Sounds
This classic from the 1942 Sonja Henie movie “Iceland” featured Joan Merrill on vocals but was later recorded by almost every crooner of the day, from Sinatra to Nat King Cole to Chet Baker.
Originally composed for the 1959 Brazilian film “Black Orpheus” (Orfeu Negro), the song premiered in the movie with Brazilian children sitting on a cliff over the ocean, trying to persuade the sun to rise.
This song was written for the 1948 film noir of the same name. It’s been performed by a variety of artists, Bing Crosby and Harry Belafonte to McCoy Tyner and Horace Silver. This is the John Coltrane version.
This lounge band staple is the English-language version of the French song “Les Feuilles Mortes” (“The Dead Leaves”). The history and cultural appropriation of the song to make it a 1950s American pop standard is fascinating.
This is one of the standout gypsy jazz compositions by French guitarist Dorado Schmitt, first released in the mid‑1980s. It quickly became a staple among manouche artists like the Rosenberg Trio and Joscho Stephan. We gave it a Ventures-like surf beat.
The jazz tune “Three and One” is a soulful, mid-tempo hard bop composition written by Thad Jones, the trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. It’s known for its bluesy feel and intricate yet swinging arrangement style that became a hallmark of Jones’ writing.