WHAT A LITTLE MOONLIGHT CAN DO

BILLIE HOLIDAY

SONGWRITER: HARRY WOODS

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: JAZZ AT THE PHILARMONIC

LABEL: CLEF RECORDS

GENRE: JAZZ

YEAR: 1954

 

            Billie Holiday(born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. She was known for her vocal delivery and improvisational skills.

     After a turbulent childhood, Holiday began singing in nightclubs in Harlem, where she was heard by producer John Hammond, who liked her voice. She signed a recording contract with Brunswick in 1935. Collaborations with Teddy Wilson produced the hit "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", which became a jazz standard. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Holiday had mainstream success on labels such as Columbia and Decca. By the late 1940s, however, she was beset with legal troubles and drug abuse. After a short prison sentence, she performed at a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall. She was a successful concert performer throughout the 1950s with two further sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall.  Because of personal struggles and an altered voice, her final recordings were met with mixed reaction but were mild commercial successes. Her final album, Lady in Satin, was released in 1958. Holiday died of cirrhosis on July 17, 1959, at age 44.

       Holiday won four Grammy Awards, all of them posthumously, for Best Historical Album. She was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, though not in that genre; the website states that "Billie Holiday changed jazz forever". Several films about her life have been released, most recently The United States vs. Billie Holiday(2021)

         Billie Holiday at Jazz at the Philharmonic(MG C-169) is a live album by jazz singer Billie Holiday, originally recorded on February 12, 1945 and October 3, 1946 at the Jazz at the Philharmonic concert at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and at Carnegie Hall on June 3, 1946.

Ooh, what a little

Moonlight can do

Ooh, what a little moonlight

Can do to you

 

You're in love

Your hearts fluttering

All day long

 

You only stutter

'Cause your poor tongue

Just will not utter

The words, I love you

 

Ooh, what a little

Moonlight can do

Wait a while

Till a little moonbeam

Comes peepin' through.

 

You'll get bored

You can't resist him

And all you'll say

When you have kissed him is

Ooh, what a little

Moonlight can do.

PATA PATA

MIRIAM MAKEBA

SONGWRITERS: JERRY RAGOVOY & MIRIAM MAKEBA

COUNTRY: SOUTH AFRICA

HOW: Live 1967

ALBUM: PATA PATA

LABEL: REPRISE RECORDS

GENRE: WORLD MUSIC

YEAR: 1967

 

           Zenzile Miriam Makeba(4 March 1932– 9 November 2008), nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, and civil rights activist. Associated with musical genres including Afropop, jazz, and world music, she was an advocate against apartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.

       Born in Johannesburg to Swazi and Xhosa parents, Makeba was forced to find employment as a child after the death of her father. She had a brief and allegedly abusive first marriage at the age of 17, gave birth to her only child in 1950, and survived breast cancer. Her vocal talent had been recognized when she was a child, and she began singing professionally in the 1950s, with the Cuban Brothers, the Manhattan Brothers, and an all-woman group, the Skylarks, performing a mixture of jazz, traditional African melodies, and Western popular music. In 1959, Makeba had a brief role in the anti-apartheid film Come Back, Africa, which brought her international attention, and led to her performing in Venice, London, and New York City. In London, she met the American singer Harry Belafonte, who became a mentor and colleague. She moved to New York City, where she became immediately popular, and recorded her first solo album in 1960. Her attempt to return to South Africa that year for her mother's funeral was prevented by the country's government.

         Makeba's career flourished in the United States, and she released several albums and songs, her most popular being "Pata Pata" (1967). Along with Belafonte she received a Grammy Award for her 1965 album An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. She testified against the South African government at the United Nations and became involved in the civil rights movement. She married Stokely Carmichael, a leader of the Black Panther Party, in 1968. As a result, she lost support among white Americans. Her visa was revoked by the US government when she was traveling abroad, forcing her and Carmichael to relocate to Guinea. She continued to perform, mostly in African countries, including at several independence celebrations. She began to write and perform music more explicitly critical of apartheid; the 1977 song "Soweto Blues", written by her former husband Hugh Masekela, was about the Soweto uprising. After apartheid was dismantled in 1990, Makeba returned to South Africa. She continued recording and performing, including a 1991 album with Nina Simone and Dizzy Gillespie, and appeared in the 1992 film Sarafina!. She was named a UN goodwill ambassador in 1999, and campaigned for humanitarian causes. She died of a heart attack during a 2008 concert in Italy.

          Makeba was among the first African musicians to receive worldwide recognition. She brought African music to a Western audience, and popularized the world music and Afropop genres. She also made popular several songs critical of apartheid, and became a symbol of opposition to the system, particularly after her right to return was revoked. Upon her death, former South African President Nelson Mandela said that "her music inspired a powerful sense of hope in all of us."

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

 

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

 

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

 

"Pata Pata" is the name of a dance we do down Johannesburg way.

And everybody starts to move as soon as "Pata Pata" starts to play – whoo

 

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

 

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

 

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

 

Whoo, every Friday and Saturday night it's "Pata Pata" time

The dance keeps going all night long till the morning sun begins to shine - hey!

Aya sat wuguga sat - wo-ho-o

 

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata

 

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

Hiyo mama hiyo ma nantsi Pata Pata

 

Saguquga sath' - hit it!

Aah- saguquga sath' - nantsi - hit it!

Saguquga sathi bega nantsi Pata Pata.

DANCING IN THE STREETS

MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS

SONGWRITERS: MARVIN GAYE; IVY JO HUNTER & WILLIAM “MICKEY” STEVENSON

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: DANCE PARTY

LABEL: GORDY RECORDS

GENRE: R & B

YEAR: 1965

 

           Martha and the Vandellas(known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves & The Vandellas) were an American vocal girl group formed in Detroit in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown.

      An act founded by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford and Gloria Williams, the group eventually included Martha Reeves, who moved up in ranks as lead vocalist of the group after Williams' departure in 1962. The group signed with and eventually recorded all of their singles for Motown's Gordy imprint.

          The group's string of hits included "Come and Get These Memories", "Heat Wave", "Quicksand", "Nowhere to Run", "Jimmy Mack", "I'm Ready for Love", "Bless You" and "Dancing in the Street", the latter song becoming their signature single.

          During their nine-year run on the charts from 1963 to 1972, Martha and the Vandellas charted over twenty-six hits and recorded in the styles of doo-wop, R&B, pop, blues, rock and roll and soul. Ten Vandellas songs reached the top ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart, including two R&B number ones, and six Top Ten Pop Hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Selected members of the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.

          Dance Party is a 1965 studio album released by American Motown and soul girl group Martha and the Vandellas on the Gordy (Motown) label. The album was the group's third and, much like The Miracles' Mickey's Monkey album, mainly consisted of dance tunes. The singles featured on the album were their 1964 landmark single, "Dancing in the Street", their follow-up smash, "Wild One", and the hit "Nowhere to Run" and its b-side, "Motoring". The album was mostly produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson with several nods from Holland–Dozier–Holland.

Callin' out around the world

Are you ready for a brand new beat

Summer's here and the time is right

For dancing in the street

 

They're dancing in Chicago (dancing in the street)

Down in New Orleans (dancing in the street)

In New York City (dancing in the street)

All we need is music, sweet music

There'll be music everywhere

 

There'll be swingin' and swayin' and records playing

Dancing in the street

 

Oh it doesn't matter what you wear

Just as long as you are there

So come on ev'ry guy grab a girl

Everywhere around the world

 

There'll be dancing (dancing in the street)

They're dancing in the street

Dancing in the street

 

It's just an invitation across the nation

A chance for folks to meet

There'll be laughing, singing and music swinging

Dancing in the street

 

Philadelphia, PA (dancing in the street)

Baltimore and D.C. now (dancing in the street)

Can't forget the Motor City (dancing in the street)

 

All we need is music, sweet music

There'll be music everywhere

There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playing

And dancing in the street

 

Oh, it doesn't matter what you wear

Just as long as you are there

So come on, every guy grab a girl

Everywhere around the world

 

They're dancing

They're dancing in the street (dancing in the street)

Way down in L.A., every day, they're dancing in the street

Let's get our big strong long, get on time (they're dancing in the street)

Across the ocean blue, me and you (we're dancing in the street).

BRIDGE OVER TROUBLE WATER

ELVIS PRESLEY

SONGWRITER: PAUL SIMON

COUNTRY: U. S. A.

ALBUM: THAT’S THE WAY IT IS

LABEL: RCA RECORDS

GENRE: ROCK AND ROLL

YRAR: 1970

 

            Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935– August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to both great success and initial controversy.

      Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African-American music to a wider audience. Presley, on rhythm acoustic guitar, and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley's classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage him for more than two decades. Presley's first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States. Within a year, RCA would sell ten million Presley singles. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, Presley became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll.

            In November 1956, Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Drafted into military service in 1958, Presley relaunched his recording career two years later with some of his most commercially successful work. He held few concerts, however, and guided by Parker, proceeded to devote much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and soundtrack albums, most of them critically derided. In 1968, following a seven-year break from live performances, he returned to the stage in the acclaimed television comeback special Elvis, which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours. In 1973, Presley gave the first concert by a solo artist to be broadcast around the world, Aloha from Hawaii. Years of prescription drug abuse and unhealthy eating habits severely compromised his health, and he died suddenly in 1977 at his Graceland estate at the age of 42.

          "Bridge over Troubled Water" has been covered by over 50 artists, including Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson. Merry Clayton recorded a version in gospel style on her 1970 album Gimme Shelter. A cover recorded by Johnny Cash and Fiona Apple for Cash's American IV: The Man Comes Around album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals in 2003.

When you're weary, feeling small

When tears are in your eyes

I will dry them all

I'm on your side

When times get rough

And friends just can't be found

 

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

 

When you're down and out

When you're on the street

When evening falls so hard

I will comfort you

I'll take your part

When darkness falls

And pain is all around

 

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

 

Sail on silver girl

Sail on by

Your time has come to shine

All your dreams are on their way

See how they shine

Oh, If you need a friend

I'm sailing right behind

 

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will ease your mind

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will ease your mind.