Anyone else listen to jazz?

[xela]

I've now listened to all or part of something like 20 recordings of that standard of standards, Irving Berlin's "Blue Skies" — and not a one of them is a straightforward rendition of the song. Ella Fitzgerald completely goes to town on it; it's no doubt one of the best scat records ever. Cassandra Wilson starts out with utter simplicity: bass and drums leading in to her voice, starting with a chorus. An absolutely brilliant performance, but by 1:10 she's scatting up a storm too. Frank Sinatra has a male chorus singing some really stupid additional lyrics as background/counterpoint. Josephine Baker's 1927 recording is straightforward enough, but pitchy as all hell. Perry Como's performance is straightforward enough, but it's so not a crooner's song.

So: Does anyone know of a solid, straightforward recording of this particular classic? I'm just looking for someone with a decent voice, a capella or with minimal accompaniment. Anyone? Beuller?

Comments

[kareila]

My understanding of jazz is that if you're straightforward, you're doing it wrong.

That said, check out Willie Nelson's version on his album "Stardust".

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

I have; it's a brilliant performance. But not a straightforward one: he sings neither of the song's two verses. (He sings the chorus, which is four quatrains, then the first and fourth quatrains of the chorus three times, more slowly each time. It's masterful. Just not what I'm looking for.)

[aerynne.livejournal.com]

Give me the lyrics and the music and *I* will record you a version in whatever way you want.

[kareila]

You've obviously listened to it more recently than I have; I only remembered the quality of the performance. :)

[awfief.livejournal.com]

My husband is a jazz pianist; he says Marilyn Maxwell on the old Abbott and Costello radio show, which you used to be able to get it as a cassette tape, one side was a whole show with musical numbers. He can't quite find it on teh Intarwebs but his google fu is weak.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

http://www.genericradio.com/show.php?id=40439e5240e280b6 is the actual show.

[awfief.livejournal.com]

a quick youtube search pulled up this:

http://youtube.com/results?search_query=%22Blue+skies%22+jazz&search_type=

more specifically Jim Reeves:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xkjXieeVSJk

It's not quite what kareila said, but you did say that Perry Como's straightforward version wasn't very exciting....exciting in jazz = fun stuff that deviates from the original.....

[bluedaisy.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I really like the Jim Reeves version!

[bluedaisy.livejournal.com]

I don't have one, but I could make one. http://www.evenmere.org/~katallen/music/07%20O%20Emmanuel.mp3 for an example of what I can do with my current tech.

[bluedaisy.livejournal.com]

If you can find a copy of Keely Smith's "Little Girl New", it has that song, and she tends to sing in that style. I can only find an LP on Amazon, so I haven't actually heard it...