The Land Where the Good Songs Go

The title is that of a beautiful old song by Jerome Kern and P. G. Wodehouse, from 1917, in which the singer hopes to spend, perhaps end, life in company with the songs she loves. Intimate settings have always been the best place to appreciate songs with delicate melody, subtle chords, or words that require, and repay, close attention, and to enjoy a performance style that uses just a piano with bass or drum-set, rather than the style needed to "project" in a theater. Such ambiences exist only in a few cities, and are sought out by small audiences. The "cabaret crowd"-those who write for, perform in, and enjoy songs in small clubs-are a tight little circle, but they always have been. Those who perform there have huge repertoires of treasures, keeping alive not only deserving songs that were always recherché but songs that have faded from awareness. In such locales, young singers learn that repertoire from their peers. Piano bars and clubs facilitate both conservation and transmission. Here we discuss some of the songs that have found life there.