Angel Eyes
by Matt Dennis
Electric Guitar - Digital Sheet Music

Guitar - Level 4 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1091168

Composed by Earl Brent and Matt Dennis. Arranged by edited by Dr. LeRoy Henry. Blues,Jazz,Pop. Guitar Tab. 7 pages. Dr. LeRoy Henry #695325. Published by Dr. LeRoy Henry (A0.1091168).

Cut at the same May 1963 session as Willis Jackson's LP Grease 'n' Gravy, "The Good Life" is a sweet soul jazz burner and features an 18-year-old Pat Martino on guitar, Carl Wilson (not the Beach Boys guitarist) on organ and some great trumpet lines form Frank Robinson – shimmering nicely over the top of the tunes! It's pleasing early-'60s organ soul-jazz with a good balance between brass, organ, and guitar. The style here is a bit more laidback and late nite than some of Jackson's other cookers from the time – but there's still a really strong tenor/organ approach on the whole set, one that transforms familiar tunes wonderfully! Titles include "As Long As She Needs Me", "Troubled Times", "Fly Me To The Moon", and "Days Of Wine & Roses".They verge on cooking when the rhythm gets choked on "Troubled Times," the sole original, and the version of "Fly Me to the Moon" has some lively exuberance (and a Latin rhythm) not matched by the other tracks. Grease 'n' Gravy and The Good Life have been combined into the single-CD Prestige reissue Gravy. Both feature a quintet of Willis "Gator" Jackson, Carl Wilson (not the Beach Boys guitarist) on organ, Pat Martino on guitar, Frank Robinson on trumpet, and Joe Hadrick on drums; Leonard Gaskin added bass to about half the tracks. Grease 'n' Gravy is respectable, not-too-cool and not-too-hot early-'60s organ-sax jazz, with Wilson's organ and the still-teenaged Martino's guitar as vital to the success of the date as Jackson's tenor sax. The Good Life is pleasing early-'60s organ soul-jazz with a good balance between brass, organ, and guitar. They verge on cooking when the rhythm gets choked on "Troubled Times" (the sole original), and the version of "Fly Me to the Moon" has some lively exuberance (and a Latin rhythm). According to composer Matt Dennis, Herb Jeffries was the first to record “Angel Eyes,” but the song’s popularity faltered when Jeffries’ recording company folded. Nat “King” Cole then recorded the song as the B-side to his 1953 hit, “Return to Paradise.” Dennis, however, credits Ella Fitzgerald as the vocalist who popularized “Angel Eyes” saying, “Finally Ella recorded it for Norman Granz. She’s done it four times since. I’m thrilled because she’s always included it in her shows.” Fitzgerald often cited “Angel Eyes” as one of her favorite songs, and Chris Connor claims that Ella personally told her that it was her all-time favorite. Today Frank Sinatra is more closely associated with “Angel Eyes” than any of the aforementioned performers. He recorded the song a number of times, most notably on the album he has referred to as his favorite, Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely (1958). His rendition is interesting in that he begins not at the chorus, but the refrain, “Hey drink up all you people...” In 1971, Sinatra gave his first in a series of farewell concerts, choosing “Angel Eyes” for his last song and “Excuse me while I disappear” for his last line. The song was also recorded by Wes Montgomery on the album Groove Brothers which is an album Martino cites as a major influence.