OH, LADY BE GOOD!

Music: George Gershwin- Lyrics: Ira Gershwin

Year: 1924

 

Oh lady be good-clasicos del jazz-standards jazz

Origin of the song

Walter Catlett sang 'Oh, Lady Be Good!' in the Liberty Theatre of Nueva York on 1 December 1924 during the premiere of the musical Lady, be good!, a show that got to be performed three hundred and thirty times. The reviews were favourable and Fred and Adele Astaire’s performance merited as many congratulations as a Gershwin’s musical score. 'Oh, Lady Be Good!' was one of the twelve songs of the musical, among which we also found other well-known songs such as 'So Am I', 'Little Jazz Bird', 'The Half of It, Dearie, Blues', and 'Fascinating Rhythm'.

On 1 September 1941 the cinema version of Lady be good! was released in the US, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Eleanor Powell, Ann Sothern, Robert Young and Lionel Barrymore. The producers made some important changes: the plot was different and only two songs were kept from the original score: ‘Oh, Lady Be Good!’ (nominated to the Oscar) and ‘Fascinating Rhythm’. The film was not released in Spain.


Versions in the top charts

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

DATE OF ENTRANCE

PERMANENCE WEEKS

HIGH POSITION REACHED

 

Carl Fenton Orchestra

1924.12.11

1925.05.02

1

9

Instrumental

Paul Whiteman Orchestra

1924.12.29

1925.04.04

7

 2

(two weeks)

Instrumental

Cliff Edwards

1925.01.??

1925.05.30

1

13

Cliff Edwards (voc, uke)

Jazz. Outstanding performances

  Instrumental

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING

 

Django Reinhardt- Quintette du Hot Club de France

1934.12.28

Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Roger Chaput, Joseph Reinhardt (g), Louis Vola (b)

Red Norvo Orchestra

1936.03.16

Red Norvo (xil), Stew Pletcher (tp), Herbie Haymer (ts), Donald McCook (cl), Howard Smith (p), Dave Barbour (g), Pete Peterson (b), Bob White (d)

Benny Goodman Trio

1936.04.27

Benny Goodman (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Gene Krupa (d)

Jones- Smith Incorporated

1936.10.09

Carl Smith (tp), Lester Young (ts), Count Basie (p), Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d)

Count Basie Orchestra

1939.02.04

Count Basie (p, dir), Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Ed Lewis, Shad Collins (tp), Benny Morton, Dan Minor, Dickie Wells (tb), Earle Warren (as), Chu Berry, Lester Young (ts), Jack Washington (bars), Freddie Green (g),  Walter Page (b), Jo Jones (d)

Muggsy Spanier Ragtimers

1944.04.22

Muggsy Spanier (cnt), Pee Wee Russell (cl), Ernie Caceres (bars), Dick Cary (p), Eddie Condon (g), Sid Weiss (b), Joe Grauso (d)

Jazz at the Philharmonic

1946.01.28

Al Killian, Howard McGhee (tp), Charlie Parker, Willie Smith (as), Lester Young (ts), Arnold Ross (p), Billy Hadnott (b), Lee Young (d)

In Auditorium Philharmonic, Los Angeles (California)

Tadd Dameron Quintet

1948.08.29

Tadd Dameron (p), Fats Navarro (tp), Allen Eager (ts), Curley Russell  (b), Kenny Clarke (d)

Erroll Garner Trio

1954.07.27

Erroll Garner (p), Wyatt Ruther (b), Eugene Heard (d)

Jimmy Smith Trio

1956.02.18

Jimmy Smith (org), Thornel Schwartz (g), Bay Perry (d)

Oscar Peterson Trio

1959.07.??

Oscar Peterson (p), Ray Brown (b), Ed Thigpen (d)

Kenny Burrell Quintet

1959.08.25

Kenny Burrell (g), Tina Brooks (ts), Bobby Timmons (p), Ben Tucker (b), Art Blakey (d)

Zoot Sims Quintet

1975.06.06

Zoot Sims (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Joe Pass (g), George Mraz (b), Grady Tate (d)

Ray Brown Trio

1985.11.12

Ray Brown (b), Gene Harris (p), Mickey Roker (d)

Joe Pass

1988.02.03

Joe Pass (g)

Tommy Flanagan Trio

1993.07.30

Tommy Flanagan (p), Peter Washington (b), Lewis Nash (d)

  Vocal

PERFORMERS

DATE OF RECORDING

MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING

 

Ella Fitzgerald

1947.03.19

Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Bob Haggart Orchestra

Dizzy Gillespie Sextet

1951.04.16

Dizzy Gillespie (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Budd Johnson (ts), Milt Jackson (vib, p), Percy Heath (b), Art Blakey (d), Joe Carroll & Melvin Moore (voc)

Ella Fitzgerald

1957.10.08

Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Roy Eldridge (tp), J.J. Johnson (tb), Sonny Stitt (as), Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, Illinois Jacquet, Flip Philips, Lester Young (ts), Oscar Peterson (p), Herb Ellis (g), Ray Brown (b)

Slim Gaillard Trio

1959.04.15

Slim Gaillard (g, voc), Fletcher Smith (p, voc), other unidentified musicians

Helen Merrill

1986.03.??

Helen Merrill (voc), Gordon Beck (p), Steve Lacy (ss), Stéphane Grappelli (vn)

Ann Hampton Callaway

1996.??.??

Ann Hampton Callaway (voc), Cyrus Chestnut (p), Christian McBride (b), Lewis Nash (d)

Dianne Reeves

2007.??.??

Dianne Reeves (voc), Alex Sipiaguine, Frank Greene, Jeff Kievit, Tony Kadleck (tp), Dave Taylor, Birch Johnson, John Fedchock (tb), Ken Hitchcock, Marc Phaneuf (as), Charlie Pillow, Walt Weiskopf (ts), Roger Rosenberg (bars), Rob Mounsey (p, dir), Rodney Jones (g), David Finck (b), Lewis Nash (d), string section

On cinemas

 The song 'Oh, Lady Be Good!' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:

 

ORIGINAL TITLE

TITLE IN SPAIN

YEAR OF PRODUCTION

PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM

Lady Be Good

No se estrenó en España

1941

Ann Sothern and Robert Young; danced by Eleanor Powell

Girl Crazy

Loco por las chicas

1943

Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

Rhapsody in Blue

Rapsodia en blue

1945

Instrumental

An American In Paris

Un americano en Paris

1951

MGM Studio Orchestra

That's Entertainment, Part II

Hollywood, Hollywood

1976

Secuence of 'Lady Be Good'

Manhattan

Manhattan

1979

New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Zubin Mehta (dir)

American Splendor

American Splendor

2003

Dizzy Gillespie

Howl

Howl

2010

Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jackson and Joe Carroll

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