Makes me smile forever.

As the world gets more and more messed up with wars and even shootings right on my doorstep, I find myself looking to older and older music to get an old school, good time vibe from the tunes of the past. Where better than to showcase that than here huh? EXACTLY!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve always musically gone backwards in the past but, lately I’ve been going further and further back than I had before. Previously I had “kind of” stopped at the early 60′s. Now I am experimenting with music from the 50′s and way below… all the way back to composers and classical music.

None of our Tunes of The (yester)Day‘s have gone this far back yet so I figured I would be the guy to do it. Today’s choice is Billie Holiday‘s song “I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” and, from the second this song comes on, you can’t help but think, and dream of times past. I live in New York and the sound of “I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” is what I wish New York was still like today. Now granted, Billie Holiday is from Philadelphia, but, “I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” just oozes New York Jazz from times past. Smoky clubs, late at night with a beautiful woman being schmoozed by a handsome, suited and perfectly groomed guy smoking a cigarette…my imagination wanders.

“I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” makes me want to “fuck off” work and go buy myself some ingredients and instead just do something mindless and fun, like bake some cakes maybe? Billie Holiday does have the right to sing the blues and I am more than happy to listen to her and her band do just that. Inoffensive and beautiful, you can’t not like and listen to “I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues” and imagine times past. That’s its beauty!

Unfortunately for you guys, you can’t now hear what I’m listening to: “A Foggy Day” with Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong BUT if, you’re smart… not only will you know how to but you to will be spinning it next!