Shun Sakai -- For All We Know

 

It was through Shun Sakai's（酒井俊）version that I found out about "For All We Know" which according to Wikipedia "...is a popular song published in 1934, with music by J. Fred Coots and lyrics by Sam M. Lewis". The main lyrics begin with "For all we know we may never meet again..." but apparently there have been different verses created for the many covers that have been done over the past century. The above video may be the original recording with Hal Kemp and his orchestra with Bob Allen as the vocalist. I don't peg this as a jazz tune...I think it's some of that beautiful music that I've read about in jazz history books that was used as the counterpoint to the so-called sinful jazz at the time.

Sakai has had a couple of articles placed onto "Kayo Kyoku Plus" so far and I've known her as a soulful chanteuse hovering thereabouts in the City Pop realm. It was in her 1979 album "My Imagination" where her version of "For All We Know" exists as a track, and it's quite the blistering and bluesy slow jam (love the sax) about a couple ending a wonderful evening while savoring every moment that was spent together. Will they never meet again?....nah, they will see each other over and over again. In fact, I bet "For All We Know" will be played at their wedding reception and on their 50th wedding anniversary.

Considering the original version's style, it's ironic that there are probably many jazz versions of "For All We Know", and I found one by the incomparable Boz Scaggs from his 2003 album "But Beautiful".