Anyone know good versions of these tunes with vocals?

billyshakes

I was looking to get some of these jazz standards that Django played by artists contemporary with Django with vocals so I could better understand and remember the melodies. Anybody have any advice on the following albums I found available on iTunes Music Store?

J’attendrai- Jean Sablon…there are a few versions. Is there any other artist that one would recommend. I figured he would be closer to the Django version since he arranged it for Django (or so I read)

Melodie au crepuscule- Found this one on a CD called Django Reinhardt and the Singers with Jean Sablon. I don’t have any of these songs in my Django stuff (incl. Crepuscule). Any opinions on the compilation CD (sound quality, etc?)

What is This Thing Called Love- who hasn’t done this? I like Ella Fitzgerald’s version. Any other versions to recommend?

Je suis seul ce soir-anyone know a good vocal version?

Also have heard there are lyrics to Nuages?
Thanks to all,
Bill

HCPhilly

There are a few versions of "Nuages" with lyrics.
There's one with Manhattan Transfer and Stochelo,
also Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett and a few more. I'm not a big fan of any of the versions, but I find Peggy Lee's "Bluest kind of Blue,"
to be the best of the lot. We work a lot with a great vocalist named Phyllis Chapell, who does the Peggy Lee version with us, and it's a real show stopper, very beautiful. It looks like there's a clip of Peggy singing
it here. I personally think that the lyrics don't really add much, but anything that makes the presentation of a GJ band more accessible is OK in my book, especially if it helps you to keep working!
www.djangobooks.com/archives/2004/04/30 ... blues.html - 11k -

WowBobWow

Hi,

Have you checked out the "Hot Club Polytour" on itunes? They have some good tracks with many of the tunes you mentioned (all with vocals which can be purchased via the band's website)

There are also some threads on the Hot Club forum containing the lyrics to the tunes (www.hotclub.co.uk)

Best of luck,

kimmo

billyshakes wrote:

Je suis seul ce soir-anyone know a good vocal version?

There's a newer one from Dennis w/ Jeanne Rochette on vocals:
http://www.fleche-dor.com/natureboy.php

billyshakes wrote:

J’attendrai- Jean Sablon…there are a few versions. Is there any other artist that one would recommend.

Rina Ketty's version was quite popular, it was also used in Renault's ad-campaign a year or two ago.

billyshakes

thanks to all for the input.

klartunz

Avalon Jazz band has great versions of all those songs! Also Ann Savoy, Emilie Claire Barlow, duo Gajo.

Buco

Thanks, Bill and I play in a band and Avalon Jazz band is what we've been listening to a lot lately.

BillDaCostaWilliams

Re Nuages:

The "Bluest Kind of Blue" lyrics have never appealed much to me.

There is a rather charming vocal version (in French) by Pomplamoose that might suit (artists not contemporary with Django though - don't know about the lyrics):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxAlMM8M8Ko

François RAVEZ

Christy Bennet's Fumée Gypsy Project "Lost Lyrics" CD contains some beautiful sung versions (in french) of some DR hits.

The tunes include a version of Troublant Boléro with lyrics exhumated from archives by Christy's obstinacy.

See https://fumeejazz.com/buy-our-music

Also Nuages, Fleur d'ennui, Crépuscule, Swing 39 and 42, Tears, Mélodie au Crépuscule, Douce ambiance and Manoir de mes Rêves.

A must have for all of the Django chanté connoisseurs.

François

billyshakes

What a pleasant surprise to see this thread reactivated with some great new recommendations. I've loved Pomplamoose for almost 10 years now...great to see them get work in commercials over the years and with Jack being the man behind Patreon too. Hadn't seen this version of Nuages yet.

Killer vocals on Avalon Jazz Band and I hadn't heard of Christy Bennett's project so merci, François!

Here's another for you all. J'attendrai in German!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LikzAddZ7c

François RAVEZ

Funny how the initial italian lyrics "Tornerai" (You'll come back) become "Komm zurück" (Come back) in german and "J'attendrai' (I will wait) in french.

François