Versions: A Review of Recordings of the Great American Songbook

by Mark Patrick

later Jazz Instrumental, and then I discovered Jazz Vocal – although my definition of a great vocalist includes some whom jazz purists would reject. This book is a celebration of the work of these artists when singing the ‘Standards’ of the Great American Songbook. Comments and reviews on recordings of 23 great songs sung by great singers, old and new. I might not please everyone with my opinions, but that’s normal. We can agree to differ. I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

136 pages, Paperback

Published October 22, 2017

About the author

An Englishman who, for the last thirty years, has lived in Spain, Mark Patrick has enjoyed a lifelong love affair with books. Add to that an early training in photography and cine, and you have a writer who sees his writing as the art of creating cinema in the mind.

He believes characters should have depth, as well as faults and limitations. They are as important to a book as a strong, fast moving plot.

Sharing his life with a wife, three children and two dogs (at last count), he’s a lover of most types of music; particularly vocal jazz, photography, old films, and older jokes.

If you visit, you might find him reading anything from A (Austin) to Z (Zola), or passing through topics in the Encyclopedia Britannica between novels, while listening to Mozart, Miles Davis or Billie Holiday.

He likes getting feedback. You can e-mail Mark at markpatrickspain@gmail.com and he'll try and respond to messages (as long as they are polite).