First, a couple of notes about the song itself, which was written by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Hardburg for the 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz." The tune was sung in the film by Judy Garland, of course, and in 2004, the American Film Institute listed it as the greatest movie song of all time, beating out "As Time Goes By," "Singin' in the Rain," and "Moon River," among others. As Ted Gioia notes in his book, The Jazz Standards, however, the song was almost cut from the film, because studio head Louis B. Mayer felt that it slowed down the film and because he didn't like the fact that Garland sang it in a barn yard. Luckily, Arlen and others were able to convince Mayer to keep the song in the film. The tune has long been a favorite of jazz musicians, and among the many versions are the three featured here.
First up is Art Tatum. Tatum made this 1939 recording just days after the debut of the film, and its interesting to listen to Tatum play what was for him a new song. As usual with Tatum, his virtuosic playing takes center stage. As Scott DeVeaux and Gary Giddins argue in their book, Jazz, "when it comes to Tatum, there is a temptation to call him a virtuoso and the retire the word." In his version of "Over the Rainbow," much of his virtuosic playing takes the form of incredible ascending and descending runs.
Second, we have Bud Powell. This version is from the 1951 recording, "The Amazing Bud Powell," and shows Powell mixing elements of stride with the same kind of runs that Tatum displayed. Powell is more willing than Tatum to change the song's tempo, going slow at some points and faster at others.
Third, we finish with Oscar Peterson, whose version is more romantic, more lyrical, more delicate, and less exploratory than those of Tatum and Powell. Interestingly, according to Len Lyons in his book, The 101 Best Jazz Albums, Peterson was intimidated by Art Tatum for a long time and would sometimes end his sets abruptly when he heard that Tatum had walked into the room. Tatum finally took Peterson aside and told him, "I don't care if you have to hate me when I walk into the room. I want you to play." That broke the spell.
"Over the Rainbow" is a marvelous song, and the three jazz giants featured here all provide beautiful and very individual versions.
- Tatum's version can be found on "Standard Transcriptions: '35-'43," available at Amazon.com.
- Powell's version can be found on "The Amazing Bud Powell, Volume 1," available at Amazon.com.
- Peterson's version can be found on "Oscar Peterson for Lovers," available at Amazon.com.
Robert
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