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“Blake recorded
this version at the age of 90 but
the style and energy are equal to
that of much, much earlier versions.” |
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- Ben Maycock
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Minto
Cato introduced the lover’s
lament, “Memories of You,” in
Lew Leslie’s musical revue,
Blackbirds of 1930. Opening
at the the Eltinge Theatre in New
York, March 4, 1929, the eagerly
awaited show ran for only 57 performances.
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The cast of Blackbirds of
1930 was a veritable who’s who
of African American entertainers
of the day, including Ethel Waters,
Mantan Moreland, Blue McAllister,
Jazzlips Richardson, Neeka Shaw,
Broadway Jones,
Minto Cato, The Berry Brothers,
Buck and Bubbles, Cecil Mack’s Choir,
and Flournoy Miller (who also wrote
the book.)
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Lew Leslie enlisted the help
of Eubie Blake (1883-1983) to write
the score for Blackbirds of 1930.
Blake was no stranger to Broadway
as he had collaborated with Noble
Sissle, Flournoy Miller, and Aubrey
Lyles on Shuffle Along (1921),
the first Broadway musical written,
produced, and performed by African
Americans. Starring Josephine Baker,
Ethel Waters, and Paul Robeson,
the musical ran for 504 performances
and grossed nearly $8 million.
Shuffle Along marked a turning
point for the New York theater scene
and has even been credited as the
beginning of what would be termed
the Harlem Renaissance. Blake and
Sissle went on to collaborate on
the musical Elsie (1923)
and the revue Chocolate Dandies
(1924).
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It was during his work on
Blackbirds of 1930 that Blake
met Andy Razaf (1895-1973). Razaf
was well known in songwriting circles
for his collaborations with
Fats Waller which included the
hits “Honeysuckle
Rose” (1929), “Ain’t
Misbehavin’” (1929), and “Black
and Blue” (1929). Blake and
Razaf would become a prolific writing
team, going on to collaborate on
more than 80 songs, the best known
of which are “Memories of You” and
“You’re Lucky to Me,” also from
Blackbirds of 1930.
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The song first appeared on the
charts in 1930, rising to number
18, courtesy of
Louis Armstrong. Ten years later
The Ink Spots’ rendition reached
number 29. The most played and probably
best-remembered version, however,
was by high-note trumpeter Sonny
Dunham, who played with
Glen Gray and the Casa Loma
Orchestra.
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“Memories of You” resurfaced
on Broadway in the musical revue,
Eubie, a biographical show
starring Gregory Hines, Marion Ramsey,
Ethel Beatty, and Terry Burrell.
The show, based on the life of Eubie
Blake, opened at the Ambassador
Theater on September 20, 1978, and
ran for 439 performances.
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Blake did not deny that “Memories of You” was
inspired by Edward MacDowell’s “To a Wild Rose,”
the most popular of the (classical) suite of musical
miniatures, “Woodland Sketches.” At the Rose
Leaf Ragtime Club website Bill Mitchell wrote
a Blake memoir based on diary entries he had made
after attending parties where Blake was present.
According to a 1973 entry, he said “Eubie spoke
of being accused of stealing famous songs such as
‘Gypsy Blues’ from Victor Herbert’s ‘Little Gypsy
Sweetheart.’” Blake said he “writes around” songs,
but that is not stealing. Blake acknowledged that
“Memories of You” was written around “To a Wild
Rose,” at least in part.
“Memories of You” is not your typical pop song.
With a range of an octave and a fifth, the song
intimidates many vocalists who will simply not attempt
to perform it. The song, however, was not written
to showcase just any voice. Andy Razaf’s paramour
at the time,
Minto Cato, had an extraordinary three-octave
vocal range, and it was Cato who introduced the
song in the show. It was the show’s star, Ethel
Waters (with a two-octave vocal range, however,
who was the first to record it. -JW
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Musical analysis of
“Memories of You”
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| Original
Key |
Eb major;
modulates to C minor for the bridge |
| Form |
A1 – A2 –
B – A2 |
| Tonality |
Major during
“A” sections; “B” section is minor |
| Movement |
“A” ascends
initially step-wise, followed by an arpeggiated
outlining of the chord, then a final upward
leap of a fifth before descending pentatonically.
“B” moves predominately upward in a pattern
consisting of a skip followed by three steps. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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This tune has a very wide range (octave
and a fifth) and is, therefore, more appealing
to instrumentalists than to vocalists. The
initial chord progression is identical to
“Doin’ The New Low-Down” and “Easy
Living,” being the ascending I-vii˚/ii-ii-vii˚/iii
(Eb – E˚7 – Fm – F#˚7) pattern. After this
it returns to the I, followed by a II7 that
doesn’t really resolve to V7 but goes directly
back to the I chord (some versions call
for a iv between the II7 and I). Another
irregular resolution similar to this one
occurs in the “B” section. In the third
and fourth measures of “B,” C minor is followed
by F7 but then proceeds directly to Eb instead
of using a Bb7. Since the melody note in
the fourth measure of “B” is the ninth,
a Bb13 could conceivably be used during
the last two beats, but this is not what
Razaf wrote in his original score. |
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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“Memories of You” has always been a favorite of
mine, both music and lyrics, and it was the apparent
favorite during Eubie Blake’s 100th birthday celebration
at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. It was
the overriding theme during the four hours’ taping
for later PBS broadcast. It was one of the first
jazz standards that I learned, and it has always
been a favorite among listeners.
Jean
Ronne, jazz pianist
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“Memories of You”
was included in these films:
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Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Shirley Horn
Close Enough for Love
1989, Polygram 837933
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| The trio of pianist/vocalist Horn
is joined by tenor saxophonist Buck Hill
on this thoughtful, molasses-slow rendition. |
Charles Mingus
Mingus Plays Piano
1997, GRP 217
Original recording, 1963, Impulse!
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| This is a rare treat, for Mingus
not only tackles the Blake song but the
bass player and composer does it at the
piano. This unique recording is yet more
proof of Mingus’ genius. |
Ray Brown
Jazz Cello
2003, Verve
Original recording, 1960
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| Bass player Ray Brown highlights
the non-traditional jazz instrument here. |
Zoot Sims
Quartets
1991, Original Jazz Classics 242
Original recording, 1951
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| This arrangement of “Memories of
You” explores the song in a quartet format,
allowing for some interesting solos and
dynamic interplay. |
Eubie Blake
Memories of You
2003, Sony
Original recording, 1973, Shout!Factory
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| Blake recorded this version at the
age of 90. The style and energy are equal
to that of much, much earlier versions,
and one must assume that we are hearing
the song in its purest form. |
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Louis Armstrong’s 1930 recording of Eubie Blake’s
tune has an interesting feature, aside from Armstrong’s
great trumpet and vocal; it is the recording debut
of drummer Lionel Hampton on the vibraphone. By
the time of his next recording of the tune, with
Benny Goodman, Hampton would be considered the
master of the vibraphone, his only challenger being
another excellent performer, Red Norvo.
Goodman’s version of the tune instantly turned
the number into a feature for clarinetists, even
though there are excellent solos by Hampton and
electric guitarist Charlie Christian on the recording.
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 “Memories of You” may be found in:
4 pages including the following types of information: history, performers and sheet music.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: summary.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: history and performers.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: Broadway productions, film productions, history and performers.
Includes the following types of information: song lyrics.
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