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i’m usually not one for christmas music (although i have to admit that when sung by the greats it can be quite enjoyable). nevertheless, this is absolutley brilliant (and i guess it’s not really a christmas song anyway). everything about this clip is great - the set, the voice, the phrasing. i even like that he’s wearing his suit jacket the traditional way for cold weather. the reason mens suit jackets have that button hole on the lapel is so you can close it in cold weather. it’s just there for show nowadays.

take it frankie

and thanks to DJ MANE ONE for finding this clip.

listen.
listen to her scream and ache,
and riff and break.
listen to that mellow tone,
to that hurtin moan.
red-hot licks played by black fingertips
of the icey-coolest slicks in town.
listen to her wail,
and sail into blue skies with the high pitched cries
of the low down sighs of soul.
a love affair with despair.
an agonizingly azure mood.
a blue prelude to a kiss in indigo bliss
listen.
listen to her swing the rhythm-a-ning of swing.

as the get right gang always says, you can listen to a certain piece of music you like a hundred times and always enjoy it. but then there’s that one time that it really hits you how great it is. it’s like you’re really hearing it for the first time. it gives you chills. that’s happened to me countless times, and tonight it happened again, so i thought i’d let you join in on the experience. listen:

jimmy witherspoon with ben webster and the vince guaraldi trio (kind of an odd combo - i wonder how vince got thrown in the mix). jimmy has one of those voices that’s deep and powerful, yet soft and smooth, and always full of soul. then there’s ben webster, one of my all time favorite sax players (next to lester young)…pfff, too much soul.

i think ST. JAMES INFIRMARY is one of greatest songs of all time. it’s got a melody that’s eerie, melancholy, low down, and filled with the blues. lot’s of people have done it but i think some of the more notable versions are the ones done by:

LOUIS ARMSTRONG - of course

CAB CALLOWAY - here’s one of his versions in a great betty boop/fleischer cartoon

SNOOKS EAGLIN - i first heard his version on THIS while listening to cds at borders books and music. all it took was listening to him do st james and i immediately went to the cashier to buy this album.

HOT LIPS PAGE (with artie shaw) - i fell in love with this version, thanks to my boy OPTIC giving me an artie shaw double lp on vinyl.

HARRY CONNICK JR. (with LUCIEN BARBARIN playing some bad ass trombone) - he performed his version at the “marsalis family: a jazz celebration” concert.

and speakin of some good ol’ blues trambone, you gotta hear JACK TEAGARDEN do it.

JOSH WHITE is another bad ass blues man with a great version.

and here’s a good one by HENRY ‘RED’ ALLEN. one of my favorite trumpet players

pff. that’s soul.

well, i was gonna tell you all about how the blogging world is new to me and that i’m just starting this site but that it’ll be updated a lot; and that i’ll be posting all kinds of things about early 20th century american music (especially jazz and blues); and that i’ll also be posting things related to my own music/singing…and blah blah blah. let’s just forget about all that crap and listen to one of the greatest singers of all time:

it took me several times of watching that performance by billie until i didn’t cry anymore. but watching it once again just then (even though i have it on dvd) choked me up a bit. i still get the chills (literally) every time i watch this. the second she opens her mouth and starts to sing - the way the black and white looks, the cool and relaxed look on her face, the warm sound of the greatest musicians in the world playing real jazz, and how the words just slide from her throat and into that great old rca ribbon mic - there just aren’t words. billie is just so…well, you know.

man, and lester! woooo! his performance here is a perfect example of why he’s my favorite sax player of all time. when he gets up and starts to play and how it lights billie up, just kills me every time. and not to mention ben webster, and coleman hawkins, and roy eldridge! pfff. that’s what is meant when i say REAL music. it’s a little disheartening to think there’s nothing like that anymore. and believe me we’ll get into that topic in posts to come.