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“In
1958 Ahmad Jamal took the jazz world
by storm with his release of
At the Pershing. In addition
to ‘Poinciana,’ his unique version
of ‘But Not for Me’ became a signature
tune for him.” |
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- Sandra Burlingame
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Ginger
Rogers introduced an Alvin Theatre
audience to “But Not for Me” during
the first performance of Girl
Crazy on October 14, 1930. Although
the role of postmistress marked
Rogers’ Broadway debut as a leading
lady, she lost the limelight to
newcomer
Ethel Merman who brought down
the house with her introduction
of “I
Got Rhythm.”
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Girl Crazy was originally
written as a vehicle for Bert Lahr,
but when he turned down the part
for legal reasons, Willie Howard,
a master of accents, was brought
in to take his place. The Red Nichols
band was the orchestra for the performance,
a talent-laden group that included
Benny Goodman,
Glenn Miller, Jack Teagarden,
Jimmy Dorsey, and Gene Krupa. The
star-studded orchestra thrilled
audiences during the intermissions
with impromptu jam sessions. George
Gershwin, himself, conducted the
music at the premier before handing
over the baton to Earl Busby.
Girl Crazy would run for 272
performances in part due to its
wonderful score that included “Bidin’
My Time,” “Sam and Delilah,” “I
Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable
You,” “Treat Me Rough!” and
“Boy! What Love Has Done to Me!”
A 1932 RKO film adaptation of
Girl Crazy, starring Bert
Wheeler and Robert Woolsey, relied
on sophomoric comedy rather than
the original Gershwin score and
retained only “Bidin’ My Time,”
“I
Got Rhythm,” and “But Not for
Me.” Variety
called it “a weak sister”
of the Broadway production.
A 1943 release of the film fared
much better. MGM’s Girl Crazy
was the eighth Mickey Rooney/Judy
Garland film and was generally
well reviewed. The original story
and score were left almost intact
and all of the songs were included along with
“Fascinating
Rhythm” from 1924’s Lady
Be Good.
MGM again visited the well in
1966 with
Girl Crazy as the basis
for the film, When the Boys Meet
the Girls, starring Connie Francis
and Harve Presnell. Suffice it to
say the highlight of the musical
was the songs.
Over sixty years after making
its debut, Girl Crazy was
once again on Broadway, this time
as the basis for the 1992 hit
Crazy For You. The musical opened
on February 19th
and ran for 1622 performances. Seven
of the songs from Girl Crazy
were included in the score along
with 13 other Gershwin songs.
Despite the song’s popularity
with jazz performers, “But Not for
Me” was a pop chart hit only once,
rising to number twelve in 1942
for Harry James and His Orchestra
with vocalist Helen Forrest.
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“But Not for Me” has been performed
by many instrumentalists and (female)
vocalists alike. Philip Furia, in
his book,
Ira Gershwin: The Art of the Lyricist,
comments,
“But Not for
Me” and “The
Man That Got Away” fall
in the category Ira dubbed “Ladies
in Lament.”
And, indeed, ladies that have
lamented include
Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae,
Carol Sloane, Chris Connor, Diana
Krall, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald,
Etta Jones, and
Sarah Vaughan.
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“But Not for Me” is written with a 4-bar introduction,
a 23-bar verse, and a 32-bar refrain in the A-B-A-B’
form. It is considered a relatively simple song,
requiring a range of a little over an octave. Vocalists
are further encouraged by the relatively even melody,
which, with a few exceptions in the B sections,
is largely stepwise.
While George Gershwin’s restrained composition
is considered a minor masterpiece, Ira Gershwin’s
lyrics are more often discussed and praised. His
verse and clever ending draw the most attention.
The refrain ends the first time through with “I
guess he’s not for me.” On the second pass there
is, “When every happy plot, Ends with a marriage
Knot, And there’s no knot for me.” - JW
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Musical analysis of
“But Not for Me”
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| Original
Key |
Eb major |
| Form |
A – B1 –A
– B2 |
| Tonality |
Major throughout |
| Movement |
Primarily
step-wise, descending and ascending gently.
Section “B” contains chromatic alterations
and upward leaps. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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Section “A” opens with a I – vi – ii7 –
V7 – I progression (Gershwin’s original
did not have the vi, but it is often added
today), followed by a II7 – V – I sequence
(due to the melody notes, a ii7actually
follows the II7 here). Section “B” uses
the same IV – iv – I - vi opening as Section
“A” of “Star
Dust,” then returns to ii7 for three
measures before going to the V7 which returns
the progression to the tonic of “A.” (This
simplified analysis does not take into consideration
the “coloristic” harmonies Gershwin used
because of the chromatic embellishments
of his melodic line in this section). Harmonically,
the second “B” differs little from the first,
but the alteration of the melody at this
point tends to distract one’s ear from this
fact. |
K. J. McElrath - Musicologist for JazzStandards.com
Check out K. J. McElrath's book of Jazz Standards Guide Tone Lines at his web site (www.bardicle.com). |
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When I recorded “But Not for Me,” I used Trane’s changes based on “Giant Steps.”
I'm fond of the changes to “Giant Steps” from an improviser’s perspective. I altered
the melody to fit the changes, and it worked nicely. The difference is I played
it on flugelhorn rather than tenor sax. My take is that life always likes to do
it differently. What I find exciting about using lines built on “Giant Steps” is
that it allows one to leave a key center and pivot back and re-enter simultaneously.
It reminds me of the symbol of the dragon with its tail in its mouth.
Jay Thomas plays saxophones, trumpet, flugelhorn, and flute
www.jaythomasjazz.com
Are you a published Vocalist or Instrumentalist?
Add a comment and we'll credit you with a link
to your site. (more...)
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“But Not for Me”
was included in these films:
- Girl Crazy (1932, Arline Judge,
Eddie Quillan, Mitzi Green)
- Girl Crazy (1943, Judy Garland)
- An American in Paris (1951,
Benny Carter and His Orchestra)
- But Not for Me (1959, Ella
Fitzgerald)
- When the Boys Meet the Girls
(1965, Connie Francis, Harve Presnell)
- That's Entertainment! (1974,
Judy Garland)
- Manhattan (1979, Buffalo Philharmonic,
Michael Tilson Thomas)
- Torch Song Trilogy (1988,
Billie Holiday)
- When Harry Met Sally (1989,
Harry Connick, Jr.)
- Four Weddings and a Funeral
(1994, Elton John)
- L.A. Confidential (1997, Jackie
Gleason)
- Return to Me (2000, Benny
Carter and His Orchestra)
And on stage:
- Girl Crazy (1930, Ginger Rogers,
reprised by Willie Howard)
- Crazy for You (1992, Jodi
Benson)
And on television:
- The Muppet Show (1980, Carol
Burnett) Season 5
- Crazy for You (1999, Stacey
Logan) PBS Great Performances
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Miles Davis
Bags Groove
1991, Orig. Jazz Classics 245
Original recording, 1954, Prestige
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| At the top of his game and surrounded
by such heavyweights as Thelonious Monk
and Sonny Rollins, trumpeter Davis is bright
and energetic on two bop readings of the
song. |
Dinah Washington
The Swingin’ Miss D
1998, Polygram 558074
Original recording, 1957
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| Vocalist Washington delivers a dynamic
and heartfelt performance of the song backed
by a swinging, horn-packed, Quincy Jones
Orchestra. |
Giacomo Gates
Fly Rite
1998, Sharp Nine Records 1011
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| Gates is in the tradition of vocalese
masters Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks.
After an up-tempo chorus of the song he
sings a scat solo created by Chet Baker’s
drummer, Artt Frank, but never sung by Chet
Baker. The title of the album, by the way,
is Monk’s “Epistrophy,” with lyrics by Gates. |
Chris Connor
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not
1999, Collectables
Original recording, 1956
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| Connor stepped away from her usual
small group setting to record with a string
orchestra, tastefully arranged by Ralph
Burns. Taking the tune at a very slow tempo,
Connor sets the scene with the verse and
invests “But Not for Me”with wistfulness. |
Buddy DeFranco
Mr. Clarinet
2002, Universal
Original recording, 1953, Verve
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| Clarinetist DeFranco rips through
a fleet and frenetic bop version of the
song backed by the superb rhythm section
of pianist Kenny Drew, bassist Milt Hinton,
and drummer Art Blakey. |
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Gershwin’s 1930 composition was, until the 1950’s,
mainly a vehicle for vocalists. Recordings by Helen
Forest with Harry James’ Orchestra in 1941 and Helen
Ward with
Teddy Wilson in 1940 followed a 1939 session
by Lee Wiley, who may have been responsible for
the song’s resurgence.
Wiley was, in many respects, one of the first
white, female jazz singers. She loved jazz and the
musicians who played it and whenever possible worked
with the best players. Her 1939 tribute to Gershwin’s
music was one of the first such composer theme albums
(followed closely by tributes to
Cole Porter and
Harold Arlen), twenty years before the more
famous genre recordings by Ella Fitzgerald.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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| This section shows the jazz standards
written by the same writing team. Click on a name
to see all of a writer's jazz standards.
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Additional information on “But Not for Me” may be found in:
2 paragraphs including the following types of information: lyric analysis.
2 paragraphs including the following types of information: lyric analysis.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: summary and lyric analysis.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
1 page including the following types of information: history, performers, style discussion and song writer discussion.
3 pages including the following types of information: history and song lyrics.
1 page including the following types of information: lyric analysis.
Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.
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