But Not For Me Linda Ronstadt

[david1austin]

a few more standards brought to vibrant life by the incomparable Ronstadt Someone to Watch Over Me (Gershwin, 1926) /watch?v=S0oRfg5RyVA I've Got A Crush On You (Gershwin, 1928) /watch?v=KelraygLn2g I Get Along Without You Very Well (Carmichael, 1939) /watch?v=s4LOb0S5UZ8 Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Rodgers & Hart, 1940) /watch?v=-OV9zJdj408 Straighten Up And Fly Right (Cole & Mills, 1944) /watch?v=B7BgLNfs1_0 I Love You for Sentimental Reasons (Best, 1945) /watch?v=KGRWTxOhjEk

[oneborzoi]

It was certaiinly a pleasure to see her in concert with Nelson Riddle. I've had dinner guests wipe tears from their eyes listening to this song, saying that they use to sing when they were with a small band.

[MsLindaKaren]

I sure must have been tired when I typed from my heart about Linda! Sorry for the spelling mistakes. I am thankful for the good comments from all the others who feel as I do. Thanks to you too C / ceb2633 who contacted me. What a marvelous exprience you had being able to just relax and hear Linda's voice float through the air like that by the river in Portland; eh? Wow!

[MsLindaKaren]

Linda is my age now! 60! So what if she sang Gershwin songs? She has the voice to be able to carry off any type of msuic! Gifted big time so why no havet used it big time? It was impossible for LInds to have mae a fool out of herself no matter what she sang or where she sang! Anyone with a good ear for music could easly tell she was a rare gem in the music industry. Always loved wherever she sang. Azzenstudent has no idea who Linda was ! May Azz become a fool in order to become wise.

[ceb2633]

@MsLindaKaren

I had the incredible experience of lying on the grass by the River in Portland, Or., years ago while Linda was warming up for an outdoor concert on a beautiful summer evening, many years ago. Her wonderful voice floated over the whole scene; liquid, lovely, dreamy sounds to end a perfect day. I love her.

Thanks for the comments, all.

C.

[holzpusher]

@MsLindaKaren "Linda is my age now" ???? So she wasn't your age 10 or 20 years ago?

[Branner]

Actually, Ronstadt was in her late 30s when she recorded the first Riddle album. She had sung Gilbert & Sullivan and Puccini at that point. She was anything but "a Valley Girl." That's a ridiculous claim. Her voice sounds more lyrical doing these standards than it ever had.

[AlbertGBaierII]

Well....it doesn't get much better than this, does it? A great job by one of the great voices of our generation. For a great piano version, see Doug McKenzie (jazz2511)

[EoN604]

The other version that's AMAZING is Joe Chindamo's rendition at Umbria Jazz Festival (also on youtube)

[635150]

Well, this sure does bring back memories. Not the song, but the poster.

I used to have one in my room in high school.

Many rub outs while staring at it.

[geiadude]

I do love Nelson Riddle's arrangement. of course Linda herself. What a beautiful piece of work After all these years I love this

[geiadude]

Man I do love that Sax Player What a beautiful song this is

[sentineladosol]

Linda Ronstadt is one of the most beautiful voices of this planet. She's soft, very soft. Nelson Riddle is one of the best arrangers of the musical history. He'll be unforgettable forever and ever. Linda and Nelson togheter was amazing. And still...

[MrListener43]

@sentineladosol I agree that Nelson Riddle was one of the great arrangers along with Billy May and others.

He of course had great musicians in his orchestra. In particular on this arrangement the tenor saxaphone

solo at 3:15 is out of this world.

[thechinadesk]

Ronstadt was proven right when she insisted on making the "What's New?" album.

I remembering buying it at the time. I was so glad to see a younger generation singer acknowledge the value of the "Great American Songbook" standards.

These songs, performed the way Rondstadt and her predecessors have since the 20s, will still be around long after "heavy metal" ad "hip hop" are dead and buried.

[ceb2633]

Thank you for the comment, and I agree with you, 100 percent. C.

[AcousticUplift]

U don't have to put down other genres to appeciate this music. I'm not a Hip-Hop fan but I'd acknowledge it's a huge genre and begats some work that is masterful in its own right if you give it a chance. Much of it pays homage to jazz indirectly. It might not be to Ur taste but doesn't mean it's without merit. If you don't regard something you're hardly likely to give it a fair and honest appraisal. Enjoying other genres doesn't take away from the classics. There's plenty of room for diversity.

[thechinadesk]

@AcousticUplift

Generally speaking, you are quite right. Nothing new should be dismissed out of hand.

Whenever I encounter something new, I force myself to give a trial period, during which I refrain from jumping to premature conclusions.

But giving everything a fair hearing, is not the same as giving everything a free pass. Eventually one must draw conclusions.

Spike Lee and John Singleton for example evaluated hip hop (specifically gangsta rap) and concluded it was an abomination.

[AcousticUplift]

Oh yes Gangsta rap can be awful. I don't agree with what most Hip-Hop artists have to say, even those who are very skillful in saying it. Nevertheless at its best it's just another facet of the age old spoken word tradition and when done well is worthy of acclaim too. As long as there is poetry Hip-Hop will survive in one form or the other. Before it even had that label there were inchoate forms such as some of Gil Scott-Heron's work and if I'm not out of my depth here, the Beatniks...

[thechinadesk]

@AcousticUplift

Hip hop or Rap does require a talent for improvisation, for ad libbing. I'll give them that.

But when all is said and done, is something by NWA of equal artistic merit as something by Cole Porter?

Will it endure as long as the Great American Songbook? Personally, I doubt it.

For the record, I am not advocating censorship. Hip hop, even Gangsta Rap must not be banned. I support 100% free expression.

I am merely talking about artistic merit.

[AcousticUplift]

Absolutely, artistic merit is key. NWA aren't a very good comparison or dare I say representative of the best Hip Hop has to offer. As I said I'm no expert but there are Hip Hop acts out there both known and relatively obscure who have something timeless to offer too. Of course it's not expressed in the same way as a Cole Porter song but for those who are touched by it it's no less valid. Not all popular music is worth the paper it's written on but we also have to be aware of musical snobbery.

[AcousticUplift]

I believe as long as one is using (and not abusing) their God-given talent it's a beautiful thing, regardless of genre or whatever vehicle is chosen to express it. Back to the song @hand :-) 'But not for me' is fabulous, in particular the Chet Baker version. Linda sings like an angel but I adore CB's arrangement and it suits his voice so well.

[EoN604]

the best version of this song is by idea of north. search for it in youtube :)

[thechinadesk]

Idea of North's a cappella demonstrates considerable singing skill, but that is not the same as saying it is the "best version."

The "best version" is the one that best expresses the spirit of the song, as embodied in the lyrics.

But Not For Me is about lost love. The singer must express that feeling of dejection.

Linda Ronstadt's rendition does that far better than Idea of North's.

Soprano Kiri Te Kanawa's rendition, which may or may not be posted at YouTube does it even betterl.

[geiadude]

I really disagree. The timing is the key to this song and Nelson and Linda had it down. Iv heard all the other versons of this great song. To me this is the best. Also kiddos to the great Sax Player

[Azzenstudent]

I love Linda Ronstadt (including her politics) but her Nelson Riddle collaborations leave me a bit dissatisfied. I think the problem is partly her relative youthfulness. She's a Valley Girl singing Gershwin and the inflections don't suggest Manhattan so much as the local mall. It's not her fault, of course. Time will do that. For standards, I stick to Ella because I hear the period's nuance in every syllable.

[ceb2633]

Of course, Azzanstudent, as far as I am concerned Ella owns Gershwin and Harold Arlen, too. But I do love Linda's voice. Thanks for the comment. C.

[humminalong]

@Azzenstudent --OK, you don't like her style, but in fact she was from Arizona and then moved to LA in the 1960's, became the Queen of Rock... Why does she have to sound like Manhattan just to sing a love song? I give her credit for recognizing the beauty of the jazz/show classics.

[Azzenstudent]

@humminalong Thanks for your comment. As I said above, I'm a great Ronstadt fan - I still have a closet full of vinyl that includes most of Ronstadt's releases from the 1970s. As a rock torch singer, she's unparalleled. But the torch here overwhelms the subtle melancholy and the gorgeous arrangement. It's interesting, too, that her legato gets a bit bumpy in the lower notes. Try Ella Fitzgerald's classic 1959 collaboration with Riddle. It's a complete joy. Otherwise, let difference reign.

[ceb2633]

Oh, Satchmo, you kill me!!! Can't stop laughing! Not only am I not a man of anguish, I am a little old 97 lb. woman who can run rings around you about music. Why do you keep coming in if it is so bad...aH! Angst and insecurity. And I am so sorry I didn't return sooner, I could have told sowhatelse about Beatrice Fairfax. Wow, you are so smart to google her. And catchersmitt, I agree with you completely. Nelson Riddle was wonderful with her. Thanks all, including Satchmo. Very funny!

[catchersmitt0]

I always admired the slow, pacing of this Ronstadt / RIbble version...  I think the vocal pauses add to the melancholy.

[sowhatelse]

This is an excellent version of the song. Linda can sing anything. By the way, I googled 'Beatrice Fairfax.' She was the Ann Landers of her day.

[Blinkymyt]

Sorry, Satchmo Guy, hope your tin ear affliction clears up. Rod is anything but "sexy", and his vocals emulate all the musical quality of a clogged muffler. Further, as much as I like Louis Armstrong, his singing...ahem, always wished he'd stuck with the trumpet. Even Der Bingle had to attempt to ameliorate his suspect laryngitic condition. Sorry to excoriate your Deems Taylor-like expertise, but you appear to be suffering from a bad case of vocalist-acuity OTL. Respectively, Milton Cross

[Blinkymyt]

Oh, one more thing, S.G. Linda's voice and style are absolutely superlative and transcendent in this age of dissonant cacophonous sounds called popular "music". Again, Milton

[ceb2633]

Falling all over the place, laughing. Thank you Milton. I am almost sorry I removed the other comments. Oh, wow, she doesn't have a drop.  XX Claudia

[SatchmoSings]

Thank you for removing my other comments; not only do you know little about music, you also are a man of much fear and anguish are, in addition to having lousy taste in music, thoroughly into a power trip.

[SatchmoSings]

Rod Stewart may not have a "good" voice; neither did Louis Armstrong (nor for that matter the opera soprano Lucia Albanese).

Fred Astaire didn't have such a good voice, either.

Yet all of these people sing better than Ronstadt, no question about it.

As for Crosby, he was perhaps the greatest pop singer of all time; he sings better than many opera singers, in my opinion.

[mtrunz]

Wow, Really? Linda isn't better than these guys? Maybe Bing could hold his own with her but the others? Not a chance. I hate her politics but she has the voice of an angel.

[impersonation44]

I like Linda's singing, and like a lot of her work, i'm so glad you like her to my friend, :) thank you for making this video,

~Bambi.

[Blinkymyt]

Always good to hear Linda sing the standards. Probably done for her dad, too. Gee...if I were only good enough to sing duets with her (especially "Blue Bayou"), I'd hock my best guitar. (Of course, I feel the same way about Rebecca Luker and Shirley Jones.) Cordially, John