West Coast Blues

West Coast Blues

Lately, I’ve been listening to vocal jazz quite a bit. It wasn’t something I paid much attention to before, but recently on a local AM station in Kansai, I heard about a rising star named Diana Krall. Have you heard of her? She’s a beautiful singer who plays the piano herself, and I was quite taken by her ballads and bossa nova on the album “The Look of Love” (DIANA KRALL/VERVE UCCV-9024/25). She confesses her admiration for Nat King Cole and sings passionately while accompanying herself on piano.

Inspired by this, I’ve gathered a few vocal jazz CDs, and one that caught my eye at a store was “In Blue” by Karrin Allyson (KARRIN ALLYSON/CONCORD JAZZ CCD-2106-2). It’s completely new to me, both in terms of listening and seeing her perform, but what surprised me was the inclusion of Wes’s iconic “West Coast Blues.” I found myself questioning if such a thing existed before… I couldn’t recall.

I promptly purchased it, but while Danny Embrey’s guitar starts with a Wes-like intro and Allyson sings straightforwardly with great vocal ability, her voice didn’t quite resonate with me. Nevertheless, I was interested in the fact that she was singing Wes’s songs.

I’VE GOT A BABY ON THE EAST COAST.
I KEEP GOING ON THE WEST COAST.
A SUITS CASE FULL OF THE SORROWS.
I’M SO TIRED OF PLAYING TRAVELING DO’S.
I’M LONELY IN THE EVENING.
NO USE MAKE BELIEVING.
ANYONE ELSE COULD MAKE ME HAPPY LIKE MY LITTLE DARLIN’.

ONE OF THESE DAYS I’M GONNA PACK MY BAGS AND
GO WAY HOME WHERE I CAN SEE MY BABY ON THE EAST COAST I’VE GOT THE BLUES.

IN BLUE / KARRIN ALLYSON

The lyrics don’t evoke Wes’s usual image, but the fact that she tackled Wes’s songs holds value. I’m truly grateful. Wes’s compositions often have strong melodies, and I believe songs like “OGD” and “Four On Six” could also work well in a vocal jazz context.