Fly Me to the Moon – A Tribute Concert to Neil Armstrong

Hi everyone:

This is the first of two “tribute” concerts that I compiled during August 2012, not only in memory of Neil Armstrong, but also in salute to the millions of men and women who have contributed to humanity’s voyages into space since the American and Soviet Union’s space programs began in the 1950’s and have since been joined by many nations worldwide, including Canada. In addition to this one, I invite you to also visit: Walking on the Moon – The Tribute to Neil Armstrong Continues. No matter which one (or both!) of these blog entries you visit, I hope you enjoy them, and will share them with others.

As I write this entry, it is late August 2012. And the world is mourning the death of a true American hero, Neil Armstrong. The first man to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission in July 1969 passed away this past weekend at the age of 82. I already noted his passing the other day by writing a new prologue for a blog entry that I wrote in July 2009, forty years to the day after that historic event.

I thought that was the extent of my remembering Neil Armstrong and thinking about the impact of July 20, 1969 and its lasting impact on society. But then a funny thing happened. Last Sunday (August 26) I had the chance to spend the day with my parents and other family members over in Mississauga. You might say it was an “end of summer” party, a chance for a few of us to get together on a warm August afternoon. Since it takes about an hour for me to make the journey via GO Transit from my apartment in Hamilton over to the nearest GO station to where my parents live, I often take a book to read, or I will listen to a CD or my portable radio.

In this case, I was listening to a Toronto radio station – and just as our train pulled out of Aldershot station to begin the run along the Lakeshore West GO line to Mississauga they happened to play a wonderful recording of “Destination Moon”. When the announcer came back on a few minutes later, he mentioned how much he enjoyed the song and it was just right for a Sunday morning. But in my mind as I sat there on the train, I couldn’t help but think of Neil Armstrong. Although the announcer didn’t say it, playing the song could be seen as a musical tribute to him.

And that’s what gave me the idea for this blog entry. Today, as my own way of paying tribute to Neil Armstong, and saluting him and his NASA colleagues who made it possible for human beings to walk on the moon, I offer to all of you a tribute concert. Admission is free of charge, there are no tickets for sale. Instead of a concert hall or other venue, the location is right here on your computer. What time is this concert? Anytime you like. Who are the performers? A wide variety of musical talents are ready to take the stage and perform just for you.

How is all this done? By video, of course. What I will present here are some videos from YouTube and other sources of various musical acts performing songs which have “Moon” in their titles, or make some reference to the moon (or in one case to Neil Armstrong himself) in the song. You can watch the videos in any order you wish, or at any time. And through the magic of e-mail, you can share this concert with anyone you like. In each case, I will offer a commentary about the song in question and then follow with 2 or 3 selections of various groups performing it.

One last thing – some of these videos may offer short commercials before the presentation. My apologies if necessary. These commercials tend to be rather short – and do offer a Skip feature if you wish to just go to the video itself. Apologies as well as for any technical difficulties associated with these videos. All I am doing here is presenting them by way of links. I have no control over their content or any other issues. Make sure your volume controls are set at an approprirate level and that you’re in the mood for a great concert. Whenever you are ready, to borrow a line from one of our featured songs: “let’s take a trip in our rocket ship” and let’s head for “destination moon”. Here we go!

Let’s start with the title song for this tribute concert: “Fly Me to the Moon”. This is a song that was written in 1954 by Bart Howard and soon became one of the most popular songs of the decade. Time has not diminished its popularity, it’s still well known and loved by many generations of music fans. It has been recorded by numerous artists through the years, and during the 1960’s became widely associated with the American space program and with the Apollo missions. In fact, one Web site I checked even noted that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin had a recording of Frank Sinatra singing it with them during Apollo 11 and that Aldrin played it during their stay on the lunar surface. There are many references to it in popular culture – for example, if you are a fan of the WKRP in Cincinnati television series, you will recall that “Fly Me to the Moon” was what the doorbell of Jennifer Marlowe’s penthouse apartment would play.

Given that Armstrong and Aldrin had a recording of Sinatra singing it with them during their stay on the moon, what better choice than Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, the Chairman of the Board, singing it as only Frank Sinatra himself could. Just click on the link to listen to Fly Me to the Moon – performed by Frank Sinatra accompanied by Roy Lowe and his band.

And to put a Canadian spin on all this, if you want to try another video, here’s one of our greatest exports, Diana Krall, in a wonderful live performance at one of Europe’s best known jazz events the Marciac Jazz Festival. Great stuff!

Let’s continue with “Destination Moon” – the song I heard on the GO train on Sunday morning. This is another song from the 1950’s that is well known and loved by many, especially if you are a jazz or blues fan. It was written by Dinah Washington, who was considered the most popular black female recording star of the decade. Even today, many people still say she was “The Queen of the Blues”. A wonderful compliment indeed. This song may be one of her best known ones, although many people also remember her for another 50’s r and b classic “What A Difference A Day Makes”.

As part of our Neil Armstrong tribute concert, here’s a great video of Ms. Washington singing it. And since I did mention that I wanted to share more than one video for each song, let me offer another performance, from the legendary Nat “King” Cole.

And that’s not all. Since I want to feature Canadians in our tribute concert, let me offer a third and final video rendering of the song for all of you. This one comes from Deborah Cox – a Toronto jazz and blues singer and songwriter This video offers a slightly different spin in that the performance is done within an interview setting at a Washington DC television station. I think Ms. Cox offers a wonderful tribute to Dinah Washington. It’s really well done, I hope you agree!

Our next song is “It’s Only A Paper Moon”. This one is a bit older than our previous songs – it was written in 1933 by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by E. Y. Harburg and Billy Rose. If Harold Arlen’s name sounds familiar to you, it should. Arlen wrote over 500 songs, many of which have become classics that are loved by millions. How about “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from the Wizard of Oz”? Arlen wrote that one. Also in his catalogue are a few other tunes you might know such as “Get Happy”, “That Old Black Magic” as well as arguably the best positive-motivational song ever recorded “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive”.

“It’s Only A Paper Moon” was written for a Broadway play “The Great Magoo”, and while the play didn’t go far, the song was featured in a movie released in the same year entitled “Take A Chance”. Later, the song was recorded by bandleader Paul Whiteman. In spite of all this, it enjoyed limited success in the 1930’s, but during and after World War 2, artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Nat “King” Cole made it into a popular hit. Hmm – if both Ella and Nat performed the song, it has to be a great one and worthy of inclusion in our tribute concert.

So in the spirit of “ladies first” let’s start off with the incredible Ella Fitzgerald performing the song. Then, let’s give the guys a turn and bring back Nat “King” Cole for an encore performance. You can never get enough of Nat, so I am more than happy to have him perform another tune.

By an interesting coincidence our next song also was written in 1933. “Moonglow” was written by Will Hudson and Irving Mills and words by Eddie DeLange. The song soon became one of the best known pieces of the so-called “Big Band” era that dominated the 1930’s and 1940’s and its popularity was boosted by recordings from a number of groups, including Benny Goodman and his orchestra. Through the years, “Moonglow” has become a jazz standard, and has only increased in popularity over time. My mother and step-father grew up in the 1930’s and both of them have told me that “Moonglow” was a song that everyone listened to back then. Millions still do today. Speaking of Benny Goodman here’s a great video of Benny and his quartet performing it. Very smooth and great to listen to. I also want to offer another wonderful performance of the song – this time a duet featuring Tony Bennett and Alberta’s own k.d. Lang.

“Blue Moon” is our next number – and once again we reach back to the 1930’s. It was written in 1934 by one of the greatest songwriting teams of all time, Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart. Like many Rogers and Hart songs, it was written with movies in mind, first intended for an MGM film “Hollywood Party”, and then for another release from the studio “Manhattan Melodrama”. In both cases, things didn’t work out and while the tune remained intact through a few versions, the song didn’t reach its final form until Hart wrote “Blue moon, you saw me standing alone…” and the rest is history. Over time, the song has been featured in many films – including at least two Marx Brothers comedies as well as the 1978 film “Grease”

It has been recorded countless times – I think the first time I ever heard the song was as performed by the American rock and roll band Sha Na Na. It’s always been one of their trademark songs. My favourite recording is a wonderful, heartfelt and soulful performance by the Canadian group The Cowboy Junkies as part of their debut album “The Trinity Session” (recorded at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in downtown Toronto – hence the name!). Hard to believe that it’s the same song as what Sha Na Na did – the arrangement is so different. But it’s so beautifully and exquisitely performed.

The song has also been recorded by such greats as Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard Billie Holiday and Mel Torme. It’s also used as an anthem by the Manchester City soccer club. In short, “Blue Moon” has became a classic and a superb piece of music. For our first video presentation let’s listen to Blue Moon as performed by Sha Na Na.

After this, let’s listen to how The Cowboy Junkies perform “Blue Moon”. In fact, I actually have two versions to share with all of you. OK – I admit it, I couldn’t decide which one to use because they are both spectacular. The first one is taken from “The Trinity Session” with some wonderful graphics designed to complement the song’s theme The second video is a live performance as shown on BBC Four, in an arrangement that is very much like the one they did for “The Trinity Session”. Another reason why I love both videos (and which makes it so hard to choose) is listening to Margo Timmins, the group’s lead singer. What a remarkable voice – I just melt every time I hear her sing. Wow!

One final video for “Blue Moon” – a wonderful rendition of the song by the American country music group “The Mavericks”. Very nice, soulful and a delight to listen to and watch. experience it for yourself by clicking on this link

Our next “moon song” is another one from the film world. “Moon River” was written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer in 1961, and was featured in the famous 1962 movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, starring Audrey Hepburn. It soon became the signature tune for Andy Williams, a popular American singer of the 1960’s, to the point where it also used as the theme for “The Andy Williams Show”. Just like the other songs in our tribute concert, this one was also widely recorded in a variety of arrangements by many of the leading musicians of the day, including B.B. King, Lena Horne, Jay and the Americans and Paul Anka. In more recent times, “Moon River” has been covered by perfomers as diverse as Rod Stewart, Dr. John, REM, Willie Nelson and Jane Monheit.

Now on to some video presentations. Given that it’s his signature tune, I would be remiss not to offer you a performance of “Moon River” by Andy Williams himself. Just click here and you’re good to go. Connie Francis also handles the song well check it out for yourself here. Finally, a lovely instrumental version of the song performed by English clarinest and bandleader Acker Bilk. Very lush and smooth indeed. A very nice effort, especially if you like instrumentals.

For our final two performances, let’s move to the world of classical music. Or at least for one piece that I’m sure everyone knows. Beethoven’s Piano Sonata number 14 is better known as The Moonlight Sonata. This performance was recorded at New York’s Julliard School of Music in November 2010, and the pianist (Tiffany Poon) is only 13. I noticed in the comments section below the video that some people criticized Ms. Poon for her pacing, which at times does seem rather slow, but it is still very well done. Especially for someone that young. She is a great talent with a promising future. I suspect we will be hearing much more from Ms. Poon as the years go by. For a second video performance of the Sonata, here is world renowned pianist Claudio Arrau. Beautifully played, with great sensitivity and passion. Or at least that’s my take on it!

The last piece of music in our concert comes from Sergei Rachmaninoff. He wrote some incredible melodies and in this case we’re talking about his Piano Concerto number 2. What? Say again? In 1945, two American songwriters (Buddy Kaye and Ted Mossman) decided to take a portion of the Concerto and turn it into a song. They called it “Full Moon and Empty Arms”. It was first recorded by Frank Sinatra later that same year, and became an instant hit. It would also be recorded by performers such as Sarah Vaughan, Robert Goulet, the Platters and Jim Nabors. Yes, that Jim Nabors – people may know him as the goofy “Gomer Pyle”. But in reality he is an excellent singer. If you need proof, he sings “Back Home Again in Indiana” every year before the start of the Indianapolis 500 auto race. It’s amazing.

Now for some video performances of the song. First, given that Frank Sinatra led off our concert with “Fly Me to the Moon”, it’s only right that we bring him back to close out this thing. Here’s Full Moon and Empty Arms – sung by Frank Sinatra. Next, let’s bring out Eddie Fisher performing the song complete with a piano and string arrangement that one might say pays tribute to Rachmaninoff As an aside, although Eddie Fisher was one of the most celebrated performers of the 1950’s, he may be best known to younger audiences today as the father of actress Carrie Fisher, who was a virtual unknown until she took on the role of Princess Leia in the “Star Wars” films. Finally, a very nice jazz flavoured interpretation performed by Erroll Garner

OK everyone – our musical journey is nearly done. Before we prepare to return to Earth, let’s bring all the performers out here for a final curtain call. They all deserve a great round of applause, so put your hands together and let’s all give them a great reception.

An encore you say? All right, if you insist. Here’s a couple of videos from the world of contemporary music. First, here’s the pride of Klein, Texas, Lyle Lovett performing a song called “Here I Am”. Now this is a bit of a stretch at first glance. There is no reference to the moon here. Except that one of the lines in the song does indeed mention Neil Armstrong. Hey folks, I’m choosing the songs, right? Besides, I really like Lyle Lovett’s music. He draws on many musical styles including jazz, blues, gospel, folk and country. I don’t quite know how he does it, but it works.

Second, I present for the final encore of this tribute concert the incomparable Warren Zevon performing one of his best known songs “Werewolves of London”. Sure, this one may seem like a stretch too. But there is a connection to the moon here, work with me for a moment, folks! If you’re familiar with the myths and legends surrounding such creatures as vampires or werewolves, then you know that the werewolf only appears with the coming of a full moon.

Although there are many versions of the song available on video, I chose the one I did not only because the photos used often match the appropriate lyrics being sung in that part of the video (including a neat picture of Lon Chaney walking with the Queen – nice piece of graphic liberties there!) but in each chorus you do indeed see pictures of a wolf howling with a full moon in the background.

I’m sure that after seeing these last two selections, you will tell me that it is time to wrap up this tribute concert. After all, both Lyle Lovett and Warren Zevon presented songs that aren’t exactly on the mark here. I did have to explain why I chose them, after all.

So let’s bring this blog entry to a close. This is my affectionate tribute, by way of videos, to one of the great heroes of the 20th century, Neil Armstrong. As I mentioned when I wrote my We Reach the Moon – 40 Years Later, blog entry, the moon landing in July 1969 was one of those moments that define history. If you grew up during the 1960’s or earlier, I would bet that you know exactly where you were and what you were doing when we all held our breath to see if that tiny lunar module would arrive on the moon’s surface, and then a few hours later when Armstrong took those first historic steps. I hope you all enjoyed watching these videos – and may he rest in peace this day and forever.

One last thing before I go – as I mentioned back at the beginning, if you enjoyed this tribute concert and the many videos contained here, I invite you to visit Walking on the Moon – The Tribute to Neil Armstrong Continues. That’s right. I had so much fun putting this one together that a couple of days later I compiled a second one. Good thing there are so many songs about the moon, space travel and related subjects out there. I hope you enjoy it.

Until next time!