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  1. #1

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    It is funny to me how some songs always just seem a bit more challenging to organize in terms of arrangements. Today I've been recording the song Laura in the key of G. I'll have to go back and listen to a few pro versions of this tune's arrangement.

    I record three tracks - a rhythm with a vocalized melody line but softly vocalized, just to help keep track of where the lyrics will fall. Then a lead vocal, and finally lead guitar track. Panned left, center, and right.

    Recording is always a clarifying moment where deficiencies shine through or illuminate problem areas of the arrangement to be resolved. Every version I listen to of this tune seems to have the chord progression and melody interpreted with some variation in parts. As this was just a preliminary run through to get the feel of the recording, i didn't insist on a faultless initial recording, and found myself improvising a bit in terms of the final measures. But it is an interesting result, and at least shows me where I need to focus on getting some things straight.

    But this song has a certain mystique to me - a fascinating melody and lyrics. Any songs present a special challenge to you?

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  3. #2

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    The problem with Laura - at least for me - is determining the melody accurately. The reason in part is the rather odd pattern of the melody, which creates much of the song's charm with its evocative lyrics. But it seems that everyone sings their own interpretation of the melody. Though I found a couple of arrangements of the lyrics, melody and chords, they all seemed to vary. The last version I turned to was Sinatra's 1957 recording in E, which is comfortable to sing in. Johnny Mathis does it in F. I turned to Sinatra to find clarity in the melody, but found he was singing sharp in many spots, which threw you off a bit. Lacking a Transpose software was a deficit here, not because of a rapid tempo but because looping segments to fix the melody line would have been very helpful.

    I think I will record ultimately in E or F. Surprised that no one has commented on this evocative and odd song.

  4. #3

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    It's a nice tune, that's for sure. Didn't Julie London do it? her versions of standards are usually fairly reliable I think (although I'm speaking as a strict non-singer!).

    It comes from a good old black and white 'film noir' of the same name - worth seeing when it occasionally comes up on the telly.

    I think the only version I've got is an instrumental version by Doug Raney. Oh, and maybe Barney Kessel too, on one of those 'Black Lion' live sessions in Europe.

  5. #4

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    I'll have to check out Julie' s version if it is on YT as well as search for Barney's. It is one of those strange songs that not a lot of good singers covered it seems. I found a Nat King Cole instrumental version. Johnny Mathis sings it, but everyone seems to play around with the chords and melody.

  6. #5
    destinytot Guest
    Love this tune (for the poignantly beautiful way the melody delineates the underlying harmony).


  7. #6
    destinytot Guest
    The song reminds of one (recorded by Nat Cole) that never made it into the film for which it was written, A Portrait of Jenny - also recorded on the 'Clifford Brown with Strings' album.

  8. #7

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    Here's the original version.


  9. #8

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    Thanks for reminding me of the great Scott Hamilton. When I was a young guy in my twenties here in RI, Scott was a fixture in the cool local jazz venues and clubs. Always played with class and great dignity. I understand he was living in Florence, Italy recently. Cool idea. Civilization, good wine, beautiful women.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by pingu
    lovely ....
    that pickup into the last half chorus by
    scott is great
    is it Chris Flory on guitar ? great anyway
    Yes Chris Flory on guitar. The whole CD is wonderful, like that.

    The only time I saw Chris Flory was with Benny Goodman, Knebworth (UK) jazz festival 1981 or 1982, that was pretty cool.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by targuit
    Thanks for reminding me of the great Scott Hamilton. When I was a young guy in my twenties here in RI, Scott was a fixture in the cool local jazz venues and clubs. Always played with class and great dignity. I understand he was living in Florence, Italy recently. Cool idea. Civilization, good wine, beautiful women.
    I think Scott's taste in liquor is (or was) a little 'harder' than that - I once saw him put away a whole bottle of bourbon during a gig! I don't know how he kept standing, let alone playing.

  12. #11

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    I have been struggling with this piece now for two months. In all my searching for the most comfortable arrangement, I have found at least thirty different versions of this piece. The one I find to be the most accurate to Johnny Mercer's original vision has 37 chords in 32 bars. This is quite the exercise. Not only does a player require dexterity to move from chord to chord, hitting the proper rhythm seems to be almost impossible. Oh well, practice makes perfect, (or breeds contempt).

  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by GingerMojo
    I have been struggling with this piece now for two months. In all my searching for the most comfortable arrangement, I have found at least thirty different versions of this piece. The one I find to be the most accurate to Johnny Mercer's original vision has 37 chords in 32 bars. This is quite the exercise. Not only does a player require dexterity to move from chord to chord, hitting the proper rhythm seems to be almost impossible. Oh well, practice makes perfect, (or breeds contempt).
    I had a look at it last night. I don't think it's too bad, you can break it down into what is really a series of 2-5-1 progressions. In a couple of places they're a bit disguised, i.e. you get a 2-5 (without the 1) leading to another 2-5, before it resolves.

  14. #13

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    A wonderful darkish version by a huge favourite of mine, Patricia Barber. Another of my favourites Neal Alger on guitar. I took some lessons from Neal when I lived in Chicago...he's an amazingly diverse player.


  15. #14

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    Graham, it is not the chord progression that is difficult - though there is some interesting use of b5 chords in choice spots - but rather getting the melody line straight. I noted this in particular listening to singers who sang surprisingly sharp in some versions. I think it either reflects their difficulty with singing the melody straight or some technique whose rationale I don't understand.

    Of course, all of this could be solved by purchasing the piano sheet music, but some of us are on a tight budget. I would add that the use of Transcribe software would be helpful to loop and to slow down by 20% or so just to confirm the melody accurately. It would be less tedious than stopping and replaying the video. Ideally when making these transcriptions I would use two computers - one to play the video and one to input notes into Sibelius with my synth keyboard.

    In any case I think I do have the melody down accurately at this point. I like the keys of F or D for the best combination of vocal and instrumental. For instrumental, the key of G is likely ideal.

    Brian - editing this post as I am listening to the version you posted - Love it! Perfect in terms of what kind of arrangement I had in mind. Excellent guitar and Patricia sings on key and in a lovely way. Thanks for this find.
    Last edited by targuit; 07-30-2015 at 09:56 AM.

  16. #15

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    I must admit I don't find the melody that hard to figure out, I have listened to the various instrumental recordings I have over the years and I sort of have most of it in my head already (I don't have any vocal versions though).

    Of course Bird did it with strings too - I have just remembered that one.

    There is a lead sheet for it in the 'old' Real Book, which can be found in PDF form online if you google around for it. I don't know how accurate it is.

    It's not in the 'new' Hal Leonard real books, which is a bit annoying.

  17. #16

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    For me at the moment, it's Stardust.
    The melody haunts my reverie... but i just can't seem to get it right.
    Last edited by dogletnoir; 07-30-2015 at 02:41 PM.

  18. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    I must admit I don't find the melody that hard to figure out, I have listened to the various instrumental recordings I have over the years and I sort of have most of it in my head already (I don't have any vocal versions though).

    Of course Bird did it with strings too - I have just remembered that one.

    There is a lead sheet for it in the 'old' Real Book, which can be found in PDF form online if you google around for it. I don't know how accurate it is.

    It's not in the 'new' Hal Leonard real books, which is a bit annoying.

    Well, I'm probably exaggerating the difficulty of getting the melody straight, in part because I was listening to some rather poor vocal versions, including surprisingly Old Blue Eyes. I also made the mistake of searching online and finding some errant arrangements. Better to start clean and just create one's own, but I couldn't find a really nice clear version.

    The best and most well articulated version of the melody that I have found is the one Brian posted by Patricia Barber. A beautiful arrangement and that is the melody version which I am using. I also find the guitar work to be excellent.

    I was recording this song last weekend in the key G. I'm going to try and get a keeper recording this weekend.
    Last edited by targuit; 07-30-2015 at 06:14 PM.

  19. #18

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    I've also got a version by Coleman Hawkins, but he barely plays the melody at all! Or rather he starts improvising around it straight away, so the melody is very disguised. Very similar approach to the famous Body and Soul in fact.

  20. #19

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    I'm going to add a great Mancini tune which I mentioned on another thread that no one is watching. The tune - Two For the Road. Once again the biggest mistake I was making was starting from someone else's transcription that had some errant melodic phrases, at least in terms of the more important vocal versions. I'm using the Johnny Mathis performances in the key of A. In one version he is playing with Henry Mancini himself.

    But I consider this tune to be of the 'difficult' variety - not harmonically so much as from the vocal standpoint. Perhaps it one of the secrets of Mancini's gift for writing great songs for films. In any case I finally nailed down the lyrics and phrasing in terms of correcting some manuscript errors I had from someone else's transcription.

    But what a great and beautiful tune including the brilliant lyrics of Johnny Mercer! There are a few great guitar solo versions of this on YT - I'll link my favorite here. Hope someone likes this - I certainly do. My transcription in A is a great key for creating a solo version for jazz guitar. A great general principle for chord melody solo transcriptions is, of course, to play the melody as your highest voice. For that purpose I just transpose the vocal melody up an octave and that becomes the key to creating your solo CM transcription, as it tends to dictate your fret board position. Check out this beautiful version!

    Last edited by targuit; 08-03-2015 at 09:29 AM.

  21. #20

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    Not me (I wish!) - just something I found and very much like.

  22. #21

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    Here's Barney Kessel's version - part solo , then I believe that may be Red Mitchell who joins in on bass.

  23. #22

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    I too, was disappointed with Frank's version ( never thought I'd ever say that !), but lean more toward this lovely rendition by Ella Fitzgerald from her Johnny Mercer Songbook set on Verve. When I decide to try a chord melody standard , I initially tune my ear to versions by any of the following : Frank, Mel, Ella, Hartman, Prysock and such .
    Then I look for sax or guitar versions for ideas and attempt to amalgamate what I can borrow into my own arrangement.
    Invariably, the predominant vocalists from which I've learned phrasing, timing and assorted inflections are Frank (his Capitol records, mainly) and Ella (her 'Song Books" sets and Nelson Riddle arranged LP's mostly).


  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by destinytot
    The song reminds of one (recorded by Nat Cole) that never made it into the film for which it was written, A Portrait of Jenny - also recorded on the 'Clifford Brown with Strings' album.
    With Ipod on shuffle in my kitchen I've more than once found myself rushing over to discover the identity of both these lovely tunes.

  25. #24

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    Oops, got my threads mixed up in previous post - I meant Two for the Road and Portrait of Jenny (not Laura).

    Incidentally, I do enjoy listening to Robin Nolan's version of Laura:
    https://robinnolan.bandcamp.com/track/laura

  26. #25
    destinytot Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by billwilliams
    Incidentally, I do enjoy listening to Robin Nolan's version of Laura:
    https://robinnolan.bandcamp.com/track/laura
    Me too - I really like his style.