One of the most difficult songs to sing well is Once Upon Summertime. Written in 1954 by Michel Legrand, French music producer Eddie Barclay and French songwriter Eddy Marnay, the slow waltz originally was entitled La Valse des Lilas (or The Lilac Waltz). In the late 1950s, the song was given English lyrics by Johnny Mercer to make the melody accessible to singers in the American and English markets.
Blossom Dearie was first to record the song with Mercer's words in 1958 for an album of the same name for Verve. She was friends with Michel's sister, Christiane Legrand, in Paris when both were in the Blue Stars vocal group starting in 1954. Dearie was familiar with the song in French and may have even suggested the song be given English lyrics so audiences in the U.S. and the U.K. could enjoy Legrand's blue ballad.
So why is it such a difficult song to pull off? Most singers who have recorded it in English sound unfamiliar with the original French version. Without intimate knowledge of the song's initial intent and feel in French, much is lost. Also, Legrand's melody has a deeply contemplative quality with mild desperation baked in that most English-language versions miss. And finally, the original has always sounded to me like an older women (or man) reminiscing about a relationship with a younger partner, how youthful the singer felt at the time of the relationship, and how old the singer feels now, alone.
There are other nuances missed by those who sing the song with the Mercer lyrics. Some are over-dramatized or delivered too straight without a trace of anguish or resignation, missing much of the original song's essence. One might argue further that the song can't be sung well in English because so much is lost in translation. To read the French lyrics translated into English, go here.
All of my favorite versions were recorded in French by singers who aren't widely known in the U.S. but retain the original charm and sophistication:
Here's one of the earliest recordings of the original, La Valse des Lilas by Catherine Sauvage in 1956...
This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress-comedian and singer-songwriter Rachel Bloom for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Rachel (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) talked about how she became "bully meat" in junior high school as mean girls paid the most popular guy in school to fake date her for a day. And she talked about why the bullying stopped after she began appearing in theater in high school. Rachel has a funny memoir out, I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are (go here).
Holiday gifts! As you know, JazzWax is free. It always has been (but may not be forever). For now, I work late into the night so you have rare music, finds and interviews to ponder and enjoy the next day. Feeling guilty? Don't. Just buy my books this holiday season at Amazon. Both my Anatomy of a Song and Why Jazz Happened make perfect gifts. And you never have to leave your computer. Click "wrap as gift" and send. Done.
I think you're going to love my next book, coming next fall. More about that soon. If after reading this you do order my books, a big heartfelt thanks. To order, go here and here (also available in the U.K., Canada and Australia). Your family and friends will love you forever. Me, too.
SiriusXM. On Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 10 (EST), I'll be on Feedback with Nik and Lori to talk about AC/DC and Highway to Hell, the song I profiled in my most recent "Anatomy of a Song" column for the the WSJ. Tune in to Channel 106 (on Volume). Plus my Hot 10 at the end, which always is a surprise.
Mongo and Marty. Last week Marty Scheller, arranger and trumpeter for Mongo Santamaria's band in the 1960s and '70s, sent along a photo that Mongo's son sent along to him. Above, Mongo's band in the mid-1960s. From left, the hand of bassist Victor Venegas, Hubert Laws (ts, fl, pic and maracas), Marty (trumpet and cowbell), Mongo (congas and bongos) and Bobby Capers (as, bs, fl and guiro). Not pictured are Rodgers Grant (p)and Carmelo Garcia (timbales and traps).
Here's Marty's arrangement of Jelly Belly from Mongo Santamaria's Dawn (1977)...
Guai is one of my favorite contemporary Brazilian singers. I last interviewed her in 2019. Here's her new video...
Nina Simone's childhood home was featured in a wonderful article by Salamishah Tillet in the October issue of Elle Decor. Just catching up with my reading. [Photo above of Nina Simone by Herb Snitzer, courtesy of Herb Snitzer] To read, go here.
Billie Holiday tributeonline. New York's leading cultural institution 92Y is featuring a series of online events celebrating the voice and artistry of Billie Holiday (1915-1959). All times are EST:
Nov. 22 (1 p.m.)—Online screening of the documentary Billie, followed by a live Q&A with director James Erskine and executive producer Michele Smith. Free by registering here.
Dec. 5 (2 p.m.)—Online listening party hosted by Rhonda Hamilton, DJ on New Jersey's WBGO-FM. Free by registering here.
Dec 6 (3 p.m.)—Online concert taped and streamed by Catherine Russell, Veronica Swift, Emmet Cohen, Yasushi Nakamura, Kyle Poole and Tivon Pennicott. Tickets are $15 each here.
Jan. 10 (3 p.m.)—Singers discuss Billie’s influence in an online conversation with Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves and Cassandra Wilson, hosted by bassist Christian McBride. Tickets are $15 each here.
Johnny Mandel tribute concert online. On Monday, November 23, at 6 p.m. (PT), the Los Angeles Jazz Society will present a birthday salute to the late composer-arranger Johnny Mandel. Guests will include Herb Alpert, Morgan Ames, Alan Bergman, Gerald Clayton, John Clayton, Kurt Elling, Michael Feinstein, Sara Gazarek, Terry Gibbs, Tamir Hendelman, Roger Kellaway, Michael Lang, Renè Marie, Cecilé McLorin Salvant, Jane Monheit, Dianne Reeves, Shelea, Diane Schuur, Tierney Sutton, Scott Whitfield, Paul Williams and others. Special guest Marissa Mandel and host Leonard Maltin. To donate for tickets, gohere.
Zoom concert access online is free, but a $25 donation is hoped for by the organization. If you are unable to donate, the L.A. Jazz Society understands.
JazzWax cinema. This weekend, one of my favorite film noirs, The Killing (1956). The film was Stanley Kubrick's first full-length feature film shot with a professional cast and crew. It centers on a meticulously planned racetrack heist and stars Sterling Hayden and Coleen Grey. The powerful screenplay by Kubrick and Jim Thompson (dialogue) is addictive. Once you start watching this one, plan on sticking around for its entirety. Brilliantly written and cast. Here'sThe Killing. Open the film to fit your full screen...
In 1975 and '78, singer Irene Kral released what were arguably her finest small-group albums—Where Is Love and Gentle Rain, respectively, for the Choice label. She was accompanied only by pianist Alan Broadbent. [Photo above of Irene Kral with daughters Jodi, left and Melissa, from Being Irene Kral's Daughter by Jodi Burnett]
A month after the second album was recorded and a bunch of months before it came out in 1978, Kral and Alan appeared with bassist Frank De La Rosa and drummer Benny Barth at the Douglas Beach House at Half Moon Bay, Calif., on September 11, 1977. Fortunately, someone was there to videotape Kral. Several years ago, the video of Kral singing four songs from the gig went up at YouTube. Sadly, the audio and video were a swimmy mess—pitchy and blurry. Kral died from breast cancer in 1978, around the time the album came out.
Last week, Joe Lang passed along word that his friend, Rod Nicas, a West Coast sound engineer, worked over the music from the four live tracks. As Rod said in an accompanying note: "The video quality is almost unwatchable, but I think the new sound tracks I produced allow a lot of Irene’s warmth on stage to come forth on the screen." Oh, to be able to play like Alan Broadbent:
Bonus: Kral's very first recording was singing Moonlight in Vermont with Maynard Ferguson's band in 1957. Kral, of course, was the younger sister of Roy Kral, of Jackie & Roy fame. Here's one of the finest versions of this song...
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of a Song" (Grove) and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax is a three-time winner of the Jazz Journalists Association's best blog award.
