Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Although Karen and Paul are both gone now, I am still flying high from having done that song with them. And, I want to share this other song that Paul and I did on this recent visit because of its poignancy. It was written by Lil Armstrong, the wife of Louie Armstrong, after he left her for another woman. She was heartbroken, and she expressed her grief through music. That was in 1936, but it wasn't until 23 years later in 1959 that Ray Charles turned it into an international sensation. I'm glad Lil Armstrong lived long enough to see that happen. But then, when Louie Armstrong died in 1971, she was invited to play the piano at his memorial concert, which was televised. So, there she was, on stage with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing St. Louis Blues, which was his composition, being televised, when she suddenly keeled over and died- of a heart attack. It's like she willed herself to join him in death. The name of the song is: Just For A Thrill, and I consider it a masterpiece. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BuYLdXeNhs&feature=youtu.be


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