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

Leonard Feather, the jazz musician and writer, had wonderful descriptive abilities. What he wrote in regard to the great trumpeter Chet Baker's singing has always stuck with me: It's "like being sweet-talked by the void." Here is a link to Baker's performance of "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)", that I think illustrates the uncanniness of both that description, and Baker's uniquely beautiful vocal style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgbPHTBiAVQ&feature=fvst. More on him and the song's composer (Hoagy Carmichael) in posts to come.