Words & Music
SIDE ONE
Track 1: Black Coffee, music by Sonny Burke, words by Paul Francis Webster. Published in 1948. Originally written in the key of G, this arrangement is in E. The song was first recorded by Sarah Vaughan in 1949. Peggy Lee recorded the iconic version on her 1956 album Black Coffee, which can be heard on YouTube here.
“I’m feelin’ mighty lonesome
Haven’t slept a wink
I walk the floor and watch the door
And in between I drink
Black coffee...”
“Black Coffee” On Wikipedia
Track 2: She’s Funny That Way, music by Neil Moret, words by Richard Whiting. Composed in 1929. Originally written in the key of E flat, this arrangement is in A. This is an old torch song which was revived and popularized by Sinatra on his album Nice ‘n’ Easy, released in 1960. The lyrics, which are self-deprecating and humorous, can be heard by Sinatra on YouTube here.
“I’m not much to look at
Nothing to see
Just glad I'm living
And happy to be
I got a woman
Crazy for me
She’s funny that way...”
“She’s Funny That Way” On Wikipedia
Track 3: If I Only Had A Brain, music by Harold Arlen, words by Yip Harburg. Composed in 1937. Originally written in the key of F, this arrangement is in D. A straightforward treatment of the Scarecrow’s lament from ‘The Wizaed Of Oz’, released in 1939. This tune might not seem to contain a scrap of noir feeling, but consider the lyrics quoted below. A heart full of pain? Pure noir. Ray Bolger and Judy Garland sing the tune in a clip form the movie on YouTube here.
“I would not be just a nuffin'
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain...”
“If I Only Had A Brain” on Wikipedia
Track 4: Night Train, aka The Stripper Song, music by Jimmy Forrest, words by Lewis P. Simpkins and guitarist Oscar Washington. Composed in 1951. This tune has been recorded in numerous keys. This arrangement is in the key of G. Burlesque shows with strippers were a feature of the Highball Era. A smoky room, a small band, and a woman bumping and grinding her way through Night Train, shedding clothes. Prominent burlesque performers of the era included these fantastic names: April March, Tempest Storm, Blaze Starr and Candy Barr. The last two make a great double bill. Listen to the 1952 Jimmy Forrest version on YouTube here.
“Night train
That took my baby far away
Night train
That took my baby far away
Tell her
I love her more and more each day”
“Night Train” on Wikipedia
Track 5: Street Of Dreams, music by Victor Young, words by Sam M.Lewis. Composed in 1932. I believe this song was composed in the key of E flat, a comfortable key for singers. My arrangement is in the key of C, a comfortable key for guitarists. This song has been recorded by numerous artists. Bing Crosby recorded it in 1932. Ella Fitzgerald made a memorable version in 1962, backed by Nelson Riddle’s smooth orchestration. Ella’s version captures the bluesy feeling of this depression-era song, with it’s crushing lyrics. This is the first track in which I stretch out a bit and add some modest chord fills and single-note lines. Listen to Ella’s dreamy version on YouTube here.
“Dreams broken in two
Can be made like new
On the street of dreams...”
“Poor, no one is poor
Long as love is sure
On the street of dreams...”
“Street Of Dreams” on Wikipedia
Track 6: When Sunny Gets Blue, music by Marvin Fisher, words by Jack Segal. Composed in 1956 in the key of F. My arrangement is also in F. This was a breakthrough song for Johnny Mathis in 1956, and his version is still probably the most famous one. This tune has an interesting series of chromatic descending minor sevenths which jazz musicians have seized upon as a vehicle for improvisation. It has become a jazz standard. I'm not going to quote any lyrics for this one because, for me, it exists as primarily a musical statement. Listen to McCoy Tyner’s beautiful, bluesy version on YouTube here.
“When Sunny Gets Blue“ on Wikipedia
SIDE TWO
Track 7: One For My Baby (And One More For The Road), music by Harold Arlen, words by Johnny Mercer. Composed in 1943. The song has a somewhat complicated harmonic structure, ending in a different key than it begins in. As originally written, the tune starts in E flat and ends in G. My arrangement begins in C and ends in E. Sinatra recorded the song several times, and is responsible for its popularization, but it has been performed and recorded by numerous artists including Fred Astaire, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Julie London, Etta James and even Lou Rawls, among others. Sinatra created a whole persona around this song. Watch him perform his live version on YouTube here.
“It’s quarter to three
There’s no one in the place
‘Cept you and me”
“So set ‘em up, Joe
I got a little story
I think you should know...”
“One For My Baby (and One More for the Road)” on Wikipedia
Track 8: Blues In The Night, another tune with music by Harold Arlen and words by Johnny Mercer. Composed in 1941. Originally in B flat, my arrangment is shifted down a half-step to A. While much of this tune follows the traditional 12-bar blues pattern, Arlen inserted a lyrical sequence that acts as a bridge. Blues In The Night has been recorded by everyone who is anyone, including Carlos Montoya, who performed a flamenco version. There’s an interesting story about the night Arlen finished composing it on the Wikipedia page. Watch Cab Calloway and his band perform a playful version on YouTube here.
“My mama done told me
When I was in knee-pants
My mama done told me, son
‘A woman will sweet-talk ya
She'll give you the big eye...”
“Blues In The Night” on Wikipedia
Track 9: Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me), music by Duke Ellington and words by Lee Gaines. Composed in 1941. Originally in F, my arrangment is transposed to the key of D. Just Squeeze Me is a jazz standard which has been recorded numerous times. I was 12 or 13 years old the first time I heard a Charlie Christian solo. I was riveted. Charlie’s solo lines are so perfect that it seems as if they had been discovered intact someplace, chiseled in stone. No doubt Christian crafted his lines during numerous performances. My single-line playing on this track is a modest attempt to mimic his style of playing over chord shapes. Listen to Louis Armstrong perform the song with Duke Ellington (piano) on YouTube here.
“Treat me sweet and gentle
When you say goodnight
Just squeeze me
‘But please don't tease me...”
“Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me)” on Wikipedia
Track 10: It Ain’t Necessarily So, music by George Gershwin, words by Ira Gershwin. Composed in 1936 for the Gershwins’ opera “Porgy and Bess”. Originally in B flat, my arrangment is transposed to the key of G (and its related E minor). No collection of songs from this era is complete without a Gershwin tune, but I had to find one that had a feeling of the blues to it. It Ain’t Necessarily So has a strong minor bluesy feel to it, bouncing between E minor and its dominant A7. The song is written in half-note thirds (1-2-3; 4-5-6) giving it a different feel from the other tunes in this project. The bridge provides some major-scale relief to the overwhelming minor vibe. Watch Cab Calloway’s high-spirited performance on The Ed Sullivan Show from 1965 on YouTube here.
“It ain't necessarily so
It ain't necessarily so
The things that yo’ li’ble
‘To read in the Bible...”
“It Ain’t Necessarily So” on Wikipedia
Track 11: Tenderly, music by Walter Gross, words by Jack Lawrence. Composed in 1946, the tune has become a jazz standard. Originally written in B flat, my arrangment is in the key of C. I kept the 3/4 time of the original in my arrangement. Walter Gross carried this tune around with him for years when it was known simply as, “Walter’s Song.” Gross finally published it with the present title and lyrics were added later. Listen to Ella Fitzgerald’s version from 1957 on YouTube here.
“The evening breeze
Caressed the trees
Tenderly...
“Tenderly” on Wikipedia
Track 12: Java Jive, music by Ben Oakland, words by Milton Drake. This collection of tunes opens with Black Coffee and closes with Java Jive, another coffee song. Not by accident. Composed in 1940, the tune was famously performed by the Ink Spots and later by the Manhattan Transfer. Originally written in the key of F, my arrangment is in the same key. A nice bit of fluff to close out the collection. Listen to the Ink Spots perform the song in a 1944 air check on YouTube here.
“I love coffee, I love tea
I love the java jive and it loves me
Coffee and tea and the java and me
A cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, a cup, boy...
“Java Jive” on Wikipedia
“Can't save a dollar, ain't worth a cent.She’d never holler, she’d live in a tent.
I got a woman, crazy for me. She’s funny that way.”Lyrics from “She’s Funny That Way” by Richard Whiting.