Beauford's First European Road Trip

In April 1954, Beauford joined Sergei Radamsky on a road trip to Austria, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Radamsky was a opera singer and voice instructor whom Beauford had met in New York. Beauford shared his love for opera, and music was a major focus of their journey.

Biographer David A. Leeming states that Beauford wrote in his journals about hearing Madame Butterfly and Salome at the Staatsoper in Vienna and spending evenings with Radamsky's students, who "sang arias from Don Carlos and Butterfly over many glasses of new wine."

He also states that Beauford wrote to a friend about "the American music he heard on the radio everywhere—Jelly Roll Morton, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday."

Below are YouTube videos of songs from these operas and by these artists.

Enjoy!

Madame Butterfly - Maria Callas - Puccini

Salome - Dance of the Seven Veils (excerpt) - Pittsburg Opera

Don Carlo - Metropolitan Opera House

Jelly Roll Morton - "Dead Man Blues"

Benny Goodman - "Sing Sing Sing"

Ella Fitzgerald - "Cry Me a River"

Billie Holiday - "Blue Moon"