Welcome, familiar ground

I was always pleased when I learned that an ensemble in which I played was going to play a piece I'd already played with another orchestra.  The best example of this was Franz Schubert's eighth symphony, "Unfinished."  During one rehearsal, I was playing it with fierce confidence, going to town as if I'd played it several hundred times by memory.  When the conductor stopped the orchestra to go over a particular passage, he looked over at me and said, "Very good!"  The seriousness with which I replied, "Thank you," elicited a few giggles from the first violinists.

It didn't bug me at the time, but later, I thought, "I wonder if I was approaching a 'Be Not Afraid' level, instrumentally." 

FM dial scan highlights CCCV

This morning's recommended gems:

WSIE 88.7 FM 

• Butterfly-Jeff Bradshaw & Christian McBride (I remember playing Herbie Hancock's 1995 "Dis Is Da Drum" version of this on KNJZ.  This is an impressive cover of the tune, giving it a spacier, late night feel.)
• Feelin' Free-Andrea Lisa & Rebecca Jade (Pleasant smooth jazz guitar underscores these lyrics about being selfless without turning into a doormat.  This January release is one of the most soothing tunes I've heard so far this year.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Long Way To Fall-Bedouine (When is it appropriate to help someone who's struggling?  Bedouine's graceful vocals fit these sensitive lyrics well.)

WARH 106.5 FM

• Don't Dream It's Over-Crowded House (Still one of the best opening guitar licks; as good as this hit is, there's so much more to this band, especially on its treasure trove of great harmonies and lyrics, the "Woodface" album.)

K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. WFUN-HD2

• Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis: In The Forest-Symphonic Poem (Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra/Juozas Domarkas, conductor) (The strings, winds, and brass convey effective initial tentativeness of wandering in a forest.  Through lush, expressive playing and forceful crescendos, they also capture the beauty of a forest equally well.)

Proof of fandom

Whenever a musical artist I like retires or passes away, I often think, "How much of their music have I bought?"  Even if it was just two of their albums or a handful of scattered songs, I feel a little better knowing that I contributed, at least on a modest scale, to their being able to make a living doing what they love.

Persistent earworm alert CDXXXIX

Although Paul Simon wrote "Can't Run But" long before artificial intelligence, the tune's general vibe about a loss of humanity comes to my mind every few days lately.  It's rare these days for me to go more than a few days without reading about an AI glitch or people relying on it instead of thinking for themselves.

The song also comes to mind on a day like today, when I've gotten a decent amount of sleep but still feel sluggish.  It's strangely motivational while also acknowledging that some days are inevitably worse than others.

Persistent earworm alert CDXXXVIII

My mind is craving a break between one long worknight and another.  Thus, the recurring mental loop of "Guantanamera," as played soothingly by The 50 Guitars...

...I'm not sure why it took so many years for my mind to conjure up such a familiar, much-covered melody as an earworm, but now that it's here, I'm fine with it not leaving soon. 

SiriusXM highlights CLXXIII

Friday morning standouts:

1st Wave Deep Cuts

• Leave In Silence-Depeche Mode (A clear sign that a relationship has ended.)

Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals

• Some Forgotten Color-Spencer Elliott (Music for cloudy day contemplation.  I pictured a wheel turning continuously as I listened.) 

The Bridge

• Your Smiling Face-James Taylor (Too often, how-lucky-I-am-to-be-with-you songs err in being too overwrought.  Taylor's song escapes this trap, thanks to an unusually uptempo arrangement, resulting in one of his best hits.)  

Classic Folk

• Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall-Simon & Garfunkel (Eloquent lyrics about staying true to one's convictions in the face of opposing forces.)
• America The Beautiful-Keb' Mo' (Keb' Mo''s bluesy approach to this should-be-national-anthem on the guitar and vocals serves it well.)

Country Coffee House

• Deeper Well-Kacey Musgraves (A flashing sign about when it's wise to cut ties with people or habits that are too destructive.) 

Deep Tracks Just Music

• Up The 'Pool-Jethro Tull (An interesting song about a quirky town.  I have the impression that while it might not be everyone's cup of tea, those who live there are proud to call it home.) 

The Loft

• Till Your Mind Is Shining-Peter Gabriel (How does one's mind process its thoughts?  For that matter, how does artificial intelligence process the information it gathers?  Gabriel's new release raises these questions.) 

Mom Jeans

• Orinoco Flow-Enya (Many listeners who don't know any other new age vocal tracks offhand likely know this tune, thanks to its frequent airplay when it was released and its "Sail away, Sail away, Sail away," hook.)

North Americana

• Diggin' In The Coal-Leah Blevins (This endearing January release has heartwarming lyrics about holding onto the people who mean the most to you.  Rhythmically and vocally, it falls somewhere between the Dixie Chicks and Fleetwood Mac.) 

Real Jazz

• Time-Lafayette Harris, Jr. (This elegant, melancholy piano-and-trumpet number could segue with multiple versions of "I Can't Get Started.")

Yacht Rock Radio

• Never Be The Same-Christopher Cross (Even after a relationship ends, the impression a person has made usually lingers.  The tune's upbeat, poppy arrangement takes the edge off of the rejection, so it's not surprising that this was a relatively big hit for Cross in 1980-'81.) 

Online radio sampler highlights CCXCVIII

Thursday morning highlights:

KEPC (Colorado Springs, CO)

• Starlight-Cannons (This January release is familiar yet fresh dream pop.  Its endearing lyrics are about finding "the one" despite putting up barriers.)
• Planting Tomatoes-Lucy Dacus (This track, released in April, is a sobering reminder to appreciate the people in our lives and what's around us, with a dash of "Pleasant Valley Sunday"-style observations.) 

KRCL (Salt Lake City, UT)

• If I Called You-Kendra Morris (This is from 2025, but the vocals and guitar underpinning could pass for '70s throwbacks.  It's one of the catchier earworms I've heard recently.)

KKYX (San Antonio, TX)

• Smoky Mountain Rain-Ronnie Milsap (Glen Campbell could have recorded a solid cover of this.)
• Angel Of The Morning-Juice Newton (Newton's cover version captures the spirit of the 1968 hit by Merrillee Rush & The Turnabouts.  Both versions deserve more airplay these days.) 

WSLR (Sarasota, FL)

• Last Train To Skaville-Jackie Mittoo And The Soul Brothers (Impressive saxophone playing in conjunction with train sound effects.)
• Bacoa-Martin Denny (A sinister-sounding yet intriguing instrumental.  This is jazzy easy listening with an edge.  Conceivably, it could underscore footage of a lunatic steering a gondola into a cave.)

WVSS (Menomonie, WI)

• Libby Larsen: Deep Summer Music (Colorado Symphony Orchestra/Marin Alsop, conductor) (Learning that this piece was harvest-inspired primed me to like it, as that means pastoral-sounding strings, winds, and brass.)

WWOZ (New Orleans, LA)

• Paradox-Sonny Rollins (I'm glad that WWOZ's tribute to jazz saxophone giant Rollins included this skillful blend of straight ahead jazz and Latin influences.  I was also pleased that the station honored his memory with my favorite melody of his, "St. Thomas.")