Lounging Around
...life lessons from the nightclub...
Do you ever feel you were born in the wrong era? I do, a lot. I yearn to be a royal in the court at Versailles, or to stroll down Park Avenue, all dolled up, during that Gilded Age, But I quickly recall the downside of those past times, from disease and pollution in the city, to disease and starvation in the countryside—with a profound lack of equal rights for everyone but straight white guys. And I realize how much better off we are, here in 2025. Think of it: amazing medical advances that are immunizing us against deadly disease, strict regulations on air and water pollutants, total freedom for women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community! Yup, we’re never going back to the bad old days! Right? Right?
Sigh.
Anyway.
For more than a century, folks would escape their everydays by going to nightclubs. Oh, I know there are still clubs, and club culture. But I’m talking about the mid-20th century heyday, when going to a nightclub was a really glamorous event. There, beautiful women and handsome men would glide across the dance floor to the music of a big band, would sip their martinis and puff their cigs as they listened to lounge singers’ mellifluous crooning. As a little girl, I heard all of my mom’s tales of dazzling New York City during her dating days. She still had a couple of her shiny cocktail dresses in the closet, and I’d saunter around our apartment in them, hems dragging on the floor, pretending I was on my way to the Rainbow Room for an elegant evening.
Alas, the closest I ever came to nightclubbing, was watching Lucy and Ricky at the Tropicana…remember this one?
BEST OF THE BEST NIGHTCLUB SINGERS: NANCY LA MOTT, BOBBY SHORT AND SHEILA JORDAN
The older I get, the more I appreciate the incredible talents of the cabaret singers gone by, and I want to share a few of them with you here (songs, and wonderful articles about them too).
Nancy LaMott had an angel voice, and she became a real angel far too early, at age 43. This is one of her final recordings…of her signature song.
SONG: LISTEN TO MY HEART BY DAVID FRIEDMAN (SUNG BY NANCY LA MOTT)
COMMENTARY ARTICLE: MOURNING NANCY LA MOTT BY TERRY TEACHOUT
SONG: THE BEST IS YET TO COME BY CY COLEMAN AND CAROLYN LEIGH (PERFORMED BY BOBBY SHORT)
One of my abiding regrets was never seeing Bobby perform at his beloved Cafe Carlyle in NYC. Luckily, we have recordings…
NEW YORKER ARTICLE: POPULAR SINGER— PROFILE OF BOBBY SHORT BY WHITNEY BALLIETT
SONG: BIRD ALONE BY ABBEY LINCOLN (SUNG BY SHEILA JORDAN)
I’ve been so delighted to get to know Pam Pecko-Smith, a wonderful flutist and vocalist who has performed several times in Sheridan’s Celtic to Classical concerts at the Delaware shore. In a recent conversation, Pam told me that singer Sheila Jordan had just passed away. I felt terrible, both for the loss of that immense talent, and the fact that I’d almost forgotten about her! I used to be a BIG fan of Jordan’s, had all her albums, etc. SO glad to be reminded of her and her music (thanks, Pam! And do check out Pam’s music as well on her website, link above!)
JAZZ JOURNALISTS ARTICLE: SHEILA JORDAN'S LIFE OF JAZZ, LEGACY OF LOVE BY ELLEN JOHNSON
For trenchant political commentary set in nightclubs, of course Cabaret leaps to mind, with Joel Grey as the creepy emcee of the Kit Kat Klub in 1930’s Germany…but I’d rather share this scene from Casablanca, at Rick’s nightclub, where France’s anthem wins the evening and gives hope for the future.
FILM CLIP: “LA MARSEILLAISE” FROM CASABLANCA
BLOG PREVIEW: ME DO IT MYSELF!
Ah, those idyllic toddler days! How I miss the adorable way first my five kiddos, then grandsons Aiden and Peter (with Dimitri on deck), would stomp their little feet and yell that they do it THEMSELVES!!!!! Or maybe I don’t miss it THAT much:-) Some of us never outgrow that “charming” stage, hence my insistence on self-booking every aspect of our travels. Can me do it myself this Fall in Southeast Asia, though? Working Title reveals all…
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
There was no one quite like jazz legend Charles Mingus—bassist, pianist, composer, improviser, teacher extraordinaire. Listen to him play the Vernon Duke/Ira Gershwin classic “I Can’t Get Started.” In a very complicated world, let’s try to keep things simple (but effective) this week, my friends!