|
“It’s no
wonder that tenor saxophonists
shied away from recording
numbers Hawkins had done; in
fact, there wouldn’t be another
tenor player to attempt this
tune until Don Byas in 1945.” |
|
 |
|
- Chris Tyle
|
|
|
|
In April of 1931,
Bing Crosby introduced “Out
of Nowhere” on the Brunswick label,
the recording that would become
his first solo, number one hit.
It has since been released on CD in
Going Hollywood, Vol. 1: 1930-1936.
A month after Crosby’s recording,
Leo Reisman and His Orchestra also
scored with “Out of Nowhere,” their
Victor recording with vocalist Frank
Munn rising to number six on the
pop charts.
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
Also in 1931, “Out of
Nowhere” was introduced on the
silver screen in the Paramount
western comedy
Dude Ranch starring Jack
Oakie, Stuart Erwin, Eugene Pallette,
Mitzi Green, and June Collyer.
Based on a story by Milton Krims,
Dude Ranch tells the story
of Jack Oakie as the leader of a
down-and-out acting troupe who put
on a “Wild West” show to keep the
customers from leaving a boring
dude ranch.
An April 25, 1931, a New York
Times review said:
A rollicking farce-comedy, known
as “Dude Ranch,” provoked waves
of hearty laughter at the Paramount
yesterday afternoon. It is a brightly
directed film, with witty dialog
and clever acting, but the latter
stages are not quire as hilarious
as the preceding ones.
With an A-B1-A-B2 form, Edward Heyman’s
serendipitous lyrics use the first
two sections to express appreciation
for a lover from out of nowhere.
The second A section questions what
would happen if, “you go back to
your nowhere,” and the final section
has the singer declare, “I’ll always
wait … hoping you’ll bring your
love to me.”
|
| |
|
Johnny Green dedicated “Out of
Nowhere” to his first wife, Carol,
who encouraged him to abandon his
financial career and, against the
wishes of his father, pursue a career
in music.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Green’s chord progressions for
“Out of Nowhere” are perhaps what
is most appealing to jazz musicians
and the evidence abounds. The harmonies
from “Out of Nowhere” have been
recycled again and again, including
“Casbah” by Tadd Dameron, “Nostalgia”
by “Fats” Navarro, “317 East 32nd
Street” by Lee Konitz, “Wee-Jay”
by J.R. Monterose, “‘Into Somewhere”
by Bill LeSage, “Conversion” by
Billy Taylor, and “She Rote” by
Charlie Parker, just to name a few.
Part of the attraction lies in
the song’s bluesy opening. At the
time of its writing in 1931,
George Gershwin and other composers
of popular music were regularly
including jazz elements in their
music. One instance was their inclusion
of “blue notes,” which were borrowed
from African-American blues music,
field hollers, and work songs. The
“blue notes” allowed a wider expressive
range, especially the depiction
of loneliness, longing or sadness,
and were soon assimilated into the
traditional European based harmonies.
According to Allen Forte in his
book,
The American Popular Ballad of the
Golden Era, 1924-1950 : A Study
in Musical Design, the blues-derived
chord near the opening of “Out of Nowhere” is
…a self-standing harmony in its
own right, and one that gives the
special twist (“the hook”) to the
opening music of this ballad.
-JW
|
Musical analysis of
“Out of Nowhere”
|
| Original
Key |
G major |
| Form |
A – B1 –
A – B2 |
| Tonality |
Primarily
major |
| Movement |
Section “A”
moves up primarily step-wise with skips
downward. Section “B” contains upward leaps. |
|
Comments
(assumed
background)
|
|
Despite the leaping intervals of the “B”
section, this is not a difficult tune and
spans a range of only a ninth. The intriguing
part of this work lies in its opening chord
progression, which contains echoes of French
Impressionism. I is followed by bVI7–in
the original key, Gmaj7 followed by Eb7,
then back to the Gmaj7. Music theorists
call the Eb7 an “augmented sixth,” which
usually resolves to a V7 – I cadence, although
the composer skips this, going directly
back to Gmaj7. Nevertheless, the missing
V7 is implied by return to the tonic. This
progression is found in several songs of
the period, usually in the middle or end
of a song, as a harmonic embellishment.
It does appear in the initial measures of
another piece, “Everything
I Have Is Yours,” however. The next
four measures of “A” and the first four
measures of “B” simply play with the iii7(b5)
– VI7 – ii7 sequence. In the fifth measure
of “B1,” however, an augmented sixth chord
returns for two full measures before resolving
to V.
In the second “B,” however, this does
not happen; the ii7 goes to a decorative
iv chord, delaying the final resolution
which comes by way of a two-measure descending
progression which is used fairly frequently:
iii7 – biii˚7 – ii7 – V7 (this is really
a circle of fifths in which the vi or VI7
has been replaced by the iii˚7, which also
functions as a vii˚7/V – the intervening
ii being a decorative delaying mechanism).
|
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). |
|
|
Are you a published Vocalist or Instrumentalist?
Add a comment and we'll credit you with a link
to your site. (more...)
|
“Out of Nowhere”
was included in these films:
- Dude Ranch (1931)
- The Joker Is Wild (1957, Frank
Sinatra) parody lyrics by Harry Harris
- They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
(1969)
- September (1987, Bert Ambrose
and His Orchestra)
- Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993,
Coleman Hawkins and His All-Star Jam Band)
- Deconstructing Harry (1997,
Django Reinhardt)
- Sweet and Lowdown (1999, Dick
Hyman, Joe Wilder, Kelly Friesen)
|
|
Click on a CD for more details
at Amazon.com
Joe Williams/ Harry ‘Sweets’ Edison
Together/ Have a Good Time
2001, Blue Note
Original recording, 1961, Roulette
|
| Vocalist Williams and trumpeter
Edison swing through this straight-ahead
reading of the song. The sophistication
of Williams’ voice is matched perfectly
by the sweet sounds coming from Edison’s
horn. |
Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker 1950
2002, Melodie Jazz Classics
|
| Saxophonist Parker is magnificent
on this succinct reading of the song. Over
a dreamy string arrangement he weaves a
full-bodied and intense tapestry that simply
shimmers. |
Tal Farlow
Verve Jazz Masters 41
1995, Polygram 527365
Compilation
|
| Verve has done a great job on their
Jazz Masters Series. Each compilation is
nicely representative. Guitarist Farlow
is heard on a wide swath of standards in
various settings, backed on “Out of Nowhere”
by a great horn section. |
James Moody
James Moody
2004, Verve
Original recording, 1959
|
| Multi-instrumentalist James Moody
(on tenor sax this time round) offers up
a swinging version of “Out of Nowhere” on
this self-titled album. The rhythm section
keeps the upbeat feel going with an occasional
Latin shuffle tease. |
Johnny Smith
The Sound of the Johnny Smith Guitar
2001, Blue Note
Original recording, 1961, Roulette
|
| Guitarist Smith’s lightning fretwork
makes for some astounding licks and a high
energy, upbeat version of the song. |
|
|
A 1937 session in Paris reunited two of jazz’s
top saxophonists, Benny Carter (alto) and Coleman
Hawkins (tenor). The two were joined by a Franco-American
rhythm section including guitarist Django Reinhardt
and American drummer Tommy Benford. The group recorded
four classic sides under Coleman Hawkins’ leadership,
although Carter was the actual musical director.
The group’s rendition of “Out of Nowhere” is
great from the start, with an intro by Reinhardt.
Carter (on trumpet) plays the first chorus, punctuated
by fills from Django. The next two choruses are
Hawkins at his best. It’s no wonder that tenor saxophonists
shied away from recording numbers Hawkins had done;
in fact, there wouldn’t be another tenor player
to attempt this tune until Don Byas in 1945.
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
|
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.
|
|
Additional information on “Out of Nowhere” may be found in:
1 paragraph including the following types of information: film productions, history and performers.
3 paragraphs including the following types of information: music analysis.
1 paragraph including the following types of information: film productions, history and performers.
|
|
