Jon Shields

  Darn That Dream – A Jazz Standard Born from Broadway Some songs have an odd way of finding their place in history. Darn That Dream , written by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Eddie DeLange, started as part of a short-lived Broadway musical but went on to become one of the most beloved ballads in jazz. A Short Broadway Run, A Lasting Legacy The song was introduced in 1939 in Swingin’ the Dream , a jazz adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Set in New Orleans, the musical featured an impressive lineup of jazz greats, including Louis Armstrong as Bottom and Benny Goodman leading the orchestra. Despite its ambition, the show only ran for 13 performances before closing. However, Darn That Dream didn’t fade away with the production. The song was published in 1939, and in 1940, Benny Goodman recorded a version featuring Mildred Bailey on vocals. That recording became a number-one hit, securing Darn That Dream ’s place in the Great American Songbook. A Song That Ling...

  A Solo Guitar Take on I Could Write a Book You made it to the end of the month—congratulations! And what better way to mark the occasion than with another solo guitar session? No backing tracks, no loopers—just me, my guitar, and a timeless jazz standard. Today’s tune is I Could Write a Book , a classic from the powerhouse songwriting duo Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. If you’ve ever opened a Real Book , you know their names well. They were a true songwriting dynasty, writing music for 28 musicals and over 500 songs—many of which have become jazz standards. Written in 1940 for the Broadway musical Pal Joey , I Could Write a Book was first performed by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. The song quickly gained traction outside of the theater, thanks to recordings by icons like Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, and Vince Guaraldi. But if you’re more of a movie buff than a jazz historian, you might recognize this tune from When Harry Met Sally . Harry Connick Jr.’s version helped reintroduce ...

  Restringing a Telecaster: A Step-by-Step Guide for Guitarists If you’ve ever broken a string mid-gig or struggled with tuning stability, you know the importance of a quick and reliable restringing process. Today, we’re diving into restringing a solid-body guitar —specifically, my Fender Nashville Player Plus Telecaster . This guitar is unique with its three-pickup configuration , a through-body stringing system , and most importantly, locking tuners , which make the whole process faster and easier. If you’ve never used locking tuners before, you’re in for a treat. Let’s get into it. Why Restringing a Telecaster is Different Compared to the hollow-body restringing we covered in a previous video, solid-body guitars like this Telecaster have a few key differences: Fixed Bridge: Unlike a hollow-body’s floating bridge, this one is bolted directly onto the body. No need to worry about tension holding it in place. Through-Body Stringing: The strings are threaded through the back of t...

  C’est Si Bon – A French Jazz Standard with an Unlikely Journey Some songs find their way into the jazz world in the most unexpected ways. C’est Si Bon —which translates to It’s So Good —is one of those tunes. Written in 1947 by French composer Henri Betti, this song traveled from a chance melody outside a lingerie store to becoming an international jazz standard, thanks in part to none other than Louis Armstrong. From a Game of Bridge to a Global Hit The story of C’est Si Bon begins in Nice, France, where Henri Betti was on his way to visit his father for a game of bridge. As he passed a lingerie shop, a melody popped into his head—nine notes that would become the song’s defining theme. Recognizing its potential, he immediately jotted it down and, after his card game, completed the full melody in just ten minutes. But a melody alone wasn’t enough. Betti traveled to Paris to meet lyricist André Hornez, who believed that the song’s hook—the first three notes—needed a three-syllab...