"Nature Boy” is a unique tune among jazz standards. It has an exotic, philosophical character; the lyrics sound like the singer is reciting a timeless legend. It was written by eden ahbez (he preferred lower case), also formerly known as George Alexander Aberle, or George McGrew. “Nature Boy” has been recorded by Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Johnny Hartman, Stan Getz, George Benson, Sun Ra, and Art Pepper, among others.
There is some disagreement as to the origin of the melody; it may or may not have been entirely written by ahbez. The four pieces in this post title all employ the famous “Nature Boy” theme. Although they sound suspiciously similar, in my opinion it’s unlikely that any of them intentionally plagiarized any other - with the possible exception of the Nino Rota piece.
The tune, and the composer, have a great backstory. You can read all about it on the Wikipedia pages for Nature Boy and eden ahbez.
Here’s Nat King Cole’s original 1947 recording of “Nature Boy,” a huge hit for him in 1948:
Although I’d known something about the history of the song before, one new detail for me was that the title probably came about because ahbez was part of a group of back-to-nature devotees in Los Angeles in the 1940s, who were dubbed the “Nature Boys.” Another well-known member was Gypsy Boots (Robert Bootzin), who I remember as a frequent guest on the old late-night “Steve Allen Show.” Boots supposedly invented the “smoothie.” One of his tag lines was to tell Steve, “Don’t panic, it’s organic.”
For a lot more on Gypsy Boots, just google his name. Click here for an especially great memoir.
Anyway, back to the music. Nat King Cole’s recording sold over a million copies. In 1951 ahbez was sued by Herman Yablokoff, who claimed that the song was plagiarized from Yablokoff’s “Shvayg mayn harts,” a song from his 1935 Yiddish theater play “Papirosn.” ahbez settled the suit for $25,000, but that does not necessarily mean he actually plagiarized the tune.
Personally, I think that claim was without merit. The melodic theme is only a brief part of Yablokoff’s song, and I’d say that there was maybe a 1% chance that ahbez could have heard it before. In the video below, the theme occurs at 2:07.
A somewhat more plausible source, for both the ahbez and Yablokoff pieces, is the second movement (“Dumka”) from Antonin Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A major, Op. 81. There’s no copyright violation in borrowing from an 1887 composition, of course.
A few nights ago, we were listening to the “All Classical” internet radio station while cleaning up after dinner. They played Nino Rota’s “Slow Waltz” from the Fellini movie “8 1/2,” performed by pianist Massimo Palumbo. It sounded familiar. Nino Rota is known to have occasionally borrowed themes from other composers. For example, Rota also borrowed from Dvorak for part of his score for “La Strada” (see this previous post). In the “Slow Waltz,” I hear a pretty direct borrowing from “Nature Boy,” not so much from Dvorak.
To close, here are two John Coltrane recordings of “Nature Boy.” This first one is from the recently-released “Both Directions at Once” album, recorded in 1963:
This version was recorded in 1965, for the next studio album following “A Love Supreme.” The quartet’s approach to the song had evolved. Somehow, I think ahbez would have approved:
Antonio Carlos Jobim’s songs are superbly well-crafted, both melodically and harmonically. Jobim worked closely with a number of Brazilian lyricists, perhaps most notably Vinicius de Moraes and Newton Mendonça, for his best-known bossa novas. Jobim wrote his own lyrics for some songs also, later in his career.
Although the original Portuguese lyrics to his songs are generally poetic and well-matched to the music, the same cannot be said for many of the English-language versions of his classic bossas. Most of these translations were written by Ray Gilbert, Norman Gimbel, Gene Lees, and Jon Hendricks.
Jobim's dissatisfaction with the English versions is discussed in two books by knowledgeable Jobim biographers - Bossa Nova: The story of the Brazilian Music that Seduced the World, by Ruy Castro, and Antonio Carlos Jobim: An Illuminated Man, by Helena Jobim (the composer's sister). Besides the sometimes-questionable artistic quality of the English lyrics, there is also a business aspect: the writers of translated lyrics are legally regarded as co-composers, and therefore share in the royalties. It appears that Ray Gilbert, in particular, profited at Jobim’s expense.
Jobim was enthusiastic at first about having these people create English lyrics for the US market, but as time went on, he grew to dislike many of those versions. There wasn't much he could do about it, after those versions of his most famous songs had been popularized in the US in the late 1950s and early 1960s, by Frank Sinatra and other popular musicians. When Jobim began writing his own English lyrics, he was able to provide the artistic level that his music deserved. “Waters of March,” for example, is about as perfect as it could be, in its English version.
Helena Jobim describes Tom Jobim's early collaboration with Ray Gilbert:
[Jobim] was allowed to enter the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) through Ray Gilbert, an American lyricist who had worked for Carmen Miranda and Aloysio de Oliveira. Tom realized Ray’s potential and the value of his translations and of his new partners. With Tom’s help, Ray was capable of producing quality versions of Tom’s lyrics.
Gilbert would have seemed like a good choice for an American lyricist. He had worked for Disney, and had received an Oscar in 1947 for writing the lyrics to "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," featured in Disney's movie "Song of the South." (Music for that tune was by Ally Wrubel, who also wrote the jazz standards "Gone With the Wind" and "The Masquerade is Over.")
Toward the end of 1964, Tom went to Los Angeles, where he initially stayed at a small hotel called the Sunset Marquis, on Alta Loma Road. Thereza could not join him until one month later, because she needed to spend more time with their children. When she arrived, they moved to a small house on Norma Place, which Ray Gilbert had suggested. Tom continued writing English versions of his songs with him. The lyrics that resulted from this collaboration with Gilbert became the seeds for the recordings that would follow—those he did with Andy Williams, others with Frank Sinatra, and the ones by Tom alone.
Ray Gilbert wrote English lyrics for Jobim's "Dindi,""Once I Loved," "If you Never Come to Me," "I Was Just One More for You," "Don't Ever Go Away," "She's a Carioca," "Favela," "Bonita," and "Fotographia," among others.
From Ruy Castro's book:
The fact that [Ray Gilbert] applied his meaningless lyrics to a large number of Jobim's songs, perhaps preventing them from going even further in vocal cover versions, was merely to be expected. But of course, as their editor, through his links to RioCali and Ipanema Music, Ray Gilbert also acquired ownership of the songs. In fact, he did even better than that because he earned a 50 percent share of the profits for each song as editor, plus a percentage for being a partner in each one. In the case of a song that Jobim had written alone, like "Fotografia," Gilbert got 75 percent of the money.
To me, it looks as if the generally less-then-satisfactory English lyrics, as well as the less-than-optimal financial arrangements, resulted from 1) Jobim's early enthusiasm about accessing the American popular music market, 2) his ill-advised trusting attitude and inattention to legal matters, and 3) his less-than-perfect English skills.
There is more detail about Ray Gilbert and financial matters in the books by Ruy Castro and Helena Jobim, including how Gilbert persuaded Jobim to transfer ownership of their jointly-owned Ipanema Music to him, but I'll leave it at that.
Other American lyricists with whom Jobim collaborated are Jon Hendricks, Norman Gimbel, and Gene Lees. Below are lyrics for six well-known Jobim songs. For each song, I have shown the original Portuguese lyrics for the first few stanzas, followed by a Google translate version (lightly edited for correctness by my friend Guto), followed by the English version.
Chega de Saudade
(Portuguese by Vinicius de Moraes, English by Jon Hendricks)
In a video interview (you can view it at the end of this post), Ruy Castro singles this one out as a particularly inappropriate translation. As an American who does not speak Portuguese, I’m certain that I am missing a lot of subtlety in Vinicius’ original poetry, but the relative shallowness of Hendricks’ version is still obvious. Hendricks is best known for his part in the jazz vocal group “Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross,” and in his own way had quite a bit of experience writing lyrics. Hendricks retitled this song "No More Blues."
Opening stanzas, original:
Vai, minha tristeza E diz a ela que sem ela não pode ser Diz-lhe, numa prece, que ela regresse Porque eu não posso mais sofrer
Chega de saudade A realidade é que sem ela não há paz Não há beleza, é só tristeza e a melancolia Que não sai de mim, não sai de mim, não sai
Literal translation (Google translate):
Go, my sadness
And tell her that without her it can't be
Tell her, in a prayer, that she comes back
Because I can't suffer anymore
Enough of longing
The reality is that without her there is no peace
There is no beauty, it's just sadness and melancholy
That doesn't leave me, doesn't leave me, doesn't leave
Lyrics by Jon Hendricks:
No more blues I'm going back home No, no more dues I promise no more to roam
Home is where the heart is The funny part is My heart's been right home all along
No more tears and no more sighs And no more fears I'll say no more good-byes If trouble beckons me, I vow I'm gonna refuse (etc.)
Girl from Ipanema
(Portuguese by Vinicius de Moraes, English by Norman Gimbel)
Again, I'm sure I'm missing something in Vinicius' poetry, but Gimbel's version comes across as basically commercial, though not as egregious as Hendricks' "No More Blues."
From Wikipedia:
In 1963, Gimbel was introduced by music publisher Lou Levy to a group of young Brazilian bossa nova composers, including Antônio Carlos Jobim, Luiz Bonfá and Baden Powell, for whose works he started writing English-language lyrics...Most notably, he created the lyrics for Marcos Valle's "Summer Samba," also known as "So Nice", as well as Jobim's "How Insensitive", "The Girl from Ipanema" (turning it into a top hit for Astrud Gilberto) and "Meditation", which has gained the status of a "classic" in the jazz and bossa nova genres. He also provided the lyrics for French composers Michel Legrand (two themes from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg—"Watch What Happens" and the Oscar-nominated "I Will Wait for You")... He also provided the lyrics for Belgian jazz harmonica player Toots Thielemans ("Bluesette").
Opening stanzas, original:
Olha que coisa mais linda, mais cheia de graça É ela, menina, que vem e que passa Num doce balanço a caminho do mar
Moça do corpo dourado, do Sol de Ipanema O seu balançado é mais que um poema É a coisa mais linda que eu já vi passar
Literal translation (Google translate):
Look at this beautiful being, so full of grace It's her, girl, who comes and passes In a sweet swing on her way to the sea
Girl with a golden body, from the Sun of Ipanema Her swing is more than a poem It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen pass by
Lyrics by Norman Gimbel:
Tall and tan and young and lovely The girl from Ipanema goes walking And when she passes Each one she passes goes "ah"
When she walks, she's like a samba That swings so cool and sways so gently That when she passes, each one she passes goes "ah"
Favela
(Portuguese by Vinicius, English by Ray Gilbert)
A "favela" is a slum, or shantytown. In Rio, favelas are on the hill. Jobim's original title, "O morro nao tem vez," translates to "The hill never gets its turn." Gilbert's title was "Somewhere in the Hills." To say that Gilbert's lyrics do not respect the original is an understatement.
From Wikipedia:
In 1964, not shortly after the song was released, the Brazilian government suffered a coup and was replaced by a military dictatorship. During this time, many musicians and composers, including songwriters Jobim and de Moraes, were arrested and interrogated by the police or had their telephones and mail tapped for creating "subversive" music. While bossa nova has not usually been regarded as having political themes, the song became one of the genre's only protest songs due to its subject surrounding the favelas.
The phrase "o morro não tem vez" has since been used in opposition of economic injustice in Brazil.
Opening stanzas, original:
O morro não tem vez E o que ele fez já foi demais Mas olhem bem vocês Quando derem vez ao morro Toda a cidade vai cantar
Morro pede passagem Morro quer se mostrar Abram alas pro morro Tamborim vai falar
É 1, é 2, é 3, é 100 É 1000 a batucar
Literal translation (Google):
The hill never gets its turn And it has already done a lot But look, you all When you give the hill its turn The whole city will sing
The hill asks for passage The hill wants to show itself Make way for the hill The tamborim will speak
His eyes couldn′t laugh, I made them laugh His arm's a world of thrills The moon looked down and smiled On a summer love to see it blossoming somewhere in the hills
The breeze was cool, his kiss was fire The night birds sang their trills And when the moon was gone, hidden by the clouds I put the fire out somewhere in the hills
Desafinado
(Portuguese by Newton Mendonça, English versions by Jon Hendricks and by Gene Lees)
Mendonça was a pianist, and a friend of Tom Jobim's since their childhood. According to both Ruy Castro and Helena Jobim, the two composed together, both sitting at the piano; they probably collaborated on both music and lyrics. It would not be accurate to say that one was the composer, the other the lyricist.
Two English versions were created - one by Gene Lees, another by Jon Hendricks. Gene Lees' lyrics are quite a bit closer to the original. Lees, better known as a jazz journalist, also wrote lyrics for "Corcovado," "Agua de Beber", "Someone to Light Up My Life", "Song of the Jet", "This Happy Madness" and "Dreamer."
Opening stanzas, original:
Se você disser que eu desafino, amor Saiba que isto em mim provoca imensa dor Só privilegiados têm ouvido igual ao seu Eu possuo apenas o que Deus me deu
Se você insiste em classificar Meu comportamento de anti-musical Eu mesmo mentindo devo argumentar Que isto é Bossa Nova, que isto é muito natural O que você não sabe, nem sequer pressente É que os desafinados também têm um coração
Fotografei você na minha Roleiflex Revelou-se a sua enorme ingratidão
Literal translation (Google):
If you say that I'm out of tune, my love Know that this causes me immense pain Only the privileged have hearing like yours I only have what God gave me
If you insist on classifying My behavior as anti-musical I, even lying, must argue That this is Bossa Nova, that this is very natural What you don't know, or even sense Is that out of tune people also have a heart
I photographed you on my Roleiflex Your enormous ingratitude was revealed
Lyrics by Jon Hendricks:
Love is like a never ending melody, Poets have compared it to a symphony, A symphony conducted by the lighting of the moon, But our song of love is slightly out of tune
Once your kisses raised me to a fever pitch, Now the orchestration doesn't seem so rich, Seems to me you've changed the tune we used to sing, Like the bossa nova love should swing
Lyrics by Gene Lees:
(intro)
When I try to sing you say I'm off key Why can't you see how much this hurts me With your perfect beauty and your perfect pitch You're a perfect terror When I come around must you always put me down
(first stanzas)
If you say my singing is off key my love You will hurt my feelings don't you see my love I wish I had an ear like yours A voice that would behave But all I have is feelings and the voice God gave
You insist my music goes against the rules But rules were never meant for lovesick fools I wrote this little song for you but you don't care Its a crooked song oh but all my love is there The thing that you would see if you would play your part Is even if I'm out of tune I have a gentle heart
I took your picture with my trusty Rolleiflex And now all I have developed is a complex
Agua de Beber
(Portuguese by Vinicius, English by Gimbel)
This song has a somewhat mystical feeling to me. The melody is minor-key, with blues elements. It reminds me of capoeira songs.
Original:
Eu quis amar, mas tive medo E quis salvar meu coração Mas o amor sabe um segredo O medo pode matar o seu coração
Água de beber, água de beber, camará Água de beber, água de beber, camará
Eu nunca fiz coisa tão certa Entrei pra escola do perdão A minha casa vive aberta Abri todas as portas do coração
Literal translation (Google)
I wanted to love, but I was afraid
And I wanted to save my heart
But love knows a secret
Fear can kill your heart
Drinking water, drinking water, my friend
Drinking water, drinking water, my friend
I never did anything so right
I entered the school of forgiveness
My house is always open
I opened all the doors of my heart
Lyrics by Norman Gimbel:
Your love is rain, my heart the flower I need your love or I will die My very life is in your power Will I wither and fade or bloom to the sky?
[Chorus] Água de beber Give the flower water to drink Água de beber Give the flower water to drink
One Note Samba
(Portuguese by Newton Mendonca, English by Jon Hendricks)
From Helena Jobim's book:
At that time “Off Key” and “One-Note Samba” had already become hits in the United States. Bossa nova had come of age. Millions of records were sold and often played on radio stations in new renditions released by jazz stars. Some of the recordings were not well done at all, with little respect for the musical structure or lyrics of the Brazilian originals. Those aspects of the “fever” bothered and preoccupied Tom Jobim. Several of those English versions had nothing to do with their Portuguese counterparts. For that reason Tom himself sought after the best translation possible for his compositions. That was the case with “One-Note Samba.” He carried the lyrics in his pocket and kept asking people if the translation was good. Changes were made often when Tom came across an acquaintance who knew English better than he did.
This quote leads me to think that perhaps Jobim provided a lot more input on this song than on Hendricks' other efforts. The English version is quite close to the original in this case.
Opening stanzas, original:
Eis aqui este sambinha Feito numa nota só Outras notas vão entrar Mas a base é uma só Esta outra é consequência Do que acabo de dizer Como eu sou a consequência Inevitável de você
Quanta gente existe por aí Que fala tanto E não diz nada Ou quase nada Já me utilizei de toda a escala E no final não sobrou nada Não deu em nada
Literal translation (Google)
Here is this little samba
Made over just one note
Other notes will come in
But the base is just one
This other one is a consequence
Of what I just said
As I am the inevitable consequence
of you
How many people are there out there
Who talk so much
And say nothing
Or almost nothing
I've already used the entire scale
And in the end there was nothing left
It came to nothing
Lyrics by Jon Hendricks:
This is just a little samba Built upon a single note Other notes are bound to follow But the root is still that note Now this new one is the consequence Of the one we've just been through As I'm bound to be the unavoidable Consequence of you
There's so many people who can Talk and talk and talk And just say nothing Or nearly nothing I have used up all the scale I know And at the end I've come to nothing Or nearly nothing etc.
Here's a video of a 1986 concert in Japan with Jobim's "Banda Nova," his last band, which performed from 1984 to 1993. Some songs are performed in Portuguese, some in English, some in both languages. The English versions that Jobim chose to use are Desafinado (Lees' version), Corcovado (Gimbel), Dindi (Gilbert), Waters of March (Jobim), and Girl from Ipanema (Gimbel). He must have found those versions acceptable enough. In any case, he knew what the audiences expected to hear. He leans more on the Portuguese lyrics, and keeps it all fresh with updated arrangements.
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Here's the Ruy Castro interview mentioned above. A discussion about Jon Hendricks, Norman Gimbel, and Ray Gilbert begins at about 54:00. It's in Portuguese, but you can get auto-translate captions by going to settings/subtitles/cc/english. The English captions are crude, but you can figure out what Castro is saying. He refers to Ray Gilbert as "a guy who stole bossa nova." Thanks to Guto for pointing me at this video, as well as for help with the “literal” translations!
In the history of saxophone pedagogy in the US, there seem to be two main lineages, stemming from Joe Allard (1910-1991), and Larry Teal (1905-1984). I was wondering who their respective teachers were, and interestingly, both Allard and Teal had been students of Merle Johnston. Here are a few words about Johnston from the Jazz Lives blog:
I haven’t found out much about Merle, except that he played clarinet, alto, and tenor, was born in upstate New York, and lived from 1897 to 1978, and was a renowned saxophone teacher…Merle’s students included Larry Teal and Joe Allard (each became a highly influential saxophone teacher in his own right), as well as famous players such as Buddy Collette and Frank Morgan. His legacy is probably more lasting as a teacher than as a player or bandleader!
Merle’s recording career…ran from 1923 to 1930, with Sam Lanin (alongside Red Nichols), Isham Jones, Seger Ellis, the Ipana Troubadours, Jack Miller, a young fellow named Crosby.
As many saxophonists are aware, there are differences between Allard's and Teal's approaches to embouchure, and I'm sure on other musical topics as well. It would be fascinating to know what each of them got from lessons with Merle Johnston. Obviously, both Allard and Teal would also have had many other influences informing their approaches, including other teachers, colleagues, and their own independent studies and experiences. I was able to trace back another of Teal's teachers (see below). Allard also studied clarinet with Gaston Hamelin and saxophone with Lyle Bowen.
Personally, I have benefited second-hand and third-hand from both schools. I've learned some things about Allard's teaching via workshops and publications from David Liebman and Vic Morosco, as well as conversations with my friend Bob, another former Allard student. From Larry Teal, there is his very useful book The Art of Saxophone Playing. Although I took lessons with Joe Henderson, who was proud to have been a Teal student back in Detroit, it’s hard to know specifically what Joe got from Teal - certainly, at least some sort of organized approach to saxophone technique. Reed adjustment? Maybe; Teal discusses reed adjustment in his book. Joe never showed me anything about reed adjustment.
This led me to wonder about my own pedagogical lineage. My clarinet teacher from fifth grade through high school was Paul Pone. Here's a previous post about Paul's early days in the US.
Paul Pone was a student of Gaetano Labanchi (1829-1908) at the Naples Conservatory. Labanchi wrote an influential method book, as well as etudes that are still used today.
Labanchi was a student of Ernesto Cavallini (1807-1874). Cavallini served as principal clarinetist at La Scala, and taught at the Milan Conservatory.
Cavallini was a student of Benedetto Carulli (1797-1877) at the Milan Conservatory. Carulli was principal clarinetist at La Scala until 1840, and wrote chamber pieces that are still played today.
Carulli was a student of Giuseppe Adami (b. 1762). Giuseppe was the first clarinetist at La Scala, and the the first clarinet teacher at the Milan Conservatory.
Giuseppe Adami was a student of his father, Vinatier Adami, a player and teacher in Torino. Vinatier Adami wrote a clarinet method that appeared around 1802.
With all humility, I have to say that I am a pretty unworthy recipient of this ancestry. Maybe if I had been aware of all this as a kid, I'd have practiced more…Or maybe not.
Going back to Joe's teacher Larry Teal, Teal studied not only with Merle Johnston, but also studied clarinet with Alberto Luconi (1893-1984). Luconi played with the La Scala orchestra under Toscanini, and emigrated to the US in 1922, settling in Detroit. He was a professor at the University of Michigan, and also taught at Larry Teal’s music school. Teal stated that the musical skills he learned from Luconi on clarinet carried over into his saxophone playing.
Luconi was a student of Aurélio Magnani (1856-1921). Magnani was the author of a clarinet treatise, and composed a number of clarinet/piano pieces, as well as clarinet duets that are still used in teaching.
Magnani was a student of Domenico Liverani (1805-1877) and Alessandro Busi. I haven’t found anything about Busi. Liverani taught at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna, was a friend of Rossini, and wrote some works for clarinet, including a clarinet concerto. He was a student of Pietro Avoni (d. 1839).
There seems to be quite a bit of Italian clarinet history in all this lineage.
So what could we say is actually transmitted down through the generations? Maybe it’s not so much about specific information. Every individual along the way will take different pieces of knowledge from their teacher, learn from it or perhaps reject it or ignore it, and augment that with experience gained elsewhere in their life. Instrument design goes through changes, and styles change.
I’d like to think that what is transmitted is more a general sense of musical professionalism - high standards, artistic/expressive approach, focus, love of knowledge, love of music.
Addendum: I ran across this discussion on Sax on the Web. It’s a project to catalog the teachers of (primarily) contemporary classical saxophonists. The result of the project is in a downloadable PDF in the last post, #82, on the 5th page of the thread.
