Yes, I've been dropping some music for you lately -- and I'm about to do it again. Your ears could use something soothing after all the cacophony of the day. My first profession broadcast job was in Milwaukee after I graduated from Marquette University, I read the news on 93QFM, an FM rock radio station. Being a radio station, record companies constantly sent all sorts of albums for possible airplay. Of course, many of them went un-played and were set out for staff members to take home if they wanted them.
That's how I discovered the vocal artistry of Kenny Rankin. I was initially hooked when I read the song titles on one of his albums. He'd mixed current tunes in with standards I'd heard done Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Morgana King, Chet Baker and Tony Bennett on Mom and Dad's record albums at home when I was a kid in L.A.
When I heard Rankin's interpretations and vocal range, I was an instant fan. Here he is now. This is "Haven't We Met?"
This is "Blame It On My Youth," an old tune with music written by Oscar Levant.
Here's one more. "The Way You Look Tonight" won the Oscar for Best Song. Fred Astaire introduced it in the classic 1936 original musical comedy, SWING TIME, co-starring Ginger Rogers.
Kenny Rankin, What a fine singer he was. He didn't employ a lot of showy vocal gymnastics that eclipsed the story and emotion of the song. He had a great jazz style that focused on the heart of song and he made sure you heard the lyrics.
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