Greatest Pop / Jazz Standards - Recommendations

[Aloysius]

I don't know much about this genre, but I like what I've been exposed to so far. I own a couple greatest hits / compilations from some of the greats (Sinatra, Bennett), but am looking to get some more classic recordings.

What are some of your favorite songs, vocalists or albums?

Below is the wiki definition of the type of music I'm referring to:

The term pop standards refers to an American songwriting, arranging, and singing style that is widely considered as the high point of Western vocal popular music. The terms standards or American standards are also sometimes used.

This style was at its heyday from the 1930s, throughout World War II, and into the post-war era. It dominated popular music until the birth of rock n' roll in the mid-1950s. Singers packed houses across the country, and the advent and subsequent widespread popularity of radio and movies enabled their music, personalities and distinctive vocal styles to catapult them to superstar status.

As a genre it was embodied by a remarkable and diverse group of singers, writers and stylemakers. Jazz pioneers Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Paul Whiteman first popularized jazz music among a diverse audience. Meanwhile Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and other Tin Pan Alley and Broadway songwriters popularized the "Great American Songbook". Soon afterward, radio introduced millions of Americans to the same songs, often written by artists like Hoagy Carmichael, or sung in a more soothing, personal style by crooners like Rudy Vallee or Bing Crosby.

The big band era further developed the genre of "pop standards". Bandleaders like Tommy Dorsey, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, and Count Basie continued to innovate. Big band singers, who had previously been considered instrumentalists and were rarely singled out, now became huge stars, like Frank Sinatra, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Shore.

-Al

[turnipmonster]

I know hundreds of these tunes and here are my personal favorites:

stardust (note sinatra's version contains only the verse)
the nearness of you
they can't take that away from me
but beautiful
while we're young
I'll be seeing you

al, I really highly recommend tony bennett on the album "tony bennett and bill evans". also, ella fitzgerald has a songbook series (i.e. the cole porter songbook, kern songbook, etc) which is fairly comprehensive and a very good overview.

edit: another highly recommended record is willie nelson's "stardust".

[MrWookie]

While that wiki definition is accurate I suppose, they didn't give Ellington nearly enough credit. Sure, Gershwin and Cole Porter wrote a bunch of songs you know, but Ellington was way, way more prolific and influential than either of those two. While this genre didn't start with Ellington, and it didn't end with him, he's hugely responsible for just about everything in the middle. A lot of his music is instrumental, though. The first place I'd start looking for stuff to is when Ella Fitzgerald is singing with him. Ella's singing is just so good, both from a technical stand point and for her improvizations. I recently picked up an album of Ella singing with Basie, too, I think called "A Classy Pair" that features some excellent tracks. Not only Ella's singing, but Basie's piano is great, too.

[Aloysius]

Turnip - awesome, thanks. You rule at knowing about music I like alot and want to know more about (also jazz pianists). Putting in an amazon order right now:

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Songbook

Tony Bennett & Bill Evans

Sinatra: September of My Years

I like "The Nearness of You" alot... is it lame I like Norah Jones' version almost as much as Sinatra's? [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

-Al

[Aloysius]

Wookie - prescient post, thanks - I was just gonna ask how accurate that wiki definition is.

Sounds like a good foundation, for composers, is to listen to alot of Gershwin, Porter, and Ellington? Vocalists: Ella, Sinatra, Bennett?

-Al

[turnipmonster]

norah's version is one of my favorites, right behind fred hersch (solo piano). let us know what you think of the cds!

[turnipmonster]

I agree about ellington, he can never have too much credit, but a lot of his stuff (as you know) goes far beyond the realm of the popular song. duke could write pop songs with the best of them, but in terms of writing the quintessential popular song it's hard to place him above someone like hoagy carmichael. of course, it's silly to talk about duke in terms of the just the popular song, since he had so much more [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

[bisonbison]

Turnip, can you recommend a vocal recording of Shadow of Your Smile?

That was my dad's signature piano song, and I'd like to hear it sung.


OP: I'd really recommend picking up some Etta James and Nina Simone.

[econophile]

georgia on my mind

[turnipmonster]

tony bennett is pretty famous for that particular song. also iirc astrud gilberto's rendition is good. that's a great tune, note johnny mandel also wrote the theme to tv show M.A.S.H ("suicide is painless").