standard time

Nah, I'm not talking about that thing we have to with the clocks tonight (though you should remember to "fall back" or you'll be out of synch with the rest of us all day tomorrow)...instead I'm talking about the so-called standards from the "great American songbook". The undeniably great songs written in the early to mid 20th Century by astonishingly gifted songwriters like George and Ira Gershwin, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer, and Cole Porter. The songs given life eternal by those blessed with the ability to channel the music of the heavens and deliver it to us mere mortals...Billie Holiday, Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Tony Bennett.

The songs a current, lingering trend in pop music revisits over and over. The "songbook" has become a refuge for pop stars whom the charts and the radio wave have passed by...a safe haven for aging "boomers" (yours truly included) who find solace in a familiar melody or a clever turn of phrase that brings a smile of recognition each and every time they hear it.

Rod Stewart has croaked his way back to platinum success with his trio of CDs filled with these songs and others have (Bette Midler, Aaron Neville, Crystal Gayle, Cyndi Lauper, Suzy Bogguss, and many others) have taken their own heartfelt shots at reinterpreting the classics (to varying degrees of success commercially and artistically.

The gold standard is...and probably always will be...the amazing series of "Songbook" discs recorded by the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald in the 50's and 60's. Pop stars ahead of the current trend, made their own contributions to the canon...Willie Nelson in the 70's with his sublime "Stardust" collection, Carly Simon in early 80's with her heartfelt disc of "Torch" songs, and Linda Ronstadt's glorious trilogy of standards created in collaboration with the great Nelson Riddle.

There may be whiffs of desperation and opportunism wafting around the current flight back to "standard time" but, frankly (pun intended), I don't care...glorious songs sung by heaven-sent voices will always find a safe and appreciative refuge in my cynical old heart.

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recommended listening:

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George & Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)
(3 hours of magical musical joy arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle...all of her "Songbooks" are wondrous but this one is favorite)

In the Wee Small Hours Frank Sinatra (1955)
(still devastatingly moving after all these years...songs for the broken-hearted never sounded so wonderful)

Stardust Willie Nelson (1978)
(Ol' Willie putting his inimitable stamp on beloved musical chestnuts like "Moonlight in Vermont", "Someone to Watch Over Me", and, of course, "Georgia on my Mind")

'Round Midnight Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle & his Orchestra (1986)
(Ronstadt's glorious pipes, Riddle's shimmering arrangements, and a collection of immortal songs make for an amazing combination on this set which collects all 3 of the albums they did together in 1983-1984.)

Red Hot + Blue (1990)
(an eclectic collection of Cole Porter songs reinterpreted for the 90's for this AIDS benefit CD...from the delicate version of "Everytime We Say Goodbye" by Annie Lennox to the soulful take on "Down in the Depths" by Lisa Stansfield to U2's driving rock & roll version of "Night and Day", Porter's songs show themselves strong enough to fit into different molds and still shine as stongly as ever.)

The Glory of Gershwin (1994)
(George Martin gathers a collection of pop stars...Elton John, Sting, Cher, Elvis Costello, Peter Gabriel, Meat Loaf, Kate Bush, Jon Bon Jovi, Oleta Adams, Sinead O'Connor, the late Robert Palmer...and they shine on this sterling collection of Gershwin classics)

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
(a criminally under-appreciated soundtrack featuring Johnny Mercer songs done by singers of different generations...Cassandra Wilson, Rosemary Clooney, Diana Krall, Joe Williams, Alison Krauss, Tony Bennett, Paula Cole...along with cute turns by two of the stars from the movie...Kevin Spacey and Alison Eastwood...and even the director himself, Mr. Clint Eastwood. K.D. Lang's majestic "Skylark" is almost worth the price of the CD by itself.)

The Dana Owens Album Queen Latifah (2004)
(The Queen showed her singing chops with 3 magnificent performances on the soundtrack to a movie you probably didn't see..."Living Out Loud"...and a couple more on the soundtrack to one you are more likely to have heard of..."Chicago". This, her first full album of singing (as opposed to rapping), showcases songs from the 40's to the 70's to wonderful effect. Her version of Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life"...no easy song to sing...is so sublime it brings to tears to your eyes.)