Sweet Georgie Fame

"London Bridge is falling down. Pop songs I hear with suspicion. But now at last I'm glad to meet a sweet lovin' real good musician. Oh, from Broadway to Festival Hall I have listened and I've heard them all. And they say I'm a real swingin' dame yet I'm impressed, my ears are blessed with Georgie Fame. So stay a while, you'll see 'em smile, you won't complain. His hands and feet make music sweet, you'll miss your train. My goose is cooked, I'm gettin' hooked on Georgie Fame ..." sings Blossom Dearie on her tribute to Sweet Georgie Fame from her wonderful 1970 LP That's Just The Way I Want To Be. The LP she recorded with some of the greats of British jazz, and the set which gave us the irresistible I Like London In The Rain. As well as her tribute to the great Georgie, the record features songs for Dusty Springfield ("London flowers fair blooming in her hair") and John Lennon. I love the one for Georgie the best. Particularly the line that suggests getting so engrossed in the music you miss your train. A real dilemma at times that. Do you bail out and get the last train? Or stay awhile and have to seek alternative forms of transport? Two questions spring to mind. Who is the Sandra Harris co-credited, and does anyone have a copy of Tony Bennett's version? I assume the lyrics were subtly changed. And wouldn't it have been great if he performed that song at the Festival Hall when he played there in '74? In the meantime here's Georgie in wonderful form ...