Sweet Lorraine

Everybody recognizes this ! A smell can evoke certain remembrance of the past. When I smell parsley I remember the kitchen of my grandmother in Wolphaartsdijk or when I smell the flavour of a fresh bakend bread I see myself running home from school.

The same experience refers to sound. A tune can bring back remembrances too.

I have that experience with Sweet Lorraine. It was one of the tunes my brother and I played when we made music. It is a simple melody, but had enough chord changes to make it sound interesting. My brother Peter played the guitar and I touched the piano keys in a way Thelonious Monk would have found remarkable. ( We were contemporaries )
The tune was recorded by numerous groups and I found it in my collection several times played by: Jimmie Noone Apex Club Orchestra ( 1928) - Joe Venuti's Blue Six ( 1933) - Jimmie Nooneand his Orchesttra ( 1937) - Louis Bacon and his Orchestra (1939) - Minton House Septet (1941) - Dexter Gordon Quintet ( 1943) - Coleman Hawkins Swing Four (1943) - Art Tatum ( 1944, 1949 and 1954) - Metronome All Stars ( 1946) - Johnny Hodges and his Orchestra ( 1950) - Dizzy Gillespie and his Jazz Ensemble ( 1952) - Don Byas Quartet ( 1953) - Chet Baker Quartet ( 1956 - Earl Hines ( 1965) - Ben Webster-Trio Frans Wieringa ( 1969) - Andre Previn (1974) - R. Crumb Cheap Suit Serenaders ( 1974) - Hot Owls ( 1975) - Mick Pyne (1977) - Butch Thompson (1979) - Lennie Felix ( 1980) - Dorothy Donegan (1981) - Dixie Wanderers ( 1982) - Louisiana Repertory Band (1986) - Branford Marsalis-Ellis Marsalis (1995) - Hot 2 Plus One (2000) and Philip Catherine Quartet (2000)

The tune was written in 1928 by Clifford Burwell and the lyrics are by Mitchell Parish.

If you are acquainted with the tune you can sing along with the chord progression here or if you play an instrument sing along with the sheet music with words and chords here

Listen to a free interpretation of the lyrics as sung by Nat King Cole in the 1940s by clickng on the title bar.

The two depicted labels are both NOT in my collection - what a shame.