'S Wonderful!

I was naughty yet again yesterday and popped into my fave bookstore in Zagreb, Algoritam. Needless to say, I picked up yet another book. It's about a certain gent that I have quite a penchant for. I've been eying the book for weeks, even read a whole chapter at the bookstore at one stage, and decided, oh, what the hell, surely 80 kn/10EUR/20AUD isn't going to put that big a dent in the budget, is it? So, as always, I gave into temptation and got it.

My penchant for this gent started way on back in 1986 when I saw a film about him and one his compositions stunned me like a deer is stunned in front of a car's headlights. It was one of those archetypical musical moments for me. Like the first time I heard Chopin's "Bacarolle in F sharp major" (which, by the way, I would like played when they put this "shell" of mine on the pyre) or Mozart's "Jupiter symphony" or Shubert's "Winterreisse" or my first Billy Holiday cassette or my first Eva Cassidy CD. I can recall those moments as clearly as though they had happened yesterday. Could tell you exactly where and when I first listened to them. But way on back in 1986, a certain composition from a certain movie called "Rhapsody in Blue" composed by a certain George Gershwin completely took my breath away. And I have been utterly hooked since then.

I've tried on many occasions to pin down what it is precisely that lures me time and time again to George. Is it the mesmerising harmonies? The fascinating rhythms? The poignant blue notes? The Schubertesque changes from major to minor and back again? The sometimes humourous, sometimes provocative but always moving lyrics by big bro Ira? I can't say. It's most probably a bit of all of the above. Whatever it is, my love (for George) is here to stay (by the way, "Love is here to stay" was the opening song at hubby's and my wedding). So much so that this totally ludicrous idea has been spinning round my head of late. If I ever do get around to recording the God damn CD I plan to eventually record, why not do a hommage to good ol' George? I know most of his songs by heart. My soul is in them. I'd certainly have to rehearse them long and hard with a good pianist but just in knowing the lyrics and the melodies and having my heart in them, I feel that more than half the work is done. So if that wishing star hears my secret desire and makes it come true, here's a list of songs I would do. They're not in any particular order, just off the top of my head:

Love is here to stay (of course!)
'S Wonderful
He loves and she loves
Not for me
Embraceable you
Someone to watch over me
How long has this been going on?
The man I love
They can't take that away from me

Now, I know that unfortunately for me and for anyone who may hear the CD, I ain't gonna be no Ella Fitzgerald or Michael Feinstein (who, to me, is THE ultimate Gershwin performer, both as a pianist and singer), but as Eva would say, I can only be me. And that's ok. Who knows? Maybe there's a market out there for woman with Julie Andrews-esque voices!

I'll leave ya now with one of the loveliest and most stunning women ever, both within and without, singing one of my fave Gershwin songs. By the way, I have to find out how many verses of this song Ira wrote 'cause I've heard at least four different versions...well, here's yet another one, enjoy!