Once in a while a musician comes along with impecca… Read Full Bio ↴Beegie Adair Bio
Once in a while a musician comes along with impeccable technique, deep understanding of the jazz repertoire, an innate tendency to swing and the rare ability to communicate the heart and soul of a tune to listeners. That musician is Beegie Adair.
About her music Adair says, “Falling in love with jazz is like falling in love with a person, except with jazz you never get over it.” About Beegie (say B-G) Adair, what do others say?
Jazz great Helen Merrill salutes her “inventive jazz sense, her wonderful sense of time and improvised melody.”
Christopher Louden of Jazz Times magazine says Adair is “an accomplished artist with a delicate touch.”
The Los Angeles Times calls her music “Elegant.”
Entertainment News writes, “Beegie Adair is one of the finest piano players in the world.”
Intrigued? So are thousands of jazz fans, who agree with critics about Adair’s sophisticated and listenable jazz performances, and who have made her recordings among the biggest sellers in the jazz world.
Citing George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner among her influences, Adair has recorded 24 CDs, ranging from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD Centennial Composers Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael and Berlin became an instant collectible classic when it was released in 2002.
Kentucky born and raised, Adair lives and records in Nashville – something of a surprise to people who associate the city solely with country music. In fact Nashville lives up to its “Music City” nickname by hosting a vibrant jazz scene, in which she has been a leading light for decades. A sought-after studio musician in her early days there, Adair accompanied such legendary performers as Chet Atkins, Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash – and also worked with Lucille Ball, Dinah Shore, Mama Cass Elliott and Peggy Lee.
Her guests on Improvised Thoughts, Beegie’s radio talk/music show on the local NPR affiliate, included such greats as Tony Bennett, Joe Williams, Marian McPartland, Benny Golson and Helen Merrill. She has guested on McPartland’s Piano Jazz show and has performed with Nat Adderley, Bill Watrous, Lew Tabackin, Terry Clarke, Urbie Green and Jim Ferguson, among many others.
When she’s not in the studio or appearing in clubs and concert halls around the country, Adair wears a variety of hats, from adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University to teacher and mentor at the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Recently she co-wrote and scored an innovative theatrical production, Betsy, which in April 2006 premiered off-Broadway in New York.
She has recorded eight projects for Village Square Records in Nashville; her most recent CDs are Sentimental Journey, a popular collection of World War II-era songs, and a solo piano recording, Quiet Romance.
She performs solo and with the Beegie Adair Trio, whose members include drummer Chris Brown, a veteran of the Maynard Ferguson ensemble, and bassist Roger Spencer, who has played with the Les Brown Band, Ray Conniff, the Page Cavanaugh Trio and Pete Jolly. They are, she says, “my main guys. They’re so tuned into the way I visualize music that it’s effortless to play with them.”
In clubs and concert venues from Los Angeles to New York, Beegie and her “main guys” win kudos from audiences and critics alike who appreciate her unique take on classic jazz. She fell in love with the music a long time ago, and indeed she’s never gotten over it -- a love affair the jazz world is much the better for.
Begin The Beguine
Beegie Adair Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It brings back the sound of music so tender
It brings back a night of tropical splendor
It brings back a memory ever green
I'm with you once more under the stars
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
And even the palms seem to be swaying
To live it again is past all endeavor
Except when that tune clutches my heart
And there we are, swearing to love forever
And promising never, never to part
What moments divine, what rapture serene
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
I know but too well what they mean
So don't let them begin the beguine
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
When they begin the beguine
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, please make them play
Till the stars that were there before return above you
Till you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you"
Then we suddenly know what heaven we're in
When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine
When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine
When they begin the beguine
The song "Begin The Beguine" speaks about how the tune reminds the singer of a beautiful tropical night when they were together, with the stars above and the sound of an orchestra playing nearby. The atmosphere was so magical that even the palms seemed to sway to the rhythm. When they hear music like that again, it takes them back to that special moment and the memories of their relationship flood back in. The singer remembers how amazing it was to be in love and the promises they made to stay together forever. But then, the clouds came and ruined the perfect moment, leading to their parting.
The singer believes that the chance they had was wasted and when they hear others cursing their own missed opportunities, they know the feeling all too well. However, they can't help but yearn for those moments again and want to relive them, even if it can't be entirely recreated. The final plea is to let the beguine begin again, to remember that love once existed and to let it stir emotions once more. The song is a beautiful tribute to past love and the memories it brings back with just a tune.
Line by Line Meaning
When they begin the beguine
The start of the song brings back a sentimental feeling that I cannot describe
It brings back the sound of music so tender
The song evokes a gentle feeling in me
It brings back a night of tropical splendor
The song reminds me of a wonderful evening in the tropics
It brings back a memory ever green
The song reminds me of a memory that will always be special to me
I'm with you once more under the stars
The song transports me back to a time when we were together under the stars
And down by the shore an orchestra's playing
I remember the calming sound of an orchestra playing near the ocean
And even the palms seem to be swaying
The song reminds me of the tropical breeze that made the palm trees sway
To live it again is past all endeavor
It's impossible to relive that memory again
Except when that tune clutches my heart
The only way I can feel that memory again is when I hear this song
And there we are, swearing to love forever
The memory takes me back to a moment where we promised to love each other forever
And promising never, never to part
In that memory we also promised never to be apart
What moments divine, what rapture serene
That memory was a truly special moment that was filled with divine feelings and serene emotions
Till clouds came along to disperse the joys we had tasted
That moment ended when something unexpected happened that took away all the joy we had tasted
And now when I hear people curse the chance that was wasted
I understand when I hear people regretting missed opportunities
I know but too well what they mean
I understand the feeling of missing a chance all too well
So don't let them begin the beguine
I plead that they don't play this song as it will awaken memories that are best left alone
Let the love that was once a fire remain an ember
I hope that the love we once shared remains dormant in the past
Let it sleep like the dead desire I only remember
I want to forget that desire and let it rest with the past
Oh yes, let them begin the beguine, please make them play
Despite my wishes, I want them to play the song
Till the stars that were there before return above you
I hope that when the song plays, it brings back happy memories for you
Till you whisper to me once more, "Darling, I love you"
I hope that this song will create a moment where you remember how much you love me
Then we suddenly know what heaven we're in
When we experience that moment together, we will know that we are in heaven
When they begin the, begin the, begin the beguine
The start of the song always brings back memories that are hard to forget
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sam S Moreno
Hermosa música, maravillosa pianista, genial combinación!
John Camacho
What I love about Beegie’s music renditions they are always true to the song and medley; on point- also plays the songs as ( I believe) they should be played. She celebrates the music with her piano style.
Kien Jhee
Beegie is the greatest jazz pianist in the world.Love her excellent playing & creative most enjoyable interpretation of such a great song & bring it to the stratosphere.I play this song non-stop& still feel so happy to hear it everytime.Thks Beegie,you are a treasure to the World.
Marian Furtado
Terrific swing, terrific jazz! Beegie is THE BEST! But I also love Chris and Roger who complement her playing and style
Lidiya Sharova
Блестящая пианистка! Прекрасное трио! Играют профессионально и очень красивую музыку! Уникальное Трио!
Jose Luis Vazquez Martinez
Fascinante melodía, auténtica joya, que vale la pena, disfrutarla
Pedro Nuñez
Es verdaderamente difícil encontrar algo mejor para esta pieza. Beegie y su gente son insuperables. Saludos de
España.
Carolina Alvez
Beegie Adair is unique. Best Jass pianist. 😍
Glennsten Bergkvist
Truly a beautifully done version of a difficult song to do expertly! Thank you, Beegie and the trio!
Clarita Tan
LIke her style...simple, yet entertaining to listen to and makes you dance with every strike of the keys...they make a good trio in jazz music. God bless your talents.