By magicman
Flooded with wonderful suggestions all weekend, I had to ARRANGE my time and listen very carefully indeed. As regulars will know I take a greedy approach to the guru post, and so here are my baker’s dozens – with thanks to you all, and apologies for not choosing your carefully considered suggestions.
If anyone knows a better arrangement for piano and orchestra than Ludwig Van Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto I’d dearly love to hear it. We open our journey with the second movement adagio un poco mosso. A little more. This is sublime music where all the instruments complement each other to perfection.
The segue into Frank and Nelson was too delicious to turn down. When Sinatra and Riddle were making Only The Lonely both were bereft. Ava Gardner had divorced Sinatra and Nelson Riddle’s mother had passed away. The melancholy that sighs from these songs is tangible.
A family favourite now – Concierto De Aranjuez is a well-known (and thus unusual) jazz arrangement of a classical piece by Spanish composer Roderigo, written for guitar in 1939. Arrannged by Gil Evans & Miles Davis in 1960. Davis said: "That melody is so strong that the softer you play it, the stronger it gets, and the stronger you play it, the weaker it gets." From Sketches of Spain.
When Cilla Black was offered Bacharach & David’s ‘Alfie’ in 1965 it scared the pants off her, so she took the high road and declared she’d only sing it if Bacharach himself came over to Abbey Road and did the arrangement. The result was captured in black & white footage (on the playlist !!) which is a window into another world, and there is George Martin himself sitting watching Burt. Thirty takes? I can’t remember. Cilla was exhausted. It was the best thing she would ever do, and Dionne Warwick wasn’t nominated this week…
Van Dyke Parks is famous in my house for writing the lyrics to the great lost album Smile, but he earns his bread & butter as an arranger for hire, as well as producing his own work. Endlessly curious about other cultures and history he is a National American Treasure. His first LP Song Cycle (1967) is astonishing, from which this interpretation of Donovan’s ‘Colours’ is taken.
Chico Buarque is a Brazilian cultural icon, singer, songwriter, playwright & poet. Construção is the title track from his 10th album and is very bold in its construction – pun intended – and use of dynamics.
Focus were a jazz combo / prog rock band from The Netherlands who briefly tickled the UK pop charts in the early 1970s, my time of musical sentience. This instrumental from their LP Moving Waves is a stunning collection of sounds and rhythms that never gets tired.
Earth Wind & Fire were one of the most innovative bands in pop music during the 1970s. Their 6th album That’s The Way Of The World is simply a masterpiece of musical imagination and feeling, Shining Star is the opening song, arrangements by Maurice White and Charles Stepney.
Who Loves You finds 1960s East Coast vocal group Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons delivering the kind of sublime pop which they’d been playing since doo-wop days with a lead vocal supported by a bed of delicious vocal harmony but updated to 1975. Like their earlier hit The Night, a pre-disco track thanks to drummer Gerry Polci’s 16th notes on the hi-hat. A massive hit.
1979 – a pure synthesis of rhythm and musical arrangement which creates irresistible moments of joy. DISCO. One of the undeniable masterpieces of the genre is Dan Hartman’s Relight My Fire, here in all its 12-inch glory. Arranged to within an inch of its considerable life.
Rufus Wainwright brings us into the 21st century and his interpolation of Ravel’s Bolero which somehow drifts into Gershwin’s Rhapsody In Blue in a moment of musical daring – not the only pop artist who has done exactly this move by the way. From his greatest album to date Want One (2004).
In 2014 musical phenomenon A.R. Rahman visited Berklee College in Boston where he was feted by the students and there in a wonderful collaboration re-arranging his own music. This track Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera is originally from the 2004 Bollywood film Swades (Our Land). It is a patriotic song, the last refuge of a scoundrel, but very beautiful nonetheless and very artfully put together.
Finally this year saw Magdalene, the 2nd LP from English prodigy FKA Twigs after a five-year wait, and the result is not disappointing. A wonderful collection. But judge for yourself. This is the opening track Thousand Eyes and features Nicolas Jaar.
The Artfully Arranged A-List Playlist:
Ludwig Van Beethoven - 5th Piano Concerto ft. Alfred Brendel
Frank Sinatra - Angel Eyes
Miles Davis & Gil Evans - Adagio, Concierto For Aranjuez
Cilla Black - Alfie
Van Dyke Parks - Donovan’s Colours
Chico Buarque - Construçao
Focus - Focus II
Earth Wind & Fire - Shining Star
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Who Loves You
Dan Hartman - Relight My Fire
Rufus Wainwright - Oh What A World
A.R. Rahman & Berklee College - Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera
FKA Twigs - Thousand Eyes
Beautifully Brought Together B-List:
The B-List could have been the A-List. Quincy. Trevor. Miller.
The Band - Whispering Pines
Glen Miller - Moonlight Serenade
Nelson Riddle - Theme From Route 66
Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes – Don’t Leave Me This Way
Spirit - Mr Skin
Tower Of Power - What Is Hip?
Quincy Jones - Ai No Corrida
Propaganda - Duel
Murcof - Marmol
Nick Drake - Way To Blue
John Hartford - Lorena
June Tabor & Oysterband - Bonny Bunch of Roses
Voice Squad - The Parting Glass
Guru’s Wildcard G-List:
These are a few of my …
Dionne Warwick - Walk On By
Andy Williams - Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals – Angolian Dub
Glenn Miller - Kalamazoo
Charles Mingus - Mood Indigo
Duke Ellington - Black & Tan Fantasy
Lana Del Rey - The Greatest
These playlists were inspired by readers' song nominations from last week's topic: Take parts: songs with great arrangements. The next topic will launch on Thursday at 1pm UK time.
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