THAT OLD FEELING
For two decades prior to Covid, I led a weekly group singalong at Manhattan’s Hamilton Senior Center. Most of the regular attendees sang with gusto, but from the first day, one of them had a special vocal quality. Her name was Norma Villafuerte.
The tone that Norma brought to a ballad was so pure and true that it tugged at your heartstrings. I couldn’t resist the urge to record an album of Norma’s voice with my piano accompaniment, which we did in 2000. I was delighted with the results. I think the mood we achieved on a dozen memorable American standards transports the listener back into the wonderful musical decades of the ‘30’s and ‘40’s.
I’ve selected a half-dozen of the songs for this blog entry. Picture yourself late at night in a smoky cabaret, with a simple spotlight on Norma standing at a microphone in front of a grand piano. And just listen as she laments about falling in love too easily, or recalls these foolish things, or muses that you’ll never know . . . . Well I think you get the pictures – it’s That Old Feeling. I kept the piano accompaniments and my solos quiet and low-key in keeping with that mood.
Sadly, Norma is no longer with us, but she has left us with something special that will not soon be forgotten.
The songs are (in the order they appear):
1. I Fall in Love Too Easily
2. These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)
3. You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To
4. You’ll Never Know
5. Till There Was You
6. That Old Feeling
I hope you enjoy this 23 minute medley, which you can access by clicking on the play button below.
Additional information on the songs is contained in a liner notes PDF, which you can access (before, after, or while listening to the songs) by clicking on this link.