Jazz

Yesterday I said that I was going to be going to a jazz night that evening at a local pub in Fredericksburg. It turns out that the jazz was a lie.

You think of Ella Fitzgerald:
Everything Happens to Me, is in my current top songs by her (this video is mislabeled as Moonlight in Vermont, which is also a fantastic song). This is what I was expecting, or maybe something more upbeat, like Goody Goody.

You know what we got? A local rock band. They were pretty good, I will not lie, but they were not what I was expecting. In fact, I was so disappointed I could not make myself stay and listen to them for more than a half hour. I wish I could tell you the name, but, alas, I could not understand them.

I love jazz. It has something for every mood.

When I'm feeling cynical, I go for Goody, Goody, which I discovered when I was in the play You Can't Take it With You (I was Penny).
If I feel romantic, I go for Little Things Mean a Lot, by Kitty Kallen. Or even I Only Have Eyes for You, by Ella again.
I have a list of jazz, or at least jazz like songs from the 50's/60's Mad Men era, that I listen to over and over, here we go (also, Ella Fitzgerald is my favorite, as you will soon see):
These Foolish Things, Ella, or anyone
The Very thought of You, by Frank Sinatra and Ella
Bewitched, by Ella
Moi Je Joue, by Birgitte Bardot
Ciel de Lit, by Birgitte Bardot
Cry me a River, Ella
Someone to Watch Over Me, Ella
Embraceable You, Ella
Je ne Veut pas Travailler, Pink Martini
Fly me to the Moon, Frank Sinatra
The Way you Look Tonight, Frank Sinatra
It had to be You, Frank Sinatra
Come Fly with Me, Frank Sinatra
Stormy Weather, Ella
Ain't That a Kick in the Head, Dean Martin
At Last, Etta James
Let's Do it, Ella
My Special Angel, Bobby Vinton
I Can't Get Started, Ella
I can Dream Can't I, Toni Arden or The Andrews Sisters (both versions are great!)
We'll Meet Again, Vera Lynn
Break it to Me Gently, Brenda Lee
Je ne Regrette Rien, Edith Piaf
I'm Through with Love, Marylin Monroe
Let's Make Love, Marylin Monroe
Botch-a-me, Rosemary Clooney
Lollypops and Roses, Jack Jones
C'est Magnifique, Peggy Lee or Dean Martin
Goody Goody, Ella
Summertime, Ella
My Funny Valentine, Ella
Blue Moon, Ella
Dream a Little Dream of Me, Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Armstrong
Night and Day, Ella
Heart and Soul, Ella
The Man I Love, Ella
Sentimental Mood, Ella
Misty, Ella
All the Things you are, Ella
Manhattan, Ella
It Don't Mean a Thing, Ella
I only Have Eyes for You, Ella
Anything Goes, Ella
The Lady is a Tramp, Ella
Black Coffee, Ella
Isn't it Romantic, Ella
Let's Call the Whole Thing off, Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Armstrong
Love is Here to Stay, Ella
Everything Happens to me, Ella
Nice Work if You can Get it, Ella
They Can't take that Away from Me, Ella Fitzgerald with Louis Armstrong
Unforgettable, Nat King Cole
Smile, Nat King Cole
Moonlight in Vermont, Nat King Cole
Moonlight in Vermont, Ella
Autumn Leaves, Nat King Cole
Half of a Photograph, Kay Starr
Little Things Mean a lot, Kitty Kallen

These songs are just in the order I discovered them, so no particular reason for the order. I typically sit down with an easy read, put this list on shuffle and sit for a while. It is loverly. Youtube has all of these songs, if you want to give them a try.