Sarah Vaughan - Misty

This is a live performance by American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan doing her version of the classic jazz standard "Misty". This performance is from Tokyo, Japan, 1990. This was one of her last gigs in her career, as she got ill with lounge cancer around 1989. These Japanese tour dates were her last completed gigs in her career. And she sings it so wonderfully, her illness doesn't even show a bit.
The song was written by Erroll Garner in 1954. It was originally an instrumental, but lyrics were added later on by Johnny Burke. The song has been done by many great singer, including: Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Lloyd Prince, and Ray Stevens. And Sarah Vaughan of course.
It's a beautiful song, and Sarah sings it like no one else!

Enjoy ; )

Louis Jordan - Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby

This is a clip from the 1944 film "Follow the Boys". In this film there's a performance sequence of the song "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby".
The song was originally released by Louis Jordan in 1944 as a b-side. It became a hit and reached high positions in various charts. The song was co-written by Billy Austin. The phrase "Is you is or is you ain't" dates back to the 1920's where it first appeared in a story by Octavus Roy Cohen who wrote humorous black dialect fiction, racist fiction basically.
The tune has over time become a jazz standard and it has been recorded by such artists as: B.B. King, Diana Krall,Bing Crosby,Nat King Cole, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins.

It also gained fame through being featured in a 1946 "Tom and Jerry" short titled "Solid Serenade". That is the clip above this text. It's a fun little clip. The title card of the cartoon is in the image below.

It's a great little jazz tune, sure to pick you up if you're feeling down, cause this is swingin'!

Enjoy ; )

Joe Bonamassa - Django

This is a live performance by blues and rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa playing his instrumental song "Django" live. The performance is from The Royal Albert Hall and this concert is available in both DVD and CD format. (Click here for a previous post and another piece of performance footage from that concert featuring Eric Clapton).
This performance is the opening track alas we see Bonamassa entering the stage. It's a great little piece of instrumental music which leads into the second track "The Ballad Of John Henry" which is what Bonamassa starts playing after switching guitars.
The piece was influenced or rather inspired by jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and obviously also named after him. It's a great little instrumental.

Enjoy ; )

Diana Krall - But Not For Me

This is a live performance by contemporary jazz artist Diana Krall playing her take on the classic jazz song "But Not For Me". She starts of by playing a bit in the original tempo and feel and then moves on to playing the whole song in a much more melancholic and slow tone and feel. The performance is from the TV-show "Spectacle: Elvis Costello with...".
The song was originally composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was originally made for the musical "Girl Crazy" (1930) and Judy Garland sang it in the 1943 film version of the aforementioned stage musical.
It has been recorded by a huge amount of artist, including: Carol Burnett, Miles Davis, Doris Day, John Coltrane, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker.
I am personally very found of the version Chet Baker does of this song. (embeded below).

There's no video footage, but pictures and pretty good audio quality. I love how he doesn't have the biggest voice ever, but makes so good use of what he has and just sings it with so much feeling. Then on top of that we get his trumpet playing which is just phenomenal. I recommend both versions of this song, cause they're both great in their own right.

Enjoy ; )

Diana Krall, Elvis Costello & Elton John – Makin’ Whoopee

This is the final performance from the TV-show “Spectacle with Elvis Costello”. On this episode jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall is the guest and as she is also the wife of Costello he chose not to do the interview. Instead Elton John did the interview, he also executive produces the TV-show.
At the final performance they all three sung the song together.
The song is an old jazz/blues tune that was first popularized by Eddie Cantor in the 1928 musical “Whoopee!”. The song acted as a cautionary tale for men. It starts with a wedding, then talks about the honeymoon and marital bliss, but moves on to babies and responsibilities which leads to affairs and ends up in divorce.
It’s been done by a lot of artists, including: Elton John and Rod Stewart in a duet, Dr. John and Rickie Lee Jones in a duet and even parodied on Sesame Street by the Cookie Monster.
It’s a great little show tune and I love what the three of them do with it. They really maintain the original campy feel and make it seem so cozy on stage. A job well done indeed with this one.

Enjoy ;-)

Thelonius Monk - Blue Monk

This is a live performance by jazz legend and jazz composer Thelonius Monk playing his classic jazz standard "Blue Monk". The performance was shot in Norway in 1966. The musicians joining Monk are: Charlie Rouse on tenor saxophone, Larry Gales on bass and Ben Riley on drums.
As mentioned earlier "Blue Monk" is an instrumental jazz standard composed by Thelonius Monk. It is a B♭ blues based on the jazz tune "Pastel Blue".
Thelonius Monk is considered one of the great contributors of American music and he has written several jazz standards, "Blue Monk" included. He was known for his very distinctive and unique approach to the piano, for his clothing style and for standing up in the middle of songs and taking breaks to then return to the piano. He also does this in this performance. In fact all musicians but the drummer do this and then at the end they all join in again.
It's a great performance and you can really tell that the musicians are in sync with each other and leave space and respect to one another. This is a great laid back performance of a great jazz standard.

Enjoy ;-)

Diana Krall - Night Train

This is a live performance by contemporary jazz musician Diana Krall playing her version of the Oscar Peterson jazz song "Night Train". The performance is from the TV-show "Spectacle" normally hosted by Elvis Costello, but for this special artist hosted by none other than Elton John. I watched the interview and saw all of the performances from the show just yesterday, and I can honestly say that from just that till to day Diana Krall got herself a new fan. Everything from the way she talked about the music, her upbringing and her only beginning to sing seriously at age 26 due to insecurities on her behalf. It was just fascinating and she's truly a musician who loves music and wants to interoperate it for herself.
Before she started playing this song she talked about Oscar Peterson and about how big an influence he was on her and her music. She also talks a little bit about that following the performance posted in the clip above.
But this is a great performance and I definitely recommend checking out both Oscar Peterson and Diana Krall. I know I will.

Enjoy ; )

JJ Cale & Leon Russel - I Got the Same Old Blues

This is a live performance by the two rock and blues legends JJ Cale and Leon Russel. They play Cale's classic song "I Got the Same Old Blues" from Cale's 1974 album "Okie". This song got very popular and it was covered by a large number of well renowned artists such as Lynrd Skynrd and Freddie King.
Cale's style had been described as laid back. It is part of the so called Tulsa Sound that draws loosely on the genres of rockabilly, blues, country and jazz.
Leon Russel is a very well known and respected musician in the music world. In his early career he did session work for artists such as: Elton John, George Harrison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson to name a few. He then later got a solo career that he maintains to this day. In 2011 he was also inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
This is a very good song and it has a nice laid back session feel to it.

Enjoy ; )

Carlos Santana, Jimmie Vaughan, Cesar Rosas & Stevie Ray Vaughan Jam at Costa Mesa

This is a live performance by a big group of guitarists doing a jam. The live performance is presumably from Costa Mesa in California. I haven't been able to find a song title, so I assume they're just jamming.
It starts off with Carlos Santana doing a solo. Then it goes over to Los Lobos lead guitarist Cesar Rosas who do an aggressive, but very good solo. Then it goes to the highlight of the performance which is Jimmie Vaughan's solo. He really plays it slow and with a lot of feeling. It's fun because you'd think that he'd be out of his element with this latin/jazz thing, but his playing fits right in. It's very soulful and very impressive.
At the end Stevie starts a solo, but the clip cuts off before he finishes. I assume the tape must have run out or something since I haven't been able to find the full performance including Stevie's entire solo.
It's a little sad, but on this particular performance it didn't seem like he could outdo his brother any way. Jimmie's playing is just amazing on this.
A great jam session with some of the best guitarists ever.

Enjoy ; )

Jeff Beck & Imelda May - How High the Moon

This is a live performance by Jeff Beck and vocalist Imelda May from the recently released concert film "Rock 'n' Roll Party". The film honours recently deceased guitarist Les Paul, features many different guest artists, a lot of classic rock 'n' roll tracks and is also available as a CD.
Jeff Beck is joined on stage be Imelda May an Irish vocalist who sings this style of music to perfection. It is very obvious that she is trying to imitate Mary Ford's clean vocals from the original recording with Les Paul, and she does an amazing job and is a very talented singer. She earlier collaborated with Beck on his 2010 Emotion & Commotion album where she sings on "Lilac Wine" and does an amazing job.
The song "How High the Moon" is a jazz standard and it was first featured in 1940 in the Broadway revue "Two for the Show". The best known recording of the song is the one done by Les Paul and Mary Ford. (Embeded below)

This version was recorded in 1951 and it was an unexpected hit doing well on the Billboard chart at no. 1 for several weeks.
It's a very good song and a very good performance by Beck paying tribute to a great player and a great inventor.

Enjoy ; )

Dave Powers - Powerhuse

This is an excerpt from an American public access television programme called "The Piano Guy". It's basically an educational show that sometimes just features talented performers performing certain pieces. In this segment Dave Powers plays the song "Powerhouse". (He plays both set of hands in the video, impressive!!)
The song "Powerhouse" was composed by Raymond Scott in 1937. It is most famous for being featured in a lot of Warner Brothers classic cartoons.
The piece consists of two seemingly different breaks. The tempi of those pieces are also different. The A piece of the composition is fast and frantic, and was often used for chase scenes. The B piece is slower and sounds more slavish and industrial which is why it's often referred to as "assembly-line music". The structure of the song is A-B-A.
I really think it's a fun little composition, and Dave just plays it so well. I really love how he also throws a little jazz into the mix when making the last transition from the B piece to the A piece ending the composition.
It's a good song, and it's very well played, and hey it has a jazz influence on it, so that's why I'm posting it.

Enjoy ; )

Led Zeppelin - Whole Lotta Love

The song "Whole Lotta Love" is a song by the legendary band Led Zeppelin. It was released in 1969 on the band's 2nd album titled "Led Zeppelin II". The song has appeared on many lists, and is considered one of the best hard rock songs ever.
The song is influenced by a lot of different blues singers and songs. Mainly the song "You Need Love" recorded by Muddy Waters, written by Willie Dixon. The lyrics in the two songs were very similar, and in the end Willie Dixon ended up suing the band. They agreed on a cash settlement, and that was the end of that. Plant has stated that he felt that the lyrics and the song was so far back in time that it was just influence, and not copying. He has also stated that Page's guitar riff was there before the lyrics, and that the guitar riff was the origin of the song, and they came up with the lyrics later. Plant then said that everyone borrows lyrics and stuff like that, but you only get caught when you're successful.[1] 
The song has a very unique and different construction. It starts off with Page's riff which also descends into the main verse. Then at about 3:02 into the song, it goes into a more jazzy feel, John Bonham plays a jazzy feel type of thing on the drums, and it goes into a very weird section with Plant moaning and screaming and Page playing his guitar with a bow, this section is by many fans referred to as the "Orgasm Section" of the song.
Below is a list of some of the lists the song has been on, and the ranks it has gotten on those lists. I really think this is one of the best, if not the best hard rock songs ever. Truly a great song, and a great recording and construction.

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Spin	United States	"100 Greatest Singles of All Time"[9]	1989	39
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame	United States	"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll"[10]	1994	*
Classic Rock	United Kingdom	"Ten of the Best Songs Ever!.. (Bubbling under)"[11]	1999	30
VH1	United States	"The 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time"[12]	2009	3
Rolling Stone	United States	"The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"[13]	2003	75
Q	United Kingdom	"100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever"[14]	2005	3
Toby Creswell	Australia	"1001 Songs: the Great Songs of All Time"[15]	2005	*
Grammy Awards	United States	"Grammy Hall of Fame Award"[16]	2007	*
Rolling Stone	United States	"100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time"[17]	2008	11
VH1	United States	"VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs"[18]	2009	3

Enjoy ; )

Muse - Feeling Good

This is a live performance by British band Muse. They perform their version of the classic song "Feeling Good". It's a song that has been recorded by a huge number of artists, some of them good, some of them bad. Among the bad are The Pussycat Dolls and Michael Bublé, the Pussycats is obvious, and I'm not a big fan of Bublé and his, hmm... too good image, his version is a bit karaoke like in my opinion.
The two best versions, in my opinion, is Nina Simone's version, and this one by Muse. When I first heard it, I wasn't a huge fan of their version, but I gotta say, it's really grown on me, to a point where I really like it. The Nina version is a soul and jazz thing, sung with a lot of emotion. Now the Muse version still has that jazzy soul influence, but fuses it with a rock influence. It makes it a dark and new version of the song, and very interesting. I think Muse do a really good job with this, and I really like their version.
Muse released this as a single as well, and also did a music-video for the song. It's a good video, with stunning visuals, sort of underlining the new interoperated meaning of the song. It's good, and definitely worth checking out, if you like this version of the song. Video for the song left embeded beneath in case you wanna check it out. Also below is Nina's version of the song.

Muse - Feeling Good
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Oingo Boingo - St. James Infirmary Blues

This is a performance from avant garde music troupe Oingo Boingo. This performance is from 1978 back when their band name was "The Mystic Knights of The Oingo Boingo". They later shortened their name to just Oingo Boingo.
The band's music is inspired by a wide variety of genres and draws from many musical eras. This song is an old folk song that dates as far back as to the 18th century.
The song however is performed in the style of Cab Calloway who the band leader Danny Elfman was a big fan of. Cab performed in a unique and entertaining way, in a kind of over phrased spoken word kind of singing which is also what Elfman is trying to do in this performance.
It's a song in the style of St. Louis blues and jazz with a lot of horns, it has that St. Louis blues sound. And it's just a great performance and a great vocal performance by Elfman.

Enjoy ; )