The Original: Frances Langford (1935)
Today we start with the great Jimmy McHugh/Dorothy Fields standard I’m in the Mood for Love, introduced in the 1935 Paramount picture Every Night at Eight.
Frances Langford introduced the song in the film and recorded it for Brunswick.
Very Nice! Here is a clip of her from the movie:
It’s interesting that Frances got to sing the hit song and play George Raft’s love interest, especially with the higher-billed Alice Faye in the cast. But Hollywood had its own logic: Alice would soon become a major star at Fox, while Frances carved out a long, successful career on radio.
The Satchmo Touch: Louis Armstrong (1935)
As a contrast, here’s a contemporary cover by Louis Armstrong on Decca:
Satchmo is absolutely the whole show here - trumpet solo, vocal, and a final trumpet solo - all riding over those vaguely Lombardo-esque saxophones!
The Evolution: James Moody (1949)
If we jump ahead to 1949, we find a very different use of a saxophone: an alto in the hands of James Moody. He recorded this brilliant improvisation in Sweden, which was issued in the U.S. on the Prestige label:
This version caused such a sensation that it earned its own nickname: “Moody’s Mood for Love.” It’s a great example of how a musician can find a completely new architecture within a familiar melody.
Which version puts you in the mood for love? Are you partial to the classic Langford vocal, Satchmo's trumpet, or the bebop brilliance of the Moody mood?
