Its tautological title notwithstanding, the song is one of the loveliest “jazz standards”.
As is true of many “jazz standards”, it was not written as a jazz song.
This post’s photo (copyright Doug Spencer) was taken recently on a beautiful Spring morning in my favourite “Deep South”.
Australians do not need a passport to access it, but internal border closures currently render it “off limits” to most Australians.
One of Australia’s most exquisitely located houses sits just below the brow of a forested hill, off Dingo Flat Road.
It is near to Walpole, and even nearer to The Valley of the Giants.
The house looks across forest and farmland, with Denmark’s Wilson Inlet usually visible on the horizon.
It faces the rising sun, and has neither curtains nor blinds.
So, those lucky enough to sleep there, are almost guaranteed to be awake to experience just how glorious are some early mornings in southernmost Western Australia!
I took the photo at 6.50 am on 13 September 2020.
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Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise for an operetta in 1928.
The operetta is mostly forgotten, but a number of notable jazz vocalists have sung Softly,… and just about every jazz instrumentalist has improvised upon its graceful melody.
A nowhere-near-complete list of noteworthy versions is here
My favourite recorded version appeared on East to Wes, the 1988 album by guitarist Emily Remler.
This brilliant but troubled American musician was just 32 when she died whilst on tour in Australia in 1990.