Any time someone decides to make a quality recording of American standards, it' s a reason to celebrate. The Russian artist, Oleg Frish, has approached this project with impressive passion and an eye (and ear) to quality. It' s always interesting to me how well these songs, including my own, "Lot of Livin' To Do," have not only stood the test of time but have leapt across borders and cultures to embrace the world.
How else would someone like Oleg come to know and love these wonderful tunes, offered up here by so many fellow songwriters. What Oleg has assembled is a who' s who of songwriters, the creme of the crop. He' s also given these songs their just musical due, engaging some of the top musical talents and recording it all at the famed Capitol Records studios in Hollywood, home to legendary talents like Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mercer.
Of course, my contribution, "Lot of Livin' To Do," is from the musical, "Bye Bye Birdie." This show bowed on Broadway in 1960 and has pretty much been in production somewhere ever since. We wrote something like 20 songs for the show, but this one has been a stand out for 50 years and so many people have recorded it, from Louis Armstrong to Jack Jones. Of all the "Bye Bye Birdie" tunes, "Lot of Livin' To Do" seems to have really captured the public's imagination, generation after generation. It certainly tells an optimistic story that we can all relate to, especially these days and Oleg and the Patrick Williams Big Band have given it a rich, elegant renditionone I am certainly pleased to hear!
Of all the genres of music, I think the Great American Songbook, to which I am proud to be a contributor, is one of our greatest cultural exports, Oleg is a living example of what an impact this export has had. Far, far away, in the old Soviet Union where he grew up, he heard these songs and fell in love. It took him a while to record them but I know it's been one of his life long dreams.
And, why not? These songs, which, of course, include 15 handpicked selections here, are national treasures that speak in a language, an international language, all their own. How many more Olegs out there in all four corners of the world have come to know these wonderful tunes? We may never know, but, thank goodness, at least one, Oleg Frish, has brought them to life once again in all their musical splendor for you to savor and enjoy like an old friend! |
