"East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" 

In my very first ATJ  I mentioned that "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" is my favorite song.  I can't tell you why, exactly.  Certainly the fact that it was written by a Princeton undergrad for a University theater troupe that I was part of almost 50 years after the song's debut is part of the appeal...but over 4 years I played dozens of Triangle Club songs, and none of the others has stayed with me for another 30 years. The lyric is sweet in a moon/june kind of way, but lacks the type of internal rhymes and clever word play I usually like (see, among others, the words of Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Frank Loesser and Dave Frishberg).  It has a lovely melody that, although written as a ballad, does lends itself to various other interpretations...including moderate and uptempo swing and various Latin rhythms; but there are lots of lovely melodies out there, and almost any tune can be played in different styles.  So, while I wish I could explain the song's appeal to me, I really can't.

In his excellent book, The Jazz Standards, Ted Gioia is lukewarm about the song (much to my disappointment...no one likes to read that their baby is average at best), dismissing the melody as "predictable" and the lyrics as "vague."  Mark Steyn, however, in his survey of Frank Sinatra's Top 100 recordings to celebrate the centennial of Sinatra's birth, places "EOTS" at number 19, which is remarkable when you consider that Sinatra covered, at one point or another, pretty much every important composition in the Great American Songbook.  (Steyn also provides a complete and fascinating look at the birth of  the song and the tragic early death of its composer, Brooks Bowman http://www.steynonline.com/6863/east-of-the-sun-and-west-of-the-moon.)

One way I like to verify (or justify, depending on your point of view) my opinion of a song is to look at the musicians who have performed it.  After all, if a song is a clunker, would great artists continue to play it year after year?  I have about 50 versions of "EOTS" in my iTunes playlist and the roster of singers and instrumentalists who have recorded it is nothing less than astonishing.  To name just a few: Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey's band (Steyn's #19) and a later version, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn with Dizzy Gillespie's big band, Carmen McCrae, Etta Jones & Houston Person, Diana Krall, Toots Thielmans (ATJ #1), Jimmy Smith (ATJ #6)  Stan Getz, James Moody, Al Cohn & Zoot Sims and Sonny Stitt.  And I've heard the Saxophone Colossus, Sonny Rollins, play it a half-dozen in times in concert, but alas, it seems he has never released a recording of it.  (Maybe on one of his future "Road Show" CD's...)

Almost all of the versions of "EOTS" mentioned above are available on YouTube and iTunes, and I recommend all of them.  But to keep things simple here, we'll consider 4 recordings.  The link at the top of this post is to Tony Bennett's version, a straight reading of the melody and lyric which is a perfect introduction for anyone unfamiliar with the song.

The other 3 recordings all have as a unifying element the great pianist Kenny Barron.  First is a 2-piano duet with bop pianist Barry Harris https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycfMSJcUTv8.  (In ATJ #20 thread Harris and Barron were each featured as accompanists for Clark Terry on his One on One album, and Barron joined Terry and Benny Carter on Live at Princeton.)  After a slow and romantic statement of the tune, the tempo picks up into a jaunty swing as bassist Ray Drummond and drummer Ben Riley join in.  Barron solos first (supported by Harris) for a couple of choruses and then they reverse roles.  

Next, Kenny joins the great reed player James Moody for a beautiful, slow take of the tune. 

On tenor here (he was equally accomplished and well-known on alto and flute), Moody plays the head in the lower register of the horn, caressing the melody and playing beautiful fills that move sinuously through the changes.  Barron only solos for half a chorus near the end, but provides perfect, empathetic support throughout.  

Finally, my favorite recording of my song...and maybe my favorite jazz recording of all time, period (a strong statement, I know)...another duet of Kenny Barron and a legendary tenor man, this time Stan Getz, recorded live in Copenhagen just a month or two before Getz died.  After a wonderful variation on the tune, Getz  delivers a melodic solo that is tender and yearning, but always swinging.  Barron plays an equally beautiful and singing solo that effortlessly mixes single note lines, stride, double time and block chords, before Stan returns and they bring things to a close.