10 Songs: Jazz

Billie Holiday helped me through my teenage years. When I listened to Lady Day sing, it was an expression of all the sadness I was feeling. She introduced me to jazz.
I didn't really start exploring jazz and blues until I was in my third year of college, when and friend and I volunteered to host a radio show on our local NPR station. Well, the friend was too busy to host with me, so I was slightly adrift. Luckily the station had an excellent jazz library to explore. I figured out what I like (soulful vocals, nimble instrumentals) and don't like (experimental and jam band nonsense).
These are the versions of these songs that I like.

1. "Glad to Be Unhappy" by Billie Holiday
There are so many Billie Holiday songs that I love. I love her voice, the tremors, the tone, everything. Just listening to her sing can make me cry like (almost) no other. This song is from her last studio album, Lady in Satin, released in 1958. I read a review once that described it as over-orchestrated, and I can see the point, but I disagree. The star here is that voice, no longer anywhere near its prime but beautiful. In the bonus tracks, you can hear her slurring, pretty clearly not sober. I love the album anyway, maybe because of the imperfections. It's real and harsh and sad, just as I felt life was like when I first listened. "Glad to Be Unhappy" is how I feel when I'm depressed. I'm overall happy, life is good. But there are days when I feel like nothing is going right and nothing ever will. That's when I pull out this song and this album.

2. "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone
First time I heard this song was in a TV spot for "Six Feet Under"-the main characters lip synced the opening lines, and I was hooked. It's so sly and honest the way Nina sings it, and she sings the hell out of it. She's the other singer who can make me cry with her voice (her version of "Ne Me Quitte Pas" gets me every time). This song is rejoicing, but it's not cheerful and I love it.

3. "Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet
Obviously. This song knocks you a bit off-kilter with Dave Brubeck's quintuple timing, then makes you swing with the Paul Desmond's sax. By the time you get to Joe Morello's drum solo, you're in the music and you don't want to leave. It's different for the sake of being different, for the sake of trying something new and seeing if it works. It really does. It's the epitome of cool jazz. Today we'd probably call it hipster jazz. Ugh.

4. "Mack the Knife" by Ella Fitzgerald (Live in Berlin)
What a performer! Spoiler: she forgets the words about halfway through and starts to make them up without missing a single beat. In case you've ever wondered why Ella Fitz was great, listen to this song. She's not my favorite; I find her voice too sunny. There's no denying her incredible talent, and I adore this song.

5. "St. James Infirmary" by Hugh Laurie
This is one of my all time favorite songs. I'm having trouble finding the right words to describe it. You might just have to listen for yourself. All I know is that it makes me ridiculously happy. And yes, Hugh Laurie the actor. He's a good actor and a great musician.

6. "Trumbology" by Bix Beiderbecke and Frankie Trumbauer
True story: when I first started the radio show, I was exploring the station's jazz library and asked my Dad for suggestions. He mentioned "Big Spiderbeck." I don't remember how long it took me to realize he said Bix Beiderbecke. Longer than I'm proud of, to be sure.

7. "Fables of Faubus" by Charles Mingus
Another sly song, it was written with lyrics. I've never heard with those lyrics because the label refused to release the original version. It was recorded and released a year later under a different label. Charles Mingus, one of the greatest musicians ever, wrote it about Governor Orval Faubus, the man who sent the National Guard to prevent the desegregation of Little Rock schools in 1957. The lyrics are scathing and unfortunately relevant.
I love this song for the music, for the sly, relentless rhythm that lulls you, not to sleep, but to action.

8. "Sugar Rum Cherry" by Duke Ellington
This is a jazz version of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky. Listening to it makes one want to smile knowingly. It does not hurry, it meanders its way through the tune. This whole album is great, and I love the concept.

9. "Fever" by Peggy Lee
I love Peggy Lee, and this song is the first that I felt comfortable singing in front of people. Peggy had a lower voice than most singers, and that made it easier for me to learn. It's a classic for a reason, and it's fun.

10. "Stardust" by Ben Webster
Before we knew my daughter's gender, we called her Panda Stardust; at the first ultrasound, my husband compared her to a baby panda, and I was always going to call her Stardust. All of us are made of stardust, with magic and love and music. This song feels like a lullaby to me, a lovely, comforting drift in safe arms.