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| Song Background | |
| The song “Skylark” came about through the efforts of both Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer. The original melody was written by Hoagy Carmichael for a musical about his deceased friend Bix Beiderbecke, an influential trumpeter of the time. While the musical was never produced, Johnny Mercer went on to write the lyrics for the tune. While the orriginal melody written by Hoagy Carmichael is said to pay hommage, at least in terms of phrasing, to Bix Biederbecke’s trumpet playing, the lyrics by Mercer refer to his longing for Judie Garland with whom he had an affair. One of the earliest recordings of the song was by Anita O’Day with the gene Krupa Orchestra in 1941. Many other artists have recorded the song including Glenn Miller and Ella Fitzgerald. | |
| Suggested Listening | |
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Jackie Paris Album – Singles True to the melody, soulful, lots of feeling. A great version to listen to for words and phrasing |
Hoagy Carmichael Album – Music of Hoagy Carmichael By the composer himself |
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Tal Farlow Album – The Ultimate Jazz Archive Tal makes extensive use of harmonics in this version. I will be looking at the technique of harmonics in the guitar lessons |
Jim Hall Album – Dialogues Gentle solo jazz guitar from American guitarist Jim Hall. Lovely solo lines interspersed with guitar chords in Jim Hall’s introduction. |
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Wynton Marsalis Album – Standards Vol 3 Beautiful trumpet playing from Wynton Marsalis |
Which artist’s version of Skylark would you recommend? Tell me about it and I can feature it here |
