1893–1981 · American Composer
Warren is Hollywood's great unsung hero — the most prolific American film composer of the Golden Age, responsible for dozens of standards that jazz musicians still play nightly. There Will Never Be Another You alone would cement his legacy, but his catalogue is full of songs of equal quality waiting to be discovered.
Harry Warren was born Salvatore Antonio Guaragna in Brooklyn in 1893, the son of Italian immigrants, and became one of the most commercially successful — and least celebrated — American songwriters of the 20th century. Working primarily in Hollywood from the 1930s through the 1950s, he wrote the music for films starring Dick Powell, Alice Faye, Betty Grable, and Judy Garland. His primary lyricists included Al Dubin, Mack Gordon, and Johnny Mercer. Warren won three Academy Awards for Best Original Song and wrote hundreds of songs, yet his name was rarely known to the public who loved his music.
This workshop gathers ten of Warren's finest songs for the jazz vocalist. There Will Never Be Another You is perhaps the most beloved jazz standard of all — its AABA structure and perfectly constructed bridge make it a vehicle for improvisation without equal. At Last, I Only Have Eyes for You, The More I See You, and Serenade in Blue are equally beloved and equally jazz-friendly, with harmonic richness that rewards repeated hearing.
Warren's melodies tend to be singable from the first hearing yet reveal new depths over time — a hallmark of the finest craft. Singers who come to this workshop often find Warren songs they've heard all their lives that they never knew were by the same composer.
Each song includes lead sheet and lyric sheet in both a men's and women's key, plus a practice backing track. In addition, there are YouTube links to a variety of artist renditions to inspire you.