Episode 139: Five (maybe six) More Songs With Interesting Stories.

Why the waffling between five or six songs? Well, it has to do with a new song that was created out of a saxophone solo used in I’m In The Mood for Love. Is Moody Mood For Love a new tune or a variation of an old one?

And those interpretations of I’m In The Mood For Love led to a whole new jazz vocal style called jazz vocalese. It also takes a detour into the old Our Gang (aka The Little Rascals) short films from the 30’s that I saw many years later on television.

On this week’s program you’ll also hear interesting renditions of (and stories about) two Duke Ellington tunes (It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing and I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart). The last two tunes I feature are One O’Clock Jump (including a bebop version), and Body and Soul)

One last comment: re. that version of Moody Mood for Love by King Pleasure that I play. There’s a female vocalist who comes in. Who is it? Apparently it’s Blossom Dearie. I just found that out. I should also mention (since I forgot to point it out on the podcast) that those lyrics were written by Eddie Jefferson.