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from broadway to international standard

LAZY AFTERNOON, the breakout hit from THE GOLDEN APPLE , the MOROSS/LATOUCHE iconic musical masterpiece, is over 6 decades old. Yet, we find recent recordings from superstars to rising stars every month. Hundreds of artists have recorded it with new releases and new interpretations published all the time. This page brings attention to these artists and allows us to pay tribute to them. We regularly add new finds .
TAWANDA SUESSBRICH-JOAQUIM, 25, an exciting rising star among jazz vocalists, grew up in Las Cruces, NM. Her parents filled her home with music from South Africa, folk-pop and classical. Tawanda discovered jazz later in college where her singing was inspired by jazz legends Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughn and Nina Simone and contemporary greats Esperanza Spalding and Jazzmeia Horn, among others. Tawanda competed at the 9th annual Sarah Vaughn International Jazz Vocal Competition aka “The Sassys” in June 2021 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. The competition had been delayed due to the Covid pandemic. There, she won 1st prize, sharing honors in a tie.
Like SARAH VAUGHN, Tawanda has performed JEROME MOROSS’S LAZY AFTERNOON, now an established Jazz favorite. Click here: https://youtu.be/lJe7Co1wlcs
Other winners of the “Sassys” whom we have posted include DEELEE DUBÉ (2016) and CYRILLE AIMEE (2012).
DANNY BACHER, vibrant vocalist, soprano saxophonist, actor and comedian, is also an award-winning songwriter and entertainer in the fullest sense of the term. Along with a busy touring schedule and working at venues such as the Blue Note, Birdland, Feinstein’s 54 Below, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Town Hall, he has performed several times at Carnegie Hall and most recently alongside the legendary Michael Feinstein. Bacher has released two studio albums as a leader, “Swing That Music!” and “Still Happy” which includes JEROME MOROSS’S breakaway hit from the musical THE GOLDEN APPLE, LAZY AFTERNOON. To listen to DANNY BACHER sing LAZY AFTERNOON, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeiZ1vF-l-M Website: http://dannybachermusic.com/ A recent recipient of the prestigious Margaret Whiting Award, Bacher was also nominated for best male vocalist in the 2019 National Jazz Times reader’s poll along with Harry Connick, John Pizzarelli, and Tony Bennett, and in 2020 placed in the top 3 in the country. Along with Kurt Elling and Gregory Porter. To buy CDs, click here.
DANNY BACHER
RON KAPLAN, a well-known California-based singer, actor and American Songbook champion, has devoted his career to the music and tradition of the great American composers and singers of the 20th Century.From his debut album, “High Standards” he sings JEROME MOROSS’S favorite from the musical, “The Golden Apple,” LAZY AFTERNOON. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-qlLFL45Rc Kaplan was born in Hollywood, CA, the son of a professional trumpeter who played in jazz bands. His early influences were the pop singers of the 1950s, including Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. His first instrument was the drums, although he later played piano and guitar. After a decade of listening closely to instrumental jazz, in 1995 he began performing the standards of the Great American Songbook. He has sung with a variety of jazz musicians in Southern California, Las Vegas, London, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. in 2007. In addition to his performing and recording activities, he founded and became the executive director of the non-profit organization, the American Songbook Preservation Society. https://greatamericansongbook.org/

RON KAPLAN
JOHN THADE, Zurich-based American tenor, has recently released an exciting double CD album, "A Song Sounds Inside Me," featuring favorite opera, operetta and Broadway hits sure to appeal to music lovers around the globe. Thade includes in his compilation JEROME MOROSS'S famous hit from the musical "The Golden Apple," LAZY AFTERNOON. Click here to hear JOHN THADE sing LAZY AFTERNOON: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6d9Fektmsk John was born in New York City into the famous musical family of Marta Eggerth and Jan Kiepura. Initially, John sang the lighter repertoire Performing Classic Broadway show tunes in elegant Manhattan super clubs earning enthusiastic reviews from the New York Press.Moving to Zürich in 2012, John made his debut with a program of Broadway and Operetta favorite at the Jecklin Forum in Zürich with additional concerts following in Switzerland. In 2015, he was invited to Perform in Bergedorf/ Hamburg an evening of Operettenmelodien which was well received by the press and audiences alike. Click here to buy album: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09FTKYPCR/
JOHN THADE
MARY PEARSON, a New York-based musician, was the only vocalist signed to the four-time Grammy nominated Arkadia Jazz label. That release - YOU AND I - paired Mary with Fred Hersch, John Hart, Lynne Arriale, Harvie S., David Lahm and drummer Steve Davis in a remarkably romantic duo album. Included in her debut album is JEROME MOROSS’S breakaway hit from the Broadway musical “The Golden Apple” – LAZY AFTERNOON. Pearson’s unique performance for jazz lovers everywhere hits every note with an equally sultry percussion accompaniment from STEVE DAVIS. https://vimeo.com/158577888 Mary knows that it takes more than a beautiful voice to once again bring alive some of the most cherished and recorded timepieces of our American Songbook. According to the accomplished veteran, “If you can’t add something new, you may as well just put on the original and sing along”. Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/You-I.../dp/B00004D39U/ref=sr_1_1..
MARY PEARSON
ALOYSIUS GIGL, award-winning actor and singer, has enjoyed an active career on stage and screen. He also released his debut album of American standards, “Love Is A Thing” which includes JEROME MOROS’S hit song, LAZY AFTERNOON. Listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HEx_4euAGc Since receiving his MFA from the Yale School of Drama, Aloysius has enjoyed a diverse career. Theatre highlights include Les Misérables (Javert, Enjolras), Sweeney Todd (Sweeney), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Oberon/Theseus), A Little Night Music (Carl-Magnus), Ragtime (Mother's Younger Brother), The Phantom of the Opera (Raoul), The Royal Family (Tony Cavendish), Serious Money (Jake), Jane Eyre (St. John Rivers), A Child's Garden (Robert Lewis Stevenson), As You Like It (Orlando), Romeo and Juliet (Romeo), and A View From the Bridge (Rodolpho). Film and TV: Forrest Gump, Law & Order, One Life to Live, and the upcoming The Erotic Fire of the Unattainable.
ALOYSIUS GIGL
LISA SOKOLOV is not only a refreshing and innovative jazz singer and explorer of the Great American Songbook, she is a thoughtful creative thinker who has developed a vocal process to explore the resources and power within the process of freeing your voice. We discovered New York based Lisa from her recording of JEROME MOROSS’S LAZY AFTERNOON which you can link to here: https://youtu.be/PAuLlecko0s But also we learned of her new book and website “Embodied Voicework: Beyond Singing (EVW).” She describes EVW as method where each person will come into deeper relationship with their body and their own music through listening and sensing. EVW is a method applied in arts education, music therapy and human potential work. https://www.embodiedvoicework.com/ Lisa Sokolov is a frontline and active New York jazz vocalist, improviser and composer. Her work embraces the best of new music, free and straight ahead jazz. Her recordings “Lazy Afternoon,” “Angel Rodeo,” “Presence” and “A Quiet Thing” have all received Best CD of the Year citations and press kudos. DownBeat magazine cites “Presence” as 5 stars “Masterpiece”, Best CD of the Year and made the DownBeat “Best of the Decade” list in 2010. https://lisasokolov.com/
LISA SOKOLOV
JOYCE DIDONATO, MET Opera superstar coloratura mezzo-soprano performed LAZY AFTERNOON on her album of Broadway and operatic masterpieces, “Joyce and Tony Live at Wigmore Hall.” Multi-Grammy Award winner and 2018 Olivier Award winner for Outstanding Achievement in Opera, Kansas-born Joyce DiDonato entrances audiences across the globe, and has been proclaimed “perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation” by the New Yorker. With a voice “nothing less than 24-carat gold” according to the Times, Joyce has soared to the top of the industry both as a performer and a fierce advocate for the arts, gaining international prominence in operas by Handel and Mozart, as well as through her wide-ranging, acclaimed discography. She is also widely acclaimed for the bel canto roles of Rossini and Donizetti. To see video: https://youtu.be/OXOmYnPF8hg To buy album: Click here
JOYCE DIDONATO
HANK JONES, 5-time Grammy winner who recorded more than 60 albums was one of the most beloved jazz pianists of his age. His death, 10 years ago at 91 left behind a history of influence on all the jazz greats, from Cannonball Adderly to Ella Fitzgerald and so many more. While all are thoughts are focused on our family’s at this time and our future, take a moment to relax with HANK JONES’ recording of JEROME MOROSS’S LAZY AFTERNOON. Click here: https://youtu.be/Shl8396lLBo Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Jones
HANK JONES
SHIRLEY HORNE collaborated with many jazz greats including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and others. She was most noted for her ability to accompany herself with nearly incomparable independence and ability on the piano while singing, something described by arranger Johnny Mandel as "like having two heads", and for her rich, lush voice, a smoky contralto, which was described by noted producer and arranger Quincy Jones as "like clothing, as she seduces you with her voice". She sings LAZY AFTERNOON as only she can… https://youtu.be/Cix2tz1EgWc https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shirley-Horn

SHIRLEY HORNE
GRANT GREEN, guitarist was described by critics Michael Erlewine and Ron Wynn as , "A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar ... Green's playing is immediately recognizable – perhaps more than any other guitarist." Critic Dave Hunter described his sound as "lithe, loose, slightly bluesy and righteously groovy"Grant Green was born on June 6, 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri and died at the young age of 43.
Here is his recording of LAZY AFTERNOON https://youtu.be/HIBVOGiQs8w http://www.bluenote.com/artist/grant-green/
GRANT GREEN
SARAH VAUGHAN was a comet whose career took off and never slowed down. She sang with all the greats and while called a jazz singer, “Sassy’s” voice defied description. In 1972, Sinatra was quoted as saying, “Sassy is so good now when I listen to her I want to cut my wrists with a dull razor.” In 1990, we lost her too soon at 66.
Click on the link for her own interpretation of Moross/Latouche’s LAZY AFTERNOON. https://youtu.be/zPIOkoInvJc
sarah vaughan
CAROLINE HENDERSON, a singer with a global reputation that spans decades, has made Jazz a truly international art form. She was born in Stockholm, grew up in Philadelphia, New York and Paris, and in 1983 she moved to Copenhagen. As a teenager she sang in various jazz bands, and in 1989 she got her breakthrough in Denmark, which she now calls home. Henderson has released over a dozen albums, including “Don’t Explain” featuring “The Golden Apple’s” LAZY AFTERNOON. https://youtu.be/hpxdAGF5Lfw Henderson has won numerous awards and serves as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef with special attention to violence against children. For those of you who have overlooked her, you are in for remarkable treat. https://carolinehenderson.com/
CAROLINE HENDERSON
HOLLY COLE, acclaimed Canadian vocalist, isn't an artist who falls into any single category. Her smoky voice is sultry, yet she's ironically humorous and candid while reshaping traditional standards and pop classics. Jazz is her bedrock, but not exclusively. It's a sound that helped build her a loyal fan base after she emerged on the Toronto jazz scene in the 1980s. Working with her trio of bassist David Piltch and pianist Aaron Davis, she earned accolades, including Juno Awards for 1993's Don't Smoke in Bed and 2003's Shade. Her music remains deeply inventive and atmospheric, even when drawing upon the classic traditional pop sound of the '50s and '60s, as she did on 2007's Holly Cole. -MacKenzie Wilson
Her recent album HOLLY features "The Golden Apple" hit LAZY AFTERNOON.
http://www.hollycole.com/
HOLLY COLE
JOHN COLTRANE was one of the most famous saxophone players of all time. He was featured in Winner's Circle, a 1957 album by jazz musicians who came in first or second in "Down Beat's" critics' poll of the same year. He selected Jerome Moross’s and John Latouche’s LAZY AFTERNOON for his recording. A great compilation of the greats.
Listen on Youtube: https://youtu.be/3lkKa0NoHeo
JOHN COLTRANE
LA TANYA HALL, American vocalist, is poised to take her place as one of the foremost jazz artists in the world today. Her ability to reinvent the Great American Songbook is amassing glorious reviews from around the globe. “It’s About Time,” featuring Moross/Latouche’s LAZY AFTERNOON (Bridge Records 2008), Hall’s debut recording, has been heralded as “an impressive debut from one of jazz’s brightest stars,” Jazz.com describes her as “a woman ripe with talent [whose] interpretative skills are a marvel.”
With a very extensive bio, her versatility in a variety of musical genres has allowed her to collaborate with some of music’s most celebrated artists, including Diana Ross, Bobby McFerrin, Harry Belafonte, Michael McDonald, Burt Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Michael Feinstein Aretha Franklin, Rob Thomas, and Patti Labelle. And she has appeared as a soloist in her own right with the American Composer’s Orchestra, the Colorado Symphony and the St. Louis Symphony.
Take a listen to her unique interpretation of LAZY AFTERNOON. https://youtu.be/vfl8fzAa8qk https://latanyahall.com/
LA TANYA HALL
ERIC BIBB--It is easy to point to Eric’s accomplishments. A five-decade career recording with folk and blues royalty. Two Grammy nominations and multiple Blues Foundation awards. . .To meet Eric is to be struck by both his humility and his warmth. There is no pretense in him. He is remarkably centered, his convictions based in the values of the civil rights movement of the sixties. Eric’s music works in service of that dream, holding out a hope for a new world. Eric carries this mantle honestly. His father, the late Leon Bibb, was an activist, actor, and folk singer who marched at Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King. Eric’s youth was spent immersed in the Village folk scene. Names like Dylan, Baez, and Seeger were visitors to his home. He was deeply influenced by Odetta, Richie Havens, and Taj Mahal. And he has synthesized all of that into his very own style.From Joe McSpadden Eric and his father, Leon, sing LAZY AFTERNOON by Moross and Latouche as a duet from Eric’s album ROADWORKS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SonToN9mxcU https://www.ericbibb.com/
ERIC BIBB
GRETCHEN REINHAGEN, versatile, virtuosic and a vibrant vocalist and theatrical professional had become a regular in the entertainment world before the pandemic sent us all home. Now, Broadway and Cabaret is coming back and so is Gretchen. She recently released her debut album “Take It With Me” which includes LAZY AFTERNOON from JEROME MOROSS and JOHN LATOUCHE’S Broadway masterpiece THE GOLDEN APPLE starring KAYE BALLARD. Back Stage and Citysearch critic Roy Sander said, “Gretchen Reinhagen's shows are marked by intelligence, warmth, a lovely spirit of benevolence, and fine vocals. It is always a pleasure to spend an hour in her company.”
Two links worth seeing are LAZY AFTERNOON from “Take it With Me; https://youtu.be/j9rpq-775e4
and highlights from Gretchen’s cabaret homage to our beloved KAYE BALLARD, “Special Kaye” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnzse-dKRcE
With any luck, we’ll see Gretchen do a revival.
Visit: https://www.gretchenreinhagen.com/
GRETCHEN REINHAGEN
EARTHA KITT, singer, actor, anti-war activist, legend. Her sultry voice was unmistakable with hits like "C'est Si Bon" and "Santa Baby." She died Christmas Day, 2008 at 81. Here she sings the classic Moross/Latouche favorite, LAZY AFTERNOON," our holiday gift to you. https://youtu.be/t8e1FGyF9WU https://earthakitt.com/
EARTHA KITT
JOE HENDERSON (sax) teamed up with this all-star jazz ensemble including HERBIE HANCOCK (piano), JACK DE JOHNETTE (percussion), RON CARTER (bass) and MIKE LAWRENCE (trumpet).
Performing LAZY AFTERNOON music by JEROME MOROSS, the group puts a new standard of "cool" in this sultry interpretation. https://youtu.be/I7xkgMAOccw https://www.arts.gov/honors/jazz/joe-henderson
JOE HENDERSON
WYNTON MARSALIS is one of the most brilliant and versatile artists of our or any age. He is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won at least nine Grammy Awards, and his Blood on the Fields was the first jazz composition to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He is the only musician to win a Grammy Award in jazz and classical during the same year.. Here is his haunting performance of LAZY AFTERNOON from his album "Hot House Flowers." https://youtu.be/d_AGtC00q-w https://wyntonmarsalis.org/
WYNTON MARSALIS
VANESSA WILLIAMS, is one of just a few artists to score No. 1 and Top 10 hits on Billboard's Album and Singles charts in the combined areas of Pop, Dance, R&B, Adult Contemporary, Holiday, Latin, Gospel and Jazz—the latter is where her release, "The Real Thing," debuted at No. 1 in June of 2009.
Included on the album is LAZY AFTERNOON, adding Ms. Williams to the club of superstar artists who have recorded it.
Listen to it here on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ni1N-qoe9Ms
vanessa williams
DEELEE DUBÉ (pronounced Doo-beh, accented “é”) made history by becoming the first British Winner and recipient of the 2016 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and is one of today’s foremost gifted vocalists to have emerged from the London scene in many years. Embodying a stellar African musical lineage, the eclectic tastes of a London upbringing and a deep love and respect for the jazz tradition, Deelee possesses what Jazz Times called ‘a warm tone, genuine blues feeling and easy rhythmic authority.’ Deelee’s late father was the famed South African jazz pianist Jabu Nkosi. . She formed her first band at the age of 14. She attended the BRIT School for arts and music, and received formal voice sessions under Anton Browne later studying as a music undergraduate at South Bank University and Morley College with vocalist Clare Foster, and forming the first of many musical relationships with jazz pianist Roland Perrin.
Look for her album TRYING TIMES with LAZY AFTERNOON.
https://deeleedube.bandcamp.com/album/trying-times-2
DEELEE DUBÉ
REGINA BELLE, Grammy award-winning R&B, jazz, and gospel vocalist, released her album LAZY AFTERNOON in 2004. She demonstrates how the title song LAZY AFTERNOON lends itself to the artist’s unique vocal interpretation. Listen to her music on Youtube and find it for download on Amazon.https://youtu.be/VOQa-Xb-A6w https://www.facebook.com/reginabelleofficial
REGINA BELLE
ERICA PAPILLION-POSEY, versatile vocalist, songwriter and author wraps up our survey of artists for Black History Month. Papillion-Posey is equally at home in the jazz and classical idioms. This Louisiana native is not to be missed on any stage! The release of her 3rd studio album, BETTER ANGELS, April 2019, an 11 track work which boasts 10 original compositions complemented by Papillion-Posey’s own, thought-provoking, introspective lyrics. With each record she continues to evolve, not just as a vocalist but as a noted lyricist, emerging arranger and composer.
Erica Papillion-Posey performs BECAUSE OF THEM, 3rd Annual Women's History Month Tribute (virtual)an array of jazz standards, made household gems, by celebrated artists: Sarah, Nina, Nancy and some originals form her current LP, BETTER ANGELS with pianist, Mason Margut. https://www.epapillionposey.com/events She sings for us LAZY AFTERNOON from the GOLDEN APPLE in her unique jazz style: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUxZhvamKk4
ERICA PAPILLION-POSEY
VIKTORIJA GEČYTĖ started singing early in life. Although she didn’t come from a musical family, she has always been drawn to music; she would often hitchhike to music festivals around Lithuania, her home country. At 19, she received a scholarship that brought her to the United States to study mathematics and economics at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. During her schooling, she just couldn't keep away from the jazz scene in New York. After receiving her degree, she moved to Paris, France, where she started performing. She’s since toured and recorded with several notable musicians, including Gene Perla, a New Jersey-born bassist.---Keanna Faircloth WBGO Radio Viktoria who goes by “Vik” just released a new album, “In the Moment” with the Gene Perla and his band. It's a genuine discovery for music lovers devoted to the American Songbook. The opening track is a sultry and unique interpretation of JEROME MOROSS’S LAZY AFTERNOON. Click here: https://youtu.be/Wh8fgT-FQbs Visit: http://viktorijagecyte.com/
VIKTORIJA GEČYTĖ

Billy Stritch Releases Solo Album 'Billy's Place'

FEATURES JEROME MOROSS’S LAZY AFTERNOON FROM THE CLASSIC MUSICAL GOLDEN APPLE
When live performances stopped, many artists found themselves faced with uncertainty, challenges and a longing to perform. It didn't take long for musicians like Billy Stritch to find a new home online. Billy's Place quickly became a successful weekly online music show that allowed Stritch to entertain from the safety and comfort of his home. Today's release, “Billy's Place”, is a recording of some of Billy's favorites from this series, including JEROME MOROSS’S LAZY AFTERNOON from the classic musical GOLDEN APPLE with lyrics by JOHN LATOUCHE, Recorded for Club44 Records, it is available on all streaming music platforms and distributed by Provident/Sony Distribution. https://billystritch.com

"kaye ballard: the show goes on"

From big bands to Broadway, radio to recordings and television to the big screen, Kaye Ballard did it all in a career that spanned eight decades. Millions knew her best from her comedic TV roles on The Mothers-In-Law and The Doris Day Show - in addition to dozens of music-variety show appearances - but she also enjoyed notable successes on stage including her breakout role as Helen in the JEROME MOROSS/JOHN LATOUCHE musical THE GOLDEN APPLE and during the glamorous era of night clubs. Along with a roster of illustrious friends and associates, Kaye recalls her remarkable life in show business accentuated with extensive rare footage and photographs offering an entertaining glimpse of her rich and varied talents.
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"the war lord" WITH SOUND TRACK BY JEROME MOROSS now on blue-ray

From Franklin J. Schaffner, the acclaimed director of Planet of the Apes, Patton, Papillon and The Boys from Brazil comes this action-packed adventure yarn with great performances and production values. In the 11th century, the powerful Duke William of Ghent sends his most trusted knight, Chrysagon (Charlton Heston, The Big Country, El Cid), and a troop of warriors to guard Normandy’s coastal settlements from plunder and pillage by Frisian raiders. Smitten with Bronwyn (Rosemary Forsyth, What Ever Happened to Aunt Alice?), the foster child of village elder Odins (Niall MacGinnis, Jason and the Argonauts), the War Lord is tempted simply to take her, under the feudal custom of droit du seigneur, but finds he is falling in love. Jerome Moross's rich score is plus.
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