"Sweet Violets" and Other Songs Which Do Not Rhyme

 "Sweet Violets" by Jane Turzy, from 1951 was the first song I ever remember which didn't rhyme. It broke all the rules. I call it implied rhyming, which is the product of the rhythm. I was about 5 when I first heard it in 1959. My Mom had a huge collection of records from the late1920's up through the 1950's.

Another song which fit this category was "Moonlight in Vermont" by Margaret Whiting. That might have been a 78 from 1950. This was when record players had 4 speeds; 78, 45, 33-1/3 and 16 RPM's.

"Suzanne" by Leonard Cohen, recorded around 1967, almost makes the grade, except for that 3 line refrain, which rhymed "blind" with "mind". But that was more as a way of connecting, or resolving,  the verses, so to me it makes the grade..

"America", by Simon and Garfunkel, from 1972, is another real gem. That song says a lot with no rhyme at all.

"What a Piece of Work is Man", from the musical Hair, is another outstanding example of this type of song.   

There are scores of songs like these, right up through the present. They seem to be products of stream of consciousness, and so easily written. But it takes an innate talent to pull it off, marrying the lyrics to a rhythm,  rather than making the rhythm fit the lyrics.

Love to hear any titles you may have noticed which I haven't mentioned. Generally speaking I'm about 10 years behind the times. New or old, doesn't  matter.......

Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli

In just about every musical autobiography I have always come across the name of Django Reinhardt as being an influence for such diverse musicians, and genres, as Keith Richards, Chet Atkins, Paul Simon, and the list goes on and on, including some of the greatest names in jazz. Here is the video I was hoping to post but for some reason would not load; the one above is short and only shows the drummer;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fc3hffDNr8

The funny thing about it is that I had been listening to his violinist/accompanist Stephane Grappelli since I was about 19 years old, when Mr. Grappelli recorded “Hobo Blues” with Mr. Simon at the end of his first solo album, which ends with the song “Papa Hobo” as track 8 and morphs into a 1 minute and 22 second violin rag which I have always loved and carried around, either on tape, or now on CD.

So, when I first started listening to the music of Django Reinhardt and hearing Mr. Grappelli’s violin I assumed that Mr. Simon was just imitating his style. Here I am, over 40 years after the song’s release and I find out that the violin I have been hearing on that track is actually Mr. Grappelli himself, playing with Mr. Simon.

Yesterday’s review of the Ricky Skaggs autobiography is just another example of the far reach which music has over time and place. Even Mr. Skaggs credits Mr. Grappelli with having opened his ears to a new way of interpreting the old sounds, which form the basis of his own music. As I listen to “Jatteendrai Swing” I can hear where the basic sound of Spade Cooley, and even Hank Williams, comes from. And the influence doesn’t stop there. It will only keep growing, shaping the music of future generations through the music of our own.

Here’s the Paul Simon You Tube link so that you can hear Stephane Grappelli doing his stuff 30 odd years down the road from the video above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51MagA8o7Ow