Tish Oney

Peggy Lee

A Century of Song

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

One hundred years after the legendary singerâ s birth, this book brings to life the career of an iconic performer whose contributions to the Great American Songbook, jazz, popular music, and film music remain unparalleled. Tish Oney explores Lee's musical technique, and interviews with family, friends, and colleagues reveal new insights.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Rowman & Littlefield
• Seitenzahl: 250
• Erscheinungstermin: 5. Juli 2020
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 235mm x 157mm x 19mm
• Gewicht: 520g
• ISBN-13: 9781538128473
• ISBN-10: 1538128470
• Artikelnr.: 58778504

Autorenporträt

Tish Oneyis an international jazz recording artist, arranger, composer and artistic director of several productions. She has performed as soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, The Williamsburg Symphony, The Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphoria, the U.S. Army Bands and several other outstanding large ensembles. Tish's fifth recording project-this time with John Chiodini (guitar), Chuck Berghofer (bass) and Ray Brinker (drums)-is a compilation of new original songs by contemporary jazz composers, including three never-before-heard songs by jazz diva Peggy Lee. A talented jazz journalist and blogger, Oney writes a monthly column titled "Anatomy of a Standard" and an interview series highlighting L.A.-based jazz musicians for All About Jazz. Her diverse artistic talents combine to form an outstanding performing artist with exceptional technique, improvisational skill, and expertise. She lives in New York City.

Inhaltsangabe

Introduction
The International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel resounded with
cascades of applause and loving affirmation of a timeless music legend on
May 11, 1994. Peggy Lee was honored that evening with a gala tribute event
in Beverly Hills by the Society of Singers, and as a fitting gesture of
appreciation for their financial support as well as for the public honor,
Lee performed a touching, heartfelt rendition of her original song, "Here's
To You," melodiously wishing those in attendance "good luck" in several
languages before closing with her favorite blessing, "angels on your
pillows..." The masterful timing, declamatory phrasing and gentle, musical
delivery that were Peggy's alone shone through one of the last performances
this remarkable artist would share with her adoring public...
The highly diverse, six-decade catalog of music created by
vocalist/songwriter Peggy Lee-a globally beloved singer, composer,
lyricist, voiceover artist, actress and entertainer-represents one of the
greatest singular contributions by anyone to the oeuvre of American music.
Lee's remarkable work in big band swing, popular music, jazz, blues, the
"cool" school, film music, radio, television, and crossover styles forever
changed the landscape of American music as well as the role and society's
expectations of the female vocalist. Hailing from rural North Dakota nee
Norma Delores Egstrom, she was first nicknamed "Peggy Lee" by a radio DJ.
Deciding to keep the new stage name, Peggy moved to Los Angeles and
continued to sing, being fortuitously heard and hired by Benny Goodman
shortly after his band's vocalist, Helen Forrest, resigned. Peggy would
soon prove that she could not only successfully replace Forrest, but also
carve her own path as a force to be reckoned with in 1940s American popular
music.
Chapter 1
The Goodman Band
At the beginning of her career, the newly monikered Peggy Lee may have
seemed to be just one of many attractive "chick" singers fronting important
big bands of the 1930s. During the Goodman years, she was relegated to sing
songs in other singers' keys, causing her high-pitched, youthful tone to
match that of many other leading big band vocalists. When finally given
opportunities to show off her lower, sultry, softer, bluesy approach via
arrangements in lower keys, Lee began to come into her own signature style.
Early hits propelling Lee to the top of the pop music charts began with
"Somebody Else Is Taking My Place" from 1941 (peaking at #1) and "Why Don't
You Do Right?" which rose to #4 in 1942. "We'll Meet Again," which topped
at #16 that same year, became a song long associated with Lee. Meeting her
first husband, Dave Barbour, through association with Goodman's band proved
to be doubly advantageous for Peggy-Barbour also became her first
collaborative composer with whom she wrote several hit songs.
Chapter 2
A Capitol Idea
Following her split with the Benny Goodman Orchestra, Lee pursued a wildly
successful career as a solo artist with Capitol Records. Recording sessions
and hits were plentiful for Lee throughout the 1940s and 50s, and she
proved to be a public favorite with her cool, seductive delivery, musical
phrasing and magnetic sex appeal. The Barbour/Lee songwriting team churned
out dozens of great songs over the next few years while Lee also continued
to record songs by other composers. At Capitol, record executives began to
encourage Lee to focus on recording songs they provided her, rather than on
writing her own material. Fortunately, she managed to find time to be
successful at both ventures.
Chapter 3
The Peggy Lee Show
Radio shows were all the rage in the mid-1940s through the 1950s, and were
hosted by famous entertainers including Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, Woody
Herman and eventually, Peggy Lee. Highlights from Lee's show were often
created when she brilliantly performed songs normally associated with other
artists ("Somewhere Along The Way," a Nat Cole hit, and "A Kiss To Build A
Dream On," associated with Louis Armstrong). Performances from hosted radio
programs represented a crucial connection between leading pop musicians and
their adoring American fans during this period. These shows finally gave
way to widely popular television variety shows filmed before a live studio
audience (hosted by Dean Martin, Judy Garland, Ed Sullivan and many
others). Among a slew of interesting skits and other acts, these variety
shows broadcast hundreds of impromptu performances showcasing the top
entertainers of the day. Lee made history when she sang the Academy
Award-nominated song, "Zing a Little Zong," from Just For You at the
first-ever televised broadcast of the Oscars.
Chapter 4
The Decca Years
In 1953 Lee turned to the Decca label to record what jazz history scholars
have ranked as one of the top ten vocal jazz albums of all time: Black
Coffee. This important Decca recording reveals Lee to be no less than a
serious jazz artist, capable of text-based improvisation bathed heavily in
the blues. Her characteristic skills in backphrasing, understatement,
unprecedented use of soft dynamics and astounding vocal control are readily
apparent on this recording. Although Lee was criticized for sounding a bit
like Billie Holiday here, her original approach to this material makes
itself apparent to the discriminating listener. This decade also birthed a
Capitol hit single most associated with Lee ("Fever," in 1958) as well as a
highly controversial rendering of the formerly innocuous Rodgers and Hart
composition, "Lover," which caused a public outcry in 1952 due to its
vividly sensual, emotionally intense interpretation.
Chapter 5
A Flair for Film
Lee contributed music to fourteen films throughout her storied career. Two
of the most notable include Disney's Lady and the Tramp, for which she
served as both lyricist for all the songs in the film and voiceover artist
for all female characters, and Pete Kelly's Blues, in which she attained a
Best Supporting Actress nomination for her acting role as an alcoholic
nightclub singer. Both films feature Lee's singing as well as her original
songs. Several other films include songs co-written by Lee, showcasing her
innate ability to adapt lyrics to a variety of storylines and film scores.
For these and other projects, Lee collaborated with A-list composers Sonny
Burke, Duke Ellington, Johnny Mandel and Henry Mancini. Film dramas
including Johnny Guitar, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!
and Anatomy Of A Murder boast Peggy Lee's songs in their soundtracks.
Chapter 6
1960s Jazz and Blues
The 1960s found Lee as prolific and focused as ever, and eager to
collaborate with some of the most talented young musicians in the business.
Mink Jazz, another exquisite straight-ahead jazz album showcasing Lee's
jazz sensibilities, was a successful venture with trumpeter Jack Sheldon,
reinforcing Lee's rightful place in the circle of top jazz vocalists. Blues
Cross-Country was a songwriting collaboration with a young Quincy Jones,
proving Lee's fearless willingness to foray into the blues--a genre for
which her voice was uniquely suited. In 1965 Lee recorded Cy Coleman's
bluesy classic, "Big Spender," from his new musical, Sweet Charity. Lee
obtained special permission to record the song before the original cast
recording was made, releasing her version upon the premiere of the Broadway
production in January 1966 to become an instant hit.
Chapter 7
Live at Basin Street East
This historically important recording of a live New York performance in
1961 offers a rare glimpse into the extraordinary "live" Peggy Lee concert
experience during the height of her career and worldwide fame. This
recording best exemplifies Lee's artistry as the masterful performing
artist that she was, capable of casting a musical spell and holding an
audience in the palm of her hand for an entire evening. The full show
includes various hits, originals and three multi-song medleys. Lee's former
bandmates claim that Lee loved to program medleys into her show songlists
as a preferred way to present related material to a live audience while
adding to the flow and unpredictability of the music. One such related
group on this recording is a Ray Charles tribute medley connecting four of
Ray's signature songs together.
Chapter 8
Leiber and Stoller
The songwriting team that is often identified with Lee's 1960s work is the
duo that penned two of her signature songs in that decade-Jerry Leiber and
Mike Stoller. While the later ubiquitously known "I'm a Woman" never
charted when it was released in 1963, "Is That All There Is?" earned Lee
and the songwriting duo their only Grammy awards (1969). Mirrors, a
problematic album collaboration in 1975, was irreparably plagued by poor
recording quality, and never managed more than a lukewarm album remodeling
project in recent years. Still, the Leiber and Stoller period in Lee's
total output represents a particular sound and genre exemplifying the aging
persona of Peggy Lee.
Chapter 9
The Late Albums
Lee managed to snag not one, but two Grammy nominations for albums she
recorded in her late 60s-Peggy Lee Sings the Blues (1988) and The Peggy Lee
Songbook: There'll Be Another Spring (1989). These records (released on the
MusicMasters label) featured a young, very talented combo of jazz
instrumentalists who would go on to become jazz masters themselves (Mike
Renzi and Emilio Palame, piano, John Chiodini, guitar and Mark Sherman,
drums). While these albums revealed a very different vocal quality than
heard in Lee's early work, her timing, phrasing and storytelling
capabilities were still intact.
Chapter 10
That's Not All There Is
The long, successful musical career and extensive song catalog of Peggy
Lee, totaling several hundred recorded covers and 270 originals, boasts the
productivity of a truly universal woman capable of singing and recording at
a level that shattered most of her competition. Not only this, but Lee's
ability to write artistically viable lyrics and music at a highly prolific
clip despite incessant discouragement from record label executives
continued throughout her career. Moreover, her ventures into performing a
wide variety of genres with relative authenticity and courageous, inspiring
voraciousness illuminates a comparatively boundless creative spirit.
Several albums of Lee's previously unreleased work have been made public
since her death in 2002 including "lost" Capitol masters and several
original songs. Lee's ongoing commitment to musical excellence, artistic
integrity and the protection of intellectual property for songwriters serve
as timely reminders for today's artists about the importance of
contributing something positive and enduring to the body of art in our
current musical culture.