Lush Life (song)
Encyclopedia
"Lush Life" is a jazz standard
with lyrics
and music written by Billy Strayhorn
from 1933 to 1938. However, the song was only performed privately by Strayhorn until he and vocalist Kay Davis
performed it on November 13, 1948 with the Duke Ellington
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
. It is usually performed in the key of D-flat major.
The song's lyrics describe the author's weariness of the night life after a failed romance, wasting time with "jazz and cocktails" at "come-what-may places" and in the company of girls with "sad and sullen gray faces/with distingué traces". Strayhorn was only 16 when he wrote the majority of the song, which was to become his signature composition (along with "Take the "A" Train").
One of the most notable recordings of "Lush Life" was by Nat King Cole
. John Coltrane
also recorded it at least twice, once in 1958 as the title track of an album for Prestige Records
, and again in 1963 with his "classic quartet" and Johnny Hartman
singing. The Johnny Hartman version
is considered definitive. The earlier version was 14 minutes long. But the author once said that the best version was of Billy Eckstine
on his 1960 album No Cover, No Minimum
.
Jack Jones
recorded "Lush Life" for his album Where Love Has Gone (1964). Donna Summer
recorded the song with Quincy Jones
for her self titled
1982 album. In 1985 it was the title track of Lush Life
, the second of Linda Ronstadt
's three albums of American standards. Natalie Cole
recorded a version of the song for 1991 album, Unforgettable... with Love
. Queen Latifah
recorded a Mervyn Warren
arrangement of the song for inclusion in the soundtrack to the 1998 film Living Out Loud
, a recording that was subsequently included on The Dana Owens Album
in 2004. Paul Ruffino a long time Johnny Hartman
devotee performed the song in a sold out Hartman perspective in 2004 in Manhattan. It was performed by theremin
virtuoso Pamelia Kurstin
at the 2002 TED conference.
Other artists who have recorded the song include: John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Ernie Watts, Sylvia Brooks, Sheila Jordan (1977), Tito Puente
, Nancy Wilson
, Patti Lupone
Ella Fitzgerald
& Oscar Peterson
, Sarah Vaughan
, Stan Getz
, Julie London
, Johnny Mathis
, Chet Baker
, Blossom Dearie
, Rahsaan Roland Kirk
, Natalie Cole
, Rickie Lee Jones
, Rare Silk
, Kate Ceberano
& Mark Isham
, Buddy Rich
, Kurt Elling
, Lisa Ekdahl
, Donna Summer
and Sammy Davis Jr..
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
with lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
and music written by Billy Strayhorn
Billy Strayhorn
William Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn was an American composer, pianist and arranger, best known for his successful collaboration with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington lasting nearly three decades. His compositions include "Chelsea Bridge", "Take the "A" Train" and "Lush Life".-Early...
from 1933 to 1938. However, the song was only performed privately by Strayhorn until he and vocalist Kay Davis
Kay Davis
Katherine McDonald Wimp née Katherine McDonald stage name Kay Davis was an American jazz singer best known for her time with the Duke Ellington Orchestra....
performed it on November 13, 1948 with the Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
. It is usually performed in the key of D-flat major.
The song's lyrics describe the author's weariness of the night life after a failed romance, wasting time with "jazz and cocktails" at "come-what-may places" and in the company of girls with "sad and sullen gray faces/with distingué traces". Strayhorn was only 16 when he wrote the majority of the song, which was to become his signature composition (along with "Take the "A" Train").
One of the most notable recordings of "Lush Life" was by Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
. John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
also recorded it at least twice, once in 1958 as the title track of an album for Prestige Records
Prestige Records
Prestige Records was a jazz record label founded in 1949 by Bob Weinstock. The company was located at 203 South Washington Avenue in Bergenfield, New Jersey, and recorded hundreds of albums by many of the leading jazz musicians of the day, sometimes issuing them under the names of several...
, and again in 1963 with his "classic quartet" and Johnny Hartman
Johnny Hartman
John Maurice Hartman was an American bass jazz singer who specialized in ballads and earned critical acclaim, though he was never widely known. He recorded a well-known collaboration with the saxophonist John Coltrane in 1963 called John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and was briefly a member of...
singing. The Johnny Hartman version
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman is a 1963 studio album featuring John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman.Though Coltrane and Hartman had known each other since their days playing with Dizzy Gillespie's band in the late 1940s , Hartman is the only vocalist with whom the...
is considered definitive. The earlier version was 14 minutes long. But the author once said that the best version was of Billy Eckstine
Billy Eckstine
William Clarence Eckstine was an American singer of ballads and a bandleader of the swing era. Eckstine's smooth baritone and distinctive vibrato broke down barriers throughout the 1940s, first as leader of the original bop big-band, then as the first romantic black male in popular...
on his 1960 album No Cover, No Minimum
No Cover, No Minimum
No Cover, No Minimum is a 1960 live album by Billy Eckstine. It was recorded in Las Vegas and features Eckstine both as a vocalist and also on trumpet, backed by an orchestra arranged and directed by his pianist, Bobby Tucker. Production was by Teddy Reig...
.
Jack Jones
Jack Jones (singer)
John Allan "Jack" Jones is an American jazz and pop singer. He was one of the most popular vocalists of the 1960s.-Overview:...
recorded "Lush Life" for his album Where Love Has Gone (1964). Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
recorded the song with Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
for her self titled
Donna Summer (album)
- Personnel :*David Alexander – photography*Bill Barnum – supervisor*H.B. Barnum – director*Dara Lynn Bernard – chorus*Roy Bittan – piano*Michael Boddicker – programming, vocoder, vocoder programming, polymoog*Larry Bunker – drums...
1982 album. In 1985 it was the title track of Lush Life
Lush Life (Linda Ronstadt album)
Lush Life is a Platinum-certified, Grammy-nominated album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt, released in late 1984. It was the second in a trilogy of jazz albums with bandleader/arranger Nelson Riddle....
, the second of Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
's three albums of American standards. Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
recorded a version of the song for 1991 album, Unforgettable... with Love
Unforgettable... with Love
Unforgettable… with Love is a 1991 album by Natalie Cole, which focuses on covers of standards previously performed by Cole's father, Nat King Cole...
. Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
recorded a Mervyn Warren
Mervyn Warren
Mervyn Edwin Warren is an American film composer, record producer, music conductor, music arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 10-time Grammy Award nominee...
arrangement of the song for inclusion in the soundtrack to the 1998 film Living Out Loud
Living Out Loud
The film, set in New York City, stars Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito, Queen Latifah, Martin Donovan, and Claudia Shear.-Plot:Judith Moore had what she thought was a perfect marriage, both she and her husband studying to be doctors...
, a recording that was subsequently included on The Dana Owens Album
The Dana Owens Album
The Dana Owens Album is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Queen Latifah, released in the United States on September 28, 2004 by Interscope Records. Unlike Latifah's previous hip hop/R&B-oriented efforts, this album showcases a jazz vocal performance...
in 2004. Paul Ruffino a long time Johnny Hartman
Johnny Hartman
John Maurice Hartman was an American bass jazz singer who specialized in ballads and earned critical acclaim, though he was never widely known. He recorded a well-known collaboration with the saxophonist John Coltrane in 1963 called John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, and was briefly a member of...
devotee performed the song in a sold out Hartman perspective in 2004 in Manhattan. It was performed by theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
virtuoso Pamelia Kurstin
Pamelia Kurstin
Pamelia Kurstin is a theremin player who has performed and recorded with artists such as David Byrne, Richard Cheese, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and Ulver and has performed on the television show Saturday Night Live...
at the 2002 TED conference.
Other artists who have recorded the song include: John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Ernie Watts, Sylvia Brooks, Sheila Jordan (1977), Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
, Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson (singer)
Nancy Wilson is an American singer with more than 70 albums, and three Grammy Awards. She has been labeled a singer of blues, jazz, cabaret and pop; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer." The title she prefers, however, is song stylist...
, Patti Lupone
Patti LuPone
Patti Ann LuPone is an American singer and actress, known for her Tony Award-winning performances as Eva Perón in the 1979 stage musical Evita and as Madame Rose in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, and for her Olivier Award-winning performance as Fantine in the original London cast of Les...
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
& Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
, Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, Julie London
Julie London
Julie London was an American singer and actress. She was best known for her smoky, sensual voice. London was at her singing career's peak in the 1950s. Her acting career lasted more than 35 years...
, Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, Chet Baker
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker, Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and singer.Though his music earned him a large following , Baker's popularity was due in part to his "matinee idol-beauty" and "well-publicized drug habit."He died in 1988 in Amsterdam, the...
, Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie
Blossom Dearie was an American jazz singer and pianist, often performing in the bebop genre and remembered for her girlish voice.-Early career:...
, Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones
Rickie Lee Jones is an American vocalist, musician, songwriter, and producer. Over the course of a three-decade career, Jones has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, blues, pop, soul, and jazz standards.-Childhood:...
, Rare Silk
Rare Silk
Rare Silk was an American jazz vocal group. Consisting of the band members Gaile Gillaspie, Marylynn Gillaspie, Todd Buffa and Marguerite Juenemann , they started out as a swing-oriented group in the vein of The Pied Pipers and The Andrews Sisters...
, Kate Ceberano
Kate Ceberano
Kate Ceberano is an Australian singer. She achieved success in the soul, jazz and pop genres as well as in her brief forays into musicals with Jesus Christ Superstar and film...
& Mark Isham
Mark Isham
Mark Isham is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and film composer. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic, and film.-Life and career:...
, Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
, Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling
Kurt Elling is an American jazz vocalist, composer, lyricist and vocalese performer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Elling first became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran church...
, Lisa Ekdahl
Lisa Ekdahl
Lisa Ekdahl is a Swedish singer and song writer in popular music. She has so far published 10 albums, most of them in the Swedish language but some entirely in English. Her voice has been described as "child-like" and "soft, supple and smooth"...
, Donna Summer
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines , known by her stage name, Donna Summer, is an American singer/songwriter who gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s. She has a mezzo-soprano vocal range. Summer is a five-time Grammy winner and was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach...
and Sammy Davis Jr..