Night in Shanghai Music

Most of my past Blogging contains many of my own pictures but this post doesn't and it full of underlined links you must click on to see or hear the music.

After finishing reading Night in Shanghai I went to Nicole Mones web site where I found a very interesting series of pictures about Shanghai and the characters in the book. Then I thought why not document the music that appears within.


My two favorite radio stations are classical and jazz.

Page 9, "You think you know better than Mendelssohn?"

Listen to Symphony No. 4 "Italian"

Page 10, "About a Quarter to Nine,"

Film 42nd street

Page 11, " a few of the popular ballroom numbers, like

"Body and Soul"  Listen to it by Ella Fitzgerald

Ella played Melodyland in Anaheim, California across from Disneyland on Harbor Blvd. The show dates were June 29 to July 4 1965 with Nelson Riddle and his orchestra. Not sure how much the tickets cost back then but I had a pair of really good seats up close then.

"I Can't Get Started" Billie Holiday sings

Lyrics

I've been around the world in a plane
Settled revolutions in Spain
The North Pole I have charted
But can't get started with you

And at the golf course I'm under par
Metro-Goldwyn wants me to star
I've got a house and a show place
But can't get no place with you

You're so supreme, the lyrics I write of you
Dream, dream, day and night of you
Scheme just for the sight of you
But what good will it do?

I've been consulted by Franklin D
Even Gable had me to tea
But now I'm broken hearted
Can't get started with you

You're so supreme, the lyrics I write of you
Dream, dream, day and night of you
Scheme just for the sight of you
But what good does it do?

I've been consulted by Franklin D
Even Basic had me to tea
But now I'm broken hearted
Can't get started with you

by Ira Gershwinand music by Vernon Duke, that was first heard in the theatrical production Ziegfeld Follies of 1936 where it was sung by Bob Hope. Hal Kemp and his orchestra recorded it at that time and it had a bit of popularity, rising briefly to 14th place on the recording charts.

Read more: Billie Holiday - I Can't Get Started Lyrics | MetroLyrics 

Page 12, "The Rhapsody"

Rhapsody in Blue was the one piece he had memorized

I remember one weekend back when I was in high school band where we played that song over and over and over. It was at USC for a band day with maybe a dozen other high school bands. After all the rehearsals we played Rhapsody in Blue at half time in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Not sure who played the Trojans maybe UCLA.

Here Gershwin plays Gershwin (several of the YouTube viewing here have lead in commercials)

Page 14 back on Creel Street  "Memphis Blues," by Fletcher Henderson

Page 20, "Let's start with your signature tune "Exactly Like You"

I know why I've waited, know why I've been blue 
Prayed each night for someone exactly like you 
Why should we spend money on a show or two? 
No one does those love scenes exactly like you 

You make me feel so grand, I'd like to hand the world to you 
You seem to understand each foolish little scheme I'm scheming 
And the dream I'm dreaming 
Now I know why my mother taught me to be true 
She meant me for someone exactly like you 

You make me feel so grand, I wanna hand the world to you 
You seem to understand each foolish little scheme that I'm scheming 
And the dream that I'm dreaming 
Now I know why my mother, she taught me to be true 
She meant me for someone exactly like you

Page 26, "Buck Clayton's Harlem Gentlemen" Page 87, "Beethoven's Fifth"
Page 105, "They were in the middle of a Duke Ellington piece called "Blue Ramble"

Page 107, "He turned the disc over: "One O' Clock Jump." Count Basie Orchestra

Page 140, "played the arpeggiated left-hand waterfall of Litz's concert etude Un Sospiro
Page 142, "The song was "Saddest Tale" by Duke Ellington's big band blues"
Page 161, "So he took some music from his briefcase and played Brahms, because it calmed him."
Page 193, "they were in the middle of a song called "Lovely Peach Blossom," a Shanghai standard made famous by Fan Zhang"

Page 199, "One night in February they happened on an all "Bach chamber performance by German orchestral musicians"

Page 212, "To play my favorite of Mozart's two sonatas for piano in B-Flat."

same page, "Thomas saw it was Liebesleid by the violin master and composer Fritz Kreisler"

Page 214, "He was right, for the Liebesleid and Liebesfreund brought double the tips of Mozart and Brahms."

Page 221, David brought with him Chopin's Grande Valse Brillante and one of Strauss's New Vienna Waltzes.

Page 259, "Mozart, Sonata for Piano and Violin in B-Flat, No. 454"