5 Songs Friday, January 31

As we have three posts scheduled in the next four days, this one comes in the morning instead of the afternoon to give you more time to read it

Oscar Peterson – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” 1959 from Oscar Peterson Plays the Cole Porter Song Book.Oscar Peterson was a big man, and he had a very large pianistic vocabulary. The guy could dazzle and delight with incendiary displays of technique, and he could also play delicately - this cut has a little of both. (A word about Porter – among the classic songwriters of the so-called Great American Songbook, Porter stood practically alone as being able all by himself to combine words and melody into exquisite concoctions which always work best being sung. But, dammit, those melodies are so wonderful that I never mind hearing a jazz instrumental version.) Accompanied by his frequent companions Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums, Peterson lays out the tune stripped practically naked – Thigpen’s tom tom pattern sounds Latin-esque, and Brown’s bass offers counterpoint. Of course, it’s Oscar Peterson so there are filigrees and shadows around the tune. The bridge comes along, and he pumps out thicker chords as the bass and drums adopt a more powerful swing before he takes another run at the bridge with more variations. It’s an elegant example of Peterson’s art.

The Impressions – “Satin Doll” 1964 from The Never Ending Impressions. This is one of those songs I think I’ve known all my life, but I never heard it sound like this before. It’s a Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn number from the early 1950s, but the familiar – and pretty strange – lyrics were added by Johnny Mercer in 1959. (My favorite? “Switch-a-rooney.”) The Impressions are fully immersed in the jazz feel of the song, but they were probably freaking out the older Ellington fans who heard this at the time. Much of the song is sung in strong three-part harmony, but each Impression takes a solo line here and there – Curtis Mayfield is always immediately recognizable. The last verse is sung in three-part falsetto, and there’s a groovy “one more time” section at the end which leads to the three of them singing a trumpet section part on the words “Doo-wah!” I never realized the Impressions had this sort of thing in their repertoire – my admiration for them grows.

Earth, Wind & Fire – “Mighty Mighty” 1974 from Open Our Eyes. Here’s a song I barely knew before this week which is rapidly climbing up my personal hit parade. This was a big soul hit for EWF, who were just beginning their crossover time on the pop charts. I love the joyous funk of this cut, the intensity of the chicken scratching guitars and the propulsive rhythm section and the staccato precision of the vocals. It’s all about having faith in yourself, about avoiding complaining or fear in favor of continuing to try to achieve. Believe me, I appreciate the sentiment these days. And I feel like dancing.

The Stanley Brothers – “Love Me Darlin’, Just Tonight” 1958 single available on Choo Choo Coming. Ralph and Carter Stanley worked beautifully together. Don’t take my word for it, just check out this lovely little bluegrass number. With their harmonies echoing off each other as though they were on two separate mountains over a valley, they sing of their desire to get what they can get right now. Carter sang with a firm voice, while Ralph added that high lonesome part. The band chugs along behind them, with Ralph’s banjo picking particularly exquisite, though I’m also very fond of the mandolin lines beneath the vocals. Moralists, don’t worry – even though the chorus assures the lover that she is free to love another tomorrow, the verses make it clear these brothers want her to stay with them both forever.

Janiva Magness – “One Heartache Too Late” 2008 from What Love Will Do. Janiva Magness is well known in contemporary blues circles but much less well known among people who don’t drill down in that genre. She is a powerful, emotional singer who connects deeply with what she’s singing and works her songs into a potent lather. This song was written by Earl Randle (the guy who wrote “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” for Ann Peebles) and I can’t find any evidence that anybody else ever recorded it. It’s one of those r&b slow burners wherein the singer tells her ex just how bad he messed up, and there’s no way she’s taking him back. The horns, the guitar fills, the bass right there in the pocket with the steady drums all work together to support Magness as she testifies how badly she was hurt and insists there’s no way it will happen together.