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Posted: |
Jul 1, 2013 - 2:55 AM
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By: |
Regie
(Member)
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Thanks Regie. That is a gorgeous rendition of a gorgeous song. Many years ago I used to think that Richard Rodgers was my favorite show music composer, but I changed my mind with John McGlinn's Showboat and by exploring more of Kern's musical scores. From frothy musicals to Showboat to sophisticated, deep and timeless songs like All The Things You are and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Kern had a breadth of styles and composition that has rarely been matched. I had the opportunity to meet John Kander about 5 years ago and I asked him who his favorite composer was. Guess who he said... Kern!
Thanks so much for your comments! With all my heart I love this music, and so does Woody Allen!! Kern, Porter, Gershwin et al all turn up in his films!!
I have that recording of "Showboat" of which you speak. And I just bought the DVD of the 1951 film, with Howard Keel and Kathryn Grayson (though I never liked her voice!). The dancing of Madge & Gower Champion was just sensational.
Because it was based on a book by Edna Ferber (one of my favourites by her is "Come and Get it"!), there are very dark themes indeed in this musical. It's essentially operetta, IMO.
Where are the Kerns, Porters, Gershwins, Rodgers, Berlins of today PLEASE?
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Posted: |
Jul 1, 2013 - 3:59 AM
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By: |
MusicMad
(Member)
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...
Where are the Kerns, Porters, Gershwins, Rodgers, Berlins of today PLEASE?
I do so agree with your sentiment. My first non-film music albums were artists such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Matt Monro and Doris Day. In the early-mid 70s it was mostly compilation albums and over the years I've replaced these with CD releases of their original vinyl albums.
And the names of the composers/lyricists, time and time again, were those you list above. I'd also include van Heusen, Burke, Warren, Styne, Lane, Mercer ...
Maybe not for the American Stage musical but certainly for its immediate successor ... Hollywood.
Nothing lasts forever and tastes do change. I continue to hope - in my ageing years - that the style - and material - of the song stylist will return. When more modern artists such as Williams, Ferry, Stewart ... turn to the American SongBook for material I think there's hope. 
Mitch
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With all my heart I love this music, and so does Woody Allen!! Kern, Porter, Gershwin et al all turn up in his films!!
Woody Allen used "All the Things You Are" in his DECONSTRUCTING HARRY, performed by the Art Tatum-Ben Webster Quartet. It also appeared in NEW YORK STORIES (the Woody Allen segment?), performed by David Rose and His Orchestra.
MGM made great use of the 1939 song. It first appeared in an MGM musical in 1944's BROADWAY RHYTHM, sung by Ginny Simms. Then Tony Martin sang the song in the 1947 Kern biopic TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY. And it also appeared in Mario Lanza's SEVEN HILLS OF ROME (1958).
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Posted: |
Jul 1, 2013 - 1:22 PM
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By: |
philiperic
(Member)
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From the early years of tv I saw Kern's Centennial Summer with its wonderful score. I don't believe it's ever been released on DVD.
The soundtrack includes such tuneful songs as "I Woke Up with the Lark This Morning," "In Love in Vain" and " All through the Day". It was paired with the 1945 "State Fair" on a Hollywood Sounstage CD. I've never seen it in color. It's rarely shown onto now. Are the original music tracks existing. A legit CD would be nice.
I was watching CENTENNIAL SUMMER last night , coincidentally-- it has a lovely, forgotten score , probably because the film has never been released on video/dvd - it actually would be a perfect choice for Twilight Time for Blu-Ray - it has dazzling Technicolor and a wonderful cast(Jeanne Crain, Cornel Wilde, Linda Darnell, Walter Brennan, Constance Bennett, Dorothy Gish) but most of them do not sing their own songs (including "I Was Up with the Lark This Morning" , "The Right Romance" + "Cinderella Sue"). It is , I believe , Fox's take on MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS - the similarties are numerous (i.e. it takes place at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition ) - and of course, it doesnt match the classic MGM musical - but it is still quite well done and as Kern's last score , a film to be remembered and preserved.
I love the music of Jerome Kern -- especially SHOWBOAT and ROBERTA - melodies to die for - that never grow old. Even though it is not an accurate biopic of Kern's life, MGM's TIL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY has many of the best Kern songs sung by the likes of Judy Garland, Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra .
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Posted: |
Jul 1, 2013 - 3:53 PM
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By: |
Regie
(Member)
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@philiperic:
Couldn't agree more with your sentiments. And both "Showboat" and "Till the Clouds Roll By" feature the wonderful orchestrations of Conrad Salinger!! Unforgettable.
And I don't think Kern's tunes will ever date, however the lyrics have certainly dated. I saw a TV program about Kern in the late 1970's and a musician demonstrated, at the piano, Kern's wonderful harmonies and enharmonic modulations. He was essentially a 'conservatoire' popular composer, as were Porter and Rodgers, and by God it shows in their work. Not to belittle in any way the amazing, phenomenal and perennially glorious George Gershwin or Irving Berlin who made another kind of journey to Broadway and film: 'tin pan alley'!!
Rodgers, in his autobiography "Musical Stages", talks about writing for the connoisseur and tells of conducting one of his shows on Broadway in which he had paraphrased only a few bars of Tchaikovsky in the music. Rodgers said he heard one person in the audience laugh and he noted; "this is the person I am composing for"!! He was after the learned listener who would appreciate the inner workings of his music - because he was trained that way himself.
Yes, this is light music but the snobbery which attaches to art music (kunstmusik) would have it as something inferior to the concert hall when, in fact, it is brilliant for what it is. I've always argued that most of these songwriters were AS GOOD AS SCHUBERT when he wrote his Lieder. My piano teacher nearly chocked when I said that, but I stick by it decades after saying so.
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Posted: |
Jul 1, 2013 - 5:01 PM
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By: |
edwzoomom
(Member)
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Thank you so much Regie for sharing this. I just finished listening to this lovely rendition. It gave me chills. I once heard Beverly Sills sing this on television and loved that beautiful performance as well. I have a digital copy of Kern's Very Warm For May. I seem to recall an LP copy in our house growing up but long gone of course. Thanks again Regie.
The pleasure is all mine and it grows by the day - amazingly enough!! Just when you think you love this music, you find you love it more. This says A LOT about the nature of the music itself and its artistry, don't you think?
(Anecdote: a friend has asked me consistently to come and stay with her up the coast, "we can shop together". I won't go because shopping is a chore and she won't stay at home and just talk to me because, to her, talking is a "chore". Actually, I can think of no greater pleasure than being on my own - listening to music and/or reading about it (and watching excellent films, of course).
In answer to your first question, the artistry and the intricacy can take you back to a different time along with making you grateful that you have such ready access to it and lovely memories of it - that is powerful.
And yes, the pleasure of listening - even if only to a YouTube snippet - can change the course of your day and beats shopping anytime - and this comes from a woman (no stereo typing intended)
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This is my all time favorite.
As usual -spot on, Bob.
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