Saturday 12th October 2024, 19:00 – The Palace of Melancholy.
Today, The Palace is all about the question: Why? Pourquoi? Warum? Why? There may not be a day that goes by without this question being asked, consciously or unconsciously. This question can arise from every conceivable corner and hole in life, but the domain of love in particular is littered with it. This has its resonance in literature and music: Pourquoi loin de toi? – Why do I love you? – Why must I be tormented? – Why try to change me now?
Vocal music predominates. Voices, style and line-ups form – as always in this programme – a multi-coloured, jazz-transcending bouquet, held together by the universal theme string: Why…?
We know Annie Ross (photo) from the successful vocal trio ‘Lambert, Hendricks & Ross’. Vocalese was their specialty. Ross also had a solo career. I’ve Told Every Little Star (Why Haven’t I Told You) opens with the shy voice of a teenage girl. The sound of the celesta contributes to the dreamy atmosphere. Then it starts to swing in the ensemble, and with Ross.
Johnny Hartman
Why must I be tormented? Why must I dream of you?
Why must I be tormented, with a dream that won’t come true?
The jazz listener will immediately associate the name of balladeer Johnny Hartman with John Coltrane. The duo created the album John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman in 1963. This album, the only one by Coltrane with a vocalist, is considered Hartman’s best. With his baritone voice, he was a unique ballad specialist. In Why Must I Be Tormented (1956) he is accompanied by romantically coloured strings, harp, and – for sharp ears – here too a celesta.
Dion and the Belmonts
I wonder why, I love you like I do. Is it because I think you love me too?
A group of four vocalists in the 1950s, singing in the doo-wop style. Simple forms, not too profound lyrics, limited use of instruments. Light and airy. It could well be that this song evokes the “chewing gum feeling” coined by programme maker Sjaak Roodenburg.
Fiona Apple
Why Try to Change Me Now dates from 1952. Cy Coleman and Joseph Allan McCarthy wrote it for Frank Sinatra. The Voice was going through an emotionally difficult period – both artistically and privately things were not going well. The song became a standard in the Great American Songbook.
“I’m sentimental so I walk in the rain / I’ve got some habits even I can’t explain / Why can’t I be more conventional / People talk and they stare, so I try”
“A moving piece of self-analysis” wrote music critic Will Friedwald. A performance by the composer, with images, can be found on YouTube. He sings and plays the piano, accompanied by bass and brushes. Fiona Apple also keeps the instrumentation small, but shows much more emotion. Slower tempo, minimal piano playing, also in the eight bars of piano solo.
You can read the full programme in the Guide
The Palace of Melancholy – Sjaak Roodenburg
