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    Hoagy Carmichael

    The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946

    Hoagy Carmichael - The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946

    03/30/2004 | Jsp Records 

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      FIRST OF THE SINGER SONGWRITERS 1924-1946 (BOX)

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    All Music Guide Review

    Its title aside (which suggests that Hoagy Carmichael was a some distant forerunner of Jackson Browne or Dar Williams, a case that would be both difficult and a little absurd to make), there's no doubt that this four-disc, 101-track collection from English reissue label JSP is carefully and lovingly assembled, and it outlines an impressive and amazing legacy. Carmichael was technically a singer/songwriter, of course, in the sense that he was quite capable of performing his songs at a commercial level, and he certainly had a public persona as an unassuming, laid-back, slightly world weary but jivin' jazz cat out of Indiana, but his songs didn't depend on that persona in order to get across, and that, more than anything, sets him apart from most if not all of the so-called singer/songwriters of the present day. Carmichael is also different than the other great American jazz and pop song stylists of his time like the Gershwins, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin in a couple of important ways. He didn't necessarily need a lyricist, for one, although he worked frequently with great ones like Johnny Mercer, Mitchell Parish, Frank Loesser and Stuart Gorrell, and his songs only occasionally had romance as a central theme, preferring instead to deal with places, times and mindsets, with a song like "Georgia on My Mind" being a perfect example. It's a love song, certainly, but it is a love song to a place, and more specifically, to a place in time, and (as the title states) a place in mind. Even Carmichael's most famous composition, "Stardust," isn't so much a song about love as it is a song about thinking about a song about love, which makes it a love song one step removed. Songs like "Rockin' Chair," "Lazy River" and "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" may be romantic in tone but they aren't love songs in any normal sense. Perhaps this is why Carmichael's melodies also do so well as instrumentals, since they depend more on mood, time and feel than any kind of romantic plot line. At the very least, Carmichael's songs are extremely versatile, which this expansive anthology makes clear. There are nine different versions of "Stardust" here done in almost every conceivable way (including by Carmichael himself), and almost that many versions of "Georgia on My Mind." The list of bandleaders compiled here tackling Carmichael tunes is simply mind blowing, including sides by Frank Trumbauer, Red Nichols, Paul Whiteman, Eddie Lang, Irving Mills, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, the Dorsey Brothers, Isham Jones and Bennie Moten, among many others. Songs are done fast, slow, and in-between, with sung lyrics and without them. They always work. Carmichael is featured singing and performing his own melodies on maybe a dozen tracks, and while his versions may not be -- and usually aren't -- the most definitive, they are in some ways the most revealing, as his everyman Joe perception of his work shines clear as a desk bell in that slightly weary and amused voice he had. This is a marvelous anthology, but it may be a bit too much for casual listeners who probably don't need to hear nine versions of "Stardust" to grasp its importance and power, and they may be better off with a single-disc collection like Bluebird's carefully selected Stardust Melody from 2002. Those interested in a deeper look at Carmichael's own versions of his work can turn to the exhaustive ten-disc In Person 1925-1955 box put out by Avid in 2006 or the wonderfully concise single-disc Hoagy Sings Carmichael from 1956. This set, meanwhile, balances between Carmichael's own versions of his compositions and key versions by other pop and jazz artists recorded between 1926 and 1946. All of these sets are excellent in their own way, framing the legacy of a very unique writer, one who wrote love songs to places and ideas, and in doing so, defined the concept of Americana in the purest sense. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

    The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946 Track Listing

  • Track#
  • Title
  • time
  • lyrics
  • 1
  • Riverboat Shuffle
  • 2:37
  • Sound Clip for Riverboat Shuffle from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 2
  • Boneyard Shuffle
  • 2:39
  • Sound Clip for Boneyard Shuffle from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 3
  • Washboard Blues
  • 3:04
  • Sound Clip for Washboard Blues from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 4
  • Washboard Blues
  • 3:08
  • Sound Clip for Washboard Blues from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 5
  • Boneyard Shuffle
  • 3:08
  • Sound Clip for Boneyard Shuffle from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 6
  • Riverboat Shuffle
  • 3:16
  • Sound Clip for Riverboat Shuffle from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 7
  • One Night in Havana
  • 2:49
  • Sound Clip for One Night in Havana from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 8
  • Stardust
  • 3:06
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 9
  • When Baby Sleeps
  • 2:26
  • Sound Clip for When Baby Sleeps from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 10
  • Friday Night
  • 3:01
  • Sound Clip for Friday Night from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 11
  • Washboard Blues
  • 4:31
  • Sound Clip for Washboard Blues from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 12
  • So Tired
  • 3:21
  • Sound Clip for So Tired from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 13
  • March of the Hoodlums
  • 2:23
  • Sound Clip for March of the Hoodlums from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 14
  • Walkin' the Dog
  • 2:32
  • Sound Clip for Walkin' the Dog from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 15
  • Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble
  • 2:31
  • Sound Clip for Shim-Me-Sha-Wabble from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 16
  • Smile
  • 3:04
  • Sound Clip for Smile from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 17
  • Stardust
  • 3:03
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 18
  • Stardust
  • 2:28
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 19
  • March of the Hoodlums
  • 2:53
  • Sound Clip for March of the Hoodlums from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 20
  • Walkin' the Dog
  • 2:45
  • Sound Clip for Walkin' the Dog from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 21
  • Rockin' Chair
  • 3:28
  • Sound Clip for Rockin' Chair from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 22
  • Harvey
  • 3:11
  • Sound Clip for Harvey from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 23
  • Stardust
  • 3:31
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 24
  • March of the Hoodlums
  • 2:45
  • Sound Clip for March of the Hoodlums from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 25
  • March of the Hoodlums
  • 3:24
  • Sound Clip for March of the Hoodlums from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 26 (2)
  • Walkin' the Dog
  • 3:07
  • Sound Clip for Walkin' the Dog from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 27 (2)
  • What Kind O' Man Is You?
  • 3:29
  • Sound Clip for What Kind O' Man Is You? from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 28 (2)
  • Rockin' Chair
  • 3:19
  • Sound Clip for Rockin' Chair from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 29 (2)
  • Manhattan Rag
  • 2:57
  • Sound Clip for Manhattan Rag from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 30 (2)
  • Manhattan Rag
  • 2:43
  • Sound Clip for Manhattan Rag from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 31 (2)
  • What Kind O' Man Is You?
  • 3:17
  • Sound Clip for What Kind O' Man Is You? from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 32 (2)
  • Barbaric
  • 3:00
  • Sound Clip for Barbaric from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 33 (2)
  • High and Dry
  • 2:38
  • Sound Clip for High and Dry from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 34 (2)
  • My Sweet
  • 3:16
  • Sound Clip for My Sweet from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 35 (2)
  • Stardust
  • 3:26
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 36 (2)
  • Rockin' Chair
  • 3:27
  • Sound Clip for Rockin' Chair from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 37 (2)
  • Georgia on My Mind
  • 3:10
  • Sound Clip for Georgia on My Mind from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 38 (2)
  • One Night in Havana
  • 3:26
  • Sound Clip for One Night in Havana from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 39 (2)
  • Bessie Couldn't Help It
  • 2:54
  • Sound Clip for Bessie Couldn't Help It from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 40 (2)
  • Lazy River
  • 3:15
  • Sound Clip for Lazy River from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 41 (2)
  • Papa's Gone Bye-Bye Blues (Jewish Boy Blues)
  • 2:49
  • Sound Clip for Papa's Gone Bye-Bye Blues (Jewish Boy Blues) from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 42 (2)
  • Stardust
  • 3:00
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 43 (2)
  • March of the Hoodlums
  • 2:56
  • Sound Clip for March of the Hoodlums from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 44 (2)
  • Come Easy, Go Easy, Love
  • 2:45
  • Sound Clip for Come Easy, Go Easy, Love from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 45 (2)
  • Georgia on My Mind
  • 3:19
  • Sound Clip for Georgia on My Mind from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 46 (2)
  • Lazy River
  • 3:04
  • Sound Clip for Lazy River from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 47 (2)
  • Stardust
  • 3:28
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 48 (2)
  • Georgia on My Mind
  • 3:27
  • Sound Clip for Georgia on My Mind from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 49 (2)
  • Washboard Blues
  • 5:02
  • Sound Clip for Washboard Blues from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 50 (3)
  • Daybreak
  • 3:13
  • Sound Clip for Daybreak from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 51 (3)
  • In the Still of the Night
  • 5:11
  • Sound Clip for In the Still of the Night from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 52 (3)
  • Rockin' Chair
  • 3:02
  • Sound Clip for Rockin' Chair from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 53 (3)
  • After Twelve O'Clock
  • 3:05
  • Sound Clip for After Twelve O'Clock from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 54 (3)
  • Sing It Way Down Low
  • 2:51
  • Sound Clip for Sing It Way Down Low from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 55 (3)
  • Thanksgivin'
  • 3:03
  • Sound Clip for Thanksgivin' from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 56 (3)
  • Charlie Two-Step
  • 2:25
  • Sound Clip for Charlie Two-Step from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 57 (3)
  • Old Man Harlem
  • 3:21
  • Sound Clip for Old Man Harlem from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 58 (3)
  • Old Man Harlem
  • 2:45
  • Sound Clip for Old Man Harlem from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 59 (3)
  • Snowball
  • 3:16
  • Sound Clip for Snowball from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 60 (3)
  • Snowball
  • 3:07
  • Sound Clip for Snowball from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 61 (3)
  • Snowball
  • 2:48
  • Sound Clip for Snowball from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 62 (3)
  • Lazy Bones
  • 3:03
  • Sound Clip for Lazy Bones from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 63 (3)
  • Lazy Bones
  • 3:31
  • Sound Clip for Lazy Bones from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 64 (3)
  • Lazy Bones
  • 3:00
  • Sound Clip for Lazy Bones from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 65 (3)
  • One Morning in May
  • 2:38
  • Sound Clip for One Morning in May from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 66 (3)
  • Stardust
  • 3:28
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 67 (3)
  • Cosmics
  • 3:10
  • Sound Clip for Cosmics from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 68 (3)
  • Washboard Blues
  • 3:23
  • Sound Clip for Washboard Blues from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 69 (3)
  • Judy
  • 3:00
  • Sound Clip for Judy from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 70 (3)
  • One Morning in May
  • 3:18
  • Sound Clip for One Morning in May from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 71 (3)
  • Moon Country (Is Home to Me)
  • 3:15
  • Sound Clip for Moon Country (Is Home to Me) from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 72 (3)
  • Moon Country (Is Home to Me)
  • 3:08
  • Sound Clip for Moon Country (Is Home to Me) from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 73 (3)
  • Moon Country (Is Home to Me)
  • 3:03
  • Sound Clip for Moon Country (Is Home to Me) from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 74 (3)
  • Down T' Uncle Bills
  • 2:39
  • Sound Clip for Down T' Uncle Bills from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 75 (4)
  • Thanksgivin'
  • 2:40
  • Sound Clip for Thanksgivin' from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 76 (4)
  • New Orleans
  • 2:58
  • Sound Clip for New Orleans from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 77 (4)
  • New Orleans
  • 3:04
  • Sound Clip for New Orleans from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 78 (4)
  • Two Sleepy People
  • 3:10
  • Sound Clip for Two Sleepy People from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 79 (4)
  • New Orleans
  • 3:14
  • Sound Clip for New Orleans from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 80 (4)
  • Hong Kong Blues
  • 2:49
  • Sound Clip for Hong Kong Blues from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 81 (4)
  • Riverboat Shuffle
  • 2:44
  • Sound Clip for Riverboat Shuffle from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 82 (4)
  • Two Sleepy People
  • 3:07
  • Sound Clip for Two Sleepy People from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 83 (4)
  • Bread and Gravy
  • 2:57
  • Sound Clip for Bread and Gravy from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 84 (4)
  • Stardust
  • 3:14
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 85 (4)
  • Skylark
  • 2:44
  • Sound Clip for Skylark from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 86 (4)
  • No More Toujours l'Amour
  • 2:58
  • Sound Clip for No More Toujours l'Amour from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 87 (4)
  • Vine Street Parade
  • 2:58
  • Sound Clip for Vine Street Parade from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 88 (4)
  • A World of No Goodbyes
  • 3:19
  • Sound Clip for A World of No Goodbyes from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 89 (4)
  • Sweet Lorraine
  • 3:04
  • Sound Clip for Sweet Lorraine from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 90 (4)
  • The Whale Song
  • 2:24
  • Sound Clip for The Whale Song from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 91 (4)
  • How Little We Know
  • 2:30
  • Sound Clip for How Little We Know from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 92 (4)
  • Billy-A-Dick
  • 2:32
  • Sound Clip for Billy-A-Dick from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 93 (4)
  • Hong Kong Blues
  • 2:31
  • Sound Clip for Hong Kong Blues from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 94 (4)
  • Baltimore Oriole
  • 3:00
  • Sound Clip for Baltimore Oriole from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 95 (4)
  • Stardust
  • 3:21
  • Sound Clip for Stardust from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 96 (4)
  • Memphis in June
  • 2:50
  • Sound Clip for Memphis in June from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 97 (4)
  • Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief
  • 2:54
  • Sound Clip for Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 98 (4)
  • Ginger and Spice
  • 2:29
  • Sound Clip for Ginger and Spice from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 99 (4)
  • Ole Buttermilk Sky
  • 2:40
  • Sound Clip for Ole Buttermilk Sky from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 100 (4)
  • Walk It Off
  • 2:57
  • Sound Clip for Walk It Off from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


  • 101 (4)
  • It Ain't Gonna Be Like That
  • 3:08
  • Sound Clip for It Ain't Gonna Be Like That from The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946


    • Credits of The First of the Singer Songwriters: Key Cuts 1924-1946

    • Bob Wise
    • Clarinet, Sax (Alto), Sax (Baritone)
    • Hoagy Carmichael
    • Piano, Violin, Celeste, Director, Soloist, Duet, Vocals, Cornet

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