Anything goes - Ella Fitzgerald

And finally, imagine adding the amazing songs of Cole Porter to the voice of Ella Fitzgerald - pure magic! While other 18 year olds were looking out for Bruce Springsteen or U2, there I was looking for special offer on Ella Fitzgerald jazz cassettes!

Dream a little dream - Ella Fitzgerald

Before finally reaching - in my opinion - the Greatest Voice, Ella Fitzgerald!

Cry me river - Dinah Washington

Another great voice,

Misty - Sarah Vaughan

From here to Sarah Vaughan ...

T'ain't nobody's business if I do - Bessie Smith

From Billie Holiday, someone (probably my brother) said you should try Bessie Smith. So, off to Barnsley library we went...

Summertime - Billie Holiday

A l'estiu el blog se calma una mica, i habitualment fem uns quants apunts pausats i tranquils sobre un tema o grup de musica en concret. Aquest any, també. 

Quan tenia 15 o 16 anys, era una esponja amb ganes de saber-ne tot sobre tot tipus de musica, i ves per on, vaig acabar descobrint a la Billie Holiday - basicament per l'historia d'ella. 

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As usual the blog will slow down over the next few summer weeks, with a few mono-themed songs to keep the heat at bay (which doesn't necessarily mean I have gone on holiday and am not sitting behind the front door with a loaded shotgun, Mr. Burglar).

This year, jazz/blues singers. When I was about 15 I had a huge thirst for music knowledge. Raiding my parents' collection, local libraries, friends' LPs, studying music magazine, I wanted to know and to hear everything. So as friends were listening to the latest 1982 hit, for some reason - basically for her tragic history - I stumbled across Billie Holiday.

David Espinos a San Sebastian !

Avui el super-music tortosi, David Espinos, toca al Festival de Jazz de San Sebastian! Aqui podem veure'l (a la dreta) tocant uns blues amb Ivan Rojas.

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Today, Tortosa musician David Espinos, is playing at the internationally acclaimed San Sebastian Jazz Festival. Let's go David!

Here, with Ivan Rojas playing some blues (David is the one on the right).

And, David with Somewhere over the rainbow.

Jazz

Ja hem pogut disfrutar del fantastic festival de jazz que tenim a Tortosa aquests dies. Dimecres a la nit, a l'aire lliure, al barri vell, a fora del bar dels Amics dels Castells, van escoltar unes meravelloses versions d'algunes cançons classiques de jazz, gracies al grup Laia Porta i el Dan Posen Trio. 

Va començar tard, i va acabar tard, però, i aixi no vam poder aguantar fins el final, però una de les peces que van cantar va ser aquesta The Way You Look Tonight escrita per Kern i Fields per a la pel·licula Swing Time, 1936. I aqui la teniu. Potser Fred és un millor ballarin que cantant, però a mi m'encanten les seves pel·lis ...i tot seguit, un clip del grup en questió, Laia Porta i el Dan Posen Trio. Don't miss it!!

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This week is Jazz Festival Week in Tortosa, and on Wednesday night we finally managed to get round to checking out a concert. A free open-air one, in a square in the old part of town with a fine bar providing (not free) drinks and snacks. A great time was had by all, as we were treated to a treasure chest of classic songs by the likes of Gerswhin, Porter, Bacharach ...by Catalan jazz group, Laia Porta and the Dan Posen Trio.  One of these gems was The Way You Look Tonight (Kern/Fields), from the Fred and Ginger film, Swing Time. Maybe he dances better than he sings, but I just love his movies, so here's Fred ..., swiftly followed by the group themselves, Laia and the boys. Don't miss it!

And here's Laia and the Dan Posen Trio, themselves,

Mercy mercy mercy

Aquesta setmana tenim la Setmana del Jazz a Tortosa, una de les activitats culturales més interessants de l'any, per a mi! Per anar fent, o pels que no podem anar-hi, aqui tenim el Gran Cannonball Adderley.
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Jazz festival this week in Tortosa, for 18th year running - it looks and sounds like a great programme this year, as usual. To get us in the mood, Cannonball Adderley