Every time I listen to this I quietly thank Stephanie Birdsong for the accompanying, excellent video. Uh, I thank Lee Wiley too.

She died 46 years ago today. What a singer she was! It is too bad that she is not better known today. People don't know what they are missing.

A window into a lost World when high musical art was better appreciated. Simply a masterpiece!

Just discovered Lee Wiley recently. And I am in love. Her voice is breezy and wise. It's a wonder why she's not spoken of more highly among the great vocalists of the jazz age.

@skbirds

Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you did! Her recordings are glorious!

My favorite! This version is perfection in every way !

@r.l.2517

3 жыл бұрын

Agreed!

Manhattan is a wonderful tune with wonderful lyrics and .... Lee Wiley's rendition is just perfect; best version I've ever heard!

Lee Wiley taught me to love New York! This song is the reason why I got to visit NY twice! I am from Mexico. I adore Lee Wiley!!! Wish more people knew about her!!!! I've been a fan of hers since I was 21 yrs old back in 2007

I've been to New York City eight times from Tokyo, influenced by Lee Wiley's Manhattan.

Bobby Hackett is sensational, so melodic, so right and his accompanying phrases are as described.

Best version of this much-recorded song.

Lee Wiley had a really unique voice

What an amazing period in history. The true epitomy of class!

@trajan75

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, now we're busy destroying the whole notion of class

素晴らしい編集映像MV !!!!! リーワイリーアルバムかき集めた経験した。この声は唯一無二。忘れることはない。

Love her voice and phrasing, her way with rhythm, just eveything about her singing.

Lee Wiley...Dawn Powell...Rogers n Hart ! ...what more can I say but thanx !

She sure was Wonderful - Thanks

Lee Wiley and Bobby Hackett were a match made in heaven. Listen to them both on "A Woman's Intuition."

Mi Manhattan 😢❤

This fabulous version was recorded in 1950 and not in 1951! Thanks for posting!

From Wikipedia: Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 - December 11, 1975) was an American jazz singer during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s.

Never forgotten

Simply beautiful, I love it! ............

40年も昔になるがマンハッタンに住んだことがある。 そんな想い出に浸れるこの曲は最高です。

With her exceptional voice and talent, she is one of the greatest jazz performers on this planet. May God bless her noble soul. 💟💐

Bravo! Wonderful video behind this flawless rendition. I love Lee Wiley.

EXCELLENT 🌟FABOULOUS🌟 AWESOME 🌟

When NY was a beacon of hope for so many. It's hardly that anymore. Beautiful song though.

"Quintessential" is right! And a totally musical and unaffected singer. Thank you for posting this recording, my very favorite of all "Manhattan" performances - and for enhancing it with such a classy melange of black and white stills and vintage film footage. They vividly capture a wonderful era, both of music...and Manhattan. BTW, kudos for that last film image as Lee sings "We'll turn Manhattan into an isle of joy." I've watched - and listened - many times!

@MARKMANIATT

5 жыл бұрын

Steve Ember Summed up exquisitely sir.Less is more and you can’t get much more than this!

This Rodgers & Hart standard is one of Lee Wiley's best efforts. But let's hear it for Stephanie Birdsong's accompanying footage. Beautiful. Thank You, S. B. ❤

@skbirds

4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Just reading truman capote and Ms Wiley's name was mentioned. How grand to discover her voice at my age - when I thought I still knew everything!

@karlgarson298

Ай бұрын

What Capote were you reading?

@karlgarson298

Ай бұрын

I found her last year, when I was 82; glad I did.

@g-girl9867

Ай бұрын

@karlgarson298 Hello! Other Voices Other Rooms. Read In Cold Blood @ 14 sunbathing in my parents backyard, and Valley of the Dolls, 1966. No verboten books in OUR home!

@g-girl9867

Ай бұрын

@karlgarson298 Thank you! She's velvet to hear.

Whenever I hear this song I remember the movie "The Eddy Duchin Story". Tyrone Power is the first scene that came to New York with a bag.

I only love Lee Wiley singing this song!!!

That's what I call glamour!

Wow! The rush of memories this song and Lee Wiley brings back to me!

In the early 1950's while in college my friends and I played Lee's records over and over on our 45 discs. And now those of us who are still alive, are still listening to Lee Wiley. What an intimate and beautiful and melodic style she has. I used to play in a small combo similar to Lee's

The sound of quality, love the texture in her vocal!

Lee Wiley & Bobby Hackett, WOW! What a combo, 2 extremely talented musicians, Lee's voice was mesmerizing , & Hackett's horn was so sweet & warm they sound wonderful together!

@Rena1934 yes, it really is! How could that be? With such a great library of wonderful recordings, you would think there would be something on film. So glad you are in contact with her family. i hope they know there are many who still appreciate her.

Thank you! I'm so glad that you like it. I love your Lee Wiley posts! More people should have a chance to hear her wonderful recordings.

Such a wonderful singer! As noted somewhere below, its just amazing there's only a couple of home movie snippets of her. She was as beautiful as one could imagine.

Lovely, lovely video. It would be wonderful to see film of Lee Wiley singing live, but there probably isn't any, and the still photos were great.

Not ever to be forgotten. Been listening to her records for sixty years or so. Is there anyone better? alkuhn1

A very important figure in the history of jazz singing, tragically mostly forgotten now.

a Real Cabaret voice --------------------------her phrasing is Perfection

Great video - accompanying one of the most neglected female jazz vocalists - one of my all-time favourites.

I love lee wiley and this is my favorite of her albums....Plus it was great to see the Globe Theater at 1:29. My dad took me to see Gentlemen Prefer Blondes there for my 10th birthday...it was the only present I asked for ( yes I was a bit of a girlie boy ! )

Beautifully done! Wiley was a great talent! The pictures of my home town when my parents were young knocked me out - great pics!

Her voice is so intimate. I love it. My grandfather played with her bunny Berigan and they actually had an affair.,

@skbirds

6 ай бұрын

Really? Very interesting! Yes, perfect description of her voice.

very nice, made a change from all the other stuff. Great B/W footage of old NY more please.

Great video! Lee Wiley was amazing and this is such a great version of "Manhattan". One of the most neglected of the great female jazz singers. Thanks for posting this.

Very nice music video with the actual movie footage in between the still pictures. That's a great way to feature a wonderful singer.

trop charmant...

Great music!

Joe Bushkin plays piano. Bobby Hackett on cornet.

What a TREAT!!! I've never seen a number of those recording session photos, and the footage of NY just makes me want to go back. Lee was SUCH a treasure. I wish more people knew of her great recordings. Thanks for posting!!

yeah, in December of 1950 but the album came out in 1951 :)

Nobody's better than Lee Wiley, now that is singing!

This is wonderful. Thanks for sharing. I almost always think it's Billy Holiday when I hear Lee Wiley without seeing her name.

This, and Jimmy Dorsey's record from the same year - slices of that lost world

Thank you for the upload.

Love this song! :D

リーワイりーは、この時代マンハッタンのエンパイヤステートビルのようにそびえ立って、まさに女王のように世界にその存在を与えたことと思います。

couldn't be better!

I've always seen a resemblance between Lee Wiley and that fabulous actress, Ann Dvorak.

Nice one too by Bobby Hackett.

The guys in the first pic are: Eddie Condon, guitar; Sid Weiss, bass; Jess Stacey, piano; Cozy Cole, drums.

未だ純粋無垢な私を深遠なるジャズ沼に叩き落とした罪深き曲。あれから30余年、沼から這い上がるのは死ぬまで不可能と悟った。

I have the 78rpm record album for this. Sounds incredible.

Thanks for the pix, too!

@stahrmonroe ~ I've never seen Lee Wiley on film, sadly. I tend to think that there is none.

Wow! I could hit "replay" all night. Where DID you find the film and photos... Exquisite mood-setting of Manhattan. Many thanks for posting!

Das ist aber Schön..Danke.

Great

A different way to feel Manhattan

@Rena1934 You've discovered one of her secrets- name "Willey" was a change to "Wiley". We have a "Willey" family reunion every two years and even have a facebook page I've started. I just posted a question to the broader family. though I'd think her nieces would have good info and documents. Some of the family i've posted to are in contact with the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame because of Lee (she was born in Fort Gibson) so they may by chance have something..

@renew2day Yep! you caught it! -- that's Judy. I'll have to look for that Piper Laurie special. Would love to see it.

@warrenclarkable DEFINITELY!

Manhattan.ummn.

@Rena1934 Just remembered- Several yrs ago my grandmother showed around a lovely Japanese woman that was producing a movie about Lee.. Lee often stayed with my great-grandmother in Muskogee. Will let you know if I get anything.

@qualisign Thanks! and I love Dawn Powell, too.

I always get her physical appearance mixed up with Tallulah Bankhead's. Both attractive and talented southern women.

@croybass sure, I've seen that documentary about the Japanese woman, she was so lucky to have met your grandmother! =) and yeah, please, let me know!! You'd be making someone's dream come true!!! :)

@edwardjames50 yes, you're right, I think!

@croybass I've contacted her nieces Jerrie Willey, Nancy Willey, Toni Willey and Lisa Shewmaker =)

@croybass but OMG of course I am still interested! I've never given up hope! =)

@stahrmonroe If there are any video/film clips of Lee Wiley, I've yet to find them, and I've searched. If anyone has found any, would love to see them!

If New York is where the next Fallout game was located, this would be the perfect song to play during the intro.

Bethesda shoulda picked this song :D

@skbirds there is nothing, not even her family knows about the existence of one and I've contacted them so I know. How sad!!!!

Oh, gee . . .

Hi- Which family did you contact? I can ask around if you're still interested. She's a relative of mine and my okie family have a lot of stuff. I recall some member in California has a lot of stuff too.

マンハッタンのためいき・・・いや、囁き。

私は写真ではなく動くリー・ワイリーが見たい。若い頃の彼女が見たい。

her singing was so perfect she and Julie London really had somethin on the other girls, just something the others didn't have

Very fancy. Hackett as well....