Saturday, July 14, 2012

Modern Torch

John Barrowman Sinead O'Connor
Dave Koz Boz Scaggs
Clockwise: John Barrowman; Sinéad O'Connor; Boz Scaggs; and Dave Koz.

Normally on Saturday nights, I offer up a salute to some of the great ladies of Jazz from the 1930s and beyond, singing songs of love and loss. Great torch singers brought a whole life of experience that filled the songs with such weight, so much depth. This week, I thought I would point out it wasn't just the singers of yesterday who could deliver the goods, using the material that remains timeless. And I will begin with a song by the great Cole Porter. He wrote "After You, Who?"for the 1932 musical The Gay Divorcee, featuring the great Fred Astaire. While "Night And Day" might have been the huge hit from the show, Porter was never one to throw away an opportunity to impress. Here John Barrowman sings "After You, Who?" and reminds us all how important love is.



The song can be found on the album John Barrowman Sings Cole Porter on iTunes and Amazon. Next up, there is a stunning performance of a song written by the great team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Originally written for the 1940 show Pal Joey, "Bewitched, Bothered, And Bewildered" has been sung by the greatest names in the music business. Here I offer you a wonderfully vulnerable vocal from the amazing Sinéad O'Connor.



This song can be found on Sinead's album Am I Not Your Girl? on iTunes and Amazon. While the next song might not be as old as the others, it certainly is every bit as popular. In 1961, a film was released that had everyone talking. While not a musical, it did have a song that was sung by the lovely star of the film, Audrey Hepburn. Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini wrote "Moon River" for Hepburn's vocal range, and to be a character piece in Breakfast At Tiffany's. It was recently recorded by Dave Koz, who plays his saxophone to perfection. Koz is joined on "Moon River" by Barry Manilow, both on piano and vocals.



You can find this duet on Dave's album At The Movies on iTunes and Amazon. And finally, we have a stunning song with music by J. Fred Coots and the lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. "For All We Know" was released in 1934, and was immediately on the list of songs all the greatest singers wanted to be singing. In 2003, Boz Scaggs relased an album of Jazz standards, and included his own very special version of "For All We Know".



You can find a recording of this song on Boz Scaggs' album But Beautiful on iTunes and Amazon. It is really a great collection. Hope you enjoyed tonight's selections, and you are having a great weekend.

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