I've Got the World on Six Strings
Laurence Juber
I find it sad that our culture finds so many things, and people, disposable. With music this means that we often forget some outstanding talents of the past. If we are lucky, a contemporary artist will realize the omission and restore the person to their rightful place. With this CD, we are very lucky indeed, because we have one of the great composers of song interpreted by one of the great guitar virtuosos. What a combination!
Harold Arlen seems to be the songwriter whose name should be a household work and yet is not, despite the fact that many of his songs are still popular. You know them too. He wrote the songs for The Wizard of Oz, At the Circus, and the original A Star is Born, as well as such hits as I Love a Parade, Stormy Weather, My Shining Hour, I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues, and Blues in the Night. Arlen was also a great singer and a fine pianist (he began his career as a rehearsal pianist for Broadway shows). Besides Broadway, he wrote many shows for the Cotton Club, counting among his friends Cab Calloway, Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, and Ella Fitzgerald.
For this CD, Laurence Juber has chosen a dozen of Arlen's greatest songs, and given them his own inimitable arrangements. Juber and Arlen are a terrific combination because LJ's extremely melodic style suits the wonderful melodies that perhaps only as fine a singer as Arlen could invent. The result is a great performance that reveals more of each song on each successive listening.
I've Got the World on a String starts off this CD, whose name is a take-off on this song title. Juber teases us a bit by drawing out the first three notes before sliding effortlessly into a light, playful arrangement of this great tune. At first he embellishes the tune with counter-melodies and other figures, but on repeats he varies the melody while always staying true to the mood and overall feel. The main tune reappears as if from a mist to end off.
The mood of Get Happy is a bit surprising in its restraint, but the melody is kept forward on top of the accompaniment, like a fine jewel is a simple, elegant setting. The effect is a magical reconsideration of the beauty of this melody. A true master, Juber keeps his skill hidden within the subtlety of the arrangement, right up until the last chord, which is pure LJ!
If I Only Had a Brain is one we all know from the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. It would be easy to make this a simple parody, but Juber again provides wonderful setting, complete with a melodic introduction and some truly scintillating cascading lines. The song then gets openly swinging, showing its classic harmonic structure to great advantage, before sliding easily back into the melody.
A classic since it first appeared in 1933, Stormy Weather begins as a simple blues lament, and as such it is compelling and moving in a way that shows Arlen's complete mastery of this style -and LJ's as well. The watchword here is subtlety, along with a healthy dose of soulful grace.
From an omimous opening, Ac-cen-tu-ate the Positive slowly emerges to achieve its destiny as an uplifting tune full of energetic joie de vivre. Of course, the drudgery of work-a-day life keeps popping up but this happy tune shows that it can be overcome by following the advice of the title (and listening to LJ play!).
Probably Arlen's most popular song, Over the Rainbow has been recorded by scores if not hunderds of performers. Guitarists from Laurindo Almeida to Tommy Emmanuel have recorded oustanding versions. Juber's version shines with its own mixture of sweet wistfulness and unrelenting optimism. How do you accomplish this with just a guitar? You will have to listen for yourself. This quiet tour de force may be the easiest song on which to hear the personal magic that LJ brings to Arlen's songs.
That Old Black Magic begins with an easy-swinging bass that morphs into a chord melody arrangement of this classic melody. The swing pervades the permutations of the melody, which returns in more embellished form until the bass walks us out again.
It's Only a Paper Moon is one of my favourite Arlen songs, and I just cannot think of it without hearing Nat King Cole sing it! How can a soloist compete with such a classic vocal version? Juber seems to have this challenge in mind as he presents a series of variations that achieve stupefying speed without ever losing the melody, before returning to the melody with a heavy swing that finally soars off into the stratosphere to end. Wow.
A perfect contrast, Juber's sultry version of Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home is as indolent as the previous song was caffeinated. Once again, a deep understanding and sympathy for the blues on both of their parts shows how strong an effect can be created with simple means.
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is another song that I have come to associate with a particular performance, in this case George Harrison, who apparently grew up listening to this type of music. (Watch the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x241pZhtLDY) Juber begins his version with some of his trademark hammered octaves, before beginning the light-hearted version of this melody. These octaves mark the sections of the song, with the up- and-down motion perhaps suggesting the dilemma of the title. Once again, the ease of the arrangement masks the incredible virtuosity of the playing.
The Man that Got Away shows us Juber's comfort with Latin styles, as he vividly pictures the attraction of the singer for "the one that got away" and the lively memories that still remain. Yet another wonderful setting for a great melody, enhancing a true gem.
Come Rain or Come Shine enters softly, leading quietly with its melody, slowly growing in volume and intensity but never getting truly loud. This is a love song, presented here as understated and deep, intense rather than obvious or crude. We are left to consider the elegance of this magnificent songwriter, and these equally impressive arrangements.
I have no easy answer as to why Arlen would be neglected while we remember his contemporaries such as Gershwin, Ellington, Berlin, Rodgers, Styne, and so many more. Certainly his songs are of the same calibre, and as Juber has shown they still sound fresh and vital. Perhaps this is just one of the hiccups of history (like the similar neglect of the playing of George Barnes) that time will hopefully correct. LJ has certainly gone a long way towards bringing Harold Arlen back into the spotlight with this stellar presentation.
I can only sum up by saying "Buy this CD!" It is one of my desert island picks - terrific performances of great songs. How could you ask for more?
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