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{{other uses|Lush Life (disambiguation){{!}}Lush Life}}
{{Infobox song
{{Infobox song
| name = Lush Life
| name = Lush Life
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}}
}}


"'''Lush Life'''" is a [[jazz standard]] that was written by [[Billy Strayhorn]] from 1933 to 1936. It was performed publicly nude for the first time by Strayhorn and vocalist [[Kay Davis]] with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on November 13, 1948.<ref name="standards">{{cite book |last1=Gioia |first1=Ted |title=The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-19-993739-4 |page=158}}</ref>
"'''Lush Life'''" is a [[jazz standard]] that was written by [[Billy Strayhorn]] from 1933 to 1936. It was performed publicly for the first time by Strayhorn and vocalist [[Kay Davis]] with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on November 13, 1948.<ref name="standards">{{cite book |last1=Gioia |first1=Ted |title=The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-19-993739-4 |page=249}}</ref>


==Background==
==Background==
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The lyric describes the author's weariness of the night life after a failed romance, wasting time with "jazz and cocktails" at "come-what-may places" and in the company of girls with "sad and sullen gray faces/with ''distingué'' traces". Strayhorn was a teenager when he wrote most of the song, which was to become his signature composition (along with "[[Take the "A" Train|Take the 'A' Train]]").
The lyric describes the author's weariness of the night life after a failed romance, wasting time with "jazz and cocktails" at "come-what-may places" and in the company of girls with "sad and sullen gray faces/with ''distingué'' traces". Strayhorn was a teenager when he wrote most of the song, which was to become his signature composition (along with "[[Take the "A" Train|Take the 'A' Train]]").


The song was written in the key of [[D-flat major]].<ref name="standards" /> The melody is over relatively complex chord changes, compared with many jazz standards, with chromatic movement and modulations that evoke a dreamlike state and the dissolute spirit characteristic of the so-called lush life.
The song was written in the key of [[D-flat major]].<ref name="standards" /> The melody is over relatively complex chord changes, compared with many jazz standards, with chromatic movement and modulations that evoke a dreamlike state and the dissolute spirit characteristic of the "lush life." The song's verse is 32 bars long, and its chorus is 24 bars. Unlike most other jazz standards with a verse and a chorus, "Lush Life" is never performed without the verse because it is completely integral to the composition. Jazz critic [[Ted Gioia]] calls this standard "an art song, not a pop tune."<ref name="standards">{{cite book |last1=Gioia |first1=Ted |title=The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York City |isbn=978-0-19-993739-4 |page=249}}</ref>


During a 1949 interview, Strayhorn spoke of the song’s genesis: “’Lush Life’ wasn’t the first tune of mine Duke [Ellington] heard. In fact, he didn’t hear it until just a little while ago. I wrote it in 1936 while I was clerking at the Pennfield drugstore on the corner of Washington and Penn in Pittsburgh ….I was writing a song a day then, and I’ve forgotten many of them myself ….One night I remembered it and played it for Duke ….I called it 'Life is Lonely,’ but when anyone wanted me to play it they’d ask for ‘that thing about lush life’.”<ref>”New Hit, ‘Lush Life,’ is Not New.” Down Beat, 12 August 1949, 2.</ref>
⚫
[[Nat King Cole]] performed "Lush Life" in 1949, while trumpeter [[Harry James]] recorded it four times. In the 1950s, it was performed by jazz vocalists [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Carmen McRae]], and [[Sarah Vaughan]]. [[John Coltrane]] recorded it twice. The first was a 14-minute version in recorded in 1958 as the title track of [[Lush Life (John Coltrane album)|an album]] for [[Prestige Records|Prestige]]. The other was on ''[[John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman]]'', with vocalist [[Johnny Hartman]], recorded in 1963. [[Kurt Elling]] recorded a version for his album ''Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman''.<ref name="standards" />


⚫
[[Nat King Cole]] recorded "Lush Life" in 1949, while trumpeter [[Harry James]] recorded it four times. In the 1950s, it was recorded by jazz vocalists [[Ella Fitzgerald]], [[Carmen McRae]], [[Sarah Vaughan]], and [[Chris Connor]]. [[John Coltrane]] recorded it twice. The first was a 14-minute version recorded in 1958 as the title track of [[Lush Life (John Coltrane album)|an album]] for [[Prestige Records|Prestige]] with trumpeter [[Donald Byrd]]. The other was on ''[[John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman]]'', with vocalist [[Johnny Hartman]], recorded in 1963. Strayhorn recorded it in 1961 with wordless vocals by the Paris Blue Notes for his album ''The Peaceful Side.'' [[Kurt Elling]] recorded a version for his album ''Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman''. [[Frank Sinatra]] attempted to record a version of it for his 1958 [[Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely|''Only the Lonely'']] album but never finished a complete version. The unfinished takes of Sinatra singing ‘Lush Life’ were eventually officially released on the 60th anniversary rerelease of the album. <ref name="standards" />
⚫
[[Linda Ronstadt]]'s version won the [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)]] (1986).


⚫
[[Linda Ronstadt]]'s version won the [[Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s)]] (1986).
Other musicians who have recorded the song include [[Joey Alexander]], [[Chet Baker]], [[Andy Bey]], [[Anthony Braxton]], [[Sylvia Brooks]], [[Kate Ceberano]] & [[Mark Isham]], [[Sammy Davis Jr.]], [[Blossom Dearie]], [[Bebi Dol]], [[Lisa Ekdahl]], [[Ella Fitzgerald]] & [[Oscar Peterson]], [[Bill Frisell]], [[Lady Gaga]], [[Stan Getz]], [[Joe Henderson]], [[Stevie Holland]], [[José James]], [[Molly Johnson]], [[Rickie Lee Jones]], [[Sheila Jordan]], [[Rahsaan Roland Kirk]], [[Queen Latifah]], [[Julie London]], [[Patti Lupone]], [[Johnny Mathis]], [[Tito Puente]], [[Joshua Redman]], [[Buddy Rich]], [[Linda Ronstadt]], [[Tony Scott (musician)|Tony Scott]], [[Rare Silk]], [[Terell Stafford]], [[McCoy Tyner]], [[Ernie Watts]], [[Bob Welch (musician)|Bob Welch]], and [[Nancy Wilson (singer)|Nancy Wilson]].


==Other versions==
==Other versions==
* [[Bud Powell]] – ''[[Strictly Powell]]'' (1956)
* [[Billy Eckstine]] – ''[[No Cover, No Minimum]]'' (1960)
* [[Billy Eckstine]] – ''[[No Cover, No Minimum]]'' (1960)
* [[Phineas Newborn]] – ''A World of Piano'' (1961)
* [[Johnny Hartman]] - ''[[Thank You for Everything (Johnny Hartman album)|Thank You for Everything]]'' (1998), rec. 1976
* [[Jack Jones (singer)|Jack Jones]] – ''Where Love Has Gone'' (1964)
* [[Jack Jones (singer)|Jack Jones]] – ''Where Love Has Gone'' (1964)
* [[Nancy Wilson (jazz singer)|Nancy Wilson]] - ''[[Lush Life (Nancy Wilson album)|Lush Life]] (1967)
* [[Nancy Wilson (jazz singer)|Nancy Wilson]] – ''[[Lush Life (Nancy Wilson album)|Lush Life]] (1967)
* [[Bud Powell]] - "Strictly" Powell Vol. 1 (1975)
* [[Stan Getz]] – ''Captain Marvel'' (1972)
* [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] – [[The Wham of Sam]] (1961)
* [[Donna Hightower]] – ''El Jazz y Donna Hightower'' (1975)
* [[Donna Hightower]] – ''El Jazz y Donna Hightower'' (1975)
* [[Donna Summer]] – ''[[Donna Summer (album)|Donna Summer]]'' produced by [[Quincy Jones]] (1982)
* [[Donna Summer]] – ''[[Donna Summer (album)|Donna Summer]]'' produced by [[Quincy Jones]] (1982)
* [[Rickie Lee Jones]] – ''[[Girl at Her Volcano]]'' (1983)
* [[Rickie Lee Jones]] – ''[[Girl at Her Volcano]]'' (1983)
* [[Rare Silk]] - "[[New Weave]]" (1983)
* [[Rare Silk]] – ''New Weave'' (1983)
* [[Joe Pass]] - ''[[Virtuoso No. 4]]'' (1983, recorded in 1973)<ref>{{cite web |title=allmusic.com |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/virtuoso-no-4-mw0000105418 |website=allmusic.com |access-date=June 1, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Joe Pass]] – ''[[Virtuoso No. 4]]'' (1983, recorded in 1973)<ref>{{cite web |title=allmusic.com |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/virtuoso-no-4-mw0000105418 |website=allmusic.com |access-date=June 1, 2020}}</ref>
* [[Tony Scott (musician)|Tony Scott]] – ''Lush Life'' and ''Lush Life Volume 2'' (1989) – a tour de force, with 13 interpretations of the song. From the liner notes: "An homage to Billy Strayhorn's 'Lush Life', an obsession, fullfilled (sic) by Tony Scott"
* [[Tony Scott (musician)|Tony Scott]] – ''Lush Life'' and ''Lush Life Volume 2'' (1989) – 13 interpretations of the song; from the liner notes: "An homage to Billy Strayhorn's 'Lush Life', an obsession, fullfilled (sic) by Tony Scott"
* [[McCoy Tyner]] – ''Things Ain't What They Used to Be'' (1989)
* [[Natalie Cole]] – ''[[Unforgettable... with Love]]'' (1991)
* [[Natalie Cole]] – ''[[Unforgettable... with Love]]'' (1991)
* [[Eileen Farrell]] – ''It's Over'' (1991)
* [[Eileen Farrell]] – ''It's Over'' (1991)
* [[Tina May]] – ''Tina May – Never Let Me Go'' (1992)
* [[Patti LuPone]] - ''Patti LuPone Live'' (1993)
* [[Harry Allen (musician)|Harry Allen]] with the [[Bill Charlap]] Trio – ''Harry Allen Plays Ellington Songs'' (1999)
* [[Geri Allen]] – ''[[The Life of a Song (Geri Allen album)|The Life of a Song]]'' (2004)
* [[Queen Latifah]] – ''[[The Dana Owens Album]]'' (2004)
* [[Queen Latifah]] – ''[[The Dana Owens Album]]'' (2004)
* [[Roberta Gambarini]] with [[Hank Jones]] – ''You Are There'' (2005)
* [[Dianne Reeves]] – ''Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life'' (2007)
* [[Lady Gaga]] – ''[[Cheek to Cheek (album)|Cheek to Cheek]]'' (2014)
* [[Lady Gaga]] – ''[[Cheek to Cheek (album)|Cheek to Cheek]]'' (2014)


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[[Category:Songs with music by Billy Strayhorn]]
[[Category:Songs with music by Billy Strayhorn]]
[[Category:Jazz compositions in D-flat major]]
[[Category:Jazz compositions in D-flat major]]
[[Category:LGBT-related songs]]
[[Category:LGBTQ-related songs]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)]]
[[Category:Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals]]

Latest revision as of 15:52, 14 December 2024

"Lush Life"
Song
Written1933–1936
Published1949 by Tempo Music
Released1948 (1948)
GenreJazz
Songwriter(s)Billy Strayhorn

"Lush Life" is a jazz standard that was written by Billy Strayhorn from 1933 to 1936. It was performed publicly for the first time by Strayhorn and vocalist Kay Davis with the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on November 13, 1948.[1]

Background

[edit]
Billy Strayhorn

The lyric describes the author's weariness of the night life after a failed romance, wasting time with "jazz and cocktails" at "come-what-may places" and in the company of girls with "sad and sullen gray faces/with distingué traces". Strayhorn was a teenager when he wrote most of the song, which was to become his signature composition (along with "Take the 'A' Train").

The song was written in the key of D-flat major.[1] The melody is over relatively complex chord changes, compared with many jazz standards, with chromatic movement and modulations that evoke a dreamlike state and the dissolute spirit characteristic of the "lush life." The song's verse is 32 bars long, and its chorus is 24 bars. Unlike most other jazz standards with a verse and a chorus, "Lush Life" is never performed without the verse because it is completely integral to the composition. Jazz critic Ted Gioia calls this standard "an art song, not a pop tune."[1]

During a 1949 interview, Strayhorn spoke of the song’s genesis: “’Lush Life’ wasn’t the first tune of mine Duke [Ellington] heard. In fact, he didn’t hear it until just a little while ago. I wrote it in 1936 while I was clerking at the Pennfield drugstore on the corner of Washington and Penn in Pittsburgh ….I was writing a song a day then, and I’ve forgotten many of them myself ….One night I remembered it and played it for Duke ….I called it 'Life is Lonely,’ but when anyone wanted me to play it they’d ask for ‘that thing about lush life’.”[2]

Nat King Cole recorded "Lush Life" in 1949, while trumpeter Harry James recorded it four times. In the 1950s, it was recorded by jazz vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, and Chris Connor. John Coltrane recorded it twice. The first was a 14-minute version recorded in 1958 as the title track of an album for Prestige with trumpeter Donald Byrd. The other was on John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, with vocalist Johnny Hartman, recorded in 1963. Strayhorn recorded it in 1961 with wordless vocals by the Paris Blue Notes for his album The Peaceful Side. Kurt Elling recorded a version for his album Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman. Frank Sinatra attempted to record a version of it for his 1958 Only the Lonely album but never finished a complete version. The unfinished takes of Sinatra singing ‘Lush Life’ were eventually officially released on the 60th anniversary rerelease of the album. [1]

Linda Ronstadt's version won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) (1986).

Other versions

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
  2. ^ ”New Hit, ‘Lush Life,’ is Not New.” Down Beat, 12 August 1949, 2.
  3. ^ "allmusic.com". allmusic.com. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
[edit]
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