In November 1966, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims recorded an unusual album for Impulse. Waiting Game featured a full orchestra with strings, reeds and harp that was arranged by Gary McFarland and conducted by Jack Parnell. What made this date special, in addition to McFarland's unorthodox charts, was that Sims sang and played on one track—September Song.
Like Jack Teagarden, whose untrained but honest, passionate voice always managed to touch listeners deeply, Sims' rendition here on September Song has the same effect:
A highly individual version, thanks. Kurt Weill's immortal "September Song" (lyrics by playwright Maxwell Anderson) originally was composed for the only moderately successful Broadway musical "Knickerbocker Holiday" that premiered on Oct 19, 1938. The song was written exclusively as a solo number for actor Walter Huston who played Peter Stuyvesant in the musical. Not really a gifted singer, but the first one anyway.
Posted by: Daniel | May 04, 2012 at 08:25 AM
Sorry, looks like I forgot the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R1bDdv71Sg
Posted by: Daniel | May 04, 2012 at 08:27 AM
This has been one of my "desert island" albums for 40 years. And one of my favorite jazz-soloist-with-strings records. Gary McFarland's string writing is gorgeous, and Zoot sounds wonderful, if uncharacteristically sharp in pitch on occasion. (There's also an annoyingly out-of-tune oboe player, but it's worth the effort to tune him out.)
Posted by: Bill Kirchner | May 04, 2012 at 04:25 PM
I'd say that Walter Huston WAS a gifted singer. he had a very special gift of being able to put a song over w/o the use of a 'trained' voice.
Catch him singing "ALWAYS IN MY HEART" from the film of the same name from 1942. it is on YouTube. Remarkable performance.
jOhn Cooper
Posted by: John Cooper | May 04, 2012 at 08:12 PM