OT: 'Fair Weather' by Kenny Dorham

[Graham]

I was recently listening to that really nice song on the Round
Midnight film soundtrack CD, played by Chet Baker and Herbie Hancock,
called 'Fair Weather', composed by Kenny Dorham.

I've often wondered if Kenny Dorham ever recorded this tune, but a
trawl of discographies on the internet drew a blank. In fact I could
find very few references to it at all, apart from the Round Midnight
soundtrack.

It would be interesting to know how this tune got picked for the
soundtrack. I guess Herbie Hancock may have been aware of it, since he
arranged most of the music for the film I believe.

I'm just suprised anyone even knew about it if Kenny Dorham never
recorded it. Would be fascinating to know more about this.

If anyone bumps into Herbie sometime perhaps they could ask him!

Graham

[JBAFromNY]

According to one of the endnotes to this:

http://ecommons.txstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=jtmh

"A different type of personal connection with Norway is found in
Dorham’s
association with Randi Hultin, a jazz buff in Oslo whose account of
her
relationship with and hospitality toward jazz musicians is recorded in
her
book, Born Under the Sign of Jazz: Public Faces | Private Moments,
trans.
Tim Challman (London: Sanctuary Publishing Limited, 1998). Hultin’s
book includes a CD with Dorham playing piano and singing in her home
in 1964. Hultin taped Dorham performing his song entitled “Fair
Weather,”
which was used in the 1986 movie, ‘Round Midnight, starring tenor
saxophonist
Dexter Gordon. Hultin’s 1964 taping was the only time that
Dorham performed his song, for which he composed the music and wrote
the lyrics. "

The author might be wrong about Dorham never having made anything
other than this private recording, but the article seems well
researched and sourced. That would certainly explain why there don't
seem to be any recordings by others either. It would be interesting
to hear how Herbie Hancock came to include that in the soundtrack.
Here's a theory: The wikipedia article on KD says that Tony Williams
joined his band in 1963. Maybe that tune was part of that repertoire,
and given that TW and HH bandmates during that period HH got familiar
with it then. I don't know Herbie well enough to ask him about it,
though ;-)

[Graham]

Thanks for that info! I used to have that book with the CD believe it
or not. I'm not sure if I kept the book but I might still have the CD
somewhere. I'll have a look later.

Graham

>
> http://ecommons.txstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=...

> though ;-)- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Graham]

I haven't got the Randi Hulton book any more, but I kept the CD
fortunately, and I've just listened to Kenny Dorham's version (just
voice and piano).

Kenny Dorham's voice on this pretty good, almost a baritone. The
chords he uses are less fancy than Herbie Hancock's but otherwise it's
very similar.

Here's a lead sheet for this tune:

http://www.lucaspickford.com/transfairweather.html

Graham

[sebg...@gmail.com]

Oh could you PLEASE share this audio file??
I'm currently in love with that Herbie arrangement and desparately wondering how in the hell did he come up with that since all the other versions i could find are medium-fast tempo and seem to have nothing to do with the Herbie one.... And you said you heard KD playing it very similar? I would love to do the comparison!
Herbies smokin on that KD record Una Mas and it wouldnt surprise me if they hung out and KD taught herbie that tune.... Just speculating