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.
The Bad and the Beautiful
Beegie Adair Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your back's been broken you can't make the rounds the tables are turned as the litany goes...
You're a rotten old man who'll be covered in dirt on your knees
And pray to the maker that caused you to bleed
Turn back the hand on the clock
You're a bitter old man who's done nothing
But work your hands to the bone on the assembly lines
Ignorance is something you can't over come but you've passed it on down
And that's something much worse for a bitter young man...
Is now taking the torch
Silent scorn - you've taken it out on the ones you adore Inside rage
They've left you before but they'll come back again
They'll pray for you with all their love
But this time your indifference just can't be excused Forced amends
Well it's something you'll die with but it goes on for them...
For a bitter young man...has now taken the torch...
The lyrics of Beegie Adair's "The Bad and the Beautiful" speak to the consequences of a life lived without empathy, kindness, or love. The song is a warning against growing old and bitter without taking time to reflect on one's own life and the impact they have had on others. The opening verses suggest regret and a desire to turn back time, to wash away the lines on the face that show signs of aging, and to undo the damage that has been inflicted on others. The subject of the song is a "rotten old man," who has grown cold and ignorant, passing down his bitterness to a younger generation.
The chorus speaks of the bitter man's legacy, one that is marked by regret, resentfulness, and unrequited love. The people who love him have been hurt, scorned, and left before, but they will always come back to pray for him because they recognize his pain. However, this time, his indifference cannot be excused. The song is a call to action, urging people to confront their bitterness, their ignorance, and their flaws before it is too late. The end of the song suggests that the "torch" of bitterness and negativity will be passed down to a younger generation if it is not extinguished in time.
Line by Line Meaning
Wash away all the lines on your face that show how you've aged it's a long way down
You wish to hide the signs of your aging, but the reality is that you're old and close to the end.
Your back's been broken you can't make the rounds the tables are turned as the litany goes...
You're physically and vocally exhausted, and the people you once had power over now hold the sway.
You're a rotten old man who'll be covered in dirt on your knees And pray to the maker that caused you to bleed
Your past evil deeds will haunt you, and you're anxiously preparing yourself for the retribution.
Turn back the hand on the clock You're a bitter old man who's done nothing But work your hands to the bone on the assembly lines
You wish you could go back in time and change everything, but you're remorseful about not having accomplished anything in a lifetime of hardwork.
You've grown cold to the touch of the ones that you love Ignorance is something you can't over come but you've passed it on down And that's something much worse for a bitter young man...Is now taking the torch
Your actions have led to you distancing yourself from those you loved and the ignorance cycle is being passed down, causing harm to the younger generation.
Silent scorn - you've taken it out on the ones you adore Inside rage They've left you before but they'll come back again They'll pray for you with all their love But this time your indifference just can't be excused Forced amends Well it's something you'll die with but it goes on for them...
You've taken out your anger and bitterness on loved ones, and although they may forgive you, the damage is done, and you can't make up for it.
For a bitter young man...has now taken the torch...
The next generation has taken up the mantle of bitterness and ignorance, passing it down for future generations until someone breaks the cycle.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALEXANDER MARTIN BARR, KENNETH WILLIAM CASEY, MATHEW EDWARD KELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind