Welcome to the official home of the lyricist par excellence who penned many Popular Standards -- "Blue Hawaii," "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend," "Easy Living," "If I Should Lose You," "Love Is Just around the Corner," "Prisoner of Love," "Thanks for the Memory" -- just to name seven.
Leo Robin was one of the most influential songwriters of jazz music of the 20th Century. The 1st Playboy Jazz Festival epitomizes his legacy when David Allyn kicks off the event on August 7, 1959 by singing "Love Is Just around the Corner," a song that Leo wrote with music by Lew Gensler that was introduced in the 1934 film Here is My Heart where it was first sung by Bing Crosby and Kitty Carlisle. The jazz standards of Leo Robin were recorded by the most celebrated jazz artists including Nat King Cole (nicknamed "King"), Queen Ella Fitzgerald, jazz singer Billie Holiday, singer-songwriter Ray Charles, pianist Duke Ellington and trumpeter Louis Armstrong.
The greatest jazz artists have recorded the music of Leo Robin including jazz singers such as Diana Krall, Norah Jones, Ethel Waters, Maxine Sullivan, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Betty Carter, Mildred Bailey, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Billy Eckstine and jazz musicians including saxophonist Sidney Bechet, cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, saxophonist John Coltrane, trumpeter Miles Davis, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, pianist Thelonious Monk, saxophonist Charlie Parker, pianist Art Tatum, saxophonist Lester Young, pianist-organist Count Basie, trumpeter Roy Eldridge, pianist Earl Hines, saxophonist Johnny Hodges, drummer "Papa" Jo Jones, bassist Charles Mingus, drummer Max Roach, saxophonist Sonny Rollins, pianist-organist Fats Waller, trumpeter Chet Baker, trumpeter Clifford Brown, alto saxophonist Benny Carter, alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman, guitarist Charlie Christian, pianist Bill Evans, arranger Gil Evans, pianist Mary Lou Williams, guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli.
More covers by legendary jazz musicians include guitarist George Benson, saxophonist Eric Alexander, drummer Art Blakey, vibraphonist Lionel Hampton, drummer Buddy Rich, tenor saxophonist Chu Berry, bassist Richard Davis, pianist Bud Powell, pianist Billy Strayhorn, flugelhornist Clark Terry, tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, pianist Fletcher Henderson, drummer Elvin Jones, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, guitarist Wes Montgomery, trumpeter Red Allen, trombonist J.J. Johnson, pianist James P Johnson, arranger Don Redman, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Lennie Tristano, pianist McCoy Tyner, tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, pianist Teddy Wilson, banjoist John Trueheart, bassist John Kirby, drummer Cozy Cole and scores more. Orchestras and bands played his music in the swing era including Benny Goodman Orchestra & featuring Helen Ward or Martha Tilton, Glenn Miller & His Orchestra featuring Marion Hutton, Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra, Artie Shaw's Orchestra and McKinney's Cotton Pickers. For your enjoyment, here are many magical musical moments of covers by jazz artists of the music of Leo Robin.
"Papa" Jo Jones, legendary drummer, performing the popular standard "Love Is Just around the Corner"
A 1936 short film featuring Vincent Lopez and his Orchestra performing "I Don't Want to Make History"
A couple of songs Peggy Lee recorded in rehearsal at the Palladium was given the name Fun In Rehearsal where Peggy Lee remembers Billie Holiday with two jazz songs -- "Easy Living" by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger and They Canít Take That Away From Me by George and Ira Gershwin with Pete Moore on piano and Judd Proctor on guitar
A trio of Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, two of the greatest saxophone tenors in jazz history, with Oscar Peterson, one of the greatest jazz pianist too, performing "Prisoner of Love"
Annette Hanshaw singing "True Blue Lou"
Artie Shaw leads a Class in Swing with his own Artie Shaw's Orchestra with a 22 year old Buddy Rich on drums and vocals by a beautiful Helen Forrest singing "I Have Eyes"
At the 1st Playboy Jazz Festival on August 7, 1959, David Allyn kicks off the event by singing "Love Is Just around the Corner"
Benny Carter, the alto saxophone pioneer, with iconic pianist Teddy Wilson and world-historic drummer Jo Jones recorded this composition of June In January in 1954
Benny Goodman Orchestra & Helen Ward, one of the first popular swing "girl singers," as they were then called, performing "Hate to Talk about Myself" at the Palomar Ballroom, a day after the grand opening, in Los Angeles at the dawn of the swing era on August 22, 1935
Benny Goodman Orchestra with Martha Tilton, popular singer during America's swing era, performing "Mama That Moon Is Here Again"
Betty Carter singing, accompanied by pianist John Hicks, drummer Clifford Barbaro and bass player Dennis Irwin, "If I Should Lose You" in Bologna, Italy in 1977
Bill Evans performs the jazz standard he made his own -- “Up with the Lark”
Billie Holiday singing "Havin' Myself a Time"
Billie Holiday, accompanied by Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Benny Goodman on clarinet, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Teddy Wilson on piano, John Trueheart on guitar, John Kirby on bass, Cozy Cole on drums, singing “Miss Brown to You” recorded on July 2, 1935
Billie Holiday, accompanied by Teddy Wilson and his orchestra with tenor saxophonist Lester Young, recorded "Easy Living" on June 1, 1937 and it would hereafter be associated with Lady Day
Billy Eckstine, was accompanied at the session by Duke Ellington and Art Blakey, singing "Prisoner of Love" (Charlie Parker, Dizzie Gillespie and Dexter Gordon were also members of the band)
Bix Beiderbecke performing "Wait till You See Ma Cherie," originally introduced by Maurice Chevalier in the 1929 film Innocents of Paris
Carmen McRae singing "I Can't Escape from You"
Charlie Parker, alto saxophone with Buddy Rich, drums, and orchestra performing the popular standard "If I Should Lose You"
Chet Baker performing "If I Should Lose You"
Chet Baker performs live rendition of "My Ideal"
Chu Berry with his Stompy Stevedores (Band members playing: Irving Randolph, trumpet; Keg Johnson, trombone; Chu Berry, tenor sax; Benny Payne, piano; Dave Barbour, guitar; Milt Hinton, bass; Leroy Maxey, drums)
performing "Ebb Tide" in New York City on September 10, 1937 [Song appears on many albums including the Chu Berry Remastered Collection (featuring Gene Krupa / Wingy Manone / Lionel Hampton)]
Count Basie and his Orchestra performing, with Danny Turner playing saxophone, "Easy Living" at 1981 live concert in Paris
Diana Krall singing “Here Lies Love”
Dinah Washington performing the sentimental tune "No Love, No Nothin'"
Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli performing the popular standard "Louise"
Duke Ellington performing jazz popular standard "Love Is Just around the Corner"
Earl Hines Trio -- including the members Earl Hines (piano), Richard Davis (bass), Elvin Jones (drums) -- performing "Bye Bye, Baby"
Ella Fitzgerald singing "Hooray for Love"
Ella Fitzgerald & Her Famous Orchestra performing "Hello Ma! I Done It Again," originally introduced in the 1941 film Tall, Dark and Handsome
Ella Fitzgerald And Her Famous Orchestra performing "Wishful Thinking," originally introduced in the 1941 film Tall, Dark and Handsome
Eric Alexander, saxophonist, performing in his signature style "Bye Bye Baby"
Ethel Waters performing “Shoo, Shoo Boogie Boo” in the 1929 film Why Bring That Up?
Ethel Waters singing "Do I Know What I'm Doing (While I'm in Love)?," which she introduced in the 1930 film Why Bring That Up?
Ethel Waters singing the jazz standard "True Blue Lou"
Fats Waller & His Rhythm performs on NBC on air Studio recording of "Hallelujah," originally introduced in the 1927 Broadway show Hit the Deck
Fats Waller performing "Hate to Talk about Myself," originally introduced in the 1935 film Four Hours to Kill
Fats Waller performing "Rhyme for Love," originally introduced in the 1936 film College Holiday
Fats Waller singing the jazz tune "I Adore You," originally introduced in the 1936 film College Holiday
George Benson skillfully playing an instrumental on his guitar of "Easy Living"
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra featuring Marion Hutton performing "What Have You Got That Gets Me?," originally introduced in the 1938 film Artists and Models Abroad
Glenn Miller & His Orchestra featuring Marion Hutton performing "You're Lovely Madame," originally introduced in the 1938 film Artists and Models Abroad
Hank Mobley performing "If I Should Lose You"
John Coltrane performing instrumental jazzy tune "You Say You Care"
June Christy singing "Live Oak Tree"
Leif "Smoke Rings" Anderson presenting Maxine Sullivan with Her Orchestra performing "Kinda Lonesome"
Lena Horne & Teddy Wilson performing "Prisoner of Love"
Live recording from the Jazz Open Stuttgart, Germany in 2003 featuring Jane Monheit singing "Easy Living"
Louis Armstrong performing jazzy standard "Love Is Just around the Corner"at his Belgium concert during a tour of Europe in 1959
Louis Armstrong, trumpeter, plays and sings a jazzy version of "No Love, No Nothin'," originally introduced in the 1943 film The Gang's All Here
Marion Hutton accompanied by the Glenn Miller Orchestra singing "Bluebirds in the Moonlight"
McKinney's Cotton Pickers performing "Shoo, Shoo Boogie Boo" in 1929. Between 1927 and 1931, they were one of the most popular African-American band after Don Redman left Fletcher Henderson's orchestra to become the Cotton Pickers' musical director and he assembled a band which rivaled Henderson's and Duke Ellington's.
Mildred Bailey recorded "Thanks for the Memory," one of her top 10 biggest hit songs, on January 10, 1938 with a mixed group featuring Chu Berry doing a nice tenor sax solo
Miles Davis performing "A Gal in Calico"
Nancy Wilson singing "Easy Living"
Nat King Cole singing "Small Towns Are Smile Towns," originally introduced in the 1953 film Small Town Girl where he starred
Nina Simone singing the jazz standard "If I Should Lose You"
Norah Jones singing the jazz standard "Easy Living"
Oscar Peterson Trio, with Oscar Peterson (piano), Herb Ellis (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), performing "A Gal in Calico" at the Town Tavern in Toronto in 1958 and featured on the acclaimed album On The Town
Paul Whiteman & His Orchestra performing "Lulu Belle," originally introduced in the 1926 Broadway hit show Lulu Belle, produced and staged by David Belasco, at the theatre that bears his name, Belasco Theatre
Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra snappy jazz tune "Look What I've Got," originally introduced in the 1933 film A Bedtime Story
Ray Charles performing jazzy standard "Blue Hawaii"
Sarah Vaughan singing "You Say You Care," originally introduced in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra, featuring vocals of Helen Ward, performing "You Came to My Rescue," originally introduced in the film The Big Broadcast of 1937
The First Lady of Song, Ella Fitzgerald, singing “Vote for Mr. Rhythm” with each 2016 Presidential candidate displaying their own style of rhythm on the campaign trail.
The Montgomery Brothers performing the jazz standard "If I Should Lose You"
The Tatum Hampton Rich Trio -- Art Tatum (Piano) Lionel Hampton (Vibraphone) Buddy Rich (Drumms) -- performing "Hallelujah"
Thelonious Monk performing instrumental jazzy tune "You Took the Words Right Out of My Heart"
Woody Herman and His Orchestra performing "Loveliness and Love"
* To go back to select another movie to view at Easy Living Theatre, click here Favorite Music Films
* To go back to the Leo Robin Songbook to select another Popular Song to listen to and/or view, click here The Popular Songs
