Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Whistler and His Guitar; Toots Thielemans

Today I'm gonna do a different thing:

I'm going to post a whole album in this post. I explain: every whistling song here is instrumental and I couldn't find much information about them, so it's better to create one full post than several empty ones. So let me start introducing you the artist of this post:

Toots Thielemans is a Belgian jazz musician, in fact he is one of the greatest jazz masters of the world, he’s a guitarist, a harmonica player and a professional whistler. Hm... I don’t like to say “professional whistler”, because in music we don’t say “Santana is a professional guitarist” or “John Bonham was a professional drummer”. Even more if these musicians compose their own songs. Let me fix it: Thielemans is a master of whistling as well as Alex Moore, Ronnie Ronalde and Andrew Bird.

Thielemans is credited as one of the greatest harmonica players of the 20th century. In 2009 he became NEA Jazz Master, the highest honour for a jazz musician in the United States.¹

The album "The Whistler and His Guitar" was released in 1962². According to.... it is an album "...".

The first song from "The Whistler..." is "Wives and Lovers". This song was composed by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Bacharach's version was originally fluted not whistled.

Wives and Lovers

"It's the Talk of the Town" is a popular song. The music was written by Jerry Livingston, the lyrics by Al J. Neiburg and Marty Symes. The song was published in 1933.³

It's the Talk of the Town


“Indian Nuts” is accompanied by Thielemans’ most famous song in the world called “Bluesette”, which is, in its original release, a whistling song too!




"Manhattan" and the following "Falling in Love with Love" were composed by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. They are the duo who wrote My "Funny Valentine".

Manhattan


Falling in Love with Love


"It's Only a Paper Moon" is a popular song. Published in 1933, it was written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg and Billy Rose. It was written originally for an unsuccessful Broadway play called The Great Magoo.*

It's Only a Paper Moon


The next song was written by Thielemans himself and the producer Sid Feller.

The Valley Whistler


Thursday, August 26, 2010

Just One More Chance; Bing Crosby

The other one Rolf sent me is sung by Bing Crosby and according Wikipedia he first sang it in 1931 in the movie called “One More Chance”. Crosby wrote this song especially for this movie.

In the Internet Movie Database I found this description about the movie, done by bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York:

One More Chance another of the Mack Sennett shorts that Bing Crosby made in the early Thirties concerns just that, Bing trying to get just one more chance with his Missus, Patsy O’Day.

In this short Crosby plays a washing machine salesman with aspirations to be a crooner. It's a since he didn’t win Patsy with his sales pitch about clean clothes.

After getting canned as a salesman Bing and Patsy and her lazy uncle who lives with them Arthur Stone, set out cross country to get to California, the land of opportunity. In real life Crosby was doing a famous engagement at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles in 1931.

Bing sings four songs in this, I’d Climb The Highest Mountain which he never recorded, a parody version of one of his early hits I Surrender Dear and two songs identified with the early Crosby as a solo artist after he left Paul Whiteman and the Rhythm Boys, Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams and Just One More Chance. Both are classic early hits for Bing Crosby and prized by collectors. Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams was written by Gordon Clifford and Bing's former Rhythm Boy partner Harry Barris.

This particular Crosby short has a bit more of the slapstick that Mack Sennett is known for, especially at the beginning. Some old vaudeville bits are in this one about Bing making a claim that his washing machine can clean anything. Fans will recognize Lou Costello making the same claim about a vacuum cleaner he was peddling.

In these Sennett shorts Bing Crosby shows the budding talent he had as a comedian which we all know he had to keep up with Bob Hope.


Just one more chance
To prove it’s you alone I care for
Each night I say a little prayer for
Just one more chance

Just one more night
To taste the kisses that enchant me
I’d want no others if you’d grant me
Just one more chance

I’ve learned the meaning of repentance
Now you’re the jury at my trial
I know that I should serve my sentence
Still, I’m hoping all the while
You’ll give me

Just one more word
I said that I was glad to start out
But now I’m back to cry my heart out
For just one more chance

We spend our lives in groping for happiness
I found it once and tossed it aside
I paid for it with hours of loneliness
I’ve nothing to hide
I’d bury my pride for...
(mmm-bo-ba-ba-boo)
--- whistling ---
Just one more chance
(mmm-bo-ba-ba-boo)
--- whistling ---
Just one more chance

I’ve learned the meaning of repentance
Now you’re the jury at my trial
I know that I should serve my sentence
Still, I’m hoping all the while
You’ll give me

Just one more word
I said that I was glad to start out
But now I’m back to cry my heart out
For just one more chance




Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Dream River; The Mavericks

Yesterday morning, about an hour after I wake up, I checked the email of the blog and found a message thanking the whistling songs and sending two others. One of them is Dream River by The Mavericks. This song was released in March 10, 1998 by the country band from Miami, Florida, in its 5th studio album called “Trampoline”.

I was lucky to have listened “Dream River” in that moment... it made all my day better. I think sad songs about longing and wishes are the best medicine when you’re sad. I have to thank Rolf Samuels for the email. In gratitude, I’ll post the video he send, even if it contains only an image of the dawn.

As it seems, the singer, guitarist and producer Raúl Malo is the owner of this deep and blue whistling.

Floating down the dream river,
With the moon and stars above,
Maybe they can help me find a way
To have your whole love

Sleeping in the darkest room
Dreaming you are in my arms
Oh how I wish my dream comes true
With all my heart

Don’t want this night to end
Don’t want to live without you

Floating down the dream river
With you by my side
I know it’s make-believe
But please don’t wake me
I don't mind

Don’t want this night to end
Don’t want to live without you

Floating down the dream river
With you by my side
I know it’s make-believe
But please don’t wake me
I don’t mind
I know it’s make-believe
But please don’t wake me
I don’t mind.




Thursday, August 19, 2010

This Boy (feat. Loney, Dear); I’m From Barcelona

They REALLY know how to make a pop song!

When I wake up in the morning and I’m feeling alright
when I stumble into bed another Saturday night
all the voices in my head and all the people I meet
they’re all trying so hard to make a man out of me

But there’s always gonna be this little boy inside of me
And there’s always gonna be this little girl inside of me





Sunday, August 8, 2010

Mexican Whistler; Roger Whittaker

Roger Whittaker had already appeared here, whistling in the gorgeous song called “New World in the Morning”. Now he is only whistling and playing an acoustic guitar in this instrumental song, followed by another guitarist, a bassist and a drummer.

I admit that I liked the way Roger Whittaker whistled in “New World in the Morning”, but now listening to “Mexican Whistler” I am astonished! He is in fact the best of bests whistlers (sorry Andrew Bird)! I’m ashamed of the way I whistle...

He can whistle blowing and breathing the air, doing the vibratos look like a thing so easy to do. His technique is splendid! It seems that he does the vibratos and pitch variations through the throat, besides the usual bilabial whistling. Well, all I know is he is a master!

In Roger Whittaker’s website we can read a short history of this song:

By 1967, Roger was slowly beginning to make his name. He had enjoyed several record releases during this time, though the elusive big hit single had still escaped his clutches. Still, he was earning a healthy living and appearing occasionally on radio and television. Roger was asked to join a British team for the annual music festival at Knokke, Belgium. Singing “If I Were a Rich Man,” and his own composition “Mexican Whistler,” he helped Britain to win the competition. He also emerged as the hit of the entire contest and picked up the coveted and highly prestigious Press Prize as the personality of the festival. Issued on the Continent as singles shortly afterward, “Mexican Whistler” soon reached number one in three different European countries while “If I Were a Rich Man” peaked at number two. Suddenly, Roger was inundated with offers to tour Europe and star on the major television programs.