| “Henderson’s superb work with “Blue Skies” was featured during Goodman’s appearance at Carnegie Hall in 1938 and is an electrifying performance.” |
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- Chris Tyle
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This perennial favorite was introduced by Belle Baker in the 1926 musical Betsy. The following year the tune went big with the public, especially the version by Ben Selvin and His Orchestra recording under the pseudonym, The Knickerbockers.
- Ben Selvin and His Orchestra (1927, Charles Kaley, vocal, #1)
- George Olsen and His Music (1927, #2)
- Vincent Lopez and His Orchestra (1927, Frank Munn, vocal, #9)
- Johnny Marvin and Ed Smalle (1927, #9)
- Harry Richman (1927, #13)
- Vaughn Deleath (1927, vocal, #15)
- Johnny Long and His Orchestra (1941, Bob Houston, vocal, #22)
- Count Basie and His Orchestra (1946, #8)
- Benny Goodman and His Orchestra (1946, #9)
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The songwriting team of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart had written the music for the Ziegfield show Betsy. Actress/vocalist Belle Baker, unhappy with the piece the two had written for her solo (“This Funny World”), contacted old friend Irving Berlin in hopes he might have something that would suit her needs. Berlin had, in fact, just put the finishing touches on a number dedicated as a Christmas gift to his newborn daughter, Mary Ellin. Baker liked the song, and it was inserted into the musical, much to the chagrin of Rodgers and Hart, who were not consulted and wouldn’t have allowed the change. The tune was the hit of the show, and Baker received 24 encores on opening night, December 28, 1926. Despite this, the show itself was a disaster and closed a month later.
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The introduction of “Blue Skies” in Betsy brought the number a great deal of attention and resulted in its first recordings. But a technological landmark across the continent brought it to the attention of millions. The first feature-length motion picture with sound, The Jazz Singer starring vocalist Al Jolson, premiered on October 6, 1927, and “Blue Skies” was one of the nine tunes performed by Jolson. Not only was the film a huge success, but it spelled the end of silent films. Soon Broadway musicals would be filmed for the silver screen, and songwriters Berlin, Cole Porter, the Gershwins and others would relocate to Hollywood or have bi-coastal careers.
“Blue Skies” continued to be a hit in films. After The Jazz Singer it returned in Alexander’s Ragtime Band, a 1938 biopic loosely based on composer Berlin’s life; a 1946 film named after the tune and sung by Bing Crosby; and a 1954 reprise by Crosby (along with Danny Kaye) in the film White Christmas.
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Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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Berlin’s lyrics are, like many of his tunes, a reflection of what was going on in his life, and by late 1926 he was in a personal upswing: “Blue Skies’ smilin’ at me,” and “blue days, all of them gone.”
Chris Tyle - Jazz Musician and Historian
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Musical analysis
of “Blue Skies”
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Original Key |
D
minor/F major |
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Form |
A
- A - B - A |
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Tonality |
Starting
in minor, shifting to relative major |
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Movement |
“A”
begins with an upward leap of a
fifth, followed by a short descending
stepwise figure (major third), embellishing
the dominant before jumping down
a major sixth and stepping up to
the tonic. “B” rises up the scale
from the tonic to the dominant,
then descends with a series of “turns,”
returning to the original pitch. |
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Comments
(assumed
background)
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The descending harmonic and bass
movement of “A” moves in contrary
motion to the generally upward direction
of the melodic line, creating interesting
counterpoint. Although the written
chord progression here is Dm - A7
- F - G7 - Bbm, the inversions should
be kept so as to retain the descending
chromatic bass line.
While “A” is harmonically complex,
the melody is slow-moving and relaxed.
“B,” on the other hand, is simpler
(scale patterns over a I - iv progression)
yet rhythmically more active (many
eighth-note passages) than “A.”
While there are few improvements
that could be made on Berlin’s original
“A,” the “B” theme may yield different
rhythmic and harmonic possibilities
for the adventurous jazz performer
(for example, the substitution of
an Eb9 for the Bbm).
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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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Cassandra Wilson
Blue Skies
2002 Winter & Winter 919018
Original recording 1988
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Though the upbeat band swings in support
of her, vocalist Wilson is able to create
a sense of tentative optimism in the lyrics
with her deadpan delivery and melancholy
scat.
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Bill Charlap
Written in the Stars
2000 Blue Note 27291
Original recording 2000
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As the tight rhythm section sets down a
toe-tapping swing Charlap eloquently mines
the song with a mainstream approach enriched
with historical musical asides.
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Teri Thornton
Devil May Care
1999 Original Jazz Classics 1017
Original recording 1960
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Thornton is cooking on this slow-burning,
bluesy swinger that features some engaging
call and response between the singer and
trumpeter Clark Terry.
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Junko Onishi
Live at the Village Vanguard
1995 Blue Note Records 31886
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Berlin could never have imagined that his
tune would have such interest for modernists
such as pianist Onishi, bassist Reginald
Veal, and drummer Herlin Riley. No matter
how far out these explorers go, they carry
a life line to the early 20th
century composers. Their interpretation
is affirmation of the endless improvisational
significance of standards such as “Blue
Skies.”
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Bandleader/arranger/pianist Fletcher
Henderson had, by 1937, given up his band
but was quickly employed by clarinetist
Benny Goodman as chief arranger. Henderson’s
superb work with “Blue Skies” was featured
during Goodman’s appearance at Carnegie
Hall in 1938 and is an electrifying performance.
Bassist John Kirby, an ex-Fletcher Henderson
musician, fronted a small group of great
musicians including trumpeter Charlie Shavers,
clarinetist Buster Bailey, and pianist Billy
Kyle. Shaver’s clever arrangement of “Blue
Skies” is typical of the band’s output,
alternating tightly arranged passages with
exceptional solos.
Tommy Dorsey’s 1941 version of Irving
Berlin’s tune epitomizes big band era jazz:
beautiful saxophone section playing that
alternates with brass riffs over a mellow
statement of the melody (by Dorsey on trombone),
followed by a swinging vocal (young
Frank Sinatra with vocal responses from
the band), then a rousing “shout” chorus
out. Ex-Jimmy Lunceford sideman Sy Oliver,
a fine trumpeter and vocalist, was responsible
for this stellar arrangement.
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 “Blue Skies” may be found
in:
1 page including the
following types of information: lyric
analysis.
1 paragraph including
the following types of information:
anecdotal.
1 paragraph including
the following types of information:
film productions, history and performers.
5 pages including the
following types of information: history
and music analysis.
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:
film productions, history and performers.
2 pages including the
following types of information: anecdotal.
(Pages 279-280).
Includes the following
types of information: song lyrics.
2 paragraphs including
the following types of information:
lyric analysis and music analysis.
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