The Nearness of You

That same year, 1940, the melody resonated in another way in the popular piece In the Mood by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, with vocals by Ray Eberle. Throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, the song was performed by a notable variety of artists. Figures such as George Shearing, Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker, Gerry Mulligan, Bob Manning, and even a duet between Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, gave it their own nuance. In the year 2000, James Taylor collaborated with Michael Brecker for a pop and jazz-tinged version on Brecker's album titled Nearness of You: The Ballad Book. Two years later, this same piece would close Come Away With Me, the debut album by Norah Jones, which would win a Grammy. The version that achieved the greatest commercial success was that of the Glenn Miller Orchestra, recorded on April 28, 1940, which reached number 5 on Billboard's "Best Seller" chart in July of that same year, remaining there for eight weeks. In 1953, Bob Manning reached number 16 on the pop charts with an easy-listening rendition. Later, in 1956, the album Ella & Louis featured a version where Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong shared vocals, with Armstrong adding trumpet solos, accompanied by a star-studded combo with Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, Herb Ellis on guitar, and Buddy Rich on drums. This record reached number one on Billboard's jazz chart and ranked in the top ten on the pop chart. The version by Norah Jones, included in her album Come Away With Me, released on February 26, 2002, by Blue Note Records, was recorded at Sorcerer Sound and Allaire studios. This album, which combines elements of jazz, soul, and country, became a phenomenon, reaching number one on the US Billboard 200 and winning Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. It was certified Diamond in 2005 and has sold over 27 million copies worldwide as of 2016, establishing itself as one of the most successful albums of all time.