Can you imagine writing a song and having it be recorded over and over for 90 years?! Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler have done just that. They wrote this song in 1932 with Cab Calloway having the first hit with it, then Bing Crosby, then Louis Armstrong, then Sinatra, etc., etc.…. Yikes!
Achieving this feat would be amazing enough but Arlen did it over and over with Stormy Weather, Let’s Fall in Love, That Old Black Magic, Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive, and many, many others, including Over the Rainbow! (which, incidentally, was voted the #1 song of the 20th Century by the RIAA and the NEA).
As the final song in my Melodic Moon project I wanted to take a minute to thank all the musicians who contributed to this project (see below) particularly Fred Sokolow whose skill, devotion, and understanding of this music provided the foundation for the whole thing. Thanks Fred!
And I want to thank YOU, the listeners, who have taken the time to not only play the music but send words of support and encouragement. It’s been wonderful!
Fred Sokolow- guitar and leadership Tony Jones- drums Gabe Davis- bass
Joe Turano- keys and sax Gaili Schoen- accordion
John Fitzgerald- vibes Roch Bordenave- trombone Spero Anthony- whistle
Background vocals- Kenji Haroutunian, Cindy Ryan, John Fitzgerald, and Brittany Abbott
Me- vocals and the occasional guitar- electric/acoustic and harmonica
Special thanks to Tony Phillips for his masterful mixing skills.
Photo- Maura Monagan Graphics- Kylie Monagan
Some songs just feel good to sing. They resonate in your chest in a way that is pleasing and comforting. “I’m Confessin’” is one of those for me. Yum.
Written in 1929 with music by Chris Smith and lyrics by Sterling Grant, it was first recorded by Fats Waller as “Lookin for Another Sweetie”. The next year it was recorded by Louis Armstrong as “I’m Confessin’” with new lyrics and while the music was exactly the same the music was credited to different composers. Hmmm. Oh, and Chris Smith was Black and the new “composers” were White. Hmmm…
I don’t know what really happened in 1930, whether the “new” songwriters just claimed the song as their own or whether Chris Smith was bought out, but the music is clearly the same and Chris Smith wrote it! I’d like to give credit where credit is due. Hope you enjoy it.
Guitar- Fred Sokolow Bass- Gabe Davis Drums- Tony Jones Hammond - Joe Turano
Mixed by Tony Phillips Photo- Maura Monagan Graphics- Kylie Monagan
This was the last song that George and Ira Gershwin wrote together. And actually George died before Ira finished the lyrics. It may have started as just another song but clearly ended as a loving tribute to his brother. George died of a brain tumor in 1937 at the age of 39. Ira lived to be 86.
With the classic line- “In time the Rockies may crumble, Gibraltar may tumble, they’re only made of clay” the song has gone on to become an enduring standard. I learned it after traveling with a friend in Europe who kept asking me if I knew the Gibraltar song. I’d say no and then she would ask again the next time I picked up a guitar. It being pre-YouTube- I had to wait till i got home to hunt down the music and learn it.
Hope you enjoy the vibe and the vibes…..
Although the song was published in the late 30s it didn’t become popular till Gene Kelly sang it to Leslie Caron in An American in Paris in 1951. Ha! 1951 the year I was born- 71 years ago today.
Guitar- Fred Sokolow Bass- Gabe Davis Drums- Tony Jones
Vibes- John Fitzgerald
Mixed by Tony Phillips
Photo- Maura Monagan Graphics- Kylie Monagan
Years ago I was part of “Can’t Sit Down” a casual band that played at corporate parties, private parties, weddings, etc. Sterling Smith, Michael J, Phil Kenzie, Mimi Rousseau, and I really had fun playing together and we covered a wide variety of musical styles. Usually, during the dinner set, we had the chance to do some standards. I don’t know if it’s because Sterling had a Buick Skylark (red convertible) or what, but Mimi sang an absolutely beautiful version of “Skylark” and I was hooked.
Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer (what a pair!) the aching longing of Mercer’s lyrics supposedly reflects his unrequited love for Judy Garland. Powerful stuff.
Guitar- Fred Sokolow Bass- Gabe Davis
Drums- Tony Jones Hammond and Sax- Joe Turano
Mixed by Tony Phillips
Photo- Maura Monagan Graphics- Kylie Monagan
You can find “Skylark” (as well as “South of the Border”, “Blue Moon”, “I Got Rhythm/Christopher Columbus,” “The Nearness of You”, “Fever” and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons”) in all the usual places: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, etc. “Hey Siri! Play Blue Moon by Michael Monagan!” “Hey Alexa!”
Years ago at a Garden Weasels rehearsal I remember hearing our keyboard player sing “South of the Border” and immediately liking it and wanting to learn it. I’ve been singing it ever since. It’s the story of a foolish American tourist toying with the heart of a Mexican señorita and then realizing the error of his ways returning to Mexico only to find that she has become a nun. You fool!
We’re lucky to have Gaili join us on accordion adding her salsa to the meal; as well as the Porch Pandemic Players singing on the tag-" Aye yay yay yaaaay!”
“South of the Border” was written for a 1939 movie of the same name and sung by who else, Gene Autry!
Fred Sokolow- guitar Tony Jones- drums
Gabe Davis- bass Joe Turano- B3
Gaili Schoen- accordion
Background vocals- Kenji Haroutunian, Cindy Ryan, John Fitzgerald, and Brittany Abbott
Tony Phillips- mix
Maura Monagan- photo Kylie Monagan- graphics
You can find “South of the Border” (as well as “Blue Moon”, “I Got Rhythm/Christopher Columbus,” “The Nearness of You”, “Fever” and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons”) in all the usual places: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, etc. “Hey Siri! Play Blue Moon by Michael Monagan!” “Hey Alexa!”
By the mid 30’s Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (who wrote the song) had had enough success on Broadway that they moved to Hollywood to try their hand at the movies.
“Blue Moon” was originally written for a Jean Harlow movie but didn’t start as “Blue Moon”- it was first called “Prayer (Oh Lord Make Me a Movie Star)”- but was cut from the movie. Larry Hart rewrote the lyrics a second time changing the title to “Manhattan Melodrama” for an MGM movie of the same name but the producers didn’t like it and asked him to rewrite the song a THIRD time for another scene in the movie. That version was called “The Bad in Every Man.” It was recorded but nothing came of it.
Not long after Hart ran into the MGM movie executive he had worked with who insisted that he rewrite the lyrics again! Exasperated, Hart said, “Oh, I suppose you want me to write something corny like Blue Moon!” Ah, yes….. that will work….
Fed Sokolow- guitar Tony Jones- drums Gabe Davis- bass Joe Turano- B3
Michael Monagan- solo
Tony Phillips- mix
Maura Monagan- photo Kylie Monagan- graphics
You can find “Blue Moon” as well as (“I Got Rhythm/Christopher Columbus,” “The Nearness of You”, “Fever” and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons”) in all the usual places: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music, etc. “Hey Siri! Play Blue Moon by Michael Monagan!” “Hey Alexa!”
The Gershwins “I Got Rhythm” was such a game changer that, even today, when you ask another musician to play "Rhythm changes”, they know exactly what you mean*. It's a classic song that’s been recorded a million times but it has a verse that is rarely sung. Fred Sokolow, who plays guitar on the track (and helped me arrange all these tunes), loves these old songs too and we hunted until we found the verse. Musicians having fun…
The second tune is Fat's Waller's “Christopher Columbus”, a novelty song of the day (1936), that I’ve always thought paired well with “Rhythm”. Even though Chris may have lost his holiday, rightly so, he nevertheless inspired a musical romp.
Fed Sokolow- guitar Tony Jones- drums
Gabe Davis- bass Joe Turano- B3
Tony Phillips- mix
Maura Monagan- photo Kylie Monagan- graphics
You can find “I Got Rhythm/Christopher Columbus” (as well as “The Nearness of You”, “Fever” and “(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons”) in all the usual places: Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, etc. “Hey Siri! Play….” “Hey Alexa!”
*- 1-6-2-5 (if that means anything to you..)
“The Nearness of You”
Our 3rd offering is a song I’ve loved forever- The Nearness of You. But with an added bonus. I never knew the verse till we started on this project. When Fred (guitar) knew that I wanted to do the verses of the songs we were working on he pulled down collection after collection from his music library till we found what we were looking for.
It’s such a shame that more people don’t sing the verses because they really are an integral part of the song. When I asked my mother if she knew why more people didn’t record the verses she thought for a minute and then said that most of these songs first appeared in movies and so there wasn’t really time for a setup for the song- they had to get right to it. Makes sense. Hope you enjoy it. Do you hear a trombone? Yes you do!
Fred Sokolow- guitar
Gabe Davis- bass
Tony Jones- drums
Joe Turano- B3
Roch Bordenave- trombone
Mixed by Tony Phillips
Photograph- Maura Monagan
Graphics- Kylie Monagan
“Fever”
Batting # 2 for The Melodic Moon album is “Fever”, one of the smokiest of songs.. The original Little Willie John version has been overshadowed by the Peggy Lee version- for good reason- she knocked it out of the park- but there is always room for one more way to get on base..
On deck for April is “The Nearness of You”
Fred Sokolow- Guitar
Tony Jones- Drums
Gabe Davis- Bass
Joe Turano- B3
Me- Stratocaster
Tony Phillips- Mix
Maura Monagan- Photo
Kylie Monagan- Graphics
“(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons”
When I was squawking my way through trying to learn the alto saxophone last year I would stumble through the Real Book- a collection of tunes every gigging jazz musician should know - and naturally found myself drawn to the beautiful songs with simple melodies. This was one of them.
Then I started singing it. As a fledgling sax player I could only play it slowly but I found I really liked it that way. However, as I looked for another singer who approached it the same way I couldn’t find anyone. Hey, an opening!
And as I thought about what instrument would play the solo I considered a harmonica- yes, I’m a fledgling harmonica player too… But when I gave it a try just to flesh out the possibility I happened on something sweet and simple- so I left it in.
My parents are and were both singers so I grew up hearing music by the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, and all the great songsmiths all the time so when the pandemic broke up my band I thought it was a good time to move the standards project to the front burner. Voila!
The plan is to release a song a month for 10 months. “Fever” will be next up in March.
Fred Sokolow- Guitar Tony Jones- Drums Gabe Davis- Bass Joe Turano- B3 Me- Harmonica
Tony Phillips- Mix
Maura Monagan- Photo Kylie Monagan- Graphics