1957 jazz standard
"Li'l Darlin' " (copyrighted in 1958 as "Lil' Darlin' ")[ 1] jazz standard , composed and arranged in 1957 by Neal Hefti for the Count Basie Orchestra [ 2] The Atomic Mr. Basie Roulette Records ).
Style
The composition, in the words of jazz writer, Donald Clarke , is "an object lesson in how to swing at a slow tempo."[ 3]
Gary Giddins expands on the importance of tempo in the performance of "Li'l Darlin' ", saying that "in the enduring 'Li'l Darlin' ', [Hefti] tested the band's temporal mastery with a slow and simple theme that dies if it isn't played at exactly the right tempo. Basie never flinched."[ 4] [ 5]
History
The Jazz Discography
With lyrics added
Around 1958, Jon Hendricks wrote and arranged lyrics to "Li'l Darlin' " and his vocal trio, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross , performed it with Basie on May 26, 1958, in a New York studio (Roulette , initially, unissued; session No. 13064). In 1963, Mel Torme sang "Li'l Darlin' " with the Basie Band on The Judy Garland Show .Ella Fitzgerald recorded "Li'l Darlin' " as "Don't Dream of Anybody But Me" on her 1971 album, Things Ain't What They Used to Be .Mark Murphy recorded it in 1961, as did Hendricks & Company in 1982, and vocalist Kurt Elling in 2001.[ 2]
"Li'l Darlin' " rapidly became small-group and solo instrument standard. Notable guitarists to record the piece include Joe Pass , Charlie Byrd , George Benson , Tal Farlow , Barney Kessel , Kenny Burrell , Howard Alden , George Van Eps and Howard Roberts .[ 2] Montreux Jazz Festival in 1979.[ 6] [ 7] Martin Taylor published his arrangement of the piece in a 2000 issue of Guitar Techniques
TV and videography
The Basie arrangement without lyrics was often used as the closing theme for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson .[ 8] [ 9]
Filmography
1995: Mighty Aphrodite Basie's original 1958 Atomic [ 10]
Influence
"Sweetie Pie" – composed and arranged by Don Sebesky and recorded March 1962 as "Easy Chair" on Maynard Ferguson 's Maynard '64 Roulette R-52107 ) – has been described by its publisher, Sierra Music Publications , as "Li'l Darliln'-ish," owed its similarity as a swing ballad.[ 11] audio )
Selected discography
References
^ Catalog of Copyright Entries , Part 3, Musical Compositions, Third Series,Library of Congress , Copyright Office ^ a b c "Li'l Darlin' . Jazzstandards.com. Retrieved 25 November 2014 .^ Chapter 13: "The Rise and Fall of Popular Music," by Donald Clarke , Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music (online) (revised December 29, 2008); OCLC 53343157 ^ Visions of Jazz: The First Century ,Gary Giddins , Oxford University Press (1998; 2000); OCLC 762184149 ^ Sullivan, Steve, "Lil' Darlin' (1957)" , Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings , Volume 3, Rowman & Littlefield, 2017, p. 295.
^ Mathiasen, Jørgen (2010). Scandinavian wood: Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersens musikalske løbebane i lyset af hans diskografi ISBN 978-87-7114-599-1 ^ High Performance Review ^ "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" .^ "Li' l Darlin' " (show-end theme, Basie version) (audio ) performed by The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Band
^ The Soundtracks of Woody Allen: A Complete Guide to the Songs and Music in Every Film, 1969–2005 ,McFarland & Company (2007); OCLC 682079358 ^ "Sweetie Pie," arranged by Don Sebesky , Sierra Music Publications, 2011 (©1994; Cymbaline Music Co.); OCLC 868235247
Further reading
