It is with a sense of dread that I’m posting this, one of my all-time favorite tunes, #PeelMeAGrape. I love it for the melody, I love it for the lyrics, I love it for the space it gives me and I love it because it swings. Really swings. I’ve been singing it for a few years with my band but now with the lockdown, I wanted to do a guitar and voice version because that’s how I could hear it. Syncopated and sparse. And to my utter delight I discovered @pavel_ershv_trio (#PavelErshov) a guitar player from #Moscow, who blew me away with his intuitive and sensitive playing. So what’s my feeling of dread? I was reading a little about #DaveFrishberg who composed the song back in 1962. A song which has been sung by #AnitaODay, #DianaKrall and other marvelous singers. According to my research, Frishberg positively, absolutely did not like any of their versions at all. These are the versions I’d heard, and also #NancyWilson, who really sang it beautifully. The thing is, most #jazzstandards that I sing have been composed by people who are gone. As in not around to complain. Not so with Dave Frishberg, who lives in Oregon and could possibly add me to the list of singers whom he thinks have butchered his song. I shiver and shudder. But I also discovered that at 87, this amazing man has fallen on hard times and there’s a #GoFundMe campaign raising money for him. I have donated. Maybe you can too? And Mr. Frishberg if you ever hear this version, please feel free to trash it. I’ve already donated 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

https://gf.me/u/y63395