Lou gets his lyrics from the gutter, but his delivery is smooth as. His New York street-talking style just does it for me. And you just gotta love those sweet-sounding girls doing backing. Reed, the co-founder of the highly influential and controversial quintet Velvet Underground, obviously did not change his seedy outlook on life when he went solo. Session man Herbie Flowers’s (later of Sky fame) electric bass over the top of his double bass is a very clever and effective touch. And the sax solo that closes the song is something else. ‘Walk’—a top 20 hit in the US—ultimately became Reed’s most commercial song and his signature tune.

Lou Reed Obituary

As I write I’m listening to Retro: The Best of Lou Reed (1989), trying to feel the vibes of this classic New Yorker musician; more specifically, ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, his biggest seller which came right at the start of his solo career. Not that he needed to sell records to get famous. His avant garde music style and lifestyle ensured that would be the case.

Lewis Allan (‘Lou’) Reed was in born in 1942, halfway through WW2. He had Jewish parents. Although never publicly repudiating the Jewish religion, he did say this: ‘My God is rock’n’roll. . . . The most important part of my religion is to play guitar.’ Not too many bar mitzvahs for Lewis Allan. Brought up on Long Island, New York, he made high school senior in 1959. So far nothing to suggest his radical future, although he did undergo electroconvulsive therapy in a bid to rid him of his bisexuality (on my DVD of Reed live, there is a very sensuous negress hanging at his side. Make of it what you want). Lou was a keen radio listener, and he soon taught himself guitar.

After high school came university, viz. Syracuse University (NY; 1960). He studied journalism, film directing and creative writing. These would play no small part in his career as one of the more skilled song-writers of the 60s and 70s. By now Reed had been in several bands; he was influenced by the radical free jazz of the 50s, in particular by the legendary tenor saxophonist Ornette Coleman. At Syracuse he sat under poet Delmore Schwartz. He credited Schwartz with showing him how ‘with the simplest language imaginable, and very short, you can accomplish the most astonishing heights’. So that was his education: what would his career look like?

In 1964 Reed came across the Welsh musician, John Cale. Soon they added 2 more to the group, and The Velvet Underground, one of the most influential bands in rock music, was born. At the fear of repetition, Eno once famously stated that although few people bought their debut album (1967), every one who bought one of those 30,000 copies started a band, including Joy Division, Talking Heads, Patti Smith and REM. Later they took on a young chanteuse, one Nico; she had her name suffixed on the band name. By now pop artist Andy Warhol had taken an interest in the band. So began a sometimes weird but always interesting fusion of Warhol’s art and Velvet’s music. Some of the songs Reed wrote for the band ended up in his solo repertoire, notably Heroin, so it was definitely a creative period of his life.

By 1970 Reed had tired of Underground, and he quit. Then came the best career move he ever made: he flew to London and recorded his second album, Transformer. The producers were David Bowie and top guitarist Mick Ronson, whose slashing style is a feature of the record. The outstanding songs on Transformer are ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ (see review below), ‘Vicious’ and ‘Perfect Day’. Transformer sold well; it was the pinnacle of Mr Reed’s career.

In his latter years Reed came out of his shell (he was always too confrontational to ever be gregarious). He did performances of Perfect Day with Pavarotti, then prima donna Reneé Fleming. The audience were older, and contained the educated and the glitterati, all straight. I even espied former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in the audience. He received warm applause. Lou, what were ya doin there? That was miles (not literally) from the Lower East Side, Andy and the Velvets. Was this his coming out? Was the bisexual with the coolest New York drawl ever now seeking reaffirmation from the public? Maybe. And had he at last found peace with his Maker? I hope so, for his sake.

RIP, Lou.

Review of ‘Walk on the wild side’

Lou gets his lyrics from the gutter, but his delivery is smooth as. His New York street-talking style just does it for me. And you just gotta love those sweet-sounding girls doing backing. Reed, the co-founder of the highly influential and controversial quintet Velvet Underground, obviously did not change his seedy outlook on life when he went solo. Session man Herbie Flowers’s (later of Sky fame) electric bass over the top of his double bass is a very clever and effective touch. And the sax solo that closes the song is something else. ‘Walk’—a top 20 hit in the US—ultimately became Reed’s most commercial song and his signature tune.

Blessings,
Ralph
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Ralph Gilbert
421 Grange Rd
Seaton, 5023
South Australia
mob. 0448 899 224

Lou Reed Obituary

FS SUMMER WIND

The Summer Wind Frank Sinatra

He was brash, brusque, brazen, and a classic male chauvinist. He certainly didn’t suffer fools gladly. And he had an ego bigger than his favourite city, New York. As well as all that, he remains the all-time unpolitically correct man—in any field. But I love the man. He’s my favourite singer ever. Every time I play one of his songs it brings me joy. The only child of Italian migrants from New Jersey, he was brought up a Roman Catholic, but that didn’t count for much—Frank never had much time for God.

Sinatra was born in 1915 (the same year as my mother). In 1939, at the age of 24, he signed up with the hot Tommy Dorsey band. This was his big break. By 1941 he was the top-selling male singer on Billboard. He became the first true pop star, exemplified by the hysteria accompanying his opening show at the Paramount Theatre in New York. Jack Benny later said, ‘I thought the goddamned building was going to cave in. I never heard such a commotion… All this for a fellow I never heard of.’ Frank had the rare gift of putting his signature on a song, i.e. making it his own. Just think of a popular song in the past fify years, and if Frank covered it then most times it will be his version that’s the definitive one. Does anyone know any artist who has covered ‘Summer Wind’? Who would bother after Frankie had made it his own!

Sinatra was a regular visitor to Oz. He first toured here way back in ’55, and returned in ’59 and ’61. Then he came back for a short, successful series of concerts ’59. (Why couldn’t I be there? Two is old enough to appreciate Frank!) Not so his next trip to Oz in ’74. His bodyguards interposed when journalists crowded him entering the stadium in Melbourne. Sinatra branded them ‘fags, pimps and whores’. He reviled the women journos as ‘hookers worth a buck and a half at best’. It was only a last minute intervention by ACTU President Bob Hawke (Bob must have been a Sinatra fan) that salvaged the rest of the tour, much to the chagrin of the unions.

Then there’s the song. The playground organ is a feature. Frank eats up the lyric with his usual, consummate skill. And the song fades in and out, just like the summer wind itself: here a sax phrase, there a touch of the strings: such a delicate arrangement—great job Nelson (Riddle). The lyrics were penned by the copious Johnny Mercer. Frank applies a slow crescendo to the song; then when the love song all but over, he fades away, heartbroken.

This song is especially for my Sydney mate, Rich Maegraith. I can hear him playin’ along on his tenor even now. All the best, mate.

FS SUMMER WIND

The Summer Wind Frank Sinatra

He was brash, brusque, brazen, and a classic male chauvinist. He certainly didn’t suffer fools gladly. And he had an ego bigger than his favourite city, New York. As well as all that, he remains the all-time unpolitically correct man—in any field. But I love the man. He’s my favourite singer ever. Every time I play one of his songs it brings me joy. The only child of Italian migrants from New Jersey, he was brought up a Roman Catholic, but that didn’t count for much—Frank never had much time for God.

Sinatra was born in 1915 (the same year as my mother). In 1939, at the age of 24, he signed up with the hot Tommy Dorsey band. This was his big break. By 1941 he was the top-selling male singer on Billboard. He became the first true pop star, exemplified by the hysteria accompanying his opening show at the Paramount Theatre in New York. Jack Benny later said, ‘I thought the goddamned building was going to cave in. I never heard such a commotion… All this for a fellow I never heard of.’ Frank had the rare gift of putting his signature on a song, i.e. making it his own. Just think of a popular song in the past fify years, and if Frank covered it then most times it will be his version that’s the definitive one. Does anyone know any artist who has covered ‘Summer Wind’? Who would bother after Frankie had made it his own!

Sinatra was a regular visitor to Oz. He first toured here way back in ’55, and returned in ’59 and ’61. Then he came back for a short, successful series of concerts ’59. (Why couldn’t I be there? Two is old enough to appreciate Frank!) Not so his next trip to Oz in ’74. His bodyguards interposed when journalists crowded him entering the stadium in Melbourne. Sinatra branded them ‘fags, pimps and whores’. He reviled the women journos as ‘hookers worth a buck and a half at best’. It was only a last minute intervention by ACTU President Bob Hawke (Bob must have been a Sinatra fan) that salvaged the rest of the tour, much to the chagrin of the unions.

Then there’s the song. The playground organ is a feature. Frank eats up the lyric with his usual, consummate skill. And the song fades in and out, just like the summer wind itself: here a sax phrase, there a touch of the strings: such a delicate arrangement—great job Nelson (Riddle). The lyrics were penned by the copious Johnny Mercer. Frank applies a slow crescendo to the song; then when the love song all but over, he fades away, heartbroken.

This song is especially for my Sydney mate, Rich Maegraith. I can hear him playin’ along on his tenor even now. All the best, mate.

Frank Summer Wind