What A Wonderful World

The name George David Weiss might not be familiar, but you will probably recognize some of these songs written by Mr. Weiss — Lullaby of Birdland, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, Can't Help Falling in Love with You, and a truly beloved standard, What A Wonderful World. Weiss passed away last week at the age of 89.

A song written by the team of Bob Thiele and George David Weiss especially for Louis Armstrong, "What a Wonderful World" had a very circuitous route to achieving popularity. Satchmo wanted a song that would promote positive feelings amidst civil rights demonstrations and protests against the Vietnam War, and the song was first recorded and released as a single in 1968. Ironically, the head of ABC Records disliked the tune and chose not to promote it. The song sold less than 1,000 copies in the US, but the record was a huge success in the United Kingdom, reaching #1. Twenty years later in the US, the song was featured in the 1987 movie, “Good Morning, Vietnam”. The single was rereleased in 1988, and Pop’s posthumous hit was finally on its way to becoming an American standard.

This video clip features singer-songwriter Ledisi singing the Thiele and Weiss classic as a valentine to the City of New Orleans. This past Sunday marked the five-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.



Marcus Shelby performs with Ledisi and the Count Basie Orchestra next week at the Blue Note in New York City. Here's hoping that those new Shelby arrangements make their way West!