The grand Legrand

On my other Web log today I recount my outrageous experiences trying to mail a letter to the great songwriter Michel Legrand, among other people. And I started thinking about Michel Legrand songs that I love.

Here is one he wrote that I am crazy about.

That is Legrand himself playing it with a jazz trio. I wish I could have posted the recording of Leonard Pennario playing it. Pennario played it solo as part of an "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" suite on "Film Themes and Variations," a movie music CD he made late in his career. He is playing solo piano, just improvising, and he never lets it go uptempo, he just keeps it slow and straightforward. And it is just beautiful.

Here is "I Will Wait For You" from "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" which to tell you the truth I have never seen.

Wow, I am watching this clip. Who would ever have dreamed up a movie like this? I seem to remember Pennario liked it. He loved sultry stuff like that. I liked that about him.

Here is another Legrand song I love, sung by Sarah Vaughan. What is it with everyone misspelling Sarah Vaughan's name? They are always leaving out that last "a." It is not a difficult name to spell. I cannot figure that out.

We have this pianist in Buffalo, Wally Jedermann. Jedermann is a cut-up and he can never resist having fun with that song title.

"What am I doing the rest of my life?" That is what he sang once.

And another time: "What are you doing the rest of tonight?"

This is a bad thing to do, start the day with ballads by Michel Legrand.

Now I will never be in the mood to work!