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Thread: Things Are Looking Up - George Gershwin

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    972

    Default Things Are Looking Up - George Gershwin

    The 1937 film A Damsel in Distress was not one of Fred Astaire's most successful. For one thing, his 19-year-old co-star, Joan Fontaine, couldn't dance.

    But the film contains two of Gershwin's most famous tunes: A Foggy Day, and Nice Work If You Can Get It. It also has this wonderful song, one of Gershwin's most joyful, Things Are Looking Up.

    I've put it in F Major, the key in which Astaire sings it. Here's a YouTube link to a film clip of the whole number:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq2uweAMMW8

    There's also a marvelous version by Ella Fitzgerald, in Bb major:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgjI35sGdoM

    I haven't included the verse, as jazz musicians rarely play those, and iReal Pro doesn't lend itself to rubato verses anyway. Notice the unusual length first A sections, which are ten bars long.

    Things Are Looking Up 2 - George Gershwin

    Cheers,
    Jer
    Last edited by engelbach; 10-12-2016 at 08:35 PM.
    Jerry Engelbach
    Pianist • Arranger • Composer
    Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México
    Music Website
    Art Website
    The Internationale Website

  2. #2

    Default

    Thanks for another great post.

    Quote Originally Posted by engelbach View Post
    I haven't included the verse, as jazz musicians rarely play those, and iReal Pro doesn't lend itself to rubato verses anyway.
    Verses:
    You are correct, the player feature doesn't accompany verses very well.

    As a bassist, having the chords available to (the rapidly disappearing) verses is like gold!
    I work with singers that enjoy including the verse when they can...
    We are collecting every verse we encounter:
    http://www.irealb.com/forums/showthr...jazz-standards
    For me, it works best if the verse is a separate chart labeled: <song title> VERSE
    )BOB
    Last edited by pdxdjazz; 10-11-2016 at 08:20 PM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    972

    Default

    Thanks, Bob. I just rediscovered this song for myself and added it to my tune list for the first time.

    I sometimes play verses when I play solo and without backing tracks. I usually don't have a practical way to use them with iReal Pro, although I think I may have included verses in a couple of tracks at full tempo.

    Cheers,
    Jer
    Jerry Engelbach
    Pianist • Arranger • Composer
    Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México
    Music Website
    Art Website
    The Internationale Website

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