The Nearness of You

The Nearness of You (m. Hoagy Carmichael, w. Ned Washington)

from Wikipedia:

The biggest selling 1938 version was recorded by the Glenn Miller orchestra, with a vocal by Ray Eberle (Bluebird catalog number 10745)^. This recording first reached the Billboard magazine Best Seller chart on July 20, 1940 [No explanation given for the time discrepancy except that "it was Billboard's first chart."] and lasted 8 weeks on the chart, peaking at #5. Other popular contemporary versions were recorded by Kay Kyser’s orchestra (vocal: Harry Babbitt, by Dinah Shore with Paul Weston’s orchestra, and by Eddy Howard with Lou Adrian’s Orchestra.

Second Hand Songs attributes the first recording to Gladys Swarthout, dated 19 March 1938. This is the release date of the film Romance in the Dark. Many accounts say that the song was featured in that film. Jazzstandards indicates that this is an error brought about by confusing two similar sounding film titles. According to Richard Sudhalter’s Hoagy Carmichael biography Stardust Melody: The Life and Music of Hoagy Carmichael, Carmichael wrote the song for a feature called Romance in the Rough which was never produced. It was never scheduled for inclusion in Romance in the Dark.

Glenn Miller and Orchestra, vocal: Ray Eberle – 1938

Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians with vocal chorus by Mert Curtis — recorded 20 May 1940 (Decca 3214)

Connee Boswell — 1940

Kay Kyser & his Orchestra, vocal by Harry Babbitt – 1940

Sarah Vaughan

Single, recorded December 1949

(below) Snader telescription #8202, 1951 (colorized)

Bing Crosby with Buddy Cole and his Trio — CBS recordings for radio, recorded 18 November 1954 for The Bing Crosby Show

Frank Morgan – 1955

musicians (acc. to the video provider):

Frank Morgan – alto sax
Howard Roberts -guitar
Carl Perkins – piano
Leroy Vinnegar – bass
Larance Marable – drums

Frank Morgan NPR’s Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland, recorded 16 February 2004. Originally broadcast 5 October 2004 (The article has the wrong date of Morgan’s death. It should be 14 December 2007).

Milt Jackson Quartet — recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio in Hackensack, New Jersey 20 May 1955 – released on the LP Milt Jackson (Prestige PRLP 7003)

Personnel :
Milt Jackson — vibes
Horace Silver – piano
Percy Heath – bass
Connie Kay — drums