Embraceable You

The song

The song was originally written in 1928 by Gershwin for the remaining unpublished operetta named East is West. The composition has 32 ​​bars and is held in the form of a song ABAC; it is applied at a moderate pace. On fourth pause followed by three ascending quarter notes ( e - f # g), after another quarter rest again the three notes, then the voltage resolution a The charges note values ​​dominate the song. A special point is the only passage is with eighth notes in the C-segment (for text "come to papa, come to papa, do" ), which are the rhythmic kick the song and can be considered as a trademark for a Gershwin tune.

The song was eventually used in the musical Girl Crazy in 1930 as a love song and there recited by Allen Kearns and Ginger Rogers in the choreography of Fred Astaire The musical was filmed several times (1932, 1943 and as When The Boys Meet The Girls 1965). Use was the song in the movies Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris. A first recording of Red Nichols and his Five Pennies with vocalist Dick Robertson came in November 1930 on # 2 on the American charts. Embraceable You is one of the " most-played Gershwin songs. Ballad of the highest economy"

Effect as a jazz standard

Embraceable You became a jazz standard in the swing and modern jazz. Here are the first interpretations of Pee Wee Russell, Bobby Hackett (1938 ) and Tommy Dorsey (1941 with singer Helen O'Connell ) to call. In 1946 Duke Ellington on the piece for the first time. The song became a favorite ballad of many jazz musicians of the bebop, such as Charlie Parker ( 1947) and Dizzy Gillespie. He was also repeatedly played on sessions in the Jazz At The Philharmonic concerts. As influential vocalists have Billie Holiday (1944 ) and Frank Sinatra (1944, 1960) are mentioned; Sarah Vaughan took in 1954 with Clifford Brown also an acclaimed interpretation on. More on that later came Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald ( 1983).

More versions of Embraceable You exist by different musicians of the swing like modern jazz, so by George Cables (1987 ), Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Eric Kloss (1965 ), Jackie McLean / Sonny Stitt, Glenn Miller, Red Norvo, Joe Pass, Bud Powell, Archie Shepp, Zoot Sims, John Stetch (1996 ), Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson and Lester Young. The piece is also by musicians such as Sidney Bechet (1944, 1957) and Ornette Coleman (1960 ) have been recorded.