Having begun this blog with a song sung in French, I am now turning my attention to a piece sung in German. However this was not the original language of the song. It began life in 1932 as ‘Bei Mir Bistu Shien’ (Yiddish) written by Jacob Jacobs and Sholom Secunda. However five years after its composition the song became a worldwide hit when it was recorded by the Andrews Sisters under the Germanized title ‘Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen’. Sammy Cahn and Saul Chaplin are credited with the English lyrics – ‘To Me You Are Beautiful’.
The Hot Sardines are an American band formed in New York City in 2007 by artistic director, singer and writer Elizabeth Bougerol and artistic director, actor and pianist Evan Palazzo. Wikipedia says ‘that although hailed as “the charismatic front-runners of vintage jazz,” the Sardines paradoxically emphasize both authenticity and irreverence in their performances. According to Palazzo, the Sardines do not treat jazz music “with kid gloves, or place it on a pedestal to preserve and adore” and instead play “as if these songs were written this morning, for today’s generation.”
So it’s a wet Monday morning in North Yorkshire and what better to get the day moving than some foot-tapping jazz.
