Hoagy Carmichael was one of the most sophisticated composers of popular music. He should be ranked with people like Strayhorn, Ellington, Porter and Gershwin. And it's interesting to note that of that group, he is the only one to have made multiple recordings as a vocalist. Although there are vocal recordings of the others out there (try to hear Strayhorn singing "Lush Life", if you can - but it isn't easy to find), they were incidental to their main work. Carmichael, on the other hand, considered it a central part of his art, and it's fascinating to listen to. His version of "Skylark", for example, is probably my favourite, and that's saying something, because it has been recorded beautifully numerous times, but his unadorned, unaffected treatment seems to reveal information about the song's structure and origin, which of course only its composer could do. Unfortunately, I can't find it on YouTube, but here's a good recording of his wonderful "Memphis in June" instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZnwIMw8emc

Of all the great songs written about New York, and there have been many, I think my favourite is Cole Porter's "I Happen to Like New York", which was written for a 1930 musical called The New Yorkers (its most famous song was "Love for Sale", incidentally). From the title to the tone of the lyrics, it perfectly captures the nonchalance (on the surface) and pride (to the core) that Gotham natives share. The music, in majestic 3/4 time, builds from a pensive, wistful opening to a climax of elation, similar to the feelings that can arise on a Sunday afternoon stroll in the city. Here is the link to Judy Garland's version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6c9_3yjV7k

Since major-minor interchange, also known as mixture, is something that I've written about previously, I'll give only a brief definition today. (By the way, I can't really avoid there being some overlap of subject matter between various posts. I'll try to minimize it, or at the least, add something new when it does happen.) Basically, a key centers around one note - known as the tonic. But several types of scales can be built on it. When a piece employs two scales, one major and one minor, we use the terms above. OK, for the next couple of days, I'd like to turn your attention to some very different songs that employ the concept to remarkable effect.

Today's piece is "I Love Paris" by Cole Porter. This song provides perhaps the clearest example of the technique that I've heard, simply because the first half of the song is in minor and the second half (which begins after "... when it sizzles") is in major, at which point it feels as if the sun has broken through the clouds. Porter used major-minor interchange in many of his greatest songs, including "Night and Day", "What Is This Thing Called Love?", and "All of You". (Ella Fitzgerald's versions on Sings the Cole Porter Songbook are highly recommended.) His masterful use of mixture is one of the reasons that his songs have been played so frequently (and continue to be) by the greatest artists in jazz. Tomorrow: a song by a rock group that has also inspired numerous jazz cover versions.