In 1928 (on his 25th birthday) Hines began leading his own big band. For over 10 years his was "The Band" in Al Capone's Grand Terrace Cafe — Hines was Capone's "Mr Piano Man". Hines recorded for Victor in 1929, then after a gap for Brunswick from 1932-1934, Decca from 1934-1935, then after another gap, Vocalion from 1937-1938 and Bluebird from 1939-1942 (nearly all among the best Black Jazz of the era). From the Grand Terrace, The Earl Hines Orchestra (or "Organization" as he more happily referred to it) broadcast on "open mikes", sometimes five nights a week and over many years, coast to coast across America — Chicago being well placed to deal with the U.S. live-broadcasting time-zone problem. Hines's band became the most broadcast band in America. Sometimes Nat "King" Cole was Hines's relief pianist (though Cliff Smalls was his favorite) and it was here with Hines that Charlie Parker got his first professional job...until he was fired for his time-keeping — by which Hines meant Parker's inability to show up on time despite Parker resorting to sleeping under the Grand Terrace stage in his attempts to do so. Hines led his big band until 1947, taking time out to front the Duke Ellington orchestra in 1944 while Duke was ill...but the big-band era was over. (Thirty years later, Hines's 20 solo "transformative versions" of his "Earl Hines Plays Duke Ellington" recorded in the 1970s were described by Ben Ratliff in the "New York Times" as "as good an example of the jazz process as anything out there".)
At the start of 1949 Hines rejoined Armstrong in the latter's "All Stars" "small band", where Hines stayed through 1951. He then led his own small combo around the States and Europe. At the start of the jazz-lean 1960s he settled in Oakland, California, opened a tobacconist's, and came close to giving up the profession. Then, in 1964 Hines was "suddenly rediscovered" following a series of concerts in New York. He was the 1965 "Critics' Choice" for Down Beat Magazine's "Hall of Fame". From then till he died he recorded endlessly both solo and with jazz notables like Cat Anderson, Buck Clayton, Roy Eldridge, Ella Fitzgerald, Paul Gonsalves, Sonny Greer, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, Budd Johnson, Jimmy Rushing, Stuff Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Venuti and Ben Webster. Possibly more surprising were Elvin Jones, Peggy Lee, Charles Mingus, Dinah Washington — and Ry Cooder. But his most acclaimed recordings of this period were his dazzling and endlessly inventive solo performances, which could show him at his very best, "a whole orchestra by himself".[12] Solo tributes to Louis Armstrong, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin were all put on record in the 1970s. Hines also toured Europe again regularly at this time, and added Asia, Australia and the Soviet Union to his list of State Department–funded destinations. At the top of his form, Hines also displayed his endearing quirks (not to say grunts) in these performances. Sometimes he sang as he played, especially his own "They Never Believed I Could Do It - Neither Did I". In 1975 he made an hour-long "solo" film for British TV out-of-hours in a Washington nightclub: the "New York Herald Tribune" described it as "The greatest jazz-film ever made". He played solo in The White House and played solo for the Pope — and played (and sang) his last job a few days before he died in Oakland, quite likely somewhat older than he had always maintained.
Fantastic That's You
Earl Hines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And when you smiled at me,
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
That it was love at sight and
I was right to love you as I do.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
When you are not around.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
For I'm so proud of you
It all seems too good to me to all be true
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
I never knew what they could do.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
I'm on your mind each place we go
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
And after all is said and done,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
The lyrics of Earl Hines's song Fantastic That's You depict the singer's disbelief and amazement at being loved by someone they love intensely. They begin by describing how the mere sight of the person, and their smile, sent a thrill through their heart that convinced them it was love. The singer admits they never dreamed that the object of their affection could feel the same way about them. Your eyes of blue, your kisses too/I never knew what they could do, they sing. The singer goes on to recount how the person they love tells everyone they know that the singer is on their mind, all the time. The singer is surprised at this because they have always felt that the person was above them and can't believe that they are loved in return. Nonetheless, they feel proud to be with the person they cherish so much, with whom everything seems too good to be true.
The lyrics to Fantastic That's You are a tribute to the power of love. The singer's realization that their love is reciprocated is as surprising to them as it is exhilarating. The song reflects on the explosive joy of loving someone who loves us back, and the realization that we are lucky to be loved in this way. The lyrics are heartfelt and sincere, with their bittersweet acknowledgment that love is not always easy to come by but is always worth pursuing.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you came my way,
You came into my life and changed it completely.
And when you smiled at me,
The moment your beautiful smile appeared, I felt an instant feeling of excitement.
In my heart I felt a thrill you see,
My heart felt something amazing, I was so happy.
That it was love at sight and
I knew it was love, right then and there.
I was right to love you as I do.
My love for you was justified and true.
Still I never dreamed that you could love me too.
I never thought it was possible that you could love me back.
Your eyes of blue, your kisses too,
Your inviting blue eyes and gentle kisses held power over me.
I never knew what they could do.
I never imagined the effect they would have on me.
I can't believe that you're in love with me.
It's too good to be true that you're in love with me.
You're telling ev'ry one I know
You can't stop telling everyone about us.
I'm on your mind each place we go
I'm always on your mind, no matter where we go.
They can't believe that you're in love with me.
People are surprised that you are in love with me.
I have always placed you far above me.
I have always seen you as better than me.
I just can't imagine that you love me.
It's hard to believe that you actually love me.
And after all is said and done,
Even after everything we have been through,
To think that I'm the lucky one.
I can't believe I'm the fortunate one in this relationship.
Skies are gray. I'm blue each day
Without you, everything is dull and boring.
When you are not around.
Your absence makes everything so much harder.
Ev'ry thing goes wrong, my dear I've found
Everything seems to go wrong without you.
But when you're by my side I fill with pride
Being with you gives me a sense of accomplishment.
For I'm so proud of you
I'm so proud to be with you.
It all seems too good to me to all be true
All of this seems too good to be real.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CLARENCE GASKILL, JIMMY MC HUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carlos Sir Charles Gonzalez
Earl Hines, piano; Jimmy Hamilton , clarinete, Aaron Bell, contrabajo and elvin jones, drums
Andrew Hopkins
Beleza