Many people I know have said that they were glad to say goodbye to 2009. With the economy, the political situation and the general morale being less than upbeat, it certainly seems like the title of today’s selection That’s All is spoken with a tone of relief. When he wrote the words to That’s All in 1952, lyricist Alan Brandt (born 1923) probably had a different thought in mind.

There is an element of humility in Brandt’s lyrics when they say, “I can only give you love…. I can only give you country walks….that’s all, that’s all.” Perhaps as we move forward into 2010, we can take solace in the fact that last year could only give us what it gave us. If we let it go, we can look ahead with a more positive outlook.

What better way is there to feel more joyful, more hopeful and more enthusiastic about life than by playing and listening to music? That’s All is the kind of a tune that leaves room for a variety of interpretations. Its composer Bob Haymes (1923-1989) was the younger brother of the singer and actor, Dick Haymes. Also known under the stage names Robert or Bob Stanton, Bob Haymes is best remembered as the composer of That’s All.  However, during his long career, he also worked as a singer, actor, radio host and television emcee.

I’m not sure that the composer imagined how many performers would play his piece during these ensuing 58 years. Even though Nat King Cole recorded That’s All in 1953, it took seven more years for it to become a hit thanks to Bobby Darin‘s 1959 version. Perhaps because this song uses the familiar ii-V and ii-V-I chord progressions, there are plenty of opportunities for pianists to explore different accompaniment patterns. When you combine this with the customary 32 measure length and the standard structure of verse-verse-bridge-verse, you have a recipe for fun.

The first time heard That’s All, it was played by my friend, piano tuner and fellow jazz pianist Joe Morocco. Since that time many years ago, I have played That’s All as a ballad, a swing tune, a jazz waltz, a samba, a Bossa nova and even as a Beguine. When there is room for me to play a song the way I feel like performing it, I can honestly say that playing solo piano is one of life’s greatest joys for me. A standard like That’s All offers keyboard artists plenty of opportunities for spontaneity and creativity.

Pianist Roger Kellaway, known as the composer of the theme for the long-running “All In the Family” TV program, recorded a solo piano version of  That’s All which displays his virtuosity along with his true comfort with the musical style of the first generation of modern jazz pianists (Art Tatum, Earl Hines and others). Gene Harris was a jazz pianist with a true flair for the blues.

Harris was one of the pianists who played with jazz bassist Ray Brown. Brown had left the Oscar Peterson Trio to take a break from traveling in the late 1960s and subsequently played in the  Merv Griffin TV show orchestra as well as in Hollywood film orchestras. When he returned to jazz club performing as a leader in the late 1970s, Ray’s duos and trios played the standards with an even more bluesy flavor than Peterson’s trios had done.

Among the 12 tracks of That’s All which I selected from those offered by Rhapsody Music, Ray Brown’s renditions are four in number with pianist Gene Harris at the keyboard for two of them. Harris also has one version with his own quartet. The fact that there are no accidentals (sharps or flats) in the entire tune has no effect on the flatted tones so often associated with the blues.

There is one other performance that caught my attention in particular. Saxophonist Eric Alexander has a cut of That’s All that features veteran jazz organist Melvin Rhyne. The Quartet plays the tune as a Bossa nova with lyrical improvised solos offered by Alexander, Rhyne and guitarist Bobby Broom. The fact that these musicians take an opposite tempo and approach to the song shows once again that this tune is filled with potential.

And so as we bid farewell to 2009, we can take a life lesson from the great standard That’s All. The past is over, but the coming year of 2010 is filled with wonderful possibilities.

Now that all of the holiday festivities have finished, it may be just the right time to plan to go after your long-desired goal to learn how to play the piano. January is a great time for you to get started with your piano lessons.

Whether you live near our centrally located Natick Studio or close to our convenient Hudson Piano Studio location, take 20 seconds now to contact us today. This way, you’ll know that you have taken your first step to find out all about piano lessons. All of the piano instructors at the Ed Mascari Piano Studio are knowledgeable, patient, encouraging and always delighted to help you or your son or daughter Learn to Play the Music You Love!