MeFi Music

Listening to some old songs of mine, I came upon this one from 2004. It's a rather sweet, romantic little thing written about a depressing period in my relationship at the time. [more inside]
posted by edlundart on Sep 1, 2013 - 5 comments

Rehearsing some totally new Gershwin torch songs. Well, not new for the Gershwins. They're pretty dead. New for me, though. :) [more inside]
posted by miss lynnster on Feb 17, 2009 - 7 comments

Another 2006 rehearsal recording... cleaned up but obviously very rough still. Don't Go To Strangers was written in 1954 by Arthur Kent and David Mann, with gorgeous lyrics by Redd "Frim Fram Sauce" Evans. Many people have covered it, but Etta James' version is the one that infatuated me to give it a go myself. Gorgeous piano work provided by the perpetually kickass Tamir Hendelman
posted by miss lynnster on Feb 22, 2007 - 3 comments

Another 2006 CD rehearsal. I love timeless lyrics... and this 1920 tune by Irving Berlin captures human nature perfectly. It was repopularized by an arm-swinging Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The Nat King Cole Trio did it better though.
Piano fabulousness by the astoundingly talented (and now Grammy Nominated!) Tamir Hendelman
posted by miss lynnster on Jan 24, 2007 - 3 comments

Ok, so here's my spin on another old song. This Walter Donaldson/Gus Kahn composition was first featured in Florenz Zeigfield's 1928 Broadway musical Whoopee, starring Eddie Cantor & Ruth Etting, who took the song to #2 on the charts. In 1955, Doris Day starred in a biographical movie about Etting called "Love Me or Leave Me" & her updated rendition became a giant hit. Flash forward to 1967... Nina Simone turned this hokey old Ziegfeld tune into a completely reworked masterpiece of piano & voice (download link is at bottom). My own version (heard best live, I think) is definitely inspired by Nina's, but it could never compare to hers -- I just do my own thing & try to make it my own a bit. It's a fun song to do... audiences seem to love it. Incredible basswork once again provided by bass God Chris Conner.
posted by miss lynnster on Jan 20, 2007 - 10 comments

I've always loved this spiritual, and I loved recording it as well. It was a balmy evening in New York, and as I was singing, I felt as much in the center of the world as far far away....
posted by barmaljova on Jul 21, 2006 - 6 comments