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Another chance to hear Sir Michael Parkinson's series dedicated to the very best in songwriting and performance.

Another chance to hear Sir Michael Parkinson's series dedicated to the very best in songwriting and performance. Over the next thirteen weeks, listeners can look forward to recordings from forgotten masters and musical legends, plus an introduction to the next generation of singers.

Among the featured artists will be those who've charted his life. Michael says: "Louis Armstrong was the man who first ignited my love of jazz. He led me to Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young, who introduced me to Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane and Chet Baker."

"Duke Ellington showed me Count Basie and I graduated to Harry James and Woody Herman. George Shearing's I'll Remember April was the very first jazz piano record I bought. Then came Errol Garner, Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson."

"I first saw Ella Fitzgerald at the movies. She played a maid who sang A Tisket A Tasket and transformed even that trifle into a musical event and I was hooked. She wasn't the first to enchant me. Billie Holiday had already broken my heart, and I'd seen Anita O'Day, so I knew a good singer when I heard one."

"It seemed for a while that the stream of great singers had dried up with the all time greats like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Then along came Diana Krall, Stacey Kent, Clare Teal, Steve Tyrell, Jane Monheit, Michael Buble and Jamie Cullum to bring their own sensibility and talent to keeping the tradition alive - and more than that - re-interpreting the classic jazz standards repertoire."

This episode first broadcast in May 2011 and the featured artists include Frank Sinatra, George Shearing, Mel TormΓ©, Count Basie and Radio 2's own Clare Teal.

57 minutes

Last on

Sun 8 Jan 2012 19:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2

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30/05/2011

See all episodes from Michael Parkinson: My Favourite Things

Music Played

  • Woody Herman and His Orchestra

    My Favourite Things

    • Woody Herman.
    • REQUEST RECORDS.
    • 3-8001.

  • Frank Sinatra & Harry James Orchestra

    All Or Nothing At All

    • My Way, The Best Of Frank Of Sinatra.
    • WARNER.
    • 9362-46712-2.

  • Tony Bennett

    I Remember You

    • The Art Of Romance.
    • COLUMBIA.
    • 518869-2.

  • Claus Ogerman

    Where or When

    Artist: Diana Krall

    • Quiet Nights.
    • VERVE.
    • 06025-17931107.

  • George Shearing

    I'll Be Around

    • Jazz Masters 57.
    • VERVE.
    • 529-900-2.

  • George Shearing

    Pick Yourself Up

    Artist: Mel Torme

    • Mel Torme & George Shearing: The Complete Concord Recordings.
    • CONCORD JAZZ.
    • CCD7-21442.

  • George Shearing

    It Never Entered My Mind

    • Grand Piano.
    • CONCORD JAZZ.
    • CCD-4281.

  • Count Basie and His Orchestra

    Shiny Stockings

    • Jazz Masters 2 Count Basie.
    • VERVE.
    • 519-819-2.

  • Clare Teal

    Chasing Cars

    • Hey Ho.
    • Mud Records.
    • CDMUDCT1.

  • Bette Midler

    The Folks Who Live On The Hill

    • Memories of You.
    • Rhino.
    • 82564677-1868.

  • Lance Ellington

    Nature Boy

    • Aspects of Ellington.
    • Upbeat.
    • URCD-239.

  • Rumer

    Goodbye Girl

    • Seasons Of My Soul.
    • EASTWEST U.K..
    • 5249825752-NA.

  • Melody Gardot

    Over The Rainbow

    • My One and Only Thrill.
    • UCJ.
    • 1790-851.

  • Alan Bergman

    The Summer Knows

    • Lyrically.
    • LARGO.
    • LARGO-5150.

  • Nancy Wilson

    Midnight Sun

    • Lush Life.
    • CAPITOL.
    • CDP 8327452.

Broadcasts

  • Mon 23 May 2011 23:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2
  • Sun 8 Jan 2012 19:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 2