RIBS TPTD: Cupid’s Hunt - “My Funny Valentine”-A Baker’s Dozen

February 16, 2009 by tgrundy
Filed under: CupidsHunt, Podcast Collabs, R&B, RIBS, Triple Play Thurs-Day, jazz, music, podcasts/mixes, soul 

Yep, we’re still celebrating Cupid’s Hunt and and the spirit of L-O-V-E all weekend long. And for some of us that means a long 3-day weekend cause we have Monday off!

Here’s a mix I put together for the celebration that I hope you find interesting. First though, I must give credit where credit is due. The inspiration for this playlist was sparked from a tweet by one of the wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure to meet on Twitter. She goes by the handle of ElementsOfJazz and is a big Jazz fan. Her tweets are an entertaining flow of information about Jazz events, music and personalities. If Jazz is your thing, you are doing yourself a disservice if you are not following ElementsOfJazz.

Anyway, a few days ago in one of the many conversations going on about music for Valentine’s Day, ElementsOfJazz asked:

“What is your favorite version of My Funny Valentine?”

Well, if you are into Jazz, you are already familiar with this Jazz standard which, if I remember correctly has been recorded over 1300 times! If you are not familiar with the song, here is some detailed history about the song that I found on JazzStandards.com (very good site, BTW) and an excerpt from the My Funny Valentine Wikipedia article:

“My Funny Valentine” is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical Babes in Arms. It is now considered a jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. The first recorded version of the song to make the charts was by Hal McIntyre with vocals by Ruth Gaylor in 1945. It only appeared for one week and hit #16.

The song reemerged in the 1950s and made it to the top of the charts when Chet Baker released a very popular and influential version (released on the album My Funny Valentine / Blue Note Records). His soft, delicate and serene delivery introduced the world to Chet Baker’s singing skills (he was previously known only for his trumpeting skills, also displayed on this recording). Baker is still associated more with “My Funny Valentine” than with any other of the long list of songs he recorded.

Ok, now back to Twitter. So ElementsOfJazz poses the question, and to make it even more interesting she kept a running tally of the responses (sort of like an informal poll) and would update the numbers several times a day. Well, this got me started. First, having a pretty extensive Jazz collection myself, I searched my files to see how many versions I already had. Then it was off to the ‘Net to see what information I could find about other versions of the song. And finally, after immersing myself in all things My Funny Valentine for a couple of days it wasn’t surprising for me to start thinking about making a playlist out of the variety of different versions I had found.

And that, basically, is how we got here to this post and today’s playlist. *smile* What you are about to check out is something I like to call my “A Baker’s Dozen” mix. This is a playlist that consists of thirteen different versions of the same song. It may seem simple but the trick is to choose the different song versions carefully in order to create a listenable flow of music and, most importantly, keep the mix from being BORING! After all there are only so many times someone can listen to the same song over and over again. Well, I believe I have successfully avoided that trap by collecting a wide variety of My Funny Valentine versions from both Jazz and R&B artists (James Ingram’s version is my personal fav, BTW) and sequencing the songs such that you will have an enjoyable time listening to it from beginning all the way to the end. However, only you the listener can be the final judge as to whether I have succeeded or not.

And remember, “Every day is Valentine’s Day for those of us who are basically lovable!”

So, Check out a RIBS baker’s dozen as I present to you:

Cupid’s Hunt: “My Funny Valentine” - A Baker’s Dozen

RIBS TPTD: Cupid’s Hunt - “My Funny Valentine”-A Baker’s Dozen
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Playlist: (song - artist [time])

  1. My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker [2:20]
  2. My Funny Valentine - James Ingram [3:13]
  3. My Funny Valentine - Whispers [4:18]
  4. My Funny Valentine - Chaka Kahn [4:06]
  5. My Funny Valentine - Herb Alpert [4:41]
  6. My Funny Valentine - Constantine Maroulis [3:16]
  7. My Funny Valentine (Take 3) - Herbie Hancock [6:07]
  8. My Funny Valentine - Pieces Of A Dream [7:10]
  9. My Funny Valentine - Gotan Project [7:52]
  10. My Funny Valentine - Jimmy Ponder [3:39]
  11. My Funny Valentine - Ella Fitzgerald [3:51]
  12. My Funny Valentine - Melinda Doolittle [2:07]
  13. My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis [10:12]

Don’t Forget: the Cupid’s Hunt 2009 master post, Cupid’s Hunt 2009… “Let’s Get It On!” contains links to ALL of the CH 2009 mixes. With the addition of the My Funny Valentine mix this brings us to a total of 21 different mixes for your listening pleasure. Oh, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: “@cupidshunt”! (no quotes, of course)

Enjoy!

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Comments

8 Comments on RIBS TPTD: Cupid’s Hunt - “My Funny Valentine”-A Baker’s Dozen

  1. Cupid’s Hunt 2009… “Let’s Get it On!” | RIBS: Rhythms In Black Satin on Mon, 16th Feb 2009 8:16 am

    2. [...] 19. TGrundy - RIBS: “Cupid’s Hunt: My Funny Valentine-A Baker’s Dozen” [...]

  2. J. Yes on Mon, 16th Feb 2009 1:18 pm

    3. What an impressive and eclectic playlist you have put together with one of my favorite songs, My Funny Valentine.
    I heard Constantine Maroulis ( Broadway’s Wedding Singer, Jacques Brel and soon-to open Rock of Ages) sing My Funny Valentine on the American Idol Tour a few years ago and was impressed with his voice and stage charisma, but I just saw footage from his Valentine’s Day show Saturday in Tom’s River where he played to a packed house before heading for nyc to begin rehearsals for his new Broadway show. Wow! He brought the house down with his impressive stylings and set of pipes!
    Ironically, he did not sing the song that brought him so much attention in 2005, My Funny Valentine.

  3. TGrundy on Mon, 16th Feb 2009 3:23 pm

    4. J.Yes: glad you like it. I always wonder when putting together one of these “same song” mixes how well they will be accepted by the readers/listeners. I had to sweat this one through about 6 different revisions before I thought I got it just right. Burned up quite a few blank CDs in the process, but the end result is worth it I believe.

  4. Topics about Music » RIBS TPTD: Cupid’s Hunt - “My Funny Valentine”-A Baker’s on Mon, 16th Feb 2009 5:32 pm

    5. [...] Huddersfield Daily Examiner placed an observative post today on RIBS TPTD: Cupidâ [...]

  5. James on Sun, 22nd Feb 2009 10:59 pm

    6. I had several of these versions in my list. I loved the takes on this by Herbie Hancock, Herb Alpert, Gotan Project, and Pieces of a Dream. I listened to Ella and learned that she uses a opening verse that is a rarely heard. Thank you TGrundy for putting together this great list. I will link it to the MFV on my site. Peace!

  6. James on Mon, 23rd Feb 2009 2:02 pm

    7. I also enjoyed the Mile Davis and Jimmy Ponder versions too!

  7. Weezzy7 on Sat, 14th Mar 2009 8:30 am

    8. Former American Idol Contestant, Melinda Doolittle.

    Melinda Doolittle (Season 6), Chikezie
    (Season 7), Gina Glocksen (Season 6) and Phil Stacey (Season 6) will be
    entertaining the masses once again as they embark on a Spring Tour which
    launches March 15th in Fort Pierce, FL and will make stops in 14 cities across the US.
    .

    The “American Stars in Concert: Spring Break” tour dates and cities are at Melinda Doolittle official website http://www.melindadoolittle.com or fans website http://www.melindasbackups.com

    she may be coming near you. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear her sing live!

  8. weezzy7 on Mon, 2nd Nov 2009 12:08 pm

    9. MELINDA DOOLITTLE IN HER FIRST-EVER NIGHTCLUB ENGAGEMENT

    NOVEMBER 17 – 21, NEW YORK CITY

    FEINSTEIN’S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed “Best of New York” by New York Magazine, will debut MELINDA DOOLITTLE in her first-ever nightclub engagement from November 17 – 21. The “American Idol” finalist will perform an intimate evening of jazz standards, pop hits and Broadway classics, in addition to selections from her CD, Coming Back To You. All shows are at the Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street). For ticket reservations and club information, please call (212) 339-4095 or visit feinsteinsatloewsregency.com and TicketWeb.com.

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