SwingDJs

Since we're on the topic of favorite versions of standards...

I've got two faves for this one, a slow and a fast.

Slow is Sidney Bichet's well know version @ around 100.

Fast is Harry James' from '44 @ around 190.

Yours?

Not crazy about the song, period. I haven't heard that Harry James version, though, and look forward to seeing suggestions here!

Most of the versions of this song are a bit sweet for me, but here's some I dig on.

- The Bechet version
- Erroll Garner's version on Savoy
- Billie Holiday's version with Eddie Haywood

Ryan wrote:Most of the versions of this song are a bit sweet for me, but here's some I dig on.

- Billie Holiday's version with Eddie Haywood

is this the one on the Lester Young Proper Box? Don't have any liner notes on me right now, just my playlist files.

djstarr wrote:Is this the one on the Lester Young Proper Box? Don't have any liner notes on me right now, just my playlist files.

Not sure because I actually don't have the Lester Young Proper Box.

When I play guitar, especially Django-style, All of Me is almost always the first thing I play. Its got nice chords and its really familar.

But, I've almost never heard a great version for dancing, and I know I've never called it at a dance. The one off the Sweet and Lowdown soundtrack might work though....

Campus Five wrote:But, I've almost never heard a great version for dancing.

Even at 100bpm the Bechet version has always been great for dancing... and the Harry James version I mention is a straight ahead Lindy Hop number. I might need to stick a clip of it online when I get home... I can't find any existing ones online.

it's funny that this song seems to be little used and little recorded, I think I have a lot of swing tracks now, and the only versions of All of Me I have are small groups: Bechet, the one with Billie Holiday on the Lester Young Proper Box, and an uptempo one with Roy Eldridge on Little Jazz and the Jimmy Ryan All stars.

The reason I think it's funny is that there is a very standard big band arrangement of All of Me that high school jazz bands play - I played it in both high school and college and I've heard other school bands play it - I remember hearing it at a dance and still remembering my part! I guess I thought it would have been a more popular big band recording and would be more readily available.

There's a really happening version of it on the "Sinatra at the Sands" CD.

It's odd because Frankie does not sing- it is an instrumental by the Basie band featuring Al Grey with some nice plunger trombone. Definately danceable!

Albert System wrote:There's a really happening version of it on the "Sinatra at the Sands" CD.

It's odd because Frankie does not sing- it is an instrumental by the Basie band featuring Al Grey with some nice plunger trombone. Definately danceable!

He takes a vocal on the version from Live in Australia with the Red Norvo combo.

There's a nice live instrumental version by Duke Ellington HERE , from "Duke Ellington at the Alhambra" in 1958, with Johnny Hodges front & center, that I like and have played as a change of pace. Mellow groove with a splashy finish.

There is a clip online of the midtempo Harry James version:
http://www.amazon.com/Uncollected-Harry ... B0000017U6
...though it's been so long since I've sampled music online I forgot how horribly compressed the sound clips are.

I love that Duke Ellington version. Yummmmmmm.......

I'm going to depart on from the norm on this one.

For Dance: Hot Club Of San Fancisco
For Jazz: Billie Holiday.

I'd just like to say that this is one of my favorite songs ever... it's right up there with Honeysuckle Rose for me.