Name that tune!

[jorymil]

Trying to figure out what this is:



I know folks on here have some good ears and a very wide range of musical tastes. To avoid prejudicing anyone's ears, I'll say that this is from a recording done in 1970 or earlier, then broadcast on TV (what you're hearing). So pitch shifting, noise artifacts, tempo shifting--all possible.

Obviously the usual-suspects apps don't recognize this, but I certainly could have overlooked something that does.

John

[jorymil]

Okay... going to prejudice everyone's ears: this is a snippet of audio taken from the unaired Apollo 13 TV broadcast. The mission transcript suggests the song is "Willow Weep for Me," but doesn't specify a recording. It _kind of_ sounds like it, but having gone through a bunch of different recorded versions (Ella, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, etc.), nothing's close. It could just as easily be a Victor Borge recording of a completely different song. Easy to recognize for someone familiar with it (I mean, who here couldn't recognize Miles' "So What" solo in a few notes), but pretty hard otherwise.

[Doug Elliott]

Yes I hear it, it's Willow Weep for Me, approximately bars 6 and 7

[AndrewMeronek]

In the time of Apollo 13 audio didn't necessarily have to be pre-recorded music. It could just be someone doing the TV equivalent of "piano lounge music" and used loose ideas from Willow Weep for Me to fill up some seconds.

[jorymil]

Yes I hear it, it's Willow Weep for Me, approximately bars 6 and 7

Appreciate the ears, Doug! Your opinion is definitely NASA-worthy. I'm not sure where all of this will go, but if anything gets published, I'll make sure you're credited.

Any idea on the recording? That'd be useful as well. Obviously 1970 or earlier; there may be some supporting info in the flight manifest--apparently there were five tapes brought on the flight.

Pretty much everyone and their offspring has recorded the tune, but this feels like a piano artist, though not necessarily a "jazz" artist (for what little that's worth):
Oscar Peterson
George Shearing
Ahmad Jamal
Duke Ellington
Marian McPartland
Victor Borge
Mantovani
Ferrante and Teicher
Count Basie

This has a vague whiff of "thrift store vinyl" about it--less improvisation, harmonically more simple. To be fair to thrift stores, I got Getz/Gilberto and Getz Au Go Go on vinyl at a thrift store, as well as vinyl copies of the first two Aebersold play-alongs!

[jorymil]

In the time of Apollo 13 audio didn't necessarily have to be pre-recorded music. It could just be someone doing the TV equivalent of "piano lounge music" and used loose ideas from Willow Weep for Me to fill up some seconds.

In this case, I'm pretty sure this was prerecorded. The video shows Jim Lovell working a Walkman-sized tape deck. I certainly could be wrong, however. But the actual broadcast definitely did not feature "Spirit in the Sky!"

The video for those interested:

The music clip features at roughly 29:35 in the video.

[AtomicClock]

I don't know if it's credible, but this website says Ella's version was in use.

Songs Played During Missions

• Willow Weep For Me -Ella Fitzgerald

I don't hear it myself. But I gather she recorded it multiple times.

[AndrewMeronek]

In this case, I'm pretty sure this was prerecorded. The video shows Jim Lovell working a Walkman-sized tape deck. I certainly could be wrong, however. But the actual broadcast definitely did not feature "Spirit in the Sky!"

Actually, yes, I think you're right.