nature boy

Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra - ‘Rustles of Spring’ (1941)

Illustration by Edmund Dulac

Claude Thornhill & His Orchestra - ‘Snowfall’ (1941)

I thought following May-Day and that primal spring itch that people get this first week of May, I thought I’d give one last send off to Winter.

Note this “sweet” jazz group’s theme song sounds more like prototypal “cool-jazz” with sparse moody classical flourishes and musicality, a style that really wouldn’t develop until ten, fifteen years later in the 1950’s.

Picture is by Edmund Dulac,‘Gerta And The Reindeer’ 

Tex Avery ‘Swing Shift Cinderella’ (1945)

Bea Booze  - ‘See See Rider Blues’ (1943)

Jan Stulen & The Metropole Orchestra - ‘Kodachrome’

Composed by Raymond Scott (1942)

whitwhit328:

Really in love with Kay Starr’s voice. She’s such an underrated jazz singer 

It’s the gospel truth.

(Source: cupcakesvodkaandchocolate)

Kay Starr - ‘December’
Perhaps one of the prettiest holiday songs…ever…and yet it’s one generally no one knows at all.

Kay Starr - Frying Pan (Riffin’ The Scotch)

Kay Starr - ‘Honey’ (1940-1947?)

Kay Starr - ‘Please Love Me’ (1947)

artskooldamage:

Kay Starr 1960 > “Losers Weepers” > Vintage Kitsch 

The second half of Nov into Dec shall be dedicated to Kay Starr on this blog. She’s perhaps one of the most unique and compelling vocalists of the 20th century and yet, also extremely underrated, her library of material not played as often as it should be or her name known. But she should. In fact jazz legend Billie Holiday was quoted as saying that Starr was” the only white woman who could sing the blues,” which all things considered, is a huge compliment.

If you haven’t heard of her, you may have heard her before without knowing it in pretty popular renditions of the Christmas songs ‘Waiting For The Man With The Bag” and “I’ve got My Love To Keep Me Warm”, both have modern remixes that are used a lot in holiday marketing. She was and is (and at age eighty-nine she is still living and performing, one of the few singers from the thirties and forties still around to do so) a versatile singer with a unique voice who could sing swing jazz, blues, honky-tonk, western swing, country and genre hopping pop. Born in Oklahoma, her father was a full blooded Iroquois Native American, and her mother was of mixed Native American and Irish heritage. Thus, to my knowledge this makes Kay Starr perhaps the most successful Native American performer to date. That alone demands respect.

I will posting hand picked songs from her discography to share throughout the rest of the month and December.