July, 2008 | Darian Johnson's Favorite Things

The Great American Songbook Countdown – #7: Good Morning Heartache

billie-holiday[1] I first heard “Good Morning Heartache” in 1993 (on Terence Blanchard’s previously mentioned Billie Holiday Songbook); I didn’t fall for the song until 1995, when I purchased Billie Holiday’s Complete Decca Recordings. The song is mesmerizing. Billie sings each verse as if she’s lived the lyrics¹.

Good morning, heartache, you ole gloomy sight
Good morning, heartache, thought we’d said goodbye last night
I turned and tossed until it seemed you had gone
But here you are with the dawn
Wish I’d forget you
but you’re here to stay
It seems I met you
When my love went away
Now everyday I start by saying to you
Good morning, heartache, what’s new?

Jill Scott does a decent turn on the song, but nothing beats Billie. Enjoy!

Billie Holiday – Good Morning Heartache

The Great American Songbook Countdown – #9: I Concentrate On You & #8: Baubles, Bangles And Beads

sinatra+jobim[1] In 2001, my not-quite-my-girlfriend-not-yet-my-wife let me borrow disc three of Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Collection. The disc, covering recordings from 1966-69, included songs from Sinatra’s sessions with Brazilian bossa nova great Antônio Carlos Jobim.

I was already a Jobim fan, yet somehow I had overlooked these recordings. After learning of these sessions, I scoured Napster (back before RIAA started cracking down) and downloaded all of the Sinatra/Jobim recordings. Of those tracks, the Cole Porter-penned “I Concentrate On You” and “Baubles, Bangles And Beads” (written by George Forrest and Robert Wright) are my favorites from the American Songbook (Full disclosure: “Wave” is my favorite recording from the sessions, however, that won’t count in this list since it isn’t part of the GAS). ¹

Frank Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim -I Concentrate On You

Frank Sinatra & Antônio Carlos Jobim – Baubles, Bangles And Beads

The Great American Songbook Countdown – #10: I Cover The Waterfront

Usually my daughters and I “dance” (if you want to call it that) to music from our Sirius music channels before they go to bed. We normally stick to the classic R&B and hip hop stations; however, a few days ago, I decided to check out the classic jazz station. The station was playing Ella Fitzgerald’s cover of Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady”. “Great,” I thought as I turned the volume up. “My kids are going to love this!”

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