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me too 
and hats off to the 3 Wise Men
and Wow, this final list is gonna be a treasure
Makes me want to start River's Invitation again
Yes of course, sorry to be so fastidious but I just saw this song and decided to listen to it.
Yes, I have a great book about the blues with every recording of gospel and blues made from 1902 to 1943 !! But that book is from 1982 so it doesn't include recordings that were discovered since (if there are some).
another thing : did you notice that Jimmie Rodgers "Gambling Bar Room Blues" and Bob Wills' "Drunkard's Blues" are one and the same song ? It seems that Wills covered the Rodgers song and changed the name of his version for credits meaning.
Did you consider them as one song ? It is such a great piece, and the two recordings are really great.
In the other hand, I think Mindrocker included both recordings in his top 100 so...
And I don't want to disturb your final list of course.
Thanks so much for the kind words Honorio. This site (and the decade polls in particular) has had a ridiculously huge influence on my listening habits over the last year, increasing my musical awareness tenfold and then some. Yet I feel I've still barely scratched the surface.
Fortunately, through the lists we've created under your leadership, I'll be able to continue my exploration into musical history for the rest of my life. Great job on pulling it all together ! Next time around (10 years or so?), I'll be way more prepared!
Great job, Honorio! ¡Ánimo, chaval!
And thank you very much for your compliments. I do not know if they are deserved.
"I like the way you don’t try to be cool. You vote for the musicians you really like and not the ones we are supposed to like. You include many songs from the same artist while some of us prefer to spread our votes"
Well, I'm not sure this is something really good. With this attitude, I'll never be hired as a music critic for Rock de Lux. 
101. Maple Leaf Rag
Points: 57.32
Voted by: Alex D (#9)
Composed by Scott Joplin in 1897 and first published in September of 1899 (according to Wikipedia "over 1 million copies of the sheet music were eventually sold, making Scott Joplin the first musician to sell 1 million copies of a piece of instrumental music").
The first recording was made in 1903 and no copies are known to survive. Scott joplin himself recorded it in a piano roll in 1912.
You Tube link (1912 version played on a piano roll by Scott Joplin)
100. Voice Throwin' Blues
Points: 57.32
Voted by: Mindrocker (#9)
Recorded by Walter 'Buddy Boy' Hawkins on June 14, 1929 in Richmond, Indiana.
Released in 1929 as a 78 rpm by Paramount Records (as B-side of "How Come Mama Blues (Deeble Bum Blues)").
According to WFMU's Beware of the Blog: "the first, best and possibly only ventriloquist blues song".
You Tube link
99. Na Moku Eha
Points: 57.32
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#9)
Composed by J. Kealoha & Noelani Mähoe in 1920 (according to Huapala.org). "Nâ Moku `Ehâ" is Hawaiian for "The Four Islands".
Recorded by Alfred Aloho Apaka and released probably in 1947 (I wasn’t able to double check it).
You Tube link (homemade video that has nothing to do with the music but the sound quality is good).
98. God Bless the Child
Points: 59.59
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#17), Brad (#56) and Miguel (#89)
Position in AM 3000: #499 of all time and #9 of the 1940s
Written by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr. in 1939.
First recorded on May 9, 1941 by Billie Holiday with Eddie Heywood and His Orchestra (including Roy Eldridge on trumpet).
First released on July of 1941 by Okeh Records.
According to Wikipedia "Holiday indicated an argument with her mother over money led to the song. She indicated that during the argument she said the line "God bless the child that's got his own." The anger over the incident led her to turn that line into a starting point for a song, which she worked out in conjunction with Herzog."
You Tube link
97. I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart
Points: 60.60
Voted by: nicolas (#8)
Written by Ruby Rose Blevins (real name of Patsy Montana) in 1935.
Released by Patsy Montana with The Prairie Ramblers on Conqueror label in 1935
According to Wikipedia "it was the first country and Western song by a female artist to sell more than one million copies"
You Tube link
96. J'attendrai
Points: 60.60
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#8)
Composed by Dino Olivieri and Nino Rastelli in 1933 as "Tornerai" (Italian for "You Will Return"). Louis Potérat wrote the French lyrics as "J'attendrai" (French for "I Will Wait").
Recorded by Rina Ketty and released in 1938 on Pathé label.
According to Wikipedia "achieving great popularity in its day, the song has since come to be seen as emblematic of the start of World War II"
You Tube link
95. Suite for Jazz Orchestra No.1: I. Waltz
Points: 62.96
Voted by: Honorio (#20), Henrik (#36), sonofsamiam (#93)
Composed by Dmitri Shostakovich in 1934.
First premiered on March 24, 1934 . I haven't found information about the first discographic release.
The Suite for Jazz Orchestra is commonly known as "Jazz Suite" and the part that received votes was the First Movement, "Waltz". Later, in 1938, Shostakovich rearranged the same piece for his Suite for Jazz Orchestra No.2.
You Tube link
94. Stack O'Lee Blues
Points: 63.75
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#30, Reed & Hull version), Brad (#30, Hurt version), sonofsamiam (#64, Hurt version).
Position in AM 3000: #2633 of all time and #36 of the 1920s
Popular song of unkown composer about the murderer Stagger Lee Shelton. The first reference of the song on a newpaper was on August 21, 1897 and the first know transcription of its lyrics was in 1903.
The first recording was made on 1923 by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians.
It was recorded by Long 'Cleve' Reed & Little Harvey Hull in 1927 , being released on Black Patti label under the name Original Stack O'Lee Blues . According to www.staggerlee.com this recording "will go on to become the 5th most valuable record to collectors. There is only one known copy in existence. The owner, Joe Bussard, was offered $30,000 and he laughed it off with no intention of ever selling. He wants to be buried with it".
Mississippi John Hurt recorded it in 1928 and it was released by Okeh label on February 1929 as Stack O'Lee Blues. According to Wikipedia, this version "is considered by some comentators to be definitive, containing as it does all of the elements that appear in other versions".
You should check a web page devoted to the different 420 versions of this song, The Song and Myth of Stagger Lee.
You Tube link (Long 'Cleve' Reed & Little Harvey Hull)
You Tube link (Mississippi John Hurt)
93. Calypso War
Points: 64.25
Voted by: Brad (#7)
Written and sung by Rupert Grant Lord Invader , Patrick McDonald Macbeth the Great and Cecil Anderson The Duke of Iron in 1946, accompanied by Gerald Clark and His Invaders.
Originally recorded at Town Hall, New York in 1946 .
According to wikipedia: "War is aCalypso form that form that has existed since at least the turn of the twentieth century (...) The classic War form is an eight-line stanza, the first four lines in a minor key, then modulating into the major, and returning to the minor with the refrain "santimanite" ("sans humanité" in patois, in English "without humanity"). The object of War is to promote the calypsonian and defeat his competitors".
Musical Tradition: "Recordings like this one, of direct exchanges of insults by singers, are far from common. Since it features no obscenity, and no signifying about anybody’s mama, the humour of this exchange never becomes as dangerous as it could in African-America’s dirty dozens"
You Tube link
92. Suspiros de España
Points: 64.25
Voted by: Miguel (#7)
Composed by Antonio Álvarez Alonso in 1902 as an instrumental piece in the tradition of Spanish "pasodoble", later in 1938 lyrics were added by José Antonio Álvarez, becoming popular in the voices of Estrellita Castro or Concha Piquer.
"Suspiros de España" is Spanish for "Spanish Sighs".
According to Lo mejor de Murcia: "One night he showed his friends a new meoldy in the form of pasodoble that he just wrote at a table of the Café "La Palma de Valencia" and it was received with joy beacuse of the inspiration that showed. When he walked out at night he stopped in a candy store in front of the Café called España and saw a traditional sweet called suspiros (hazelnut covered with caramel) and decided to name his new composition "Suspiros de España".
You Tube link
91. Echoes of Harlem
Points: 64.25
Voted by: Mindrocker (#7)
Composed by Duke Ellington in 1936, it was recorded and released this year under the name "Echoes of Harlem (Cootie's Concerto)" since Cootie Williams was then the trumpeter of Ellington's Orchestra.
Cootie Williams recorded the track again with his own orchestra in 1944 and released as part of a 78 rpm box set in 1944 by Hit label and later as a single in 1945 by Capitol Records.
You Tube link
90. Music for Strings, Percussions and Celesta: III. Adagio
Points: 64.25
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#7)
Composed by Béla Bártok in 1936 (the score is dated September 7, 1936).
Premiered in Basel, Switzerland, on January 21, 1937 by the Basel Chamber Orchestra (to celebrate its 100th anniversary) directed by Paul Chamber.
The first recording was made in 1949 by Los Angeles Chamber Symphony directed by Harold Byrns.
Allmusic: "The third movement is one of Bartók's most accomplished "night music" pieces, with cricket-like notes from the xylophone, eerie timpani glissandi, fragmentary murmurs, and frightened exclamations from the strings, along with the always-mysterious notes of the celesta floating clear and sphinx-like over the nocturnal weft"
Wikipedia: "Used as the theme music for The Vampira Show (1954-1955), and it was also featured in the Stanley Kubrick film The Shining."
You Tube link (1954 version by Symphony Orchestra of the RIAS of Berlin directed by Ferenc Fricsay)
89. Bing Crosby
Points: 64.25
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#7)
Quite obscure track, I didn't find many information, supposedly written by Rafael de Leon and recorded by himself as The Lion (or The Roaring Lion) on Trinidad, being released in 1936 .
There’s no You Tube link for this one but you can listen to it clicking on this link
88. Nessun dorma!
Points: 67.05
Voted by: Henrik (#17), Honorio (#28)
Composed by Giacomo Puccini from a libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, the opera was composed from 1920 to 1924, left unfinished after the death of Puccini and finally completed by Franco Alfano.
Premiered at the Teatro all Scala in Milan on April 25, 1926 conducted by Arturo Toscanini, with Spanish tenor Miguel Fleta in the role of Prince Calàf.
"Nessun Dorma" (Italian for "None Shall Sleep") opened the Act Three.
The first recording was made in 1938 by Chorus and Orchestra RAI, Turin, conducted by Franco Ghione and with Francesco Merli as Calàf.
Wikipedia: "In the original score, the B is written as an eighth note while the A is a quarter note. Both are high notes in the tenor range".
The version sang by Luciano Pavarotti in 1990, according to Wkipedia "reached #2 on the UK Singles Chart, the highest placing ever by a classical recording".
You Tube link (sung by Beniamino Gigli).
87. Tara's Theme
Points: 67.35
Voted by: Brad (#21), Honorio (#27) and Miguel (#97)
Position in AM 3000: #499 of all time and #9 of the 1940s
Composed by Max Steiner in 1939 and recorded it with the MGM Studio Orchestra conducted by himself.
Premiered on December 15, 1939 in Atlanta, Georgia (premiere of the movie "Gone With the Wind" produced by David O. Selznick).
"Tara's Theme" is the alternate (and more popular) tittle of "Main Theme from Gone With the Wind"
Despite the big success of the soundtrack, the first discographic release was long delayed, the first release was in 1954 in a 10" album and later in a more complete form in 1967.
You Tube link
86. El amor brujo: X. Canción del fuego fatuo
Points: 67.76
Voted by: Miguel (#22), Henrik (#30), Honorio (#75).
Written by Manuel de Falla in 1915 according to Wikipedia "as a gitanería (gypsy piece) by Pastora Imperio, a renowned flamenco gypsy dancer, and was scored for cantaora voice, actors, and chamber orchestra". It was premiered at Teatro Lara, Madrid, on April 15, 1915 .
Falla revised it for symphonic orchestra, with three short songs for mezzosoprano, premiered with Madrid Symphony Orchestra on March 16, 1916 .
"Canción del fuego fatuo" (Spanish for "Song of the Will-o'-the-Wisp") was the X part of the symphonic version of "El amor brujo" (Spanish for "Love, the Magician").
You Tube link (version for cantaora singer sung by Rocío Jurado).
You Tube link (version for mezzosoprano sung by Victoria de los Ángeles).
85. Big Fat Ma and Skinny Pa
Points: 68.36
Voted by: Brad (#6)
Written by Richard M. Jones (jazz piano player and composer).
Recorded by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five on June 23, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois.
Released on September 1926 by OKeh Records.
You Tube link
84. Way Down the Old Plank Road
Points: 68.36
Voted by: Alex D (#6)
Traditional folk song of unknown composer.
Recorded by Uncle Dave Macon on April, 1926.
Released in 1926 on Vocalion label.
Wikipedia: "Macon's music is considered the ultimate bridge between 19th-century American folk and vaudeville music and the phonograph and radio-based music of the early 20th-century. Music historian Charles Wolfe wrote, "If people call yodelling Jimmie Rodgers 'the father of country music,' then Uncle Dave must certainly be 'the grandfather of country music'."
You Tube link
83. Easy Winner
Points: 68.36
Voted by: Miguel (#6)
Composed by Scott Joplin , the copyright was registered on October 10, 1901 as "The Easy Winners" (although in some recordings is credited as "Easy Winner".
You Tube link
82. Open the Door, Richard
Points: 68.36
Voted by: Mindrocker (#6)
Written from a vaudevillle routine atributed to Bob Russell and made famous by Dusty Fletcher, there has been fight for the copyright, in McVea single is credited to McVea-Clarke but the song was finally credited to John Mason, Dusty Fletcher and Don Howell. It seems that Howell was a fictional front to provide some royalties to Jack McVea.
Recorded by Jack McVea and His All Stars in 1946.
Released on October 1946 as 78 rpm single on Black & White label.
There's no You Tube link for the Jack McVea version, this is a You Tube link for the 1947 version by The Three Flames.
81. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
Points: 68.73
Voted by: Fred (#23), Brad (#32), sonofsamiam (#93)
Written by Duke Ellington (music) and Irving Mills (lyrics) in August of 1931 at Chicago.
Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra on February 2, 1932, with Ivey Anderson on vocals.
Released in 1932 as 78 rpm single on Brunswick label.
According to Wikipedia: " The title was based on the oft stated credo of Ellington's former trumpeter Bubber Miley, who was dying of tuberculosis. The song became famous, Ellington wrote, "as the expression of a sentiment which prevailed among jazz musicians at the time." Probably the first song to use the phrase "swing" in the title, it introduced the term into everyday language and presaged the swing era by three years".
You Tube link
Honorio, there's so much passion and engagement in your presentation that whatever the delay will be it's definitely worth it!
Honorio,thank you !!!
Great presentation, go on !!
Many thanks for your compliments, boys.
Before continuing with the countdown just a question. Is anybody having problems to see the single covers? I’m telling this because I can see it in my home computer but not in my daughter’s portable computer. I don’t know why, maybe something related with Rate Your Music.
80. Money Is King
Points: 68.94
Voted by: nicolas (#10), Honorio (#53)
I haven’t found many information about this track. It seems that it was written by Neville Marcano, real name of The Tiger (also called Growling Tiger), a Trinidadian calypsonian.
Recorded in New York in 1935 , being released by Decca label.
River's Invitation: "A common trait in calypso, the lyrics and the singer's personality are very important. The singer must forge himself a strong identity in order to outshine the competition. Growling Tiger, with his deep barytone voice, was famous for his political and social lyrics, and never ceased to mock the rulers and the system, in pure carnaval tradition. "Money Is King", both funny and serious, is a great example of his consciousness."
You Tube link (not the original version, this one was re-recorded in 1979 by the same Growling Tiger)
79. L'accordéoniste
Points: 69.19
Voted by: nicolas (#19), Brad (#35), Honorio (#73)
Written by Michel Emer, a soldier that before going to front proposed the song to Édith Piaf on February of 1940. She allowed him to play the song on a piano, she loved it immediately and played it some days later at Bobino (a music-hall place).
"L'accordéoniste" is French for "The Accordionist". Sometimes it's also called "La fille de joie est triste", French for "The joyful girl is sad".
Recorded by Édith Piaf , being released probably in 1940 but other sources date it as released in 1942 .
You Tube link
78. It's Too Soon to Know
Points: 71.27
Voted by: Brad (#8), Honorio (#67)
Position in AM 3000: #1022 of all time and #15 of the 1940s
Composed by Deborah Chessler.
Recorded by The Orioles in 1948.
Released on August 21, 1948 by Natural Records (that changed the name to Jubilee Records shortly after). According to Wikipedia: "It was number 1 in the R&B charts and number 13 in the pop charts. This was the first time that a black band on what was then known as a "race record" crossed over onto the pop charts."
RYM (paddlesteamer): "The Orioles debut single was a watershed in American popular music. It was tremendously popular, reaching #1 on the R&B charts in November 1948, but its greatest claim to fame is not its considerable commercial success but rather the massive impact it had on pop culture. "It's Too Soon to Know" introduced a sparse vocal pop sound that was prove hugely influential. Vocal group music was re-defined right then and there. They set the standard with their wordless harmonizing and bare-bones guitar accompaniment."
Greil Marcus as quoted by Wikipedia: ""It’s Too Soon To Know" was like Elvis Presley's "That's All Right (Mama)", Aretha Franklin's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", Nivana's "Smells like Teen Spirit"–a shock, a dead-in-your-tracks what is that?–a sound that was stylistically confusing and emotionally undeniable."
You Tube link
77. Adagio in G Minor
Points: 73.02
Voted by: Henrik (#5)
Composed by Remo Giazotto in 1945 but usually attributed to the 18th Century Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni.
Remo Giazotto, Italian musicologist know for this catalogue of the works of Albinoni, claimed that he obtained, quoting Wikipedia, a "tiny manuscript fragment (consisting of a few measures of the melody line and basso continuo portion) from a slow second movement of an Albinoni trio sonata" from Saxon State Library in Dresden shortly after World War II. Giazotto wrote the whole piece around this fragmentary theme. Since Giazotto never showed this manuscript and there is no record of it on Saxon State Library, it is now considered an entirely original work by Giazotto.
"Adagio in G Minor" is often called "Albinoni's Adagio" or "Adagio in G Minor by Albinoni, arranged by Giazotto".
You Tube link
76. Turangalîla-Symphonie: I. Introduction
Points: 73.02
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#5)
Composed by Olivier Messiaen from 1946 to 1948, on a commision by Serge Koussevitzky for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Premiered on December 2, 1949 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra directed by Leonard Bernstein.
First recording on 1950 by the Orchestre National de la Radio Télévision Française, directed by Roger Désormière.
The part that was voted by sonofsamiam was the First Movement or "Introduction: modéré, un peu vif" and included the "statue theme" played by the trombones that according to Messiaen "it has the oppressive, terrible brutality of ancient Mexican monuments". The piece included parts played with ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument.
You Tube link (including a fascinating analysis provided by the composer himself)
75. House of the Rising Sun
Points: 73.02
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#5)
Position in AM 3000: #61 of all time (The Animals cover)
American traditional folk ballad of unknown writer (according Wikipedia "Alan Price of The Animals has claimed that the song was originally a sixteenth-century English folk song about a Soho brothel, and that English emigrants took the song to America where it was adapted to its later New Orleans setting).
Recorded by Lead Belly in February 1944 as "In New Orleans" (later, in October 1948 he recorded it again as "The House of the Rising Sun").
Released in 1944 as "In New Orleans" by Musicraft as B-side of "(Black Gal) Where Did You Sleep Last Night".
You Tube link
74. Volver
Points: 75.70
Voted by: Miguel (#10), Honorio (#35)
Written by Alfredo Le Pera and Carlos Gardel in 1935.
"Volver" is Spanish for "To come back"
Recorded by Carlos Gardel in 1935.
Released in 1935 on Victor label.
Zorzal Criollo: "The lyrics evoke a nostalgia that allows it to have relevance today (...) The lyrics about to come back had a lot to do with the lives of Gardel and Le Pera, always far away from home enbarked in endless tours."
You Tube link
73. Mano a mano
Points: 76.45
Voted by: Honorio (#7), nicolas (#61)
Written by Celedonio Flores, José Razzano and Carlos Gardel.
"Mano a mano" is Spanish for "Even-steven"
Recorded by Carlos Gardel in 1923 . I got no information about the exact date of release.
My own comments: "Argentinian tango was originally an instrumental style that accompanied a sensual dance born in the brothels of Buenos Aires. And that’s the way is still considered in anglo-saxon countries. Shamely because the lyrics on the "vocal" tango were outstanding. Poets like Discépolo, Castillo, Manzi or Le Pera wrote desperate stories about the love misfortunes in a rich dialect, the lunfardo, difficult to understand even for a Spanish native."
You Tube link
72. There's a Man Going Round Taking Names
Points: 78.33
Voted by: nicolas (#4)
Folk song of unknown writer, according to Ballad Index the first reference was in 1921 and the first recording in 1928 by Carolina Tar Heels.
Recorded by Leadbelly in 1944 for Folkways, I got no information about the exact release.
You Tube link
71. The Laughing Coon
Points: 78.33
Voted by: Mindrocker (#4)
Written by George W. Johnson in 1898.
I wasn’t able to confirm it but it seems that he made a second version in 1902 (the one voted by Mindrocker), released by Victor III Gramophone.
River's Invitation: "George W. Johnson was the first Afro American artist to record. A famous whistler and singer from Virginia, he started recording in 1890. From 1890 to 1895, the total sales of his records was 25 000 to 50 000, each one recorded individually by Johnson !! (every single record was a master by then)".
You Tube link
Since I can’t see the single covers on my computer at work I assume that I better should have trusted Rate Your Music when they said " Do not hotlink this image; it will not appear when hotlinked". So these were the single covers I wanted to post.
98. God Bless the Child
96. J'attendrai
94. Stack O'Lee Blues
85. Big Fat Ma and Skinny Pa
82. Open the Door, Richard
81. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
79. L'accordéoniste
78. It's Too Soon to Know
74. Volver
71. The Laughing Coon
Points: 69.19
Voted by: nicolas (#19), Brad (#35), Honorio (#73)
Written by Michel Emer, a soldier that before going to front proposed the song to Édith Piaf on February of 1940. She allowed him to play the song on a piano, she loved it immediately and played it some days later at Bobino (a music-hall place).
"L'accordéoniste" is French for "The Accordionist". Sometimes it's also called "La fille de joie est triste", French for "The joyful girl is sad".
Recorded by Édith Piaf , being released probably in 1940 but other sources date it as released in 1942 .
You Tube link
Just a precision, the translation of : "La fille de joie est triste" is more "The prostitute is sad". The meaning of the sentence is not the same
And thanks a lot Honorio for this wonderful job.
Of course, it’s not the same, Romain
You know, every language has its own slang.
70. Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)
Points: 79.00
Voted by: Henrik (#14 for Billie Holiday version), Miguel (#45 for Sarah Vaughan-Dizzy Gillespie version), Charlie Driggs (#64 for Charlie Parker version), nicolas (#96 for Vaughan-Gillespie version).
Written by Jimmy Davis, Roger 'Ram ' Ramirez and James Sherman in 1941 for Billie Holiday.
Recorded by Billie Holiday on April 10, 1944, released on February 1935 on Decca US label.
Recorded by Dizzy Gillespie on May 11, 1944 with his Quintet (including Charlie Parker on sax and Sarah Vaughan on vocals). First released on June 1945 on Guild label (credited to Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker, Sydney Catelet, Al Haig, Curly Russell, vocals by Sarah Vaughn) and later that year on Musicraft credited to Dizzy Gillespie and His All Star Quintette featuring vocal by Sarah Vaughn).
Recorded by Charlie Parker on July 29, 1946, released in 1946 on Dial Records credited to Charlie Parker Quintet with Howard McGhee as B-side of "Be-Bop".
It is considered that Parker's rendition of "Lover Man" is one of his greatest achivements but during the session was heavily drunk. According to Wikipedia: "Although he produced many brilliant recordings during this period, Parker's behavior became increasingly erratic due to his habit. Heroin was difficult to obtain after he moved to California for a short time where the drug was less abundant, and Parker began to drink heavily to compensate for this. A recording for the Dial label from July 29, 1946, provides evidence of his condition. Prior to this session, Parker drank about a quart of whiskey. According to the liner notes of Charlie Parker on Dial Volume 1, Parker missed most of the first two bars of his first chorus on the track, "Max Making Wax." When he finally did come in, he swayed wildly and once spun all the way around, going badly off mic. On the next tune, "Lover Man", producer Ross Russell physically supported Parker in front of the microphone. On "Bebop" (the final track Parker recorded that evening) he begins a solo with a solid first eight bars. On his second eight bars, however, Parker begins to struggle, and a desperate Howard McGhee, the trumpeter on this session, shouts, "Blow!" at Parker. McGhee's bellow is audible on the recording. Charles Mingus considered this version of "Lover Man" to be among Parker's greatest recordings despite its flaws."
You Tube link (Billie Holiday version)
You Tube link (Dizzy Gillespie version)
You Tube link (Charlie Parker version)
69. Wizzin' the Wizz
Points: 81.94
Voted by: Mindrocker (#8 ), Brad (#51), Honorio (#90)
Written by Lionel Hampton, recorded by Lionel Hampton and Orchestra on May 4, 1939.
Released in 1939 on Victor label.
You Tube link
68. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
Points: 83.99
Voted by: Brad (#13), Charlie Driggs (#29), Honorio (#68 )
Position in AM 3000: #2259 of all time and #21 of the 1920s
Written by Jimmy Cox in 1923.
Recorded by Bessie Smith accompanied on trumpet by Joe Smith on May 12, 1929.
Released in August 1929 by Columbia Records.
Three Perfect Minutes: “Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out” is so good it floors me every time I hear it (...) For the final verse, Smith repeats some earlier lines, and doesn’t even have to sing all of the words. The story was so memorable and expertly sung on the first telling that she can just hum through most of the line, sing the last few words, and the listener knows what she means. Those hummed lines capture more feeling without words than most songs can ever hope to convey."
You Tube link
67. Whoa, Back, Buck
Points: 84.45
Voted by: Alex D (#4)
Traditional song of unkonwn writer, although some records attiributed to Huddie Ledbetter, Alan Lomax & John A. Lomax.
Recorded by Leadbelly at least in three different sessions, the first one in 1935 for Alan Lomax Library of Congress (lasting 5'08" in two parts), the second one in 1939 for Moses Asch of Smithsonsian Folkways (lasting 1'26") and the third one in 1940 for RCA Victor,accompanied by Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet and lasting 3'09".
You Tube link (1940 version for RCA Victor)
66. September Song
Points: 84.45
Voted by: Fred (#4)
Position in AM 3000: #2418 of all time and #37 of the 1930s
Composed by Kurt Weill (music) and Maxwell Anderson (lyrics) in 1938.
Premiered on October 19, 1938 as part of the Broadway musical Knickerbocker Holiday. The song as recorded by Walter Huston become a big success.
Wikipedia: "The song originated from Walter Huston's request that he should have one solo song in Knickerbocker Holiday, if he was going to play the role of the aged dictator Peter Stuyvesant. Anderson and Weill wrote the song specifically for Huston's gruff voice and limited vocal range, in a couple of hours. The musical enjoyed only moderate success and closed in April 1939 after six months, but the song quickly became established as a modern standard."
You Tube link
65. El día que me quieras
Points: 84.45
Voted by: Miguel (#4)
Written by Carlos Gardel (music) and Alfredo Le Pera (lyrics) in 1935.
"El día que me quieras" is Spanish for "The Day That You Want Me".
Recorded by Carlos Gardel with music arrangement by Terig Tucci on March 19, 1935 in New York as part of the soundtrack of the movie of the same name.
Released in 1935 by Victor label.
On June 24, 1935, only three months after the recording of this song, both Gardel and Le Pera died in a plane crash.
You Tube link
64. Three Preludes: II. Prelude No. 2
Points: 84.71
Voted by: Fred (#6), Miguel (#48 )
Written by George Gershwin in 1926.
Premiered in 1926 at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City played by the composer himself. Also published in 1926.
Wikipedia: "The second Prelude, in C sharp minor, also has the distinct flavour of jazz. The piece begins with a subdued melody winding its way above a smooth, steady bassline. The harmonies and melodies of this piece are built on thirds, (...) Gershwin himself referred to the piece as "a sort of blues lullaby."
You Tube link
63. Concierto de Aranjuez: II. Adagio
Points: 88.97
Voted by: Henrik (#6), Miguel (#62), Honorio (#76)
Composed by Joaquín Rodrigo in 1939 in Paris, inspired by the gardens at Palacio Real in Aranjuez.
Premiered on November 9, 1940 by Orquesta Filarmónica of Barcelona, conducted by César Mendoza Lacalle with Regino Sáinz de la Maza playing classical guitar.
The part voted was the Second Movement "Adagio".
You Tube link
62. Death Letter
Points: 89.88
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#11), Fred (#18 )
Written by Eddie James House (real name of Son House) in the mid60s structured upon a 1930 Son House's song, "My Black Mama, Part 2" (that’s why I considered eligible for the poll).
Recorded by Son House in 1930 and released by Paramount Records in 1931 as "My Black Mama, Part 1" and "My Black Mama, Part 2".
Reworked and re-recorded in 1965 and released by Columbia Records as part of the album "Father of Folk Blues", being the version more widely known.
Wikipedia: "“Lyrically, the song is about a man who learns of the death of the woman he loves through a letter delivered to him early in the morning. The narrator later views her body on the cooling board at the morgue, attends her funeral, and returns to his home in a state of depression. (...) House's lyrics draw from traditional sources. Other blues musicians recorded related songs, including Lead Belly ("Death Letter Blues"), Ishman Bracey ("Trouble Hearted Blues"), Ida Cox ("Death Letter Blues"), Robert Wilkins ("Nashville Stonewall") and Blind Willie McTell ("On The Cooling Board")."
You Tube link (My Black Mama Part 2)
You Tube link (Death Letter)
61. Statesboro Blues
Points: 91.04
Voted by: nicolas (#15), Brad (#36), sonofsamiam (#56), Charlie Driggs (#87), Honorio (#95)
Position in AM 3000: #1633 of all time and #15 of the 1920s
Written by Blind Willie McTell and recorded on October 17, 1928.
Released on December 1928 by Victor label.
Wikipedia: "The lyrics, a first-person narrative, appear to relate the story of a man pleading with a woman to let him in her house; the speaker calls himself "Papa McTell" in the first stanza ("Have you got the nerve to drive Papa McTell from your door?"). Throughout the song, the woman, addressed as "mama," is alternately pleaded with (to go with the speaker "up the country") and threatened ("When I leave this time, pretty mama, I'm going away to stay")."
Allmusic: "One of McTell’s earliest recordings in 1928, the song is a definitive blues (...) Indeed, although McTell’s immaculate acoustic (played on a 12 string guitar) version of the song cannot be surpassed, The Allman Brothers Band recorded a magnificent, incendiary live version of the song on their At Fillmore East album, using the song as a showcase for Duane Allman’s lead guitar.".
You Tube link
Excellent songs in this segment, music coming from the White America, the Black America, France, Germany, Cuba and Russia.
60. Blue Moon of Kentucky
Points: 91.34
Voted by: nicolas (#16), Fred (#28 ), Honorio (#60), Brad (#69).
Position in AM 3000: #380 of all time and #21 of the 1920s
Style: Bluegrass
Written by Bill Monroe in 1946.
Recorded by Bill Monroe and His Blue Grass Boys on September 16, 1946 (the Blue Grass Boys included at the time Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs).
Released on early 1947 by Columbia Records.
Wikipedia: "The song, described as a "bluegrass waltz", had become a nationwide hit by 1947 and also became enormously popular with other bluegrass, country, and early rockabilly acts."
Wikipedia about the 1954 Presley cover: "Elvis Presley Scotty and Bill, with the encouragement of Sam Phillips, transformed Monroe's slow waltz (3/4 time) into an upbeat, blues-flavored tune in 4/4 time. After an early rendition of the song, Sun Records owner Sam Phillips exclaimed, "BOY, that's fine, that's fine. That's a POP song now!."
You Tube link
59. Five Guys Named Moe
Points: 91.55
Voted by: Honorio (#8 ), Miguel (#24)
Style: Jump blues
Written by Larry Wynn and Jerry Bresler.
Recorded by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five in 1943.
Released on August of 1943 on Decca US label.
My personal comments: "Jump! Never a music style was named so appropriately. Some years ago I bought a compilation of Louis Jordan looking for his widely known "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" but I became addicted to the first song on that CD, an irressistible uptempo comic number called "Five Guys Named Moe". Those five guys, Big Moe, Little Moe, Four-Eyed Moe, No Moe and Eat Moe, you know, when they start to beat it out / everybody jump and shout. Including me."
You Tube link (original studio version)
You Tube link (excellent live version)
58. Echoes of France
Points: 91.58
Voted by: nicolas (#2)
Style: French jazz
Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792 as a war song, becoming France national anthem in 1795 and named La Marseillaise.
Recorded by Django Reinhardt et le Quintette du Hot Club de France avec Stéphane Grapelli (violon) on January 31, 1946 .
Reinhardt and Grapelli did a jazz version of the French national anthem and called it Echoes of France. I got no information about the exact date of release but it was probably released as a single by French Swing label.
River’s Invitation: "This version of "La Marseillaise" (our national anthem) is my favorite by far, and, since it's an instrumental, you don't hear those agressive lyrics about war and blood."
This song gives name to the most recent blog of our beloved friend nicolas, please go and visit Echoes of France
You Tube link
57. Le sacre du printemps: Tableau I, L'adoration de la terre: Section II, Les augures printaniers - Danses des adolescents
Points: 91.70
Voted by: Honorio (#21), Henrik (#22), sonofsamiam (#32)
Style: Modern classical
Composed by Igor Stravisnky in 1912-1913 for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.
Premiered on May 29, 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris conducted by Pierre Monteux under the Ballets Russes, with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky.
The translation to English of the original French title is "The Rite of Spring: Act I, Adoration of the Earth: Section 2, The Augurs of Spring - Dances of the Young Girls".
First recording by Grand Orchestre Symphonique conducted by Pierre Monteux, released in 1929 by Disque Gramophone.
Wikipedia: "The premiere involved one of the most famous classical music riots in history (...) At the start, the audience began to boo loudly. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. Chaos reigned for the remainder of the performance."
Alex Ross: "When a full-scale riot broke out at the premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring on May 29, 1913, the primary cause, as far as can be determined, was the stamping dissonance that is heard some two hundred times in the section titled "Augurs of Spring - Dances of the Adolescent Girls" (...) The chords are made up of an E-flat dominant seventh on top (an E-flat-major triad with an added D-flat) and an F-flat (E-major) triad on the bottom (...) An uniform pulse drive the chord, but the accents fall everywhere, on beat and off beat:
One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight
One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight
One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight
One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight"
Keeping Score: "Terrifying chords, made from tones that had never before been heard together, pound out a pattern of shifiting, erratic accents". I strongly recommend this page, Keeping Score
You Tube link (les augures printaniers: danses des adolescents)
You Tube link (the Act I recreating the original Nijinsky choreography of 1913, parts 1-4)
You Tube link (the continuation of Act I, parts 5-9)
56. The St. Louis Blues
Points: 92.13
Voted by: nicolas (#9), Honorio (#32), sonofsamiam (#68 )
Position in AM 3000: #1362 of all time and #12 of the 1920s
Style: Classic blues
Written by William Christopher Handy in 1914, first recorded in 1915.
Recorded by Bessie Smith on January 14, 1925 in New York City with Louis Armstrong on trumpet and Fred Longshaw on harmonium.
Released on March 1925 by Columbia Records.
Allmusic: W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" is the most recorded popular song of the pre-rock era -- only the sacred "Silent Night" was performed more often. The prototype for the ubiquitous 12-bar blues, its opening lines -- "Oh, how I hate to see that evening sun go down" -- have become famous in the world of popular music. Inspired by Handy's wanderings around St. Louis and the words of a woman whose man had gone missing, the song was written in 1914 while he was back in his adopted hometown of Memphis."
Wikipedia: "Writing about the first time St Louis Blues was played (1914), Handy notes that "The one-step and other dances had been done to the tempo of Memphis Blues...When St Louis Blues was written the tango was in vogue. I tricked the dancers by arranging a tango introduction, breaking abruptly into a low-down blues. My eyes swept the floor anxiously, then suddenly I saw lightening strike. The dancers seemed electrified. Something within them came suddenly to life. An instinct that wanted so much to live, to fling its arms to spread joy, took them by the heels."
You Tube link (1925 original studio version)
You Tube link (version from 1929 movie of the same name featuring Bessie Smith)
55. Die Dreigroschenoper: Seeräuber Jenny
Points: 94.36
Voted by: Honorio (#5), Charlie Driggs (#37)
Style: Berlin cabaret
Composed by Kurt Weill (music) and Bertolt Brecht (lyrics) in 1927-1928.
Premiered on August 31, 1928 at the Theater am Schiffbauersamm in Berlin, conducted by Theo Mackeben with Kurt Gerron and Lotte Lenya as the main characters.
"Die Dreigroschenoper: Seeräuber Jenny" is German for "The Threepenny Opera: Pirate Jenny".
First recorded by Lotte Lenya with Ruth Lewis Band conducted by Theo Mackeben and Bertolt Brecht as narrator on December 7, 1930 .
I don’t know the exact date of release (probably 1931) by Ultraphon label.
My personal comments: ""Pirate Jenny" strucked a young Bob Dylan when he saw Lotte Lenya in the show "Brecht on Brecht" in Greenwich Village's Theatre de Lys in 1962. "This piece left you flat on your back and it demanded to be taken seriously. It lingered.", he said in his "Chronicles", "it wasn't a protest or topical song and there was no love on it". He decided to experiment his own songwriting "totally influenced by 'Pirate Jenny'". Now we know why "When the Ship Comes In" or "The Times They Are A-Changin'" got no love on it too."
You Tube link (original 1930 recording)
You Tube link (version from 1931 movie "Die Dreigroschenoper" featuring Lotte Lenya)
54. Lovesick Blues
Points: 94.51
Voted by: Miguel (#15 for Williams version), Henrik (#32 for Williams version), Brad (#44 for Miller version and #74 for Williams version).
Style: Minstrel show, Country
Written by Cliff Friend and Irving Mills in 1922.
Recorded by Emmet Miller and His Georgia Crackers on June 12, 1928, being released in 1928 on Okeh label.
Recorded by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys on December 22, 1948, being released on February 11, 1949 on MGM label.
Allmusic: ""Lovesick Blues" contains a marvellously fun melody, and a chord sequence full of unexpected changes. The lyrics are also very effective – it begins "I got a feeling called the blues since my baby said goodbye/Lord I don’t know what to do, all I do is sit and cry". Indeed, the lyric could easily have been written by Williams."
You Tube link (1928 Emmet Miller version)
You Tube link (1948 Hank Williams version)
53. La mer
Points: 97.04
Voted by: Fred (#5), Honorio (#52), Miguel (#74)
Style: Chanson
Composed by Charles Trenet (lyrics) and Léo Chauliac (music) in 1943. Trenet "wrote the lyrics on a train in 1943 while travelling along the French Mediterranean coast, returning from Paris to Narbonne, supposedly in ten minutes, on toilet paper" (according to Wikipedia).
Recorded by Charles Trenet in 1946 accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Albert Lasry.
Released in 1946 by Columbia (EMI) France.
"La mer" is French for "The Sea". The English version of the song was called "Beyond the Sea" and was a hit for Bobby Darin in 1959.
Wikipedia: "It was not until 1946 that Trenet recorded the song, since neither he nor the people around him believed the song to be anything special or particularly original. When he released "La Mer" in 1946 it turned out, however, to be an unexpected hit and has remained a chanson classic ever since."
You Tube link
52. Angelitos negros
Points: 97.64
Voted by: Miguel (#4), Honorio (#41)
Style: Bolero
Written by Manuel Álvarez Maciste (music) in Mexico from a poem by Andrés Eloy Blanco (poet from Venezuela).
Recorded by Antonio Machín in Spain, released in 1947 .
Wikipedia: "This poem could well be considered a hymn against racial discrimination."
You Tube link (the 1947 version is not available on You Tube, this is a mid60s version that includes a delicious organ arrangement lounge-style, the original can be heard on my Spotify link)
51. Ko Ko
Points: 97.81
Voted by: Fred (#20), sonofsamiam (#31), Brad (#41), Honorio (#44)
Position in AM 3000: #821 of all time and #11 of the 1940s
Style: Bebop
Written by Charlie Parker in 1945 based on "Cherokee" by Ray Noble.
Recorded by Charlie Parker's Ri Bop Boys on November 26, 1945, at Savoy Records in New York City, with Charlie Parker (alto saxophone), Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Sadik Hakim (piano), Curly Russell (bass) and Max Roach (drums), with Miles Davis playing on the session but not in this particular song.
Released in 1946 on Savoy label.
Wikipedia: "It is considered by many to be the very first time bebop was ever recorded. Charlie Parker is said to have "realized" bebop while playing Ray Noble's tune "Cherokee". He played that piece so many times that by the end he hated it, but he had mastered the chords perfectly in all 12 keys. "Ko-Ko" has a partially improvised head and the chords are based on "Cherokee"".
You Tube link
Merry Christmas everyone!!
Fantastic presentation Honorio, wish I'd been able to find time to listen to all the songs in order to rank them. I'm going to work through this thread though, if it's the last thing I do!
Merry Christmas!
Thanks guys, have a happy Christmas. And Rocky, don’t work too much on Christmas Eve.
50. Move On Up a Little Higher
Points: 100.04
Voted by: Brad (#14), Honorio (#31), sonofsamiam (#42), Charlie Driggs (#65).
Position in AM 3000: #1051 of all time and #16 of the 1940s
Style: Gospel
Written by W Herbert Brewster.
Recorded by Mahalia Jackson on September 12, 1947 at Apollo, New York, with Mildred Falls on piano and Herbert James Francis on organ. She re-recorded it again with a full band in 1954.
Released on early 1948 by Apollo Records.
Wikipedia: "Originally written for one of Brewster's religious pageants or passion plays. Brewster's maintained that the entire piece--lyrics, melody, and harmony--came to him in one flow, and shortly thereafter he taught the song to his principle vocal soloist, Queen C. Anderson. But it was the Queen of Gospel, Mahalia Jackson, who, according to Brewster, "knew what to do with it. She could throw the verse out there.""
Rev. William Herbert Brewster about his intention (as quoted by Wikipedia): "We'll have to move in the field of education. Move into the professions and move into politics. Move in anything that any other race has to have to survive. That was a protest idea and inspiration. I was trying to inspire Black people to move up higher. Don't be satisfied with the mediocre ... Before the freedom fights started, before the Martin Luther King days, I had to lead a lot of protest meetings. In order to get my message over, there were things that were almost dangerous to say, but you could sing it."
You Tube link (you can only find in You Tube the Part 2 of the 1947 original version)
You Tube link (the 1955 version)
49. Sweet Home Chicago
Points: 101.23
Voted by: Alex D (#5), Charlie Driggs (#68), Miguel (#75), nicolas (#75)
Position in AM 3000: #2283 of all time and #32 of the 1930s
Style: Delta blues
Written by Robert Johnson, although it's a variation of the traditional blues piece "Kokomo Blues" popularized by James 'Kokomo' Arnold.
Recorded by Robert Johson on November 23, 1936 in San Antonio, Texas.
Released on July of 1937 on Vocalion label.
Wikipedia: "Interestingly, the lyrics only obliquely refer to Chicago itself, in the song's refrain, where the song narrator pleads for a woman to go with him back to "that land of California / my sweet home Chicago". Indeed, California is mentioned in the song more than Chicago, both during this refrain and in one of the stanzas ("I'm goin' to California / from there to Des Moines, Iowa"). These perplexing lyrics have been a source of controversy for many years. In the 1960s and 1970s, some commentators speculated this was a geographical mistake on Johnson's part. This is clearly untrue, as Johnson was a highly sophisticated songwriter and used geographical references in a number of his songs. One interpretation is that Johnson intended the song to be a metaphorical description of an imagined paradise combining elements of the American north and west, far from the racism and poverty inherent to the Mississippi Delta of 1936."
You Tube link
48. How High the Moon
Points: 101.27
Voted by: Fred (#8 for the Paul & Ford version), Miguel (#28 for Reinhardt version and #57 for Fitzgerald version)
Position in AM 3000: #663 of all time (Les Paul & Mary Ford version)
Style: Jazz
Written by Morgan Lewis (music) and Nancy Hamilton (lyrics), first premiered in 1940 on Broadway revue Two for the Show, the first recording came from Benny Goodman.
Recorded by Django Reinhardt et le Quintette du Hot Club de France on March 26, 1947 in Paris, being released in 1947 by Swing label.
Recorded by Ella Fitzgerald backed by the Daydreamers on December 20, 1947 in New York, being released in March 1948 on Decca US label.
Recorded by Les Paul & Mary Ford on January 4, 1951,being released in March of 1951 by Capitol Records. It’s not eligible for our poll but I assigned Fred's points to the song itself.
Wikipedia: "In "Two for the Show", this was a rare (and unforgettable) serious moment in an otherwise humorous revue. The song was sung, in a slow fox trot tempo, by a group of evening-dressed people walking along a London street. At the end, they all looked at the sky, and cowered, obviously terrified: quick curtain. It was 1940, and the time of the London blitz: a clear night meant "bomber's moon""
You Tube link (Django Reinhardt version)
You Tube link (Ella Fitzgerald version)
47. West End Blues
Points: 101.68
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#15), Brad (#31), nicolas (#42), Honorio (#80), Miguel (#90)
Position in AM 3000: #345 of all time and #1 of the 1920s
Style: Dixieland jazz
Written by Joe 'King' Oliver (music) and Clarence Williams (lyrics), although is often performed as an instrumental. Oliver made the first recording of the song with His Dixie Syncopators in 1928.
Recorded by Louis Arsmtrong and His Hot Five on June 28, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois.
Released on July of 1928 on Okeh label.
Wikipedia: "The "West End" of the title refers to a place on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is best known for its seafood restaurants, it used to be a thriving weekend summer resort where live music was often played. In its heyday, West End had dance pavilions and lake bathing as well."
Wikipedia: "By far the best known recording of "West End Blues" is the 3-minute-plus, 78 rpm record recording made by Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five in 1928, considered one of the masterpieces of early jazz. Louis Armstrong plays trumpet (and does some relaxed scat singing) backed by a band that included the pianist Earl Hines. In an eight-bar trumpet solo near the end of the record, Armstrong played a solo considered among the finest recordings in jazz history. Other portions of this record also in high regard include the trumpet introduction by Armstrong that begins the song - this cadenza incorporates an almost syncopated opening, the wordless 'scat' singing chorus by Armstrong where he accompanies and varies a melody played by the clarinetist, and a piano solo by Hines. The number is closed by a deft metallic click by drummer Zutty Singleton."
You Tube link
46. Praise God I'm Satisfied
Points: 101.98
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#3), sonofsamiam (#45)
Style: Gospel blues
Traditional song, adapted by Willie Johnson in 1929.
Recorded by Blind Willie Johson on December 11, 1929 in New Orleans, Louisiana with Angeline on backing vocals.
Released on July 1930 by Columbia Records.
Wikipedia: "'Blind' Willie Johnson was an American singer and guitarist whose music straddled the border between blues and spirituals. While the lyrics of all of his songs were religious, his music drew from both sacred and blues traditions. Among musicians, he is considered one of the greatest slide or bottleneck guitarists, as well as one of the most revered figures of depression-era gospel music.] His music is distinguished by his powerful bass thumb-picking and gravelly false-bass voice, with occasional use of a tenor voice."
You Tube link
45. Carmina Burana: Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi - O Fortuna
Points: 102.23
Voted by: Henrik (#8 ), sonofsamiam (#39), Miguel (#52), Honorio (#88 ).
Style: Modern Classical
Composed by Carl Orff in 1935-1936, based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana, collected by Michael Hofmann.
Premiered on June 8, 1937 by the Frankfurt Opera in Frankfurt conducted by Bertil Wetzelsberger.
"Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi - O Fortuna" is Latin for "Fortune, Empress of the World – O Fortune" and is the first of 25 movements of the cantata.
I haven’t found information about the first recording but the most notable is the 1968 by the Deustsche Oper Berlin conducted by Eugen Jochum and endorsed by Orff himself.
Wikipedia: ""O Fortuna" has been used in dozens of feature films and trailers to accompany dramatic or cataclysmic scenes, to the point of becoming a cliché of film music."
Alex Ross as quoted by Wikipedia: "The music itself commits no sins simply by being and remaining popular. That Carmina Burana has appeared in hundreds of films and television commercials is proof that it contains no diabolical message, indeed that it contains no message whatsoever."
You Tube link
44. Aquarela do Brasil
Points: 102.74
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#6 for Alves version and #70 for Cugat version), Honorio (#40 for Alves version), Brad (#99 for Alves version)
Style: Samba
Written by Ary Barroso in 1939. "Aquarela do Brasil" is Portuguese for "Watercolor of Brazil".
Recorded by Francisco Alves on August of 1939 with Radamés Gnattali and his Orchestra.
Released on October 1939 by Odeon Records.
Recorded by Xavier Cugat and His Waldorf-Astoria Orchestra in 1942, being released on February of 1943 by Columbia Records under the name Brazil.
Wikipedia: "Ary Barroso wrote "Aquarela do Brasil" in early 1939, when he was prevented from leaving his home one night due to heavy a storm. Its title, a reference to watercolor painting, is a clear mention to the rain (...) Initially, he wrote the first chords, which he defined as "vibrant", and a "plangent of emotions". The original beat "sang on [his] imagination, highlighting the sound of the rain, on syncope beats of fantastic tambourins". According to him, "the rest came naturally, music and lyrics at once". He declared to have felt like another person after writing the song."
You Tube link (Francisco Alves 1939 version)
You Tube link (Xavier Cugat 1943 version)
43. Choo Choo Ch'Boogie
Points: 108.31
Voted by: nicolas (#6), Honorio (#25), sonofsamiam (#70)
Style: Jump blues
Written by Denver Darling, Vaughn Horton and Milt Gabler.
Recorded by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five in January of 1946.
Released in June 1946 on Decca US label.
Wikipedia: "It topped the R&B charts for 18 weeks from August 1946, a record only equalled by one other hit, "The Honeydripper". The record was one of Jordan's biggest ever hits with both black and white audiences, peaking at number seven on the national chart and provided an important link between blues and country music, foreshadowing the development of "rock and roll" a few years later "
Wikipedia again: "The song summed up the feelings of excitement followed by disillusionment felt by many who were returning from serving in the Second World War, in lyrics such as You reach your destination, but alas and alack! / You need some compensation to get back in the black / You take your morning paper from the top of the stack / And read the situation from the front to the back / The only job that's open needs a man with a knack / So put it right back in the rack, Jack!."
You Tube link
42. Nightmare
Points: 108.41
Voted by: Mindrocker (#5), Henrik (#47), Brad (#59), Honorio (#91)
Style: Jazz
Written by Artie Shaw and recorded by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra in 1938.
Released on November of 1938 on Bluebird label.
Wikipedia: "He composed the morose "Nightmare", with its Hassidic nuances, for his personal theme, rather than more approachable songs. In a televised interview of the 1970s, Shaw derided the often "asinine" songs that bands were compelled to play night after night. In 1994, he told Frank Prial (The New York Times), "I thought that because I was Artie Shaw I could do what I wanted, but all they wanted was 'Begin the Beguine'"
All About Jazz: "As "Nightmare" concludes - with that dark, inexorable pattern below, the brass blaring out above, and that final bright cymbal crash - we get an emotion that's very satisfying. This music is brash, it's bold, it's critical, it doesn't smooth things over. We can imagine audiences in the late 1930s, worried about what was happening in Europe, and trying to make sense of their own lives, pleased to hear it played by a big band, to hear something troubling given artistic form. And audiences today can feel this, too. In fact, "Nightmare" is part of the background score to the film The Aviator."
You Tube link
41. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
Points: 108.56
Voted by: Henrik (#18 ), Brad (#25), sonofsamiam (#28 ), Honorio (#58 )
Position in AM 3000: #118 of all time and #1 of the 1940s
Style: Country
Written by Hank Williams in 1949.
Recorded by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys on August 30, 1949.
Released in November 1949 on MGM label.
Allmusic: "Hank Williams wrote so many classics that it's hard to single one out that's better than the next, but "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" holds a special place in his catalog. A mournful tale of loneliness, the song contains some of the most evocative lines Williams ever wrote: The opening couplet of "Hear that lonesome whippoorwill/He sounds too blue to fly" is a model of simple, elegant poetry. He married the lyric to a melody that is equally simple and graceful, resulting in the kind of song that sounds like it was never written -- it was just always there."
You Tube link
Some unexpected choices in this segment (and the first two personal number ones!!).
40. God Bless America
Points: 108.72
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#10), Brad (#10)
Style: Patriotic song
Written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938 (according to Wikipedia "with the rise of Hitler, Berlin, who was Jewish, and a first-generation European immigrant, felt it was time to revive it as a "peace song"").
Premiered on an Armistice Day broadcast in 1938 sung by Kate Smith on her radio show.
Recorded by Kate Smith in 1938 with mixed chorus and orchestra, being released in 1939 on Victor label.
Wikipedia: "The arrangement for Kate Smith's performance was accompanied by full band, progressing into a grand march tempo, with trumpets triple reinforcing the harmonies between stanzas: the dramatic build-up ends on the final exposed high note, which Kate Smith sang in the solo as a sustained a cappella note, with the band then joining for the finale. (...) There was even a movement to make "God Bless America" the national anthem of the United States. However, there was strong opposition by conservative southerners as well as conservatives who lived in rural areas where there were no Jews living in it, stating that because Irving Berlin was a foreigner and a Jew, that they would not accept their national anthem to be composed by a member of the minority class. Congress would have had to repeal the "Star Spangled Banner" in both houses by two-thirds of the votes. "
Roger Ebert about the use of the song on "The Deer Hunter" as quoted by Wikipedia: "It [the film] ends on a curious note: The singing of "God Bless America". I won't tell you how it arrives at that particular moment... but I do want to observe that the lyrics of "God Bless America" have never before seemed to me to contain such an infinity of possible meanings, some tragic, some unspeakably sad, some few still defiantly hopeful."
You Tube link (original studio version)
You Tube link (recreation of the 1938 broadcast premiere for the 1943 movie "This Is the Army")
You Tube link ("The Deer Hunter" last scene)
39. Tatuaje
Points: 109.10
Voted by: Miguel (#1), Honorio (#74)
Style: Copla
Written by Rafael de León (lyrics) and Manuel Quiroga (music) in 1941.
"Tatuaje" is Spanish for "Tattoo".
Recorded by Concha Piquer , being released in 1941 .
El Comercio Digital: "Francisco Carantoña stated that Concha Piquer was an unsurpasable performer of sad love ballads and that 'Tatuaje' should be associated to the Spanish song reminiscent of Lorca poetry. "With 'Tatuaje' -wrote Carantoña- Piquer went beyond the boundaries of the regional, to proclaim with her throat and her feeling the universality of the passions of the harbor, the one-night loves apparently ephimeral but then turned into lasting reference of the heartbreak."
You Tube link (original studio version)
You Tube link (with images from Spanish post-war period from the excellent documentary "Canciones para después de una guerra/Songs for After a War" directed by Basilio Martín Patiño)
You Tube link (recreation-parody sang by Pedro Almodóvar in the short "Tatuaje" directed by Jaime Chávarri)
38. Cross Road Blues
Points: 112.82
Voted by: Honorio (#10), Alex D (#11), Brad (#86)
Position in AM 3000: #236 of all time and #2 of the 1930s
Style: Delta blues
Written by Robert Johnson.
Recorded by Robert Johnson on November 27, 1936 at San Antonio, Texas.
Released in April 1937 by Vocalion Records.
My personal comments: "That's where it all began. On a crossroad. At midnight. Somewhere on the Mississippi Delta. Robert Johnson had a meeting with the Devil. Johnson sold his soul to the Devil and in exchange he learned to play the guitar like no one else. And more important, since then he got the blues. And the blues gave place to rock and roll, and the message of the Devil has been transmitted to succesive generations. Some say that in that crossroad Johnson simply met someone that showed him the basic chords of blues. Anyway, it's the same, isn’t it?"
You Tube link
37. Piano Concerto No. 3: I. Allegro ma non tanto
Points: 116.65
Voted by: Fred (#2), Henrik (#31)
Style: Classical
Composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff in 1909.
Premiered on November 29, 1909 by Rachmaninoff himself with the New York Symphony Society conducted by Walter Damrosch at New Theatre in New York.
First recorded by Vladimir Horowitz accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Albert Coates for the HMV in 1930.
Wikipedia: "Famous for its technical and musical demands on the performer. It has the reputation of being one of the most difficult concertos in the standard piano repertoire. (...) The concerto is respected, even feared, by most pianists. Josef Hofmann, the pianist to whom the work is dedicated, never publicly performed it, saying that it "wasn't for" him. And Gary Graffman lamented he had not learned this concerto as a student, when he was "still too young to know fear"."
You Tube link (played by Rachmaninov himself in 1939)
You Tube link (as performed on the movie "Shine" directed by Scott Hicks)
36. Speak Low
Points: 128.81
Voted by: Charlie Driggs (#1), Henrik (#42), Honorio (#70)
Style: Popular
Written by Kurt Weill (music) and Ogden Nash (lyrics) in 1943.
Premiered in October 1943 as part of the Broadway musical One Touch of Venus, sung by Mary Martin.
First recorded by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians with vocal by Billy Leach , being released in 1944.
Recorded by Kurt Weill himself in a private rehearsal session with Ira Gershwin in 1945, first released in 1983 as part of the album "Tryout: A Series of Private Rehearsal Recordings".
Jazz Standards: "In the production Mary Martin played a statue of Venus who came to life when a barber, Rodney Hatch (played by Kenny Baker) slipped the engagement ring which he had bought for his girlfriend on the statue’s finger. The goddess of love tempts Hatch and tries to win him over with the seductive "Speak Low", the outstanding song from the show sung by Martin. Much to his consternation, she follows him all over the city of New York before resolving not only his romance but the complicated love affairs of others before finally returning to her art gallery pedestal."
You Tube link (fragment of Weill’s private rehearsal)
You Tube link (since Lombardo’s version is not available on You Tube, here it is a wonderful version by Sarah Vaughan)
35. Adagio for Strings
Points: 129.51
Voted by: Henrik (#10), Miguel (#10), sonofsamiam (#49), Honorio (#78)
Style: Classical
Composed by Samuel Barber in 1936 while he was spending a summer in Europe (quoting wikpedia "Barber envisioned a small stream that grows into a river"). It began as the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11, and was later orchestrated by Barber.
Premiered on November 5, 1938 in 8H Studio in New York City for a radio broadcast by the NBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Toscanini.
All quotes (except the last one) taken from Wikipedia:
Olin Downes: Barber "achieved something as perfect in mass and detail as his craftsmanship permits."
Johanna Keller: the lower strings arrangement creates "an uneasy, shifting suspension as the melody begins a stepwise motion, like the hesitant climbing of stairs."
Alexander J. Morin: the piece was "full of pathos and cathartic passion, rarely leaves a dry eye."
Thomas Larson: "The work is a slow, minor-key lament, which evokes a deep sadness in those who hear it."
Alex Ross: "Whenever the American dream suffers a catastrophic setback, Barber’s Adagio plays on the radio."
You Tube link (live recording of the 1938 premiere conducted by Toscanini)
You Tube link (a 2009 version by New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with better sound quality)
34. Nuages
Points: 129.52
Voted by: Honorio (#4), nicolas (#22), sonofsamiam (#57), Brad (#98 )
Style: French jazz
Written by Django Reinhardt in 1940.
"Nuages" is French for "Clouds".
Recorded by Django Reinhardt with le Quintette du Hot Club de France avec Alix Combelle (clarinette) on December 13, 1940 in Swing Studios, Paris. There was a previous unissued recording on October 1, 1940 with Hubert Rostaing on clarinet.
Released probably in 1941 on Swing label.
Recorded again by Django Reinhardt with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France with Stéphane Grapelli on violin on February 1, 1946 in Decca Studios, London.
Released in 1947 on Decca label.
Reinhardt recorded about thriteen versions of the song from 1940 to 1953.
My personal comments: "1985, Place de Montmartre, Paris, a twenty-year old Honorio with a group of friends from the University on a summer trip. While my friends were being portraited by street painters I ventured into a dark and smoky Café where two guitar players played jazz. I asked them to play "Nuages" and they quickly attacked it in a quite routinary but impeccable manner (probably they played it before a thousand times). "Nuages" is the sound of Paris to me."
You Tube link (1940 second version with Alix Combelle on clarinet)
You Tube link (1946 version with Stéphane Grappelli on violin)
33. Gambling Bar Room Blues
Points: 143.14
Voted by: nicolas (#5 for Rodgers version), Mindrocker (#13 for Wills version and #66 for Rodgers version), Honorio (#61 for Wills version)
Style: Early country / Western swing
Written by Jimmie Rodgers and Shelly Lee Alley.
Recorded by Jimmie Rodgers on August 15, 1932 in Camden, New Jersey. Released in May 1933 on Bluebird label.
Recorded by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys probably in 1939, being released in 1939 on Vocalion label named Drunkard's Blues as B-side of "Don't Let the Deal Go Down".
Allmusic about Jimmie Rodgers: "His brass plaque in the Country Music Hall of Fame reads, "Jimmie Rodgers' name stands foremost in the country music field as the man who started it all." This is a fair assessment. The "Singing Brakeman" and the "Mississippi Blue Yodeler," whose six-year career was cut short by tuberculosis, became the first nationally known star of country music and the direct influence of many later performers. (...) Rodgers sang about rounders and gamblers, bounders and ramblers -- and he knew what he sang about. At age 14 he went to work as a railroad brakeman, and on the rails he stayed until a pulmonary hemorrhage sidetracked him to the medicine show circuit in 1925. The years with the trains harmed his health but helped his music. (...) His instrumental accompaniment consisted sometimes of his guitar only, while at other times a full jazz band (horns and all) backed him up. Country fans could have asked for no better hero/star -- someone who thought what they thought, felt what they felt, and sang about the common person honestly and beautifully"
You Tube link ("Gambling Bar Room Blues" by Jimmie Rodgers, Bob Wills' "Drunkard's Blues" is not available on the web but you can listen to it on my Spotify link).
32. Lost Highway
Points: 145.33
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#16), Mindrocker (#16), Miguel (#19), Honorio (#48 ), Brad (#72)
Style: Country
Written by Leon Payne in 1948 (Payne original version was released in October of 1948 on Bullet label).
Recorded by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys on March 1, 1949 in Castle Studio, Nashville, Tennessee.
Released on September 9, 1949 on MGM label.
Wikipedia: "Written by Leon Payne but indelibly associated with Hank Williams, “Lost Highway” is in many ways the definitive Williams song – the song’s lyrics reflect the wayward, outcast image that Williams had perfected, and Williams’ lonesome, eerie vocal fits the song perfectly. The song is full of imagery – “I’m a rolling stone, all alone and lost” and “Just a deck of cards and a jug of wine/and a woman’s lies makes a life like mine” are just two examples. The ‘lost highway’ in the lyrics reflects Williams’ own life, and the song has certainly added to the myth of Williams after his death."
You Tube link
31. Hell Hound on My Trail
Points: 148.59
Voted by: Fred (#11), sonofsamiam (#13), Alex D (#14), Charlie Driggs (#97)
Style: Delta blues
Written by Robert Johnson.
Recorded by Robert Johnson on June 20, 1937 in Dallas, Texas.
Released in August 1937 on Vocalion label.
Wikipedia: "According to legend, Johnson sold his soul to the devil in a Faustian deal at the crossroads in return for his musical talent. This song fuels the mystery and lore surrounding him as it suggests a man in the grip of evil, and his deal with the devil has become part of popular culture. (...) Johnson played the guitar with a distinctive bottleneck slide style and sang with an intensity that was personal and chilling. His guitar was in open E tuning with the lower strings providing a droning accompaniment. (...) The first and last verses may be the finest found in the blues, according to music historian Samuel Charters. The poetic imagery is brilliant and intense with a feeling of personal frenzy. The song's lyrics reflect an agonized spirit for whom there is no escape. The vision of the hounds of hell coming to catch sinners was prevalent in southern churches at that time, and this may have been the image in Johnson's mind."
You Tube link
First the AM positions on the previous segment that I forgot to post:
Nuages: #2497 of all time and #44 of the 1940s
Lost Highway: #1772 of all time and #24 of the 1940s
Hellhound on My Trail: #870 of all time and #9 of the 1930s
30. I Won't Be Here Long
Points: 152.24
Voted by: Mindrocker (#2), Alex D (#12), Brad (#64)
Style: Jazz
Written by Oran Thaddeus 'Hot Lips' Page and Henry 'Buster' Smith.
Recorded by Hot Lips Page on January 23, 1940 , released probably in 1940.
Wikipedia: "One of the great swing trumpeters in addition to being a talented blues vocalist, Hot Lips Page's premature passing left a large hole in the jazz world; virtually all musicians (no matter their style) loved him. (...) Page freelanced in Kansas City and in 1936 was one of the stars in Count Basie's orchestra but, shortly before Basie was discovered, Jose Glaser signed Hot Lips as a solo artist. Although Page's big band did alright in the late '30s (recording for Victor), if he had come east with Basie he would have become much more famous. Page was one of the top sidemen with Artie Shaw's orchestra during 1941-1942 and then mainly freelanced throughout the remainder of his career, recording with many all-star groups and always being a welcome fixture at jam sessions "
You Tube link
29. Minnie the Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song)
Points: 152.32
Voted by: Alex D (#10), Brad (#15), nicolas (#34), Henrik (#45), Miguel (#54)
Position in AM 3000: #931 of all time and #11 of the 1930s
Style: Vocal jazz
Written by Cab Calloway, Clarence Gaskill and Irving Mills in 1930, based on Frankie 'Half Pint' Jaxon's 1927 "Willie the Weeper", a song about drug addiction.
Recorded by Cab Calloway and His Orchestra on March 3, 1931.
Released in 1931 by Brunswick Records.
Wikipedia: "Minnie the Moocher" is most famous for its nonsensical ad libbed ("scat") lyrics (for example, "Hi De Hi De Hi De Hi"). In performances, Calloway would have the audience participate by repeating each scat phrase in a form of call and response. Eventually Calloway's phrases would become so long and complex that the audience would laugh at their own failed attempts to repeat them."
Wikipedia: "The lyrics are heavily laden with drug references. "Smoky" is described as "cokey" meaning a user of cocaine; the phrase "kicking the gong around" was a slang reference to smoking opium."
Allmusic: "From one of the best all-around entertainers of the first half of the century, Cab Calloway's jive anthem "Minnie the Moocher" is one of the greatest novelty songs in history, surprisingly popular considering its taboo subject matter. In fact, if it wasn't for the jive slang he used to connote drug use in lines like "He took her down to Chinatown/And showed her how to kick the gong around," the song probably would have been censored."
You Tube link (great video!)
28. Body and Soul
Points: 156.48
Voted by: Brad (#3 for Sinatra version), nicolas (#14 for Hawkins version), sonofsamiam (#38 for Hawkins version), Honorio (#89 for Hawkins version)
Position in AM 3000: #1019 of all time and #15 of the 1940s
Style: Jazz
Written by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton (lyrics) and Johnny Green (music) in 1930, first hit version recorded by Paul Whiteman Orchestra with Jack Fulton on vocals (#1 in October 1930).
Recorded by Coleman Hawkins and His Orchestra on October 11, 1939. Released in December 1939 on Bluebird label.
Recorded by Frank Sinatra on November 9, 1947 with arrangements by Alex Stordahl and featuring Bobby Hackett on trumpet.
Released on June 20, 1949 by Columbia Records opening the 10" album (or 78 rpm box) "Frankly Sentimental".
According to Jazz Standards web page "Body and Soul" is the #1 jazz standard (allthough is second to Monk's "'Round Midnight" according other sources). Some comments from this page: "Although instantly popular, "Body and Soul" was banned from radio for nearly a year because of its suggestive lyrics, which leave little doubt as to their sexual nature. (...) Because of its complex chord progressions, “Body and Soul” remains a favorite of jazz musicians. The unusual changes in key and tempo are also highly attractive and provide a large degree of improvisational freedom. And finally, there is the bridge which William Zinnser calls "a bridge unlike any other. The first 4 bars are in the key that’s a half-tone above the home key... the next 4 bars are a half-tone below the home key.""
Wikipedia about Hawkins' version: "The recording is unusual in that the song's melody is never directly stated in the recording; Hawkins' two-choruses of improvisation on the tune's chord progression constitute almost the entire take."
Allmusic about Hawkins' version: "It's a shaded, detailed performance that expands the melody in unexpected, wonderful ways. In many ways, it was a forward-thinking performance -- it may not have anticipated bop, but the searching, lyrical phrases on Hawkins' solo wouldn't have sounded out of place in the hard bop of the '60s."
You Tube link (Coleman Hawkins version).
You Tube link (Frank Sinatra version).
27. Summertime
Points: 157.67
Voted by: Honorio (#11 for Gershwin opera version), Brad (#12 for Holiday version), Mindrocker (#23 for Holiday version and #41 for Bechet version), sonofsamiam (#95 for Holiday version)
Style: Classical jazz
Composed by George Gershwin in 1933-1935 for the opera "Porgy and Bess", with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward (author of the novel "Porgy").
Premiered on September 15, 1935 at the Colonial Theatre in Boston by an entirely African American cast conducted by Eva Jessye and with Anne Brown in the role of Bess. During the opening act Clara, portrayed by singer/actress Abbie Mitchell, sang "Summertime" as a lullaby to her baby.
The first recording from Todd Duncan and Anne Brown from the original cast took place in 1940 by Decca Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alexander Smallens, being released as 78 rpm single including "Introduction" and later as a 78 rpm box called "Selections From George Gershwin's Folk Opera Porgy and Bess".
Recorded by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra on July 10, 1936 in New York City.
Released in August 1936 on Vocalion label.
Recorded by Sidney Bechet Quintet on June 8, 1939 in New York City.
Released in 1939 on Blue Note label.
Wikipedia: "Without doubt... one of the finest songs the composer ever wrote....Gershwin's highly evocative writing brilliantly mixes elements of jazz and the song styles of blacks in the southeast United States from the early twentieth century."
Jazz Standards ("Summertime" is jazz standard #3 according to this page): " Gershwin was remarkably successful in his intent to have this sound like a folk song. This is reinforced by his extensive use of the pentatonic scale (C-D-E-G-A) in the context of the A minor tonality and a slow-moving harmonic progression that suggests a “blues.” Because of these factors, this tune has been a favorite of jazz performers for decades and can be done in a variety of tempos and styles. Many young players just beginning to learn improvisation often start with the pentatonic scale since it is nearly impossible to sound bad. For that reason, this is an excellent choice for the novice".
Jazz Standards about Bechet version: "Sidney Bechet's slow, blues-drenched take on "Summertime" is a standout performance of the tune and one of the most significant moments in Bechet’s storied career and in the early history of Blue Note Records "
Rockdelux: "Boston, 1935: fisrt black opera. History: "Summertime ans the living is easy". A violent passion, a drifting tragedy. Gershwin transcribing to music the sounds of life. A lullaby of hope and brightness. "Oh your daddy's rich and you ma is good lookin'".
You Tube link (opera version sung by Anne Brown)
You Tube link (Billie Holiday version)
You Tube link (Sidney Bechet version)
26. In the Mood
Points: 163.17
Voted by: Alex D (#7), Miguel (#23), Henrik (#29), Brad (#40), nicolas (#49), sonofsamiam (#99)
Position in AM 3000: #720 of all time and #4 of the 1930s
Style: Big band jazz
Written by Joe Garland and Andy Razaf, arranged by Glenn Miller, based on a theme written and recorded by Wingy Manone in 1930 as "Tar Paper Stomp".
Recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on August 1, 1939.
Released in September of 1939 on Bluebird label.
Wikipedia: "One of the best-known arrangements of the big band era. Miller's rendition topped the charts one year later. (...) It opens with a now-famous sax section theme, and is joined by trumpets and trombones after 13 counts. It has two main solo sections; a "tenor fight" solo - in the most famous recording, between Tex Beneke and Al Klink - and a 16-bar trumpet solo. It is also famous for its ending."
All About Jazz: "While many of his songs are classics, with "In the Mood" Miller gave the Swing Era its defining moment. With the possible exception of "Sing, Sing, Sing" it's the one big band song that everyone seems to know, and generally it's only Miller's original version that gets wide circulation. But it's also one of the best dance songs to emerge from the period, a bouncy fox trot that got the older people on the floor and appeased a younger crowd eager for killer-dillers. There was also the famous fade away section, which never seems to lose its element of suspense upon repeated listenings."
You Tube link
Happy New Year 2011!!!
The Top 25
Here it is the Top 25, just in time for the new year.
My initial intention was to begin a new thread when I get to this point but, thinking again, I prefer to have the complete results in the same thread. I just hope that it won’t take forever to load with so much images.
25. La vie en rose
Points: 163.46
Voted by: Henrik (#12),Brad (#23), Honorio (#29), Miguel (#37), Mindrocker (#41), Charlie Driggs (#81), nicolas (#83)
Position in AM 3000: #843 of all time and #12 of the 1940s
Style: Chanson
Written by Édith Piaf (lyrics) and Louis 'Louiguy' Gugliemi (music) in 1945. The English lyrics were written in 1950 by Mack David.
"La vie en rose" is French for "Life trough rose-colored glasses", literally "Life in pink".
Recorded by Édith Piaf in 1946 with an orchestra conducted by Guy Luipaerts.
Released probably in 1947 by Columbia France.
Allmusic: "Her greatest strength wasn't so much her technique, or the purity of her voice, but the raw, passionate power of her singing. (...) Her style epitomized that of the classic French chanson: highly emotional, even melodramatic, with a wide, rapid vibrato that wrung every last drop of sentiment from a lyric. She preferred melancholy, mournful material, singing about heartache, tragedy, poverty, and the harsh reality of life on the streets; much of it was based to some degree on her real-life experiences, written specifically for her by an ever-shifting cast of songwriters."
Rockdelux: "The time of lilac. Clochards, accordions, the Seine in sepia. Forever love, one-night lovers. The last subway train. She wasn't an angel. With no regrets."
You Tube link (original 1946 studio version)
You Tube link (from the 1948 movie "Neuf garçons, un cœur" directed by Georges Friedland)
24. Limehouse Blues
Points: 152.32
Voted by: Fred (#1), nicolas (#7), Brad (#96)
Style: Jazz
Written by Philip Braham (music) and Dougllas Furber (lyrics) in 1921. It was premiered in 1921 on the West End revue "A to Z" sung by Teddie Gerard. The first instrumental recorded version was made by the Queen's Dance Orchestra conducted by Jack Hayton in 1922, but it had become a jazz standard with notable versions by Paul Whiteman (1924) or Duke Ellignton (1931).
Recorded by Le Quintette du Hot Club de France avec Django Reinhardt, guitare et Stéphane Grappelly, violon on May 4, 1936 at Gramophone Studios in Paris.
Released in 1936 by Brunswick Records.
Jazz Standards: "Beginning in medieval times, the Limehouse area of London was an important port. Part of the area is the Limehouse Basin which connects the Thames River with the British canal system. In the late 19th century it became London’s Chinatown and was notorious for opium dens and illicit activities. (...) The tune's popularity over the years has been mostly as an instrumental, especially loved by jazz musicians. It’s easy to understand why, as the lyrics are very politically incorrect today and not particularly relevant. The last line sums up the tune's message: "rings on your fingers and tears on your crown, that is the story of Old Chinatown"."
Jazz Standards about Reinhardt & Grapelli version: "Though the feel is relaxed, the tempo on this performance is actually quite fast, which becomes apparent as violinist Stephane Grappelli and guitarist Django Reinhardt engage in burning solos."
You Tube link
23. Le sacre du printemps: Tableau II, Le sacrifice: Section VI, Danse sacrale – L'élue
Points: 169.91
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#2), Henrik (#4)
Style: Modern classical
Composed by Igor Stravisnky in 1912-1913 for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes.
Premiered on May 29, 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris conducted by Pierre Monteux under the Ballets Russes, with choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky.
The translation to English of the original French title is "The Rite of Spring: Act II, The Sacrifice: Section 6, Sacrificial Dance - The Chosen Victim".
First recording by Grand Orchestre Symphonique conducted by Pierre Monteux, released in 1929 by Disque Gramophone.
Wikipedia: "Stravinsky's music is harmonically adventurous, with prominent use of dissonance for the purposes of color and musical energy. Rhythmically, it is similarly adventurous, a number of sections having constantly changing time signatures and off-beat accents. Stravinsky used asymmetrical rhythms, percussive dissonance, polyrhythms, polytonality, layering of ostinati (persistently repeated ideas) and melodic fragments to create complex webs of interactive lines, and is influenced by primitivism (specifically, West African tribal art). An example of primitivism can be seen on the opening of the final section, the "Sacrificial Dance"."
Keeping Score: "Changing meters, spasmodic rhythms and jarring chords mirror the Chosen One's desperate acrobatic dance moves. (...) The percussion and the low brass press on relentlessly as the Chosen One beats the ground in exhausted resignation. (...) The timpani and bass drum combine in an irregular pattern that mimics theg beating of the Chosen One's heart. The opening rhythmic figures return, but broken down and gasping as if they even are thoroughly worn-out In a final flourish, her neck snaps and the Chosen One is lifted to the heavens."
Anonymous comment on Keeping Score: "If you look closely at the final chord (which represents her body falling to the ground, as her spirit is lifted to the heavens) the chord in the bass, on the bottom of the score, spells D E A D. coincidence? with Igor Stravinsky, i doubt it very much."
You Tube link (danse sacrale: l'élue)
You Tube link (the beginning of Act II recreating the original Nijinsky choreography of 1913, parts 1-3)
You Tube link (final part of the Act II, parts 4-6)
22. Boogie Chillen'
Points: 170.35
Voted by: Fred (#14), nicolas (#17), Charlie Driggs (#25), sonofsamiam (#29), Henrik (#33), Honorio (#94)
Position in AM 3000: #346 of all time and #4 of the 1940s
Style: Detroit blues
Written by John Lee Hooker.
Recorded by John Lee Hooker in September of 1948 at United Sound Studios in Detroit.
Released on November 3, 1948 by Modern Records.
Wikipedia: "Hooker moved to Detroit in 1943, attracted by well-paying factory work. Taking up residence in Detroit's east side, he found a position as a janitor at Chrysler. After work, he would take in the sights and sounds of Hastings Street, the cultural center of the city's black community, called Paradise Valley. The scores of blues and jazz clubs, many of which Hooker would eventually play in, would influence the lyrics of "Boogie Chillen'"."
Allmusic: "The riff that launched a million songs, "Boogie Chillen" turned all the guitar players loose, each proffering their own brand of boogie after John Lee Hooker stormed to the top of the R&B charts with this crude little piece of Delta blues in 1948. The original was nothing more than Hooker, his electric guitar cranked right up, and his foot stomping away keeping the beat. Over a repeated monochord riff, Hooker made the original mold that all guitar players followed with."
You Tube link (the original 1948 version is not available on the web, this one comes from the mid 60s, the closest I found to the original one).
21. Moonlight Serenade
Points: 172.88
Voted by: Honorio (#9), Miguel (#11), Henrik (#11), Brad (#61)
Position in AM 3000: #1411 of all time and #22 of the 1930s
Style: Big band jazz
Written by Glenn Miller (music) in 1939 with subsequent lyrics by Mitchell Parish.
Recorded by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra on April 4, 1939.
Released in April of 1939 on RCA Bluebird label.
Wikipedia: "(Miller) realized that he needed to develop a unique sound, and decided to make the clarinet play a melodic line with a tenor saxophone holding the same note, while three other saxophones harmonized within a single octave. George Simon discovered a saxophonist named Wilbur Schwartz for Glenn Miller. Miller hired Schwartz, but instead had him play the lead clarinet. According to Simon, "Willie's tone and way of playing provided a fullness and richness so distinctive that none of the later Miller imitators could ever accurately reproduce the Miller sound." With this new sound combination, Glenn Miller found a way to differentiate his band's style from the many bands that existed in the late thirties."
Rockdelux: "Ballrooms, news from the Europe war, vintage films. The big band is in town. In the mood. Melodies of yesterday, now and forever. The Glenn Miller Orchestra: introducing the band."
My personal comments: "I don’t remember the exact reason why Miller had to rearrange the main melody for a lead clarinet (it was probably fictitious) but I remember a scene on the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" writing it in a hurry just before the premiere. Anyway it was a master move, the sound of clarinets and muted trumpets gave it a dreamy atmosphere, like the opening of a door getting you back in time, to an era where young couples in love danced slowly to the sound coming from an old radio."
You Tube link
You Tube link (that scene I partially remembered from the movie "The Glenn Miller Story" directed by Anthony Mann)
Wow. I just listened to songs 101-90 and they were, without exception, brilliant. "J'attendrai" in particular I thought was awesome. Many thanks to those who voted (It was a very small number of people I think, which makes the consistency of the list more astonishing), and to Honorio for excellent presentation and comments.
Many thanks, Zorg
Great songs (again) in this section
20. The "Harry Lime" Theme
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Points: 173.65
Voted by: Miguel (#37), Henrik (#12), Honorio (#29), Brad (#23)
Style: Soundtrack
Written by Anton Karas in 1949 (based on a melody from a practice book) for the soundtrack of the movie "The Third Man" directed by Carol Reed.
Recorded by Anton Karas in 1949 in London Films Studios.
Premiered as soundtrack of the movie "The Third Man" on August 31, 1949.
First released in United Kingdom on September 2, 1949 on Decca label.
US release on January 2, 1950 on London label as "The Third Man" Theme .
Wikipedia: "Karas was working as a zither player when director Carol Reed, during location scouting for the film, heard him playing in a beer garden. Reed wanted music that wasn't waltz but would be appropriate to the city of Vienna, in which the film was set, so he asked Karas if he would write and record the film's score. (...) Reluctant Karas was invited to London and lived with Reed while composing the score, and at that time was drawing a considerable salary of 30 GBP a week, plus 20 in pocket money, with expenses. The soundtrack was created in Korda's London Films Studios, and Karas, who was homesick most of the time, worked up to 14 hours a day for twelve weeks: He had not been a composer before, but a great performer, and added improvisations to his repertoire. Later, Karas would mention that Reed almost "kept him like a slave" when he wanted to go back to Vienna more than once. (...) The film, not least due to its music, turned into a gigantic success which changed Karas' life. As a result, he toured all over the world and performed for many celebrities, among them members of the British Royal family. (...) By the end of 1949, a half million copies of "The Harry Lime Theme" had been sold, an unprecedented amount for the time. The success of the score also caused a surge in zither sales."
You Tube link (original 1949 studio version)
You Tube link (a documentary showing Anton Karas playing zither)
You Tube link (the original intro of the movie featuring Karas music)
19. A Night in Tunisia
Points: 175.89
Voted by: Honorio (#6 for Parker version), Fred (#9 for Parker version), sonofsamiam (#22 for Gillespie version), Brad (#46 for Gillespie version)
Position in AM 3000: #2603 of all time and #48 of the 1940s (Gillespie version)
Style: Bebop
Written by Dizzy Gillespie in 1942 while he was playing with the Earl Hines band. Originally called "Night in Tunisia", also known as "Interlude" (under which title it was recorded with lyrics written by John Hendricks).
Recorded by Dizzy Gillespie Jazzmen (inluding Don Byas on sax and Milt Jackson on vibes) on Februray 22, 1946 at Electro Broadcast Studios in Glendale, California. Released in December of 1946 by RCA Victor Records.
The first recording by Gillespie was on December of 1944 as "Interlude" with Sarah Vaughan on vocals.
Recorded by Charlie Parker Septet (including Miles Davis on trumpet) on March 28, 1946 at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California.
Released in May of 1946 by Dial Records.
Wikipedia: "The complex bass line in the "A section" is notable for avoiding the standard walking bass pattern of straight quarter notes, and the use of oscillating half-step-up/half-step-down chord changes gives the song a unique, mysterious feeling. Like many of Gillespie's tunes, it features a short written introduction and a brief interlude that occurs between solo sections - in this case, a twelve-bar sequence leading into a four-bar break for the next soloist. (...) One of its most famous performances is Charlie Parker's recording for Dial. (Dial even released a fragmentary take of it simply titled "The Famous Alto Break".)"
Jazz Standards quoting autobiography of Gillespie: "He was sitting at the piano playing chord progressions when he noticed the notes of the chords formed a melody with a Latin/oriental feel. Adding a bebop-style rhythm to the melody, Gillespie came up with “Night in Tunisia.” When played, this “mixture introduced a special kind of syncopation in the bass line,” a jazz pioneering step away from the traditional regular 4-beat bass. During the videotaped concert performance, “A Night in Tunisia,” Gillespie discusses how he composed this “anthem to bebop,” introducing Afro-Cuban rhythms to mainstream American jazz. He does concede, however, that “Manteca” was the “definitive breakaway from the old beat.”."
My personal comments: "Bebop. Every music style must generate a sub-style destined to avoid its trivialization and decadence. That was bebop for jazz. White audiences and musicians tempered the primitive pulse of original jazz. Bebop musicians returned the black to jazz, with jungle rhythmic patterns (Gillespie used Latin rhtyhms when he wrote "Night in Tunisia") and a wild and even arrogant velocity (listen to the demonically fast Parker "famous alto break" at 1'18")."
You Tube link (Charlie Parker version with the "famous alto break" at 1'20")
You Tube link (Dizzy Gillespie version)
You Tube link ("Interlude": Sarah Vaughan with Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra)
18. The Entertainer
Points: 187.30
Voted by: Miguel (#2), Honorio (#18 ),Henrik (#29), Mindrocker (#62), Brad (#65), nicolas (#89)
Position in AM 3000: #1611 of all time and #2 of the 1900s
Style: Ragtime
Written by Scott Joplin in 1902 (the copyright was registered on December of 1902 ).
Published by John Stark & Son of St. Louis, Missouri.
The adaptation of Marvin Hamlisch for piano and ragtime band reached the number 3 of Billboard as part of the soundtrack of the 1973 movie "The Sting" directed by George Roy Hill.
Wikipedia: ""The Entertainer" is sub-titled "A rag time two step", which was a form of dance popular until about 1911, and a style which was common among rags written at the time."
Wikipedia: "In the June 7, 1903 St. Louis Globe-Democrat, contemporary composer Monroe H. Rosenfeld described "The Entertainer" as "the best and most euphonious" of Joplin's compositions to that point. "It is a jingling work of a very original character, embracing various strains of a retentive character which set the foot in spontaneous action and leave an indelible imprint on the tympanum"."
You Tube link (original piano version)
You Tube link (the opening credits of the movie "The Sting" with the Marvin Hamlisch adaptation for piano and ragtime band)
17. Move It On Over
Points: 187.46
Voted by: Miguel (#5), nicolas (#12), Henrik (#21), Honorio (#24)
Style: Honkytonk country
Written by Hank Williams in 1947.
Recorded by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys on April 21, 1947 at Castle Studio in Nashville, Tennessee.
Released on June 6, 1947 on MGM label.
Wikipedia: "The song follows a man who is forced to sleep in the doghouse after coming home late at night and not being allowed into his house by his wife."
Allmusic: "One of Williams' earliest compositions, "Move It On Over" feels a little lightweight, a song of style over substance, yet there’s no denying that it contains a lovely, very listener-friendly melody and a charming steel guitar line. One can't help comparing it to "Rock Around the Clock" and it's clear that Bill Haley took his template from the master of country music. "
Wikipedia: "The song is considered very influential to later rock and roll. The song's lightweight subject matter and composition very closely resemble that of "Rock Around the Clock," released five years later, which would go on to become the first hit rock and roll single."
You Tube link
16. Dark Was the Night - Cold Was the Ground
Points: 190.60
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#4), Honorio (#14), nicolas (#30), Charlie Driggs (#36), Henrik (#50), Brad (#101)
Position in AM 3000: #2643 of all time and #37 of the 1920s
Style: Gospel blues
Written by Blind Willie Johnson in 1927.
Recorded by Blind Willie Johnson on December 23, 1927 in Dallas, Texas.
Released in April of 1928 by Columbia Records.
Wikipedia: "The song is primarily an instrumental featuring Johnson's self-taught bottleneck slide guitar and picking style accompanied by his vocalizations of humming and moaning. It has the distinction of being one of 27 samples of music included on the Voyager Golden Record, launched into space in 1977 to represent the diversity of life on Earth. "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" was chosen as the human expression of loneliness (...) His melancholy, gravel-throated humming of the guitar part creates the impression of "unison moaning", a melodic style common in Baptist churches where, instead of harmonizing, a choir hums or sings the same vocal part, albeit with slight variations among its members. Although Johnson's vocals are indiscernible, several sources indicate the subject of the song is the crucifixion of Christ."
Carl Sagan about the reason to include it in the Voyager Golden Record as quoted on Wikipedia: "Johnson's song concerns a situation he faced many times: nightfall with no place to sleep. Since humans appeared on Earth, the shroud of night has yet to fall without touching a man or woman in the same plight."
Trueblueweaver as quoted on the following You Tube Link: "This is more than a song. Few songs pull from such a place so deep, you gotta know that when you hear it, thet it is every emotion and the absence of emotion... numb, desperation and sorrow, relief and content. It is what you are when you listen to it... it's not bues, not gospel, not even negro spiritual... it's human, it's alive."
You Tube link
Sorry, "he knew perfectly where he was going to but also where he came from", I think it’s better like that…
15. 'Round About Midnight
Points: 192.19
Voted by: Alex D (#1), Honorio (#17), sonofsamiam (#18 ), Brad (#83), Miguel (#85)
Position in AM 3000: #335 of all time and #3 of the 1940s
Style: Bop
Written by Thelonious Monk probably in 1940 or 1941 (some sources date it in 1936 when Monk was 18 years old under the name "Grand Finale"). The first recording was made by Cootie Williams and His Orchestra in 1944 (receiving credits as co-author). On 1949 lyrics penned by Bernie Hannighen were added and the vocal version was first recorded by Jackie Paris.
The original title is "'Round About Midnight" but it' most commonly called "'Round Midnight" (even in Monk releases).
Recorded by the Thelonious Monk Quintet on November 21, 1947 at WOR Studios in New York.
Released in 1948 on Blue Note label.
Jazz Standards: ""Round Midnight" is Thelonious Monk's best-known jazz composition and carries the grand distinction of being the most-recorded jazz standard written by any jazz musician. (...) In 1946, Dizzy Gillespie added his famous introduction and cadenza for his big band arrangement, which proved so popular that Monk added it (albeit an altered version) to his own performance... It is now a standard part of the song. (...) Miles Davis' performance at Newport in 1955 and his subsequent recording played a large part in introducing this song to the jazz public at large. One critic has called it the "National Anthem of Jazz". (...) "'Round Midnight" is best characterized as a "darkly beautiful" ballad with an "after-hours" feel that manages to sound fresh and original decade after decade. Its haunting overtones are nearly tangible."
You Tube link (original Monk version for Blue Note)
You Tube link (first vocal version by Jackie Paris)
14. Take the "A" Train
Points: 196.30
Voted by: Brad (#4), sonofsamiam (#8 ), Henrik (#25), Miguel (#41), Honorio (#79)
Position in AM 3000: #448 of all time and #7 of the 1940s
Style: Big band jazz
Written by Billy Strayhorn in 1938. Billy wrote lyrics for the tune but it was recorded as an instrumental, later a young girl called Joya Sherrill (who was 17 years-old in 1943) wrote some lyrics while the song played on the radio. After a meeting with her father, Ellington hired Joya as a vocalist and adopted her lyrics.
Recorded by Duke Ellington and his Famous Orchestra on February 15, 1941at RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood
Released in April of 1941 on Victor label.
Wikipedia: "The title refers to the A subway service that runs through New York City, going at that time from eastern Brooklyn up into Harlem and northern Manhattan, using the express tracks in Manhattan. (...) "Take the 'A' Train" was composed in 1938, after Ellington offered Strayhorn a job in his organization and gave him money to travel from Pittsburgh to New York City. Ellington wrote directions for Strayhorn to get to his house by subway, directions that began, "Take the A Train"."
Jazz Standards: "Due to an ASCAP strike Ellington could not air his compositions, so he enrolled the help of Strayhorn and Mercer Ellington, his son, neither of whom belonged to ASCAP. Ellington's dilemma turned out to be a great opportunity for both Strayhorn and young Ellington. Neither musician squandered his fortunate circumstance. (...) That 1941 recording of "Take the 'A' Train" may be considered definitive. Duke Ellington plays solo piano for the four bar introduction and then the A-A-B-A form is repeated three times. The first time the saxophones lead with support from the trumpets and trombones, then Ray Nance (on muted trumpet) leads, and after a four-bar transition and corresponding change of key, the saxophones and Nance (on open trumpet) take turns improvising on the theme, finally closing with fading repetitions of the last eight bars. (...) Nance's solo on "Take the 'A' Train" was so integral to the composition that he repeated it nightly verbatim. When he left in 1965, Cootie Williams continued playing Nance's solo."
You Tube link (original 1941 studio version)
You Tube link (a vocal version from the 1943 movie "Reveille with Beverly" Dizzy Gillespie version)
You Tube link ("Interlude": Sarah Vaughan with Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra)
13. Boléro
Points: 200.51
Voted by: Henrik (#7), Miguel (#9), Mindrocker (#10), Honorio (#42), nicolas (#92)
Style: Modern classical
Composed by Maurice Ravel in 1928, commissioned by Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein for a ballet. It was inspired by his own orchestral transcription of "Iberia", a piano suite by Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz.
Premiered on November 22, 1928 at the Paris Opéra with the orchestra conducted by Walther Straram and with choreography by Bronislava Nijinska.
The first recording was made on January 8, 1930 by Piero Coppola in Paris for the Gramophone Company. The very next day Ravel made his own recording for Polydor, conducting the Lamoureux Orchestra.
Wikipedia: "Boléro became Ravel's most famous composition, much to the surprise of the composer, who had predicted that most orchestras would refuse to play it. It is usually played as a purely orchestral work, only rarely being staged as a ballet. According to a possibly apocryphal story, at the premiere a woman shouted that Ravel was mad. When told about this, Ravel smiled and remarked that she had understood the piece."
Wikipedia: "The music is built over an unchanging ostinato rhythm played on one or more snare drums that remains constant throughout the piece. On top of this rhythm is repeated a single theme, consisting of two eighteen-bar sections, each itself repeated twice. Tension is provided by the contrast between the steady percussive rhythm, and the "expressive vocal melody trying to break free". Interest is maintained by constant reorchestration of the theme, leading to a variety of timbres, and by a steady crescendo."
Wikipedia: "(Ravel) considered (Boléro) trivial and once described it as "a piece for orchestra without music"."
Quote from the movie "10", written and directed by Blake Edwards:
"Jenny Hanley (played by Bo Derek): "I like different music for different things. I like to listen to rock, I like to dance to jazz..."
George Webber (played by Dudley Moore): "What do you like to do to Prokofiev?"
Jenny: "Fuck... Not Prokofiev, Ravel. Did you ever do it to Ravel's Boléro?"
George: "No"
(...)
Jenny: "(...) Boléro was the most descriptive sex music ever written."
You Tube link (Part 1)
You Tube link (Part 2)
You Tube link (that scene from the Blake Edward's movie "10")
12. Caravan
Points: 202.07
Voted by: Honorio (#16), Mindrocker (#22), Henrik (#23), Fred (#25), Charlie Driggs (#35), nicolas (#38 ), Miguel (#77), sonofsamiam (#83), Brad (#87), this was the song with more voters (n=9)
Style: Jazz
Written by Juan Tizol in 1936, with arrangements by Duke Ellington (that is sometimes credited as composer) and lyrics by Irving Mills. Ellington as quoted in Jazz Standards: "... that’s one of those things Tizol came up with. See, it wasn’t in tempo, he stood [and played it] sort of ad lib. He played it, [the] first ten bars, we took it and worked out the rest of it."
Recorded by Barney Bigard and His Jazzopaters on December 19, 1936 at Associated Cinema Studios in Hollywood, California. The band members were Cootie Williams (trumpet), Juan Tizol (trombone), Barney Bigard (clarinet), Harry Carney (baritone sax), Duke Ellington (piano), Billy Taylor (bass) and Sonny Greer (drums). Since that band was a side-group with musicians from the Ellington Orchestra this recording is usually credited to Duke Ellington in compilations.
Released in April 1937 on Variety label.
Re-recorded by Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra on May 14, 1937 at Master Records Studio in New York
Released in June 1937 on Brunswick label.
Wikipedia: "The song is variously seen as the first Latin jazz song or as a Mideastern-influenced jazz song. Its exotic sound interested exotica musicians: Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman both covered it.."
Jazz Standards: "Ellington's arrangement of "Caravan" makes the song. Starting in a minor key and performed with a Middle Eastern beat, the music creates an exotic atmosphere, all the while conjuring up such elements as camels, tents and the desert. For those imagining a hot and dusty day in the caravan trade, Irving Mills' lyrics provide a significant course correction, relating intrigue and romance as two lovers travel beneath the stars."
Three Perfect Minutes: "The melody for "Caravan", one of Duke Ellington's most enduring standards, started off as an improvisation by trombonist Juan Tizol. Ellington would have a big hit in 1937 with his second recording of the song, a full-orchestra arrangement. To my ears, though, the song's first recording at a small group session in December 1936, has yet to be surpassed. Recording under the name of Ellington’s clarinetist, Barney Bigard, the band plays with incredible unity, stating and repeating the exotic theme vividly throughout. The solos are crisp and exciting. Tizol goes first, giving a sultry performance that builds anticipation slowly then speeds things up even as it retains a cautious air of danger. Cootie Williams' "jungle" style muted trumpet then interrupts with a growl, followed by Harry Carney's fluid baritone sax and Bigard’s wailing clarinet. Bigard's solo is the song's emotional high-point, after which it recedes back into the main theme and quickly fades back into the night from which it came."
You Tube link (Ellington's Orchestra 1937 version, shamely the 1936 original is not available on You Tube)
11. This Land Is Your Land
Points: 206.08
Voted by: Alex D (#8 ), Charlie Driggs (#12), Honorio (#13), Fred (#16), sonofsamiam (#80)
Position in AM 3000: #165 of all time and #2 of the 1940s
Style: Folk
Written by Woody Guthrie (lyrics) in 1940 based on a previous melody (according to Wikipedia ""Oh, My Loving Brother", a Baptist gospel hymn that had been recorded by the Carter Family as "When the World's On Fire"").
Recorded by Woody Guthrie on April 25, 1944 recorded and produced by Moses Asch. There was a previous recording from March 1944 with an additional verse more overtly political, not released till 1997.
There is controversy about the first release, it seems that it was released as a single in 1947 by Asch Records but it can't be found on any of the 78 rpm Asch Records singles discography on the web. Probably the first proper release was in 1951 as part of the 10" compilation LP Songs to Grow On, Vol. 3: American Work Songs
Wikipedia: "Its lyrics were written by Woody Guthrie in 1940 based on an existing melody, in response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" (#40 in our list), which Guthrie considered unrealistic and complacent. Tired of hearing Kate Smith sing it on the radio, he wrote a response originally called "God Blessed America for Me". Guthrie varied the lyrics over time, sometimes including more overtly political verses than appear in recordings or publications."
The additional fourth verse:
"There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me;
Sign was painted, it said private property;
But on the back side it didn't say nothing;
This land was made for you and me."
Allmusic: "So what can one say about what has been called the greatest American folk song ever written? Perhaps you could bring up the fact that the success of "This Land Is Your Land," Woody Guthrie's most famous composition, was drenched in an irony that made even the then-dying Guthrie wretch. (...) At a time when Irving Berlin's patriotic proclamation attempted to reassure an American public deeply affected by the Great Depression, Guthrie reportedly resented the idea of relying on the blessing of a higher power that had seemingly allowed the American people to be exploited and victimized by landowners and factory bosses. The song's final three verses, conveniently removed from the average music-class songbook, echo this theme. (...) Though there are no actual recordings by Guthrie of the complete song (though a recording does exist with the "private property" verse), it is important for any musical scholar to note their existence -- it just might shed light on Guthrie's true intentions. This is a dead-serious, sorrow-filled protest song, a true crying out from a people that were suddenly beginning to question the validity of the American Dream. And while Guthrie's lyrics make no attempt to water down the unbearable hardship, he nonetheless concludes with a quite uncharacteristic twist of optimism ("nobody living can ever stop me/as I go walking/that freedom highway"). Thus, even as the song's character experiences wretched hardships and bitter poverty, he rises up and refuses to be defeated (quite a thematic difference from the glorified tolerance found in "God Bless America."). And though this "complete" version of the song may never be entered in any squeaky-clean Americana music books, it remains a true and bold reflection, a battle cry and tribute to the brave and dedicated Americans who retained their spirits during one of the most outrageously difficult times in U.S. history. Make no mistake -- "This Land Is Your Land" is the best song Woody Guthrie ever wrote. And that's saying something."
You Tube link
You Tube link (the earlier version with the additional fourth verse).
You’re right, sonofsamiam, every song in the 15-11 positions deserve to be in the Top 10. And talking about that, here it is...
The Top 10
Here we are with a fantastic and quite unpredictable Top 10, with only four of the songs included on AM Top 3000.
10. Goodnight Irene
Points: 210.63
Voted by: nicolas (#1), Honorio (#12), Fred (#24), Charlie Driggs (#61), sonofsamiam (#66), Miguel (#83)
Position in AM 3000: #941 of all time and #12 of the 1930s
Style: Folk-blues
Adapted by Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter from a 1908 tune that, according to Wikipedia, Leadbelly "claimed to have learned from his uncle Terell. An 1886 song by Gussie L. Davis has several lyrical and structural similarities to the latter song, however no information on its melody has survived. Some evidence suggests the 1886 song was itself based on an even earlier song which has not survived. Regardless of where he first heard it, however, by the 1930s Lead Belly had made the song his own, modifying the rhythm and rewriting most of the verses."
Called also "Irene" and "Irene, Goodnight"
Recorded by Leadbelly in 1934 at the Louisiana State Penitentiary (while Huddie was imprisoned), recording made by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. He recorded it again in 1943 and in 1948 for Moses Asch.
Released in 1943 on Asch Records as "Irene".
Wikipedia: "The lyrics tell of the singer's troubled past with his love, Irene, and express his sadness and frustration. Several verses make explicit reference to suicidal fantasies, most famously in the line "sometimes I take a great notion to jump in the river and drown," which was the inspiration for the 1964 Ken Kesey novel Sometimes a Great Notion. (...) In 1950, one year after Leadbelly's death, the American folk band The Weavers recorded a version of "Goodnight, Irene". The single first reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on June 30, 1950 and lasted 25 weeks on the chart, peaking at #1. Although generally faithful, the Weavers chose to omit some of Leadbelly's more controversial lyrics, leading Time magazine to label it a "dehydrated" and "prettied up" version of the original."
Allmusic: "Though Leadbelly did not live to see the song he had popularized with local folk audiences become a national hit, it is nonetheless his version that several listeners and musicologists regard as the definitive recording. It's not especially hard to see why--there are very few performers who could ever play a sadder song than Ledbetter's "Irene," whether it be his low humming 12-string, his sorrowful lyrics ("Sometimes I live in the country/sometimes I live in town/sometimes I have the great notion/to jump in the river and drown") or his anguished vocal moans. The deep-rooted style Ledbetter displays in "Irene"--pounding rhythm, catchy refrain and melodramatic phrases--served as a notable influence and musical norm for countless artists of the 1960s folk revival movement."
You Tube link (1934 version for Library of Congress)
You Tube link (1943 version for Asch Records with harmonica by Sonny Terry)
You Tube link (excerpt from a 1935 March of Time newsreel (produced by Time magazine) which re-enacts Leadbelly's release from Angola Prison, Louisiana)
9. Sing, Sing, Sing
Points: 233.00
Voted by: Alex D (#2), Brad (#9), Fred (#21), sonofsamiam (#26), Henrik (#38 )
Position in AM 3000: #790 of all time and #7 of the 1930s
Style: Big band jazz
Written by Louis Prima in 1936, first recorded by Louis Prima and His New Orleans Gang in March 1936. Also called "Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)".
Recorded by Benny Goodman and his Orchestra on July 6, 1937 in Hollywood, California.
Released in August of 1937 on Victor label (given the unusual length of the version -8'42"- it took both sides of a 12" 78 rpm single).
Benny Goodman as quoted by Wikipedia: "'Sing, Sing, Sing' (which we started doing back at the Palomar on our second trip there in 1936) was a big thing, and no one-nighter was complete without it"
Wikipedia: "Goodman's solo is more introspective in the Carnegie performance, with a wider range of dynamics and colors, with Krupa playing a pulsating tom-tom accompaniment accented on the third beat of the measure behind BG for the first half of the solo, while Jess Stacy inserts minor-chord punctuations. Goodman's solo evolves to a driving 'four' feel before quietly transitioning into Stacy's famous solo. Stacy's solo is exceptional, a four-chorus, chromatic impressionistic masterpiece distinct from everything that preceded it. That solo has been widely analyzed by pianists both jazz and classical."
Three Perfect Minutes: "Right from the start, Gene Krupa’s drums command the listener’s attention with a propulsive intro. As the rest of the band joins in, it turns into an enjoyable, fairly straight-forward swing number with excellent arrangement by Jimmy Mundy and a hot clarinet solo by Goodman. But Krupa’s drums never go away; underneath the melody, he’s still banging out that rhythm like a man possessed, and when all of the other instruments suddenly disappear just before the two-minute mark, you realize that this is not going to be your average swing number after all. Those drums are unstoppable, and every time the orchestra stops, Krupa bangs and bangs until he summons them back, sometimes en masse and sometimes one instrument at a time. (...) Especially thrilling, though, are the full-orchestra moments in the second half, where the band seems to be rushing recklessly forward, barely able to control itself, pushed forward by that incessant drum beat. When the song finally comes to a sudden end, if you’ve been paying attention, you should find yourself out of breath!"
You Tube link (original 1937 studio version)
You Tube link (1938 famous Carnegie Hall performance)
8. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
Points: 236.83
Voted by: Alex D (#4), nicolas (#13), Henrik (#15), sonofsamiam (#23), Brad (#42), Honorio (#63), Mindrocker (#91)
Position in AM 3000: #2462 of all time (for Nirvana cover)
Style: Folk-blues
Traditional American folk song of unknown author which dates back to at least the 1870s, and is believed to be Southern Appalachian in origin. The first printed version of the song, compiled by Cecil Sharp, appeared in 1917 and the first recording onto phonograph cylinder dates from 1925.
Also called "Black Gal" and "In the Pines"
Recorded by Leadbelly in February 1944 in New York City for Musicraft Records. He recorded it later (probably in 1947) for Moses Asch in New York City.
Released in 1944 on Musicraft Records as "Where Did You Sleep Last Night".
Wikipedia: "Starting in 1926, commercial recordings of the song were done by various folk and bluegrass bands. In a 1970 dissertation, Judith McCulloh found 160 permutations of the song. As well as rearrangement of the three frequent elements, the person who goes into the pines, or who is decapitated, is described as a man, woman, adolescent, husband, wife, or parent, while the pines can be seen as representing sexuality, death, or loneliness. The train is described as killing a loved one, as taking one's beloved away, or as leaving an itinerant worker far from home. (...) In variants in which the song describes a confrontation, the person being challenged is always a woman. (...) The theme of a woman being caught doing something she should not is thus also common to many variants."
Wikipedia: "A live rendition by the American grunge band Nirvana, which reinterpreted Lead Belly's version and was recorded during their MTV Unplugged performance in 1993, helped introduce the song to new generations."
You Tube link (original 1944 version)
You Tube link (the acclaimed Nirvana cover)
7. The Mooche
Points: 256.39
Voted by: Mindrocker (#1), Brad (#2), Fred (#19), Honorio (#34), nicolas (#97)
Style: Jungle jazz
Written by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills in 1928.
Recorded by Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with Baby Cox on vocals on October 1, 1928 at Union Square, 11 in New York City for Okeh Records. Ellington went on to record that same October of 1928 another three instrumental versions with different musicians that were released by three different record companies! The recording made on October 17, 1928 was released by Brunswick Records in November 1928, the one made on October 19, 1928 was released by Pathé Records in December 1928 and the one recorded on October 30, 1928 with His Cotton Club Orchestra was released by Victor Records in February 1929.
First version released in November 1928 by Okeh Records.
Wikipedia: "Ellington called his music "American Music" rather than jazz, and liked to describe those who impressed him as "beyond category". These included many of the musicians who were members of his orchestra, some of whom are considered among the best in jazz in their own right, but it was Ellington who melded them into one of the most well-known jazz orchestral units in the history of jazz. He often composed specifically for the style and skills of these individuals, such as "Jeep's Blues" for Johnny Hodges, "Concerto for Cootie" for Cootie Williams (...) and "The Mooche" for Tricky San Nanton and Bubber Miley."
Wikipedia: "Nanton was one of the great pioneers of the plunger mute. Together with his musical soulmate Bubber Miley on trumpet, Nanton is largely responsible for creating the characteristic Wah-wah sounds copied by many later brass soloists in the swing era. Their highly expressive growl and plunger sounds were the main ingredient in the band's famous “jungle” sound that evolved during the band's late 1920s engagement at Harlem's "Cotton Club". (...) While other brass players became adept at growl and plunger techniques, Nanton's sound was all his own. He developed, in addition to other tricks in his bag, an astonishing "ya-ya" sound with the plunger mute. Like a chef zealously guarding the recipe of a sensational dish, Nanton kept the details of his technique a secret, even from his band mates, until his premature death. "
Jazz.com: "In an era in which jazz was increasingly focusing on virtuoso soloists, Bubber Miley remained true to King Oliver's philosophy that emphasized the quality of sound rather than the multiplicity of notes. With his arsenal of bends, moans, whimpers and growls, Miley could turn even the simplest melody into a deeply personal statement. Ellington, who always knew how to write to his band members' strengths, contributes one of his finest compositions of the decade."
Mog: "Duke Ellington was always experimenting with composition. In this one, "The Mooche" made use, for the first time, the use of the human voice as another instrumental coloring to the already full orchestral pallette. Baby Cox was the vocalist on two record sessions. As with many shadowy characters in jazz, nothing is known about when she was born or died, what her life was like before and after the sessions. All that is known is her fabulously witchy sounding vocal which mimics the growl sound of the trumpet yet has more emotion behind the melodic line."
You Tube link (October 1, 1928 version with Baby Cox on vocals)
You Tube link (October 30, 1928 version with the Cotton Club Orchestra)
6. Over the Rainbow
Points: 284.69
Voted by: Honorio (#3), Charlie Driggs (#4), Miguel (#17), Fred (#22), Henrik (#23 ), sonofsamiam (#50), Brad (#100),
Position in AM 3000: #366 of all time and #3 of the 1930s
Style: Soundtrack
Written by Harold Arlen (music) and EY Harburg (lyrics) in 1939 for the movie "The Wizard of Oz" directed by Victor Fleming. The working title was "Over the Rainbow Is Where I Want to Be". Also called "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
Recorded by Judy Garland on October 7, 1938 (when she was 16 years old) at MGM Soundstages with arrangements by Murray Cutter (soundtrack version). She recorded it again with Victor Young and his Orchestra on July 28, 1939 for Decca Records (single version).
Soundtrack version premiered on August 12, 1939 at Oconomowok, Wisconsin (movie premiere). The first discographic release was in 1956 on MGM label.
Single version released in September of 1939 on Decca label as a single and in March 1940 as part of a 78 rpm box set as "The Wizard of Oz".
Wikipedia: "In the film, part of the song is played by the MGM orchestra over the opening credits. About 5 minutes later, Garland, in the role of Dorothy Gale, sings "Over the Rainbow" after (...) Dorothy's Aunt Em tells her to "find a place where you won't get yourself into any trouble", prompting the girl to walk off by herself and sing the song. The famous sequence itself, as well as the entirety of the Kansas scenes, was directed (though uncredited) by King Vidor."
Songfacts: "Harold Arlen came up with the melody while sitting in his car in front of the original Schwab's Drug Store in Hollywood. Harburg hated it at first because he thought it was too slow. After Arlen consulted with Ira Gershwin, he sped up the tempo and Harburg came up with the words."
Wikipedia: "The song was initially deleted from the film after a preview, because MGM chief executive Louis B. Mayer thought the song "slowed down the picture" and that "our star sings it in a barnyard"."
Wikipedia: "The song is number one of the "Songs of the Century" list compiled by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts. The American Film Institute also ranked "Over the Rainbow" the greatest movie song of all time on the list of "AFI's 100 Years... 100 Songs"."
My personal comments: "Yes, I know, it's a children's song, a lullaby. But, since my first conscious exposition to it was a part of the stage show "Flowers" directed by Lindsay Kemp (that I saw in 1980 when I was 14 years old) where it was sung by a blind black drag-queen dressed in rags (played by Jack Birkett) and surrounded by transvestites, whores and pimps, the song despite its naivete and sweetness always comes to me as twisted and bizarre. And that’s what it’s not. Or maybe yes? Maybe there is no innocence without perversion?"
You Tube link (original 1939 single version)
You Tube link (original 1938 soundtrack version)
You Tube link (the Jack Birkett version is not available on You Tube but this is a clip with pictures from the stage show "Flowers" by the Lindsay Kemp Company)
5. Clair de lune
Points: 317.59
Voted by: Henrik (#2), sonofsamiam (#3), Fred (#4), Alex D (#16), Honorio (#36)
Style: Classical
Composed by Claude Debussy in 1905 as the third movement of the Suite Bergamasque for piano (according to Wikipedia "Debussy commenced the suite in 1890 at age 28, but he did not finish or publish it until 1905, when he was 43").
"Clair de lune" is French for "Moonlight"
First published in 1905 , I haven’t found information about the premiere or the first recording.
Allmusic: "It is difficult to establish an appropriate chronological place for Claude Debussy's Suite Bergamasque within his output. He originally composed the piece in 1890, but it was not published until 1905, and the extent to which he revised it during the interval is unclear. Certainly the published work is a great stylistic advance over the few short piano works which preceded it during the late 1880s and early 1890s, but whether that advance is due to an early maturity or to much later alteration will perhaps always elude historians."
Wikipedia: "The third and most famous movement of Suite bergamasque is "Clair de lune" (...) Its name comes from Paul Verlaine's poem of the same name which also refers to 'bergamasques' in its opening stanza: "Votre âme est un paysage choisi / Que vont charmant masques et bergamasques / Jouant du luth et dansant et quasi / Tristes sous leurs déguisements fantasques!". ("Your soul is a chosen landscape / charmed by masquers and revellers / playing the lute and dancing and almost / sad beneath their fanciful disguises!")"
Jazz.com: " Clair de lune is perhaps the most famous work Debussy ever penned. Although Debussy's reliance on left-hand arpeggios throughout the piece can lead to a somewhat mechanical effect in the hands of less skilled performers, Clair de lune has a way of drawing the listener into its magical atmosphere. Particularly striking are the opening gestures, still and quiet, and a passage in parallel octaves that connects the opening to the more active middle-section."
You Tube link
4. St. James Infirmary
Points: 284.69
Voted by: Fred (#7), sonofsamiam (#9), Brad (#11), Henrik (#13), Charlie Driggs (#15), Mindrocker (#15 for Ellington version), Honorio (#15), Miguel (#100), everyone except Mindrocker chose Armstrong version.
Style: Vocal jazz
American folk song of anonymous writer, though sometimes credited to songwriter Joe Primrose (a pseudonym for Irving Mills).
Recorded by Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five on December 12, 1928 in Chicago, Illinois.
Released in February of 1929 on Okeh label.
Recorded by the Ten Black Berries on January 29, 1930 in New York City. Ten Black Berries was a short-lived side band of the Duke Ellington Orchestra that consisted in Irving Mills singing backed by those great musicians including Duke Ellington on piano.
Released in 1930 on Oriole label.
Wikipedia: ""St. James Infirmary Blues" is based on an 18th century traditional English folk song called "The Unfortunate Rake" (...) about a sailor who uses his money on prostitutes, and then dies of a venereal disease. Different versions of the song expand on this theme, variations typically feature a narrator telling the story of a youth "cut down in his prime" (occasionally "her prime") as a result of some morally questionable actions. (...) The title is derived from St. James Hospital in London, a religious foundation for the treatment of leprosy. It was closed in 1532 when Henry VIII acquired the land to build St. James Palace."
Wikipedia: "The song involves a man telling the singer/narrator, at a bar, how he went down to St. James Infirmary (hospital) and tragically found his girl (the so-called "baby") dead. (...) Like most such folksongs, there is much variation in the lyrics from one version to another. As a representative version, here is the first stanza as sung by Louis Armstrong: "I went down to St. James Infirmary / Saw my baby there / Set down on a long white table / So sweet, so cold, so fair / Let her go, let her go, God bless her / Wherever she may be / She can look this wide world over / She'll never find a sweet man like me."
Allmusic: "One of Louis Armstrong's most instantly recognisable pieces, "St. James Infirmary" is a bone fide classic, a song which the artist would perform for the rest of his career. His original, recorded with Earl Hines in 1928 is undoubtedly the finest version on record, still sounding vibrant, alive and full of inspiration. The music moves at a stately pace, reminding one the music at a New Orleans jazz funeral. Armstrong's trumpet is powerful and simple, and does not attempt any of the burst of notes that characterise many of the recordings of this period. Louis' vocal is also assured, and he sings it with a masterful grasp of phrasing and subtlety. One of Armstrong's finest recordings."
You Tube link (original 1928 Louis Armstrong version)
You Tube link (original 1930 Ten Black Berries version)
3. Ромео и Джульетта: Танец рыцарей
(Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights / Montagues and Capulets)
Points: 381.86
Voted by: Henrik (#1), Honorio (#1), nicolas (#11), Fred (#12 for the André Previn version), Brad (#17), Miguel (#20), sonofsamiam (#92)
Style: Modern classical
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev in 1935 on commission by the Kirov Ballet as a ballet called Ромео и Джульетта (Russian for "Romeo and Juliet") based on William Shakespeare's play . The piece "Танец рыцарей" (Russian for "Dance of the Knights") appeared on Act 1, Scene 2, Number 13 of the original ballet.
Prokofiev extracted music for the ballet for two orchestral suites in 1936, and "Montagues and Capulets" was the first movement of the Suite No. 2 from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64ter .
The premiere of the Suite No. 2 suite was held in Leningrad in 1937 . The full ballet was finally premiered in Brno, Czechoslovakia on December 30, 1938 . The first Russian premiere (after a significant revision) was in Leningrad on January 11, 1940.
Lovelives: "It is perhaps hard to imagine that Romeo and Juliet, arguably the most popular ballet for the twentieth century, has never been performed as the composer intended. Prokofiev endured five years of artistic and political interference before seeing the ballet premiered. (...) Prokofiev conceived the ballet in 1935 in collaboration with innovative Soviet dramatist Sergei Radlov, who re-imagined the familiar tragedy “as a struggle for the right to love by young, strong, and progressive people battling against feudal traditions and feudal outlooks on marriage and family.” Prokofiev then set down to work, creating a score that involved transcendence, not tragedy (...) What followed has no parallel in ballet history. The artistic climate in Stalin’s Russia darkened: in dance, music, and drama, timidly conservative neoclassicism supplanted exciting, accessible innovation. Not only was Prokofiev forced to rewrite the ending of the ballet – replacing the entire fourth act with an epilogue, he was forced to insert large-scale solo dances breaking up the dramatic flow. The Kirov Theater dancers complained about the difficulty of the rhythms; the original choreographer, Leonid Lavrovsky, insisted on a thickening of the orchestration. As the demands piled up, Prokofiev became increasingly frustrated, but each time, he complied with them. The ballet received its Russian premiere in 1940. When Prokofiev saw it, he had a hard time recognizing his own music."
Allmusic: "Montagues and Capulets (...) begins with a gradually layered brass chord that results in a crushing dissonance soon resolved into soft string chords, all of which represents the conflict between Romeo's family and Juliet's. The sequence is repeated once, then goes straight into what in the full ballet is called Dance of the Knights; this is the heavy, snarling, angular march-like music to which the macho Capulet men dance at their masked ball. This contrasts with a delicate, somewhat unsettling minor-mode woodwind minuet for Juliet and her suitor, the young nobleman Paris. The knights' music returns, again exploiting the orchestra's lowest registers."
Wikipedia: "A dark and atmospheric piece, it has become a de facto signature tune for the Soviet era, and is used as the soundtrack for numerous dramas, documentaries and adverts that have Soviet subject matter".
My personal comments: "The introduction of the piece "Montagues and Capulets" from the "Romeo and Juliet" Suite for Orchestra (not on the "Dance of the Knights" of the original music for the ballet) builds from silence climaxing quickly into an impressive disonant orchestral chord. A friend of mine used to say that this chord "contain all the music in the world". Maybe he was true but for me the real highlight is that dramatic ascending and descending melody played by the string section over an ominous march rhythm sustained by the double basses and horns. The sounds of the tragedy."
You Tube link ("Montagues and Capulets" from the orchestral suite with that intro)
You Tube link ("Dance of the Knights" from the ballet music)
2. Rhapsody in Blue
Points: 393.09
Voted by: Brad (#1), sonofsamiam (#6), Fred (#10), Miguel (#13), Alex D (#13), Charlie Driggs (#20 for Paul Whiteman Orchestra version), Henrik (#35), Honorio (#43).
Style: Classical jazz
Composed by George Gershwin on 1924 for piano and jazz band, orchestrated by Ferde Grofé (that also made a version for larger orchestra in 1942 that it’s now the most commonly performed).
Premiered on February 12, 1924 at Aeolian Hall in New York in a concert entitled An Experiment in Modern Music by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra with George Gershwin on piano.
The first recording was made by George Gershwin with Paul Whiteman Orchestra on June 10, 1924 and released on two sides in 1924 on Victor label.
Allmusic: "Toward the end of 1923, popular bandleader Paul Whiteman asked Gershwin if he'd consider writing a jazz concerto for his orchestra. Grshwin informally agreed to do so and returned to his regular beat of writing songs for Broadway shows. Imagine Gershwin's surprise on January 4, 1924, when his brother Ira brought along that day's edition of the New York Evening Herald, wherein Whiteman announced that George's jazz concerto was to be premiered at a program at New York's Aeolian Hall entitled "An Experiment in Modern Music" on February 12. This was barely more than a month away."
Wikipedia: "Since there were only five weeks left, Gershwin hastily set about composing a piece, and on the train journey to Boston, the ideas of Rhapsody in Blue came to his mind. He told his first biographer Isaac Goldberg in 1931: "It was on the train, with its steely rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so often so stimulating to a composer – I frequently hear music in the very heart of the noise... And there I suddenly heard, and even saw on paper – the complete construction of the Rhapsody, from beginning to end. (...) I heard it as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our blues, our metropolitan madness. By the time I reached Boston I had a definite plot of the piece"."
Wikipedia: "The opening of Rhapsody in Blue is written as a clarinet trill followed by a legato 17-note rising diatonic scale. During a rehearsal, Whiteman's virtuoso clarinetist, Ross Gorman, rendered the upper portion of the scale as a captivating (and fully trombone-like) glissando: Gershwin heard it and insisted that it be repeated in the performance. An American Heritage columnist called it the "famous opening clarinet glissando... that has become as familiar as the start of Beethoven's Fifth"."
David Schiff on the introduction of his book about Rhapsody in Blue: "In a century characterized by the unpopularity of its most prestigious music, the popular success of Rhapsody in Blue has made it suspect. Critics might accept it as a better example of light music, but would not place it next to the works of Stravinsky, Schoenber or Bartók. (...) The persistence of the classification problem points to the hardening of musical categories in this century, as popular and high forms differentiated themselves from each other. Despite its tendency, "high" composers have pursued projects of gebrauschsmusik and other ways of returning to the everyday world or abolishing the supposed boundaries betwwen art and life, and pop musicians from Gershwin to Benny Goodman, Frank Zappa or Paul McCartney have tried to cross over into the classical area. Gershwin's success in both fields, however, remains unique. (...) Jazz writers, both black and white, have accused him of gross appropriation of an idiom that was not rightfully his. They cite the Rhapsody as a prime example of commercially succesful fake jazz, part of a long history of cultural theft from Stephen Foster's plantation songs to the Beastie Boys' white rap. While the facts of racial injustice are indisputable, however, the relation of black and white musicians in the formation of many musical styles associated with jazz is a complex subject. In music, appropriation is often the sincerest form of admiration. Rhapsody in Blue is an enduring monument to the love affair of Americans – and people around the world – with the African-American idiom that became the most influential language of twentieth-century music."
You Tube link (original 1924 recording with Gershwin on piano)
You Tube link (version for full orchestra played and directed by Leonard Bernstein, Part 1)
You Tube link (Part 2)
The Number 1
And here it is, the same picture that opened the thread, the image of a young and defiant Billie Holiday with here eyes wide shut, the image of the African-American people that created the most vibrant music from the first half of the XX Century. Her protest song "Strange Fruit" won our poll by a large margin (629.41 points, 236.32 points more than the second qualified). Ladies and gentlemen, here it is...
1. Strange Fruit
Points: 629.41
Voted by: sonofsamiam (#1), Charlie Driggs (#2), Honorio (#2), Mindrocker (#3), nicolas (#3), Brad (#5), Henrik (#9), Fred (#13)
Position in AM 3000: #114 of all time and #1 of the 1930s
Style: Jazz-blues
Written by Abel Meeropol in 1936 (published as a poem under the pen name of Lewis Allan), later he put music himself to his poem.
Recorded by Billie Holiday and Her Orchestra including Sonny White on piano on April 20, 1939 in New York City.
Released in May of 1939 on Commodore label.
Wikipedia: ""Strange Fruit" was a poem written by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish high-school teacher from the Bronx, about the lynching of two black men. He published under the pen name Lewis Allan. In the poem, Meeropol expressed his horror at lynchings, possibly after having seen Lawrence Beitler's photograph of the 1930 lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abran Smith in Marion, Indiana. He published the poem in 1936 in The New York Teacher, a union magazine. Though Meeropol/Allan had often asked others (notably Earl Robinson) to set his poems to music, he set "Strange Fruit" to music himself. The piece gained a certain success as a protest song in and around New York. Meeropol, his wife and black vocalist Laura Duncan performed it at Madison Square Garden."
Wikipedia: "Barney Josephson, the founder of Cafe Society in Greenwich Village, New York's first integrated nightclub, heard the song and introduced it to Billie Holiday. Holiday first performed the song at Cafe Society in 1939. She said that singing it made her fearful of retaliation, but because its imagery reminded her of her father, she continued to sing it. (...) Holiday approached her recording label, Columbia, about the song, but the company feared reaction by record retailers in the South, as well as negative reaction from affiliates of its co-owned radio network, CBS. Even John Hammond, Holiday's producer, refused. She turned to friend Milt Gabler, whose Commodore label produced alternative jazz. Holiday sang "Strange Fruit" for him a cappella, and moved him to tears. In 1939, Gabler worked out a special arrangement with Vocalion Records to record and distribute the song. Columbia allowed Holiday a one-session release from her contract in order to record it".
Allmusic: "Billie Holiday's signature song signaled the maturation of a 24-year-old popular big-band singer into a serious jazz singer, an artist, and a force for social change. Debuting at the Cafe Society club in Manhattan, one of the few rare places where blacks and whites could mingle, Holiday used her famous halting, howling delivery and unique phrasing to pass on this sobering and haunting message, a poetic blues that looked unflinchingly at the lynching of African-American men in the American South. (...) Barney Josefson, sensing the importance of the piece and feeling that people "should have their insides burned out" by the song, devised a nightly ritual for the song's performance: Every activity in the club would come to a halt, waiters would stand in the back, the registers would silence, and the lights would go down to darkness except for a simple spotlight on Holiday, who would sing the song and walk offstage with no bow and no encores. The initial effect was reportedly stunned silence. Holiday notes in her autobiography: "There wasn't even a patter of applause when I finished. Then a lone person began to clap nervously. Then suddenly everybody was clapping." (...) Holiday's accompanist, pianist Bobby Tucker, noted on NPR's syndicated program "The Connection" that, even though the song became sort of an act, Holiday would break down after every performance of it. The impact of the song has not lessened with time. If anything, it has grown more intense within the context of history. The controversy of the song continues as well, with some jazz radio programmers -- intent more on entertainment -- still refusing to play it, as it stirs up such "negative" feelings as deep sadness, anger, and guilt."
My personal comments: "The best song of the first half of the XX Century according to AM Forum is this protest song that portrays solemnly the lynching of black people in America. And that’s because it represents like no other song the soul of the African American people, this immeasurable sadness that sums decades and centuries of suffering and injustice. Everyone would file this song under the label of jazz but it surely got this thing that it's called the blues."
You Tube link (original 1939 studio version for Commodore Records)
You Tube link (excellent documentary about the background of "Strange Fruit")
And, after wiping the tears from my eyes after listening again to "Strange Fruit", it's time to say goodbye. That was all for the 1900-1949 poll, except some statistics (decade breakdown, personal Top 10s and favourite artists) that I will post tomorrow along with the Excel list. Hope you enjoyed this trip to the past as much a I did (and that was a lot). And many thanks again to Mr. Dobyan, Mr. Calhoun, Mr. Eichele, Mr. Green, Mr. Franzon, Mr. Fred (sorry, I don't know your surname), Mr. Lejeune, Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Reijers. Your magnificent lists made a Top 500 that in my opinion it's the best you can find on the web about that music period. Good night. But stay tuned, the 1950s are coming...
Many thanks, Fred and Miguel!!
The artist list goes like this:
271. Alban Berg
270. Attila the Hun
269. Willy Derby
268. Todd Duncan
267. Robert Wilkins
266. Vera Lynn
265. Oscar Alemán
264. The Andrews Sisters
263. Antonio Mairena
262. Don Byas
261. Vassilis Tsitsanis
260. Billy Murray
259. Big Jay McNeeley's Blue Jays
258. Washington Phillips
257. Robert Nighthawk
256. Dexter Gordon
255. Wynonie Harris
254. Flatt & Scruggs
253. Sonny Greer
252. Spike Jones
251. Paul Robeson
250. Clarence Williams
249. Kostas Bezos
248. Henry Cowell
247. Beniamino Gigli
246. Alfred G. Carnes
245. Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán
244. Victoria Spivey
243. Ann Miller
242. Gustavo Pascual Falcó
241. Harry Marlow
240. The Ravens
239. Kokomo Arnold
238. Bertolt Brecht
237. Nelstone's Hawaiians
236. Rita Hayworth
235. Roy Eldridge
234. Bukka White
233. Arthur Collins
232. Iry LeJeune
231. Harry C. Browne
230. Merle Travis
229. Gene Krupa
228. Ramón Montoya
227. Charles Penrose
226. Paul Williams & His Hucklebuckers
225. Hobart Smith
224. Lil' Green
223. The Caresser
222. Mae West
221. Southern Sons
220. Tampa Red
219. The Texas Blue Destroyers
218. Johnny Moore's Three Blazers
217. Vernon Dalhart
216. Yves Montand
215. Celina y Reutilio
214. Jimpson
213. Eddie Head & His Family
212. Léo Marjane
211. Lovie Austin
210. Roy Brown
209. Blind Gary Davis
208. Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell
207. John H. Glover-Kind
206. Buck Washington
205. Luis Russell & His Orchestra
204. Jimmie Davis
203. Arthur Pryor
202. Dave Tarras
201. The Stripling Brothers
200. Berthe Sylva
199. Wingy Manone
198. Aaron Copland
197. Lizzie Miles
196. Tex Williams
195. Oscar Peterson
194. Stuff Smith
193. Slam Stewart
192. Jesse Stone
191. Ethel Waters
190. Constantin le Rieur
189. Sonny Terry
188. The Cats and The Fiddle
187. Zez Confrey
186. Roy Smeck
185. Art Tatum
184. Jazz Gillum
183. Santiago Lope Gonzalo
182. Smilin' Smokey Lynn
181. The Ink Spots
180. Charlie Poole
179. Ralph Vaughan Williams
178. Chick Webb
177. John Lee Sonny Boy Williamson
176. Cal Stewart
175. Lightnin' Hopkins
174. Charlie Chaplin
173. Tommy McClennan
172. Emmett Miller & His Georgia Crackers
171. Fletcher Henderson
170. Amos Milburn
169. Miles Davis
168. Cliff Edwards
167. Al Bernard
166. Cecil Gant
165. DeZurik Sisters
164. King Radio
163. Blind Lemon Jefferson
162. William H. Reitz
161. A.A. Gray & Seven-Foot Dilly
160. Ken Maynard
159. Naftule Brandwein
158. Mills Brothers
157. John Cage
156. Sister Mary Nelson
155. Raymond Scott
154. George J. Gaskin & Joe Belmont
153. Casey Bill Weldon
152. Manuel Penella
151. John Taylor
150. Memphis Minnie
149. Bull Moose Jackson
148. Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers
147. Charles Ives
146. Jimmie Lunceford
145. Bill Johnson's Louisiana Jug Band
144. Amália Rodrigues
143. Long "Cleve" Reed & Little Harvey Hull
142. Maxine Sullivan
141. José López Alavéz
140. King Oliver's Jazz Band
139. Erik Satie
138. Jimmie Noone
137. Fats Waller
136. Al Jolson
135. Original Dixieland Jazz Band
134. Gene Autry
133. Harry Choates
132. Doolie Wilson
131. Dinah Shore
130. Marlene Dietrich
129. Charlie Johnson
128. George Lewis
127. John Benghu
126. Big Maceo
125. Federico García Lorca - La Argentinita
124. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
123. Sam McGee
122. Arnold Schoenberg
121. Cleoma & Ophy Breaux with Joe Falcon
120. Muddy Waters
119. International Brigades
118. Lena Horne
117. Rex Stewart
116. Harry Revel, Les Baxter and Dr. Samuel J. Hoffman
115. Machito
114. Sol Hoopii
113. Gustav Holst
112. Miklós Rózsa
111. Charley Patton
110. Johnny Marvin
109. Blind Blake
108. The Harlem Hamfats
107. Roy Acuff
106. Lonnie Johnson
105. Kurt Gerron
104. Bascom Lamar Lunsford
103. Big Joe Williams
102. Gerardo Matos Rodríguez
101. Edgard Varèse
100. Bing Crosby
99. Clarence Ashley
98. Hoagy Carmichael
97. Harry Lauder
96. Count Basie
95. Henry Thomas
94. Dick Justice
93. Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
92. Mississippi Sheiks
91. Big Bill Broonzy
90. Mary Lou Williams
89. Golden Gate Quartet
88. The Stanley Brothers
87. Buddy Boy Hawkins
86. Alfred Aholo Apaka
85. Jelly Roll Morton
84. The Monroe Brothers
83. Patsy Montana
82. Rina Ketty
81. Lord Invader, MacBeth the Great and the Duke of Iron
80. Antonio Álvarez Alonso
79. Cootie Williams
78. Gustav Mahler
77. Max Steiner
76. Uncle Dave Macon
75. Jack McVea
74. Growling Tiger
73. Mississippi John Hurt
72. Nat 'King' Cole
71. Paul Whiteman
70. The Orioles
69. Coleman Hawkins
68. Remo Giazotto
67. Giacomo Puccini
66. Stan Kenton
65. Dmitri Shostakovich
64. Ernst Busch
63. Trío Matamoros
62. George W. Johnson
61. Xavier Cugat
60. Walter Huston
59. Joaquín Rodrigo
58. Béla Bartók
57. Cole Porter
56. The Lion
55. Francisco Alves
54. Manuel de Falla
53. The Carter Family
52. Charles Trenet
51. Bill Monroe
50. Skip James (biggest fan sonofsamiam)
49. Carl Orff (biggest fan Henrik)
48. Son House (biggest fan sonofsamiam)
47. Kate Smith (biggest fans Brad and Charlie Driggs)
46. Concha Piquer (biggest fan Miguel)
45. Ella Fitzgerald (biggest fan Fred)
44. Blind Willie McTell (biggest fan nicolas)
43. Olivier Messiaen (biggest fan sonofsamiam)
42. Lotte Lenya (biggest fan Honorio)
41. Lionel Hampton (biggest fan Midrocker)
40. Frank Sinatra (biggest fan Brad)
39. Sidney Bechet (biggest fan Charlie Driggs)
38. Fred Astaire (biggest fan Brad)
37. Sister Rosetta Tharpe (biggest fan Charlie Driggs)
36. Kurt Weill (biggest fan Charlie Driggs)
35. Samuel Barber (biggest fan Henrik)
34. Artie Shaw (biggest fan Midrocker)
33. Mahalia Jackson (biggest fan Brad)
32. Sergey Rachmaninov (biggest fan Fred)
31. Cab Calloway (biggest fan Alex D)
30. Antonio Machín (biggest fan Miguel)
29. Jimmie Rodgers (biggest fan nicolas)
28. Anton Karas (biggest fan Miguel)
27. Hot Lips Page (biggest fan Midrocker)
26. John Lee Hooker (biggest fan Fred)
25. Dizzy Gillespie (biggest fan sonofsamiam)
24. Maurice Ravel (biggest fan Henrik)
23. Bessie Smith (biggest fan Brad)
22. Édith Piaf (biggest fan Brad)
21. Benny Goodman (biggest fan Alex D)
20. Judy Garland (biggest fan Honorio)
19. Thelonious Monk (biggest fan Alex D)
18. Charlie Parker (biggest fan Fred)
17. Woody Guthrie (biggest fan Honorio)
16. Igor Stravinsky (biggest fan sonofsamiam)
15. Louis Jordan (biggest fan Honorio)
14. Blind Willie Johnson (biggest fan sonofsamiam)
13. Carlos Gardel (biggest fan Miguel)
12. Claude Debussy (biggest fan sonofsamiam)
11. Scott Joplin (biggest fan Miguel)
10. Sergey Prokofiev (biggest fans Henrik and Honorio)
9. Robert Johnson (biggest fan Alex D)
8. Django Reinhardt (biggest fan nicolas)
7. George Gershwin (biggest fan Fred)
6. Glenn Miller (biggest fan Miguel)
5. Louis Armstrong (biggest fan Brad)
4. Hank Williams (biggest fan Miguel)
3. Leadbelly (biggest fan nicolas)
2. Billie Holiday (biggest fan Brad)
1. Duke Ellington (biggest fans #1 Brad #2 Mindrocker #3 Charlie Driggs)
The Excel File
And that’s all, this time for good. Only a final comment: I missed some debate inside this thread. While in other threads there was an endless (and very interesting!) debates about the merits of Wilco or Arcade Fire here it seemed that everyone agreed with the final list (well, except sonofsamiam about Hank Williams). Maybe it was the kind of presentation (the list seemed canonized), maybe the merits of Arcade Fire are not so evident as, let's say, Duke Ellington (and I'm sounding like grandpa now), maybe the time passed (more than a century in some cases) has settled the dust so much that there is no place for discussion. Anyway thanks everyone again, I'm really grateful for your props and see you at the 1950s poll (first results in a couple of days).
De nada Honorio !
I forget to talk about Sibelius, who make some of the beautiful symphonies of the XX century (and poëme symphoniques).
He makes one of the most beautiful, touching and sad music ever made. You absolutly have to listen his "Valse triste"....really.
I also really appreciate your list, Romain.