Dave Rickert
February 2002

Combing the Catalog
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By David Rickert

Irving Berlin once said that Harold Arlen “wasn’t as well known as some of us, but he was a better songwriter than most of us.” Despite his low name recognition, Arlen established a reputation as one of the great composers of American musical theater and contributed a generous helping of standards to the jazz repertoire along the way. His melodies are instantly memorable and catchy (just try listening to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” without singing along) yet deceptively simple; he rarely followed the conventional 32-bar format (“That Old Black Magic”, for instance, is seventy-two bars). As one of the first composers to use blue notes judiciously and effectively, jazz musicians have feasted upon his tasty melodies for years; virtually everyone seems to have recorded an Arlen song at one time or another. Verve has recently reissued two discs devoted to Arlen’s music, one by Oscar Peterson and one by Ella Fitzgerald, both of which are a testament to the enduring quality of Arlen’s work.

Plays the Harold Arlen Song Book
Oscar Peterson
1954,1959/2001

Oscar Peterson is a consummate interpreter of other people’s songs, sticking close to the changes but never afraid to add an arpeggio or fill here and there that hangs from the melody like tinsel. This CD is comprised of two separate sessions of Arlen songs, one recorded with a Nat King Cole-esque drummerless trio, the other with a more conventional piano-bass-drums setting. Why Peterson recorded two very similar sessions so close together is anyone’s guess, but he obviously thought he had something different in mind each time. In reality, Peterson isn’t a musician who varies his style much from session to session, but over the length of twenty-four tracks he never wears out his welcome and it’s hard to complain about overkill when both recordings fit comfortably on one CD.

Each has its own charms and delights without overshadowing the other; the first set features some spirited guitar filigrees courtesy of Ellis, whereas the second has some superior solo piano interpretations. Perhaps the only drawback is that Peterson has reigned in his rollicking style, featured to good effect on records like Night Train, for a more subdued approach. Maybe he got a little romantic or sentimental during the course of the recording or thought that these songs deserved a more reverential treatment; at any rate, it would have been nice to hear him swing out a bit more on some of these tracks.

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald
1961/2001

Purchase all of Fitzgerald’s Song Book series and you’ll own superior renditions of close to every jazz standard there is, many of which are definitive versions. The four disc Gershwin set is still the best, but the Arlen set is as good a place as any to start at a manageable two disc length. It features virtually the same track listing as the Peterson discs but with the added bonus of Ella’s singing, which is always among the best. Arlen’s melodies are some of the best American songs ever written; coupled with the superior lyrics of masters like Mercer and Robin they’re practically unbeatable. Often filled with sunny images of bluebirds, rainbows, and the promise of better days to come, Ella infuses the words with her peerless sense of rhythm and panache; like most of Ella’s work, one gets the sense that this is how these songs were always meant to be heard.

Norman Granz wisely chose Billy May as the arranger and stacked the deck with impeccable musicians from the California area for a breezy, swinging set. May wisely left space in the arrangements for soloists like Fagerquist and Bernhard, to roam about; they use their brief choruses to great effect. It’s worth mentioning that Ella imbues versions of songs long associated with other singers (such as Sinatra and Garland) with her own indelible stamp. “Over the Rainbow” features a seldom heard intro and extra verse, “Let’s Take A Walk Around the Block” is bouncy and jubilant contrasting with the longing and wistful “This Time the Dream’s on Me”. Ella and company peel off one great song after another, creating an enduring body of work that is beyond criticism. This is jazz singing at its finest.

This article is dedicated to the memory of Norman Granz, who provided us without countless hours of listening pleasure.

Oscar Peterson-Plays the Harold Arlen Song Book
Tracks: 1. As Long As I Live 2. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues 3. Come Rain Or Come Shine 4. Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive 5. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea 6. I've Got The World On A String 7. It's Only A Paper Moon 8. That Old Black Magic 9. Let's Fall In Love 10. Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All The Time) 11. Blues In The Night 12. Over The Rainbow 13. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe 14. Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All The Time) 15. Over The Rainbow 16. The Man That Got Away 17. Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good) 18. Let's Fall In Love 19. As Long As I Live 20. Come Rain Or Come Shine 21. Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive 22. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea 23. I've Got The World On A String. 24. That Old Black Magic.
Personnel: Tracks 1-12:Oscar Peterson-piano, Herb Ellis-guitar, Ray Brown-bass. Tracks 13-24: Oscar Peterson-piano, Ray Brown-bass, Ed Thigpen-drums.

Ella Fitzgerald-Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Song Book
Tracks: Disc: 1 1. Blues In The Night 2. Let's Fall In Love 3. Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All The Time) 4. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea 5. My Shining Hour 6. Hooray For Love 7. This Time The Dream's On Me 8. That Old Black Magic 9. I've Got The World On A String 10. Let's Take A Walk Around The Block 11. Ill Wind (You're Blowin' Me No Good) 12. Ac-cent-tchu-ate The Positive Disc 2: 1. When The Sun Comes Out 2. Come Rain Or Come Shine 3. As Long As I Live 4. Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe 5. It's Only A Paper Moon 6. The Man That Got Away 7. One For My Baby (And One More For The Road) 8. It Was Written In The Stars 9. Get Happy 10. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues 11. Out Of This World 12. Over The Rainbow 13. Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead14. Sing My Heart 15. Let's Take A Walk Around The Block 16. Sing My Heart (Alternate Take).
Personnel: Ella Fitzgerald (vocal) with Billy May’s orchestra.

Verve on the web: http://www.verveinteractive.com