Deb Dicembre Music

The One Take Sessions

Blue Skies is what we call a Jazz Standard – a song from an era where many artists performed and recorded songs from films and musicals, and put their spin on it. This is true of jazz vocalists, pianists, horn players and guitarists. Some played it straight – ie: as written , and some took the original ‘standard’ and did something quite different with it. They may have reharmonised the chords like Miles or Coltrane . Or they may have, as someone like Ella Fitzgerald did when she sang, scat and make up new melodies.

If you’d like to hear my version scroll straight to the end of this post or… read on !

This is one of the happiest of songs - Blue Skies . The song was composed by Irving Berlin in 1926 and made it’s debut in the Rodger’s and Hart musical ‘Betsy’. The song was added at the last minute, and it was thanks to a panicky phone call from vaudevillian Belle Baker to Mr Berlin, who complained that the score lacked a ‘Belle Baker song.’ Berlin resented the other composers being inserted into his shows but was delighted at the chance to work one of his songs into a score by Rodger’s and Hart . They were young in their careers at this time but who already being compared to Gilbert and Sullivan.”

Betsy ran for only 39 performances. However, “Blue Skies” became an immediate success. Audiences on opening night allegedly demanded 24 encores of the piece from Baker! That same year, “Blue Skies” made its film debut as one of the first songs of The Jazz Singer, the landmark talkie starring Al Jolson. In fact “Blue Skies” would be included in many films, as well as provide the title for a 1946 musical, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.

What a rich history this song has. I would call it a trad jazz standard because it has all the hallmarks of trad jazz – generally considered 1920-40’s . The chord structure ,melody, the up-tempo ( as I’ve sung it ) lyric and swingability ( new word ) are all very indicative of the Trad Jazz era.

And it continues…

Benny Goodman and His Orchestra recorded a highlight Swing Era version of this song in 1935. Berlin’s composition was also popular among the modern jazz players and beboppers. Pianist Thelonious Monk based “In Walked Bud” on its chord progression. “Blue Skies” has been re-interpreted by numerous artists, including Artie Shaw & Frank Sinatra. It has also crossed genres: Willie Nelson scored a country hit with it in 1978, and British electronic duo Groove Armada recorded it in 1999 under the title “Inside My Mind (Blue Skies).”

I hope you like my take on it , here on the One Take Sessions and if you do , give it the thumbs up! It is a small tip of the hat to the algorithm and does me a huge favour ! Comment and subscribe.

BLUE SKIES
Blue skies, smilin’ at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see
Blue birds singing a song
Nothing but blue birds all day long

Never saw the sun shining so bright
Never saw things goin’ so right
Noticing the days hurrying by
When you’re in love my how they fly

Oh Blue days, all of them gone
Nothing but blue skies from now on