TT 230: "Easy to Love" and Dance Heginbotham in Scottsdale, AZ
Last minute, but I have a casual gig tonight…
I texted with Joe Martin, asking him what he wanted to play. He suggested “Easy to Love,” a tune I’ve heard over the years but didn’t really know.
For my students, this is how I learned “Easy to Love.”
First, looked at the sheet music and sang the song according to Cole Porter. Then I transposed it to some other keys to “lock it down.”
Next, I checked out a few versions from the jazz greats. The only one I remember hearing recently is Sonny Stitt with Bobby Timmons. There’s also good versions from Oscar Peterson and a Barry Harris quintet with Charles McPherson and Lonnie Hillyer. (Of course, Bird played it with strings, but that’s a different topic than common practice blowing.)
I’d say the most inspired was Stitt, although that brings up something about Porter.
The composer harmonizes the second chord as V minor. Offhand, I’d say this is only place in the repertoire that exists just this way.
Bird, Oscar, and Barry all deal with that minor, straight on. Stitt and Timmons don’t. In their key of F, they don’t play C minor, they play a turnaround A minor seven flat five and D7.
Joe and I agreed V minor a la Porter is the way to go. Indeed, for us, it’s almost the reason to play the tune. However, that doesn’t mean Stitt and Timmons aren’t truly great.
These days one can look up the first filmed versions of the standards on YouTube. Jimmy Stewart sings it to Eleanor Powell in 1936. Incredible.
Modern dance and jazz music fans in the Phoenix area: On Saturday I'll be presenting an all-Iverson evening with wonderful Dance Heginbotham at Scottsdale Performing Arts! This is the same program from Jacob’s Pillow last summer. Vinnie Sperrazza will be flying out with me from New York, and we will be joined by local aces Chris Finet and Hisami Iijima.
What a treat.