SONG OF THE DAY

“You Took Advantage Of Me” by Carmen McRae (Carmen McRae Sings Great American Songwriters, Verve Records, 1993). Composed by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart.

INTERESTING FACTS (a la wikipedia)

– “You Took Advantage of Me” is a 1928 popular song composed by Rodgers and Hart for the musical Present Arms (1928), where it was introduced by Joyce Barbour and Busby Berkeley as the characters Edna Stevens and Douglas Atwell.

– Notable recordings:

• June Christy – The Misty Miss Christy (1956)
• Rosemary Clooney – Rosie Solves the Swingin’ Riddle! (1960)
• Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook (1956)[3]
• Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass – Fitzgerald and Pass… Again (1976)
• The Hi-Lo’s – A Musical Thrill (2006)
• Keith Jarrett’s Standards Trio – My Foolish Heart (2007, live)[4]
• It has more recently been recorded by Megan Mullally in her 2007 album “Free Again!”.[5] Megan’s version is also featured on the 2009 Fame soundtrack.
• Linda Ronstadt with Nelson Riddle – “Lush Life” (1984)
• The Supremes -The Supremes Sing Rodgers & Hart (2002 expanded re-release edition)[6]
• Mark Weber also had a cover on his 2008 album, “When I Fall In Love”.
• Lee Wiley – Hot House Rose (1996)

– Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer, composer, pianist, and actress.

– Considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century, it was her behind-the-beat phrasing and her ironic interpretations of song lyrics that made her memorable.

– She met singer Billie Holiday when she was just 17 years old. McRae drew inspiration from Billie Holiday, but established her own distinctive voice.

– As a teenager McRae came to the attention of Teddy Wilson and his wife, the composer Irene Kitchings Wilson. One of McRae’s early songs, “Dream of Life” through their influence, was recorded in 1939 by Wilson’s longtime collaborator Billie Holiday. McRae considered Holiday to be her primary influence.

– As a result of her early friendship with Billie Holiday, she never performed without singing at least one song associated with “Lady Day”, and recorded an album in 1983 in her honor entitled For Lady Day, which was released in 1995.

– She went on to record over 60 albums, enjoying a rich musical career, performing and recording in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

– McRae was born in Harlem to Jamaican immigrant parents, Osmond and Evadne McRae. She began studying piano when she was eight, and the music of jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington filled her home.

– Among her most interesting recording projects were Mad About The Man (1957) with composer Noël Coward, Boy Meets Girl (1957) with Sammy Davis, Jr., participating in Dave Brubeck’s The Real Ambassadors (1961) with Louis Armstrong, a tribute album You’re Lookin’ at Me (A Collection of Nat King Cole Songs) (1983), cutting an album of live duets with Betty Carter, The Carmen McRae-Betty Carter Duets (1987), being accompanied by Dave Brubeck and George Shearing, and closing her career with brilliant tributes to Thelonious Monk, Carmen Sings Monk (1990), and Sarah Vaughan, Sarah: Dedicated to You (1991).

– Carmen McRae sang in jazz clubs throughout the United States—and across the world—for over fifty years. McRae was a popular performer at the legendary Monterey Jazz Festival (1961-1963, 1966, 1971, 1973, 1982), performing with Duke Ellington’s at the North Sea Jazz Festival in 1980, singing “Don’t Get Around Much Any More”, and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1989.

– Carmen McRae was forced to retire in 1991 due to emphysema. McRae died on November 10, 1994, in Beverly Hills, California from a stroke, following complications from respiratory illness.

– Carmen McRae won the NEA Jazz Masters award in 1994 and the NAACP Image Award in 1993.

AUDIO OF THE DAY

Here’s the ilike.com link to the track.