"WATER FOUND ON MARS" ... HUMANS AND JAZZ MUSIC CAN'T BE FAR BEHIND.

                                                      

MARS

It's official: Scientists Mapped Water on Mars and Found it Buried Just Inches Deep

This revelation probably means future mars exploration and the eventual setting up of mars bases. All of which point to human involvement; and in time, the arts, especially music, will have a role in bringing a little pleasure to this unknown, looming world. 

Jazz, as an American original art form must have a part to play as man  expands his territorial boundaries into space.

Here's a thought, suppose NASA commissioned you to select your top ten best jazz music songs to be placed in a mars time capsule, so that future mars travelers might enjoy some great jazz music.

Which jazz music songs would make your list? Which artists would make the cut? My list would include the following artists:

William Kennedy "Duke" Ellington; Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong; Charlie "Yardbird" Parker; Miles Dewey Davis III; John William Coltrane; Nat "King" Cole; Francis Albert Sinatra; William "Count, Holy" Basie; Ella "The First Lady Of Song" Fitzgerald; "Sassy" Sarah Vaughn.

Now comes the tough part; selecting my preferred jazz music song from each artist.
  1. William Kennedy Ellington (Pianist/Composer)--"Duke". "Take The 'A' Train." Personally, the version I prefer is the 1959 recording with vocalist Betty Roche (Ro-shay). This jazz music classic, written by Billy Strayhorn is one of  the most recognizable jazz music songs of the 20th century.
  2. Louis Armstrong (Trumpeter/Vocalist)--"Satchmo", the quintessential Ambassador of Jazz: It's a toss-up between "Hello Dolly" by Louis and his All Star Band and "What A Wonderful World". I have settled for "What A Wonderful World". It was Armstrong's final recording, it became a world-wide hit, and it seems to fit the occasion well.
  3. Charlie Parker (Alto Saxophone). Anything by Parker would satisfy. He was in a class by himself, so, I'll nominate one of his own classic compositions called, "Confirmation".
  4. Miles Davis (Trumpeter/Bandleader)--"The Prince of Darkness". It's tempting to select one of the tunes from his famous 1959 masterpiece CD "Kind of Blue", but I am going to risk inciting the ire of the entire jazz music community and instead take a number from his '58 Sessions CD called, "On Green Dolphin Street". It is that good!
  5. John Coltrane (Tenor, Soprano Saxophones)--"Trane". There is a mountain of choices to consider, but his rendition of "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music" is a musical tour de force and has great universal appeal.
  6. Nat Cole (Pianist/Vocalist)--"King". There's the immensely popular "Unforgettable", plus "Mona Lisa", "Nature Boy", "The Christmas Song", and hundreds other chart toppers, but I like "Dance Ballerina Dance". Why this particular song? It's sort of bitter-sweet and it swings.
  7. Frank Sinatra (Vocalist)--"Chairman of The Board". You can't keep 'ol blue eyes out of the mix. He's arguably the best interpreter of a lyric of the 20th Century. I thought his handling of Cole Porter's  "I've Got You Under My Skin" with Nelson Riddle's arrangement was musical magic, and Sinatra's voice was at its best.
  8. William "Count" Basie (Pianist/Bandleader)-- "The Kid From Red Bank." There's got to be some 'swing' and something to dance to on the martian surface, water, or no water, and this is the band to serve up the music. The number I selected is "Jumpin' At The Woodside"
  9. Ella Fitzgerald (Vocalist)-- "The First Lady of Song". During a Berlin, Germany concert appearance, she forgot momentarily some of the words to "Mack The Knife, ad libbed her way out, and effortlessly turned the performance into a classic. Priceless!
  10. Sarah Vaughan (Vocalist)--"Sassy", "The Divine One". One of the most amazing voices in the world of jazz; she possessed astounding vocal range, and her voice seemed to get better with age. She had so many memorable hits: "Broken Hearted Melody", "Autumn In New York", "Moonlight In Vermont", Lullaby of Birdland", "Tenderly", and many more, but I have selected Errol Garner's "Misty"...after all, there's got to be time for a little romance whether you are on the mars landscape, or terra firma.  
Well, those are my martian top ten jazz music songs. Mine happen to be jazz. Yours might be R &B, Classical, Country & Western, Swing, Rock 'N Roll, Hip Hop, whatever moves you.

I hope that NASA comes through, and that, one day, "Fly Me To The Moon" will just be an ordinary, everyday request; but "Fly Me To Mars": sounds like you're really going places. In other words, it could become a new, exciting musical destination.

What're yours?!

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