Songs and related Episodes

(12) Hungarian song Gloomy Sunday 
   (Japanese) translated by Yoshie Kishida



Carmen McRae (1920-1994)


 
This is the rare song made by the Hungarian. Carmen is one of the singers taking this kind of songs; I mean the ones that many people don't sing, to their own repertory.

At live houses Carmen sang to her own piano accompaniment in a trio or a quartet. When I listened to the play of her piano itself, I was surprised at that it was so cool. It's natural because playing the piano was her regular part originally.

In 1944 she belonged exclusively to the Billy Carter Orchestra, but it was very different style from the later days.


Her songs had true value in 1950's. She had been influenced from Billy Holiday and found her own style of singing in Be-Bop.

Her doctor told her to stop smoking, but she didn't. She suffered from pulmonary emphysema and had to retire from the stage in 1991. I guess she would have sung longer unless smoking. Now I'm thinking of giving up smoking again, deeply, again.

I stopped smoking in December of 2004.


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