Time for some Sunday morning music and since I was up extra early this morning the idea of something to pick me up seems like a good idea. Something like some black coffee.
Not the drink, though I am sipping my coffee as I write. I mean the song.
The sultry Black Coffee was written in 1948 by Sonny Burke and originally recorded by Sarah Vaughan and a few years later by Peggy Lee. There have been many, many covers of this song and most are very good. But there are four versions that really stick out for me, all very distinctly different. They are Vaughan’s original, the one from Peggy Lee, k.d. lang‘s darkly twangy version and the one I am featuring this morning from the great and grand Ella Fitzgerald.
Her version is elegantly spare with her voice and piano interweaving beautifully. It is darkly tinged but there is such strength in her phrasing that it keeps the song feeling surprisingly upbeat. Just a great, great song.
A little bit of trivia about this version: It was the favorite song of Nobel Prize winning poetess Wislawa Szymborska , who requested it be performed at her funeral. You might remember Szymborska from a blog entry here last month that featured her poem Possibilities.
So,give a listen as you sip the morning beverage of your choice. Maybe a little black coffee…
Redtree Times 
Thank you. I could write thank you every day for your so very thoughtful and valuable posts. But today… Ella… as the saying goes, thank you to the moon and back. Yes.
Ain’t she great?
On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 7:47 AM, Redtree Times wrote:
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Great selection. 😉
Glad you enjoyed!
On Sun, Apr 26, 2015 at 12:39 PM, Redtree Times wrote:
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