My Favorite Lush Lifes

Anyone who knows me well knows that this is one of my favorite standards. I have been working on it since I was about the same age as Billy Strayhorn when he first started writing it – 16. It is a very subtle and difficult to play really well. I think I can finally do it pretty good justice now on a good day. One of my favorite straight instrumental performances is by Phineas Newborn Jr. A tragic genius of jazz piano plays a tragic song written by a tragic genius songwriter. What could be better?

For vocal versions it is Johnny Hartman with the John Coltrane Quartet. Of course.