Bebop Spoken There

Ron Carter quoting Sonny Rollins: ''What we call jazz - that's keeping the world in equilibrium. I don't care what kind of music you like out here today. It all comes from jazz.'' (DownBeat August, 2026)

The Things They Say!

This is a good opportunity to say thanks to BSH for their support of the jazz scene in the North East (and beyond) - it's no exaggeration to say that if it wasn't for them many, many fine musicians, bands and projects across a huge cross section of jazz wouldn't be getting reviewed at all, because we're in the "desolate"(!) North. (M & SSBB on F/book 23/12/24)

Postage

18818 (and counting) posts since we started blogging 18 years ago. 682 of them this year alone and, so far this month (Aug. 20) 51.

Reviewers wanted

Whilst BSH attempts to cover as many gigs, festivals and albums as possible, to make the site even more comprehensive we need more 'boots on the ground' to cover the albums seeking review - a large percentage of which never get heard - report on gigs or just to air your views on anything jazz related. Interested? then please get in touch. Contact details are on the blog. Look forward to hearing from you. Lance

From This Moment On

August

Wed 26: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Wed 26: Darlington Big Band @ Darlington & Simpson Rolling Mills Social Club, Darlington. 7:00pm. Free. Rehearsal session (open to the public).
Wed 26: Take it to the Bridge @ The Globe, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free.

Thu 27: Vieux Carré Hot 4 @ The Millstone, Mill Rise, South Gosforth, Newcastle. 1:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Castillo Nuevo Orquesta @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. £6.50. 7:30pm (doors).
Thu 27: Paul Skerritt @ Angels' Share, St George's Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle NE2 2SX. 8:00pm. Free. Booking advised (0191 200 1975). Skerritt w. backing tapes.
Thu 27: 58 Jazz Collective @ The Blacksmith’s Arms, Stranton, Hartlepool. 8:00pm. Free.
Thu 27: Shalala @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm. £7.00.

Fri 28: Graham Hardy Quartet @ The Gala, Durham. 1:00pm. £8.00.
Fri 28: Classic Swing @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: Rendezvous Jazz @ The Monkseaton Arms. 1:00pm. Free.
Fri 28: New Orleans Preservation Jazz Band @ The Oxbridge Hotel, Stockton. 1:00pm. £5.00.

Sat 29: Brian Jackson @ Pilgrim, Newcastle. 8:30pm (doors). £32.00.

Sun 30: Musicians Unlimited @ West Hartlepool RFC. 1:00pm. Free.
Sun 30: Tango Jazz Quartet @ The Globe, Newcastle. 8:00pm.

Mon 31: Friends of Jazz @ Cullercoats Crescent Club. 1:00pm. Free.

September.

Tue 01: Customs House Big Band @ Masonic Hall, Ferryhill. 7:30pm. Free.
Tue 01: Jam session @ The Black Swan, Newcastle. 7:30pm. Free. House trio: Joe Steels, Paul Grainger, John Hirst.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Mad about Mad About You

Having lived on this planet for a fair while I figured that, by now, I knew all of the great GASbook gems that languish within its infinite pages. 

How wrong can you be?

Today, I came across an instrumental by tenor saxist Ike Quebec of a tune titled Mad About You. Recorded on Blue Note in 1944 on a 12" 78rpm I was completely knocked out by this beautiful ballad and I immediately thought that someone most have added words to this - it would have been a natural for the young Sinatra. I Googled and, sure enough, there it was - Mad About You by Frank Sinatra!

Except that it wasn't! Sinatra did record a song of that name - a song  composed by Victor Young no less - but, this Mad About You wasn't the Mad About You that I was mad about. It was a pretty nondescript tune that, although performed well, failed to impress me.

Further research revealed that the Mad About You I sought was composed by Roger 'Ram' Ramirez - he of Lover Man fame - and there was a vocal version by one Ronnie Deauville.

Deauville, it seemed was a comer. He sounded like Sinatra, sang with Glen Gray, did solo gigs at the top nightspots, he was on his way and then...

...a car crash followed by polio put him out of action. He determined to carry on and eventually contributed vocal backings on soundtracks as well as making appearances in a wheelchair.

He died in 1990 aged 65.

Can anyone tell me more about the singer and the song?
Lance
Ike Quebec Swing Sextet (also w. Ramirez on piano)
Ronnie Deauville w. Ram Ramirez Quartet.
at

1 comment :

Liz said...

What a find!! that haunting voice, I didn't even listen to the Sinatra version, why would you? this was perfection, the sadness in his voice. What a tragedy to die so young. The Swingtet was a joy, the guitar so reminded me of my late Dad, same style. It as what I grew up with. Thanks so much lance for bringing this lovely number to us, a lost generation maybe, but still the very best of it's genre.

Sunday, August 11, 2019 6:04:00 pm

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