NEW SONGS - (More) New Lounge, Jazz & Swing Numbers

Ever seeking to add variety to my sets, I have learned some new songs – some to see (or is that hear?) their debut at my stand-in slot at Tides Bar in St David’s Hotel, Cardiff Bay, and others that I can use in various functions I undertake whenever an element of something smooth or swingin' is required.

New songs added to my repertoire this time are:

It Had To Be You [1924]

Not so much a new song as a re-boot.  I've had a fairly light jazz quintet arrangement of this Gus Kahn & Isham Jones song in my repertoire for a while, as per the Tony Bennett arrangement, complete with a recitative prelude that you can hear part of in the media player on my main website.  All well and good, but I always felt the opening lacked the immediacy of more commonly known arrangements.

Harry Connick Jr.

Many of the widely available backing tracks have sounded, to me,  just a little bit too…bontempi organ (if that makes sense) and synthesised and getting a quality custom track made would have set me back a few hundred pounds due to the complex nature of a big-band arrangement.  And I refuse to use pub-singer quality midi-tracks – my clients deserve better than that!  (Or, as my wife say, I’m being a Diva!)

So a brilliant arrangement of the big band version made most famous by Harry Connick Jr (as featured in the movie When Harry Met Sally) has eluded me for a while. 

Finally, my quest is won, with a fantastic arrangement very similar to the Harry Connick Jr version from a studio based over in France – all-live instrumentation and a great swinging vibe.  It has a simpler instrumentation than HC Jr’s, but I think this adds a realistic live feel (“verrisimilitude”, if you will, for any Oxford Professors reading this) and leaves some great breathing space and anticipation as the song swells to it huge brass climax.  (Oo-er misses!)

Look out for a recording including me on vocals coming this way soon!

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore [1942]

"I'll have what she's having...."

This fantastic Duke Ellington number has been a favourite of mine for a number of years – most listeners will again know it from the ‘When Harry Met Sally’ soundtrack.  I had been performing a lounge version of this while with my former quintet (Broadway & Fifth) but since moving on I had again struggled to find a high quality version to support solo work.  Once again to my new Gallic musicians came up trumps, and this number is now available within my swing shows.

Particularly this arrangement caught my ear because of a rising repetition of the closing few chords of the refrain, which has allowed me to add my own interpretation to the version I perform.  I pride myself on adding these unique elements because  I feel this adds an air of exclusivity to my performances.  Rather than a presenting a facsimile of another artist’s interpretation (as required of tribute artists) I feel I can help keep these wonderful songs as living, breathing pieces, where possible.  I hope this doesn’t sound pretentious!

This Masquerade [1972]

Gorgeous George

 Although originally released in ’72, George Benson brought this song into the wider public consciousness on his “Breezin’” album six years later.  Benson’s arrangement has soft infectiousness, which along with the lyric, draws you into a tale of heartache and regret, a man struggling to reconcile is feelings for his partner with a deep sadness he feels.

Not a song I would choose to sing at a wedding!  Perfect however for background music in lounge bars or at events not themed around romance! 

The number demands the vocal have a restrained, soulful yearning vocal quality that teeters on the edge breaking into rawness: it’s an introspective song I really enjoy getting “inside” of – although an absolute challenge to improvise the vocal melody to coincide with the quick and intricate guitar instrumental. 

So, a mixed bag of new songs this time.  Upcoming weddings require I learn some new - slightly more contemporary – ballads, so please watch this space for new song reviews over the coming weeks!

Take care…and have fun

Jon Paul