the most beautiful melody in the world?

[Brownian Motion]

Billy Strayhorn has been mentioned already - I add a vote for "Chelsea Bridge"

Get Out of Town

What Is This Thing Called Love

Little Nils

Lover Come Back to Me

Off Minor

Lover Come Back To Me is a great call. The bridge is gorgeous. I especially like Hampton Hawes's version on Contemporary.

Agreed. Love the changes on those boppers' favourites like "LCBTM", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "I'll Remember April", "Cherokee", "All the Things You Are", etc.

All favourites of my dad! I guess you like "Stella By Starlight" as well?

Yes! And "Lover", too.

If I had to pick the greatest composer of pure melody, I would select the composer of "Lover", Richard Rodgers.

[Royal Oak]

Billy Strayhorn has been mentioned already - I add a vote for "Chelsea Bridge"

Get Out of Town

What Is This Thing Called Love

Little Nils

Lover Come Back to Me

Off Minor

Lover Come Back To Me is a great call. The bridge is gorgeous. I especially like Hampton Hawes's version on Contemporary.

Agreed. Love the changes on those boppers' favourites like "LCBTM", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "I'll Remember April", "Cherokee", "All the Things You Are", etc.

All favourites of my dad! I guess you like "Stella By Starlight" as well?

Yes! And "Lover", too.

I thought you might. "The Way You Look Tonight", "Lover", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Yesterdays", "I'm Old Fashioned", and most Monk tunes. He used to talk about "the changes" a lot - I didn't understand for years.

Edited August 6, 2013 by rdavenport

[BillF]

Billy Strayhorn has been mentioned already - I add a vote for "Chelsea Bridge"

Get Out of Town

What Is This Thing Called Love

Little Nils

Lover Come Back to Me

Off Minor

Lover Come Back To Me is a great call. The bridge is gorgeous. I especially like Hampton Hawes's version on Contemporary.

Agreed. Love the changes on those boppers' favourites like "LCBTM", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "I'll Remember April", "Cherokee", "All the Things You Are", etc.

All favourites of my dad! I guess you like "Stella By Starlight" as well?

Yes! And "Lover", too.

I thought you might. "The Way You Look Tonight", "Lover", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "Yesterdays", "I'm Old Fashioned", and most Monk tunes. He used to talk about "the changes" a lot - I didn't understand for years.

Sounds like Dad was a musician.

[Brownian Motion]

A song with great changes is "I Won't Dance", but I've never heard an entirely satisfactory recorded version--the Art Tatum, Roy Eldridge version being my favorite. Any recommendations ?

[Simon8]

A few melodies that sound good even when they come out mangled by my amateur trumpet "playing":

Beirach's (often played by Chet) "Broken Wing"

Bird's "Yardbird Suite" and "Steeplechase" (à la Wardell's "Easy Swing" mode)

Tadd Dameron's "Good Bait"

Rollins' "Doxy"

Ornette's "Peace"

Mulligan's "Festive Minor"

Monk's "Mood" & "Crepuscule..."

Brassens "Les copains d'abord" and "Je me suis fait tout petit"

Phil Sunkel's originals for Fruscella have great melodies as well ("Metropolitan Blues", "His Master's Voice").

Schumann's "Auf Einer Burg" (played by Jason Moran) is mightily poignant.

[AllenLowe]

try this one with me and JD Allen - title: Other Bodies Other Souls

https://soundcloud.com/allenlowe-1/other-bodies-other-souls

Edited August 6, 2013 by AllenLowe

[Simon8]

I like it.

(made me think about "Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat" for some reason).

[AllenLowe]

yes, was supposed to have a '50s jazz feel to it.

[fent99]

Django - yes, good catch!

Also: Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino would be one of my picks.

Can't see all the youtube links but very little more recent than the Beatles, Sure there must be some recent tunes from the hit parade...

[Head Man]

Also: Ida Lupino

That's what happens when you play too much Paul Bley.........

Oh yes, and it IS a lovely tune.

Edited August 9, 2013 by Head Man

[AllenLowe]

Now That You're Gone

You Are too Beautiful

I Fall in Love Too Easily

It's Easy To Remember

I Loves You Porgy

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Someone abbreviating 'Lover come back to me' to 'Lover' reminded me of (I think) Victor Young's song 'Lover' which I haven't heard for at least 5 decades but is another with a great descending melody line, which I still think of frequently. I used to have Peggy Lee's version.

MG

[Cyril]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2ujxUrLJUU

[BillF]

Someone abbreviating 'Lover come back to me' to 'Lover' reminded me of (I think) Victor Young's song 'Lover' which I haven't heard for at least 5 decades but is another with a great descending melody line, which I still think of frequently. I used to have Peggy Lee's version.

MG

No abbreviation; I meant "Lover". I suppose the most famous version is Stan Kenton's, but I think I recall something (in 3/4?) by the late 40s Gillespie Big Band, not to mention bop tunes using the same changes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB-Lm-qOdLg

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Someone abbreviating 'Lover come back to me' to 'Lover' reminded me of (I think) Victor Young's song 'Lover' which I haven't heard for at least 5 decades but is another with a great descending melody line, which I still think of frequently. I used to have Peggy Lee's version.

MG

No abbreviation; I meant "Lover". I suppose the most famous version is Stan Kenton's, but I think I recall something (in 3/4?) by the late 40s Gillespie Big Band, not to mention bop tunes using the same changes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FB-Lm-qOdLg

Ah, well, here's the Peggy Lee version. After 51 years, I still know every note she sings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0T6LHok_eE

MG

[danasgoodstuff]

I'm rather partial to folk melodies like "Down In the Willow Garden" and "The Purple Heather" but I think THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MELODY would have to be Ornette's "Lonely Woman", if I had to chose which of course I don't...

[xybert]

The Andrew Hill composition Erato

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8e6TBOMqf8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVpodFwYseo

[medjuck]

"What'll I do". Also "Skylark" and "I'll Get Along Without You Very Well."

[Jim R]

Nice choices, medjuck.

[robertoart]

I'm rather partial to folk melodies like "Down In the Willow Garden" and "The Purple Heather" but I think THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MELODY would have to be Ornette's "Lonely Woman", if I had to chose which of course I don't...

That was my first thought. I am surprised it took this long in the thread to be mentioned. Surely it is the banner for disembodied harmonic MELODY.

[AllenLowe]

I'll Keep Loving You.

The winner, once and for all.

[king ubu]

Marilyn Horne singing Händel's aria "Lascia ch'io pianga"

[Royal Oak]

Couple more I just thought of

"That Old Feeling"

"My Ideal"

"But Beautiful"

"Come Sunday"

Too many to mention really.

[A Lark Ascending]

'The Trees They Do Grow High'

One of a zillion wonderful folk songs. Recorded by loads of people - the Pentangle version is very well known - but also used as the basis of a big orchestral piece by Patrick Hadley.

I've always liked 'Shenandoah' too.

Paul Bley's 'Ida Lupino' was mentioned earlier. Another very simple Bley tune that I like is 'Mr. Joy'. A very bright, optimistic main tune, a more distant bridge section and then a lovely return to the main tune.

[Royal Oak]

'The Trees They Do Grow High'

One of a zillion wonderful folk songs. Recorded by loads of people - the Pentangle version is very well known - but also used as the basis of a big orchestral piece by Patrick Hadley.

I've always liked 'Shenandoah' too.

Paul Bley's 'Ida Lupino' was mentioned earlier. Another very simple Bley tune that I like is 'Mr. Joy'. A very bright, optimistic main tune, a more distant bridge section and then a lovely return to the main tune.

Folk is something of an unexplored land for me, but there are a couple of folk tunes I love, the main one being "Annie Laurie". I heard a Jimmy Forrest (I think) version which was nice, but the version which did it for me was the one on this LP: