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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.