Klarinet Archive - Posting 000202.txt from 2005/09

From: or3mondtoby@-----.net (Ormondtoby Montoya)
Subj: Re: [kl] Re: Los Angeles Choir/Weill
Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 00:28:40 -0400

Margaret Thornhill wrote:

> As for comparing versions of Mack the Knife,
> Lotte Lenya was Weill's wife, so she has the
> original goods. Her German versions are
> best. There's a long stylistic leap between her
> and Bobby Darin, imo.

I happen to have the CD of Lenya + Louis Armstrong. Apparently Louis
was leading the session, and hence I've only heard her doing it Louis's
way --- quite different from the arrangement that you folks performed.

What truly amazed me is that the CD includes a studio session where
Louis tries to coach Lotte into singing a dotted note. Judging by the
conversation between the two of them, she tried very hard (during
several takes) to get the dotted rhythm, but it was a monstrous struggle
for her. I've wondered how an accomplished singer could have this
problem. It never occurred to me that perhaps she couldn't sing the
dotted note because it went against the grain of what she already knew
that her husband had actually written.

(May the Muses forgive me for saying this, but what a perfect example
this is of two great musicians feeling that the music demanded two
different things, and perhaps their preconceptions had more to do with
this difference than did the music itself.)

Thanks for the details.

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