Stardust Melodies

Starred review from March 4, 2002
"The American Popular Song is like a car full of clowns at the circus: from the outside it looks small and unassuming, yet you can't believe how much is contained inside," notes Friedwald in his introduction and, indeed, Tin Pan Alley and its environs have produced masterpieces that survive well beyond their time and context. While every reader will have their own list—what better dinner conversation game?—this dozen (chosen in conjunction with Friedwald's editor, Bob Gottlieb) should contain at least half of everyone's choices. But this is not a trivia book, and the joy of these short essays—ruminative, but also filled with fascinating historical and social details – is in their intelligence and their always evident love of the music itself. Friedwald (Sinatra!; The Good Life, with Tony Bennett) can surprise, as when he lists similarities between Kurt Weill and Noël Coward (in his discussion of "Mack the Knife") or unearths the connections between Show Boat
(which features "Old Man River") and British humorist P.G. Wodehouse. But he is at his best elucidating how a particular song works its magic. His history of Johnny Green's 1930 classic "Body and Soul"—introduced by Gertrude Lawrence, made famous by the notorious Libby Holman and become a jazz standard when performed by Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker and Oscar Peterson—is incisive, with illuminating details (he describes Tony Bennett's hand motions while singing). Friedwald performs similar feats with the other songs, including "As Time Goes By" (in which he praises Tiny Tim's late 1960s rendition), "The Saint Louis Blues," "I Got Rhythm" and "My Funny Valentine." In the end, the book is an important contribution not only to American musicology but also to the literature on popular culture.

December 1, 2001
The author of Jazz Singing gives an account of jazz songs, including "Summertime" and "Mack the Knife."

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2002
Friedwald (Sinatra!: The Song Is You) presents an engaging study of 12 of the best-known songs in the 20th-century American popular music canon. Included are "Star Dust" (Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish), "Old Man River" (Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein), "I Got Rhythm" (George and Ira Gershwin), and "Night and Day" (Cole Porter). Friedwald dedicates a chapter to each tune, including historical background (how it was written and first performed); detailed analyses of melody, harmony, tempos, lyrics, and various versions (chiefly by jazz exponents); and a list of "bonus tracks" (obscure or offbeat renditions). The text is quite readable Friedwald has a gift for felicitous turns of phrase ("boite lizards") and tongue-in-cheek humor and the reproductions of sheet music covers are a welcome addition. Quotes from the artists lend authenticity, and there are even references to Sudhalter's book. One wishes, however, that a discography and musical examples had also been included. Also, the lack of even one song by Irving Berlin is unfortunate, and the author's explanation for this omission is not convincing. Other recent popular song histories like William Zinsser's Easy To Remember focus more on the historical context than on the music, so, despite its flaws, this is essential for jazz and popular music collections.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.