Stardust - Hoagy Carmichael

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Sat Apr 30, 2022, 04:30 PM - Edit history (1)

- 1927.

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we're apart

You wandered down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by

Sometimes I wonder how I spend
The lonely night
Dreaming of a song
The melody haunts my reverie
And I am once again with you

When our love was new
And each kiss an inspiration
But that was long ago
And now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song

Besides the garden wall
When stars are bright
You are in my arms
The nightingale tells his fairytale
Of paradise where roses grew

Though I dream in vain
In my heart it will remain
My stardust melody
A memory of love's refrain

Composers: Carmichael Hoagy / Parish Mitchell

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. That was my father's favorite song.

K&R.

[appalachiablue]

2. A masterpiece, my parents, aunts & uncles loved it too.

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. It's a beautiful song.

[ProfessorGAC]

4. One Of My Dad's Faves, Too

Because of that, I chose it as the rehearsed ensemble piece in a jazz piano competition when I was 15 or 16.
The accompanying musicians were all graduate level students at U of I school of music.
A drummer, standup bass, trumpet & sax. We had 90 minutes to arrange, rehearse, take a break, the perform. Of course, I was the only one being graded. But, those 4 guys were outstanding players. As I recall, we used less than 30 minutes, then I spent a half hour on ideas for my part.
I don't recall what I scored on that section. I finished 4th or 5th that year.
I enjoyed playing that song.

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. Interesting story.

I have to admit that I like a lot of those old songs. Some were very romantic and still resonate today.

Congratulations on your finish in the competition!

[ProfessorGAC]

6. Never Won

I finished 2nd my last year. Finishing second was why I quit doing it. I was positive I killed it, and that my improv piece was the best there. (It was a bebop take on Sunny Side Of The Street.). But, two judges thought it was too "out there". I was disgusted. What does "too out there" mean in jazz?
I was a freshman in college & figured it was time to move on.
So, I joined a rock band!

[greatauntoftriplets]

7. Probably a wise choice.

[BluesRunTheGame]

8. There's a historic marker in front of the building where Hoagy wrote Stardust...

Bloomington, Indiana.