This guy wrote two pieces of film music that later became jazz standards as well as a kind of Disneyesque tune that also has been covered by pop singers of various stripes but apart from that, nothing else of note? Not sure how long this thread will go but feel like it’s worth a try. Feel free to discuss his famous tunes or anything else you come up with, I’ll be back later.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 14:37 (one year ago) link
His most famous tune is "On Green Dolphin Street," although often people leave out the initial "On." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGVdAlxlp18
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:14 (one year ago) link
Typical the A section is played with kind of a Latin feel of sorts whilst the B section is played Swing.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:15 (one year ago) link
It was the title tune of a sort of Gothic 1947 Lana Turner film, her next film after The Postman Always Rings Twice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJdszk9D4PQ
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:21 (one year ago) link
He is credited in the film as Bronislau Kaper. Words were added at some point by the lyricist Ned Washington. He is not a big name, even a maven such as the late Michael Bourne of WBGO's "Singers Unlimited" once mistakenly referred to him as Ned *Hamilton* but he did write lyrics to for some other Hollywood hits, most notably "When You Wish Upon a Star" along with "Stella By Starlight" both of which were suprising to me when I just saw them here:https://www.songhall.org/profile/Ned_Washington
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:31 (one year ago) link
For reference here is Sarah Vaughan singing the lyrics, although later for guessable reasons she dispensed with them:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8yUoFv1e3c
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:33 (one year ago) link
Sassy, a few decades later:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVjQiXz3FZE
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:34 (one year ago) link
Here is an appreciation of the visual effects of the titular film. http://nzpetesmatteshot.blogspot.com/2012/03/green-dolphin-street-oscar-winning.html
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:36 (one year ago) link
Ned Washington also wrote the lyrics to "Town WIthout Pity"!https://www.kuvo.org/stories-of-standards-on-green-dolphin-street-2/
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:42 (one year ago) link
Miles Davis's version(s) of "On Green Dolphin Street" was apparently the breakout version that launched a thousand more but I really dig one that predated it done by The Poll WInners aka Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne and Ray Brown.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EHOwHqa9Vs
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:45 (one year ago) link
And the Latin A/Swing B format is already thoroughly in place.
The other song of his that became a jazz standard also is usually done as with a Latin A and Swing B (sometimes just mostly Martin Denny-style Latin all the way through), this being "Invitation," here sung by Sarah Vaughan on the same album as the one before.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Qt3Y7IxsM
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 20:49 (one year ago) link
This tune also first appeared in a Lana Turner film, this time 1950’s A Life of Her Own.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVSS57Wp3P4
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:06 (one year ago) link
But it didn’t catch fire until it appeared in the 1952 film Invitation.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gwcvKEd3Zc
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:09 (one year ago) link
No Lana Turner in this one though. Dorothy McGuire instead, opposite Van Johnson.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:11 (one year ago) link
This time the words were provided by a slightly more well-known lyrical warhorse, Paul Francis Webster.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:17 (one year ago) link
Although his only previous mention here was for his kind of surprising appearance as the lyricist for that ancient earworm, the theme music for the old cheapo animation series Spiderman. ILMs 101 FAVOURITE TV THEMES OF ALL TIME COUNTDOWN FEVER
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:25 (one year ago) link
Forgot the hyphen in Spider-Man, sorry.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:29 (one year ago) link
He also wrote the lyrics to standards like "Secret Love" from sinkah's favorite film Calamity Jane -Whip-Crack-Away!- as well as one of my faves "Baltimore Oriole."
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:32 (one year ago) link
He also wrote the lyrics to "The Shadow of Your Smile," not sure how I feel about that one.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:41 (one year ago) link
In any case the lyrics to "Invitation" have some infelicities and vagueness but basically fit the mood of the song, whereas those of "On Green Dolphin Street" are just pure placeholders. I recently learned that half of the lyrics to this version by Cyrille Aimee that I have listened to many, many times where written by the singer herself.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmFW3UWY9OY
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:46 (one year ago) link
It's kind of cool though. She just kind of wrote a second half continuing with the vibe and language of the first go-round. A seamless join imo.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 21:50 (one year ago) link
Cal Tjader seems to have recorded it more than once. I like this version from 1963’s Soña Libré.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD-k8jwoigM
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 22:57 (one year ago) link
From 1962’s Standard Coltrane.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrDWSTjZbyg
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 23:00 (one year ago) link
Recently came across this Tom Harrell version and can't get enough of it. From his first album Aurora in 1976, later reissued as Total!.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blmIYqLNmsk
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 23:06 (one year ago) link
Actually he also wrote another jazz standard I don't really know called "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" that I just came across. Here's Bud Powell playing it.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f99_Tn5vXh8
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 23:21 (one year ago) link
And Barry Harris.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzme5yxFVCA
Don't even remember the original version song by Ivie Anderson A Day at the Races in 1937. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSK508WDkM8
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 23:26 (one year ago) link
Here is the full song.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pfbGndS7Ps
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 23:28 (one year ago) link
Another youtube posting of it has the following comment:
Chip Stern8 years agoOne of the greatest, most under-appreciated vocalists in the history of American music. What a spirit! And such a great song--if you dig it, by all means check out how Bud Powell turns it into a bebop anthem
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 23:29 (one year ago) link
Just found a great version of “Invitation” sung by Rosemary Clooney, the lead track from her 1963 album Love that was recorded in 1961, a collaboration with Nelson Riddle, with whom she was having a affair! Guess I’ll have to reread Girl Singer.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns0Fjw36WRU
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 20 October 2022 23:53 (one year ago) link
Wasn’t really released because label at the time was RCA/Victor who didn’t put it out for some reason so Sinatra ending up buying it for Reprise.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 21 October 2022 00:04 (one year ago) link
Girl Singeris amazing by the way. Even better than I remembered it.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 21 October 2022 00:05 (one year ago) link
Oh wow. URGENT AND KEY DIGRESSION INSERTED HERE. Rosie was sitting on the couch and participating in the chat when Iggy and Bowie were on The Dinah Shore Show.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrRmddyQbNo
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 21 October 2022 00:19 (one year ago) link
Before I leave this thread for future generations to discover the night I will say that his one other song of note, while far from a jazz standard, is still a serviceable little film ditty, and has been covered many, many times, perhaps as many times as “Gloria” if maybe not quite as many times as “Louie Louie,” including once by Dinah Shore.
― We Have Never Been In Precise Modern Lovers Order (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 21 October 2022 02:01 (one year ago) link
Was watching a movie the other day that famously has no music, no soundtrack score that is, this being Executive Suite, but there is some incidental music on the soundtrack, in particular when Louis Calhern is making a phone call at The Stork Club, where the piano player starts playing something that seems to be nothing other than “Invitation.”
― Huey “Piano” Smithers-Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2023 19:27 (one year ago) link
Guess I should mention his other composition of note, which is “Hi-Lili Hi-Lo.” Here is the original version from the movie “Lili” starring Leslie Caron.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLIUzUnoomY
― Huey “Piano” Smithers-Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2023 19:29 (one year ago) link
Here is a version by Dinah Shore along with our old friend Frank De Vol.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaIhCmQumIg
― Huey “Piano” Smithers-Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2023 19:31 (one year ago) link
Britishes may remember the driving upbeat version by The Alan Price Set.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ0Rn-ReVUQ
― Huey “Piano” Smithers-Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2023 19:33 (one year ago) link
Bizarrely there was a film on TV earlier on where I was momentarily distracted by the cool titles and extremely bombastic theme music - which I noticed was composed by Bronislaw Kape. Then I noticed George Peppard was playing a German Jew and turned it over.
― Maggot Bairn (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 February 2023 20:14 (one year ago) link
... Kaper.
Interesting. The only film I can find connecting him to George Peppard is HOME FROM THE HILL.https://moviemusicuk.us/2016/03/01/bronislau-kaper-fathers-of-film-music-part-14/
― Huey “Piano” Smithers-Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2023 20:57 (one year ago) link
Oh wait, maybe it is TOBRUK.https://sdtom.wordpress.com/2011/08/02/tobruk-1967kaper/
― Huey “Piano” Smithers-Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2023 20:58 (one year ago) link
Indeed.
― Maggot Bairn (Tom D.), Thursday, 23 February 2023 21:28 (one year ago) link
Always get that confused with TOPKAPI.
― Huey “Piano” Smithers-Jones (James Redd and the Blecchs), Thursday, 23 February 2023 21:32 (one year ago) link
Watched a bit of LILI tonight. That song is an earworm.
― Don’t Want to Say Goodbye Jumbo (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 15 March 2024 02:39 (one week ago) link