Event Title
Time/Date
11-13-2009 2:00 PM
Abstract
There aren't many jazz musicians who have not performed a Johnny Mercer song. Bop musicians were no exception. Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie were just two among the many who performed "Autumn Leaves," for example. Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis found much to explore in the song as well. Ella Fitzgerald did an entire songbook album of Mercer melodies. In a movie portrait of Gillespie, Mercer's "Midnight Sun" is featured. The question is why Boppers turned to Mercer's tunes so often? What was there in his lyrics and melodies, which attracted them? For young Turks who were supposedly rebelling against the restrictions of Swing it seems an odd choice of material. However, deeper examination shows the logic of their choice and reveals a good deal about Bop, which is often overlooked.
Bopping Along With Johnny Mercer
There aren't many jazz musicians who have not performed a Johnny Mercer song. Bop musicians were no exception. Oscar Peterson and Dizzy Gillespie were just two among the many who performed "Autumn Leaves," for example. Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis found much to explore in the song as well. Ella Fitzgerald did an entire songbook album of Mercer melodies. In a movie portrait of Gillespie, Mercer's "Midnight Sun" is featured. The question is why Boppers turned to Mercer's tunes so often? What was there in his lyrics and melodies, which attracted them? For young Turks who were supposedly rebelling against the restrictions of Swing it seems an odd choice of material. However, deeper examination shows the logic of their choice and reveals a good deal about Bop, which is often overlooked.
Comments
Presented in the Second Plenary Session: Influence and Interpretation of Popular Music
Video footage of presentation