dxxvii. VARIOUS ARTISTS: Cheek to Cheek

dxxvii. VARIOUS ARTISTS

Cheek to Cheek (1934-35)

7 versions

Irving Berlin could write a song. This one's a doozy -- and from its original version for the film Top Hat to Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, it never loses its kick:

1. Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers (1935)
(5:02)

2. The Boswell Sisters (1935)
(2:48)

Thanks to Donald Fagen for hipping me to these gals.

3. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (1956)

EF, vocals

LA, vocals, trumpet

Oscar Peterson, piano

Herb Ellis, guitar

Ray Brown, bass

Buddy Rich, drums
(5:54)

4. Frank Sinatra (1959)
(3:06)

5. Diana Krall (2008)
DK, piano, vocals
John Clayton, bass
Anthony Wilson, guitar
Jeff Hamilton, drums
Paulinho DaCosta, percussion
(6:23)

6. 11-year-old trumpet prodigy (2012)
Geoff Gallante, trumpet
Rossano Sportiello, piano
Nikki Parrott, bass
(7:45)

Wow.

7. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett (2014)
(2:50)

Quick analysis:

After the usual I/vi/ii/V/I in the first four bars, Berlin climbs up to B-Flat7b5, a suspension to the next chord A7 (V of ii) -- which doesn't resolve, but moves around to E7 (V of vi) which resolves to a Major A7 dominant, which finally correctly resolves to ii, initiating V-I-vi-ii-V -- back to the tonic.

The B section is ii/V/I/VI with no tonic resolution until the 2nd ending. He then -- astonishingly -- adds a C section, switching to the minor tonic, before a vi/ii/V brings it around again to C Major.