Tune Tuesday – Jerome Kern

Born on this day 141 years ago, one of the great contributors to the Great American Songbook – Jerome Kern. He was born January 27, 1885.

Jerome Kern was one of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century. He wrote more than 700 songs that were used in over 100 stage works.

Wikipedia states:

A native New Yorker, Kern created dozens of Broadway musicals and Hollywood films in a career that lasted for more than four decades. His musical innovations, such as 4/4 dance rhythms and the employment of syncopation and jazz progressions, built on, rather than rejected, earlier musical theatre tradition. He and his collaborators also employed his melodies to further the action or develop characterization to a greater extent than in the other musicals of his day, creating the model for later musicals. Although dozens of Kern’s musicals and musical films were hits, only Show Boat is now regularly revived. Songs from his other shows, however, are still frequently performed and adapted. Many of Kern’s songs have been adapted by jazz musicians to become standard tunes.

Among the songs he wrote were: Look For the Silver Lining, Ol’ Man River, The Last Time I Saw Paris, I Won’t Dance, and All The Things You Are. To celebrate his birthday, I’d like to present some of my favorite Jerome Kern compositions and my favorite versions of them.

First, written for the 1933 musical comedy “Roberta,” here are The Platters with Smoke Gets In Your Eyes:

From the 1936 film Swing Time, here is Frank Sinatra with The Way You Look Tonight:

Again from the 1933 musical comedy Roberta, here are Jane Monheit and Michael Buble’ with I Won’t Dance:

You cannot go wrong with Ella Fitzgerald. Here is Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man:

Happy Birthday, Mr. Kern! Thanks for the music!