I Should Care

__________________

I Should Care (Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl, Paul Weston) was introduced in the 1945 MGM film Thrill of a Romance by Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra with vocalist Bob Allen. The title phrase, in the context of the lyric, turns a euphemism on its head. It ordinarily means “Why should I care?,” or “I don’t care.”

A list of early hit recordings of this frequently covered standard:

1945 – Martha Tilton with Eddie Miller and His Orchestra,
1945 – Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra, vocal: Teddy Walters
1945 – Tommy Dorsey and His orchestra, vocals: Bonnie Lou Williams and the Sentimentalists
1945 – Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl and His Orchestra
1952 – Ralph Flanagan and His Orchestra, vocal: Harry Prime
1954 – Jeff Chandler with Victor Young and His Orchestra

_______________________

The G-Noters with Gene Krupa & his Orchestra, recorded 22 January 1945

The video provider says:

[The] G-Noters consisted of Lillian Lane, Jerry Duane, Dave Lambert, & Buddy Stewart and they were the featured singing group with Gene Krupa & his Orchestra in 1944-1945. Both Lillian Lane & Buddy Stewart had been a part of The Snowflakes , who were featured with Claude Thornhill & his Orchestra a year or so before. As with a number of “Big Bands” of the late 1930’s thru the 1940’s, singing groups, which normally consisted of three to four males and one female, were added to the band to handle the vocals or to provide support vocals for a featured singer, such as Frank Sinatra being backed by The Pied Pipers for example.

Bud Powell – recorded NYC, 10 January 1947

Bud Powell (pf),
Curly Russell (b),
Max Roach (ds)

For jazzstandards.com, jazz historian Chris Tyle wrote:

Prior to Bud Powell’s 1947 trio recording, this pretty ballad was the property of big band vocalists. By the mid-1950s, however, it was increasingly played as an instrumental. Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon recorded a beautiful rendition of it in 1955, and the next year tenor player Hank Mobley, along with trumpeter Donald Byrd, would cut yet another marvelous rendition.

Jeff Chandler with Victor Young and his Orchestra, 1954

Zoot Sims – from Zoot Sims Goes to Jazzville, recorded in New York, NY, 10 August 1956

Zoot Sims – Tenor Sax
Jerome Lloyd – Trumpet
John Williams – Piano
Bill Anthony – Bass
Gus Johnson – Drums

Nat King Cole – from the album Just One of Those Things, arranged by Billy May, 1957

Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and his Orchestra — recorded in 1958

Charlie Rouse Quartet – recorded at Epic Recording Studios, New York City, 11 April 1960 — Charlie Rouse (ts) Gildo Mahones (pf) Reggie Workman (b) Art Taylor (ds)

Hank Mobley – from Another Workout, recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 5 December 1961 — Hank Mobley (ts) Wynton Kelly (pf) Paul Chambers (b) Philly Joe Jones (ds)

Reviewer Alan Kurtz (jazz.com) said:

Hard bop and ballads were strange bedfellows. Many hard-bop drummers didn’t own wire brushes for their snares, preferring sticks the size of Hank Aaron’s bat. Another Hank, surnamed Mobley, was one hard-bop stalwart with a soft spot for pretty tunes. Moreover, at the time of this recording, Hank and his cohorts were either current or former sidemen of Miles Davis a preeminent balladeer. Even when resorting to the jazzman’s time-honored recourse of double-timing over a slow tempo, as he does here, Mobley’s slightly overcast tone was mobilized in the service of lyricism. And, yes, Philly Joe uses brushes. Another knockout.

Bill Evans Trio – recorded 17 May – 2 June 1962, New York City, released on How My Heart Sings! — Bill Evans: piano, Chuck Israels: bass, Paul Motian: drums

Jane Monheit – It was a bonus track on her album Taking a Chance on Love, 2004. This live performance is from the DVD/CD set Legends Of Jazz With Ramsey Lewis: Season One, Vol.2, 2006