SiriusXM highlights CLXXV

Today's standout tunes:

'60s/'70s R&B Hits

• It Only Takes A Minute-Tavares (The subject matter of "...Minute" differs considerably from "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays, but those songs are rhythmically compatible.) 

Country Coffee House

• Conversations With The Moon-Kitty Coen (Modern-sounding low-pitched vocals against a backdrop not unlike many '50s doo-wop songs.)  

B.B. King's Bluesville

• Mind Your Step-Laura Chavez (Electric guitar stylings with considerable grit, fit for hitting the open road.) 

Luna 

• Teach Me Tonight-Tito Puente (This instrumental's cha-cha rhythm makes it easy to segue with Les Brown's bossa nova version of "Begin The Beguine.") 

Real Jazz Just Music

• The Song Is You-Pat Bianchi (Bianchi's lightning fast organ playing serves this standard well.)

SiriusXM Love

• (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher-Rita Coolidge (Jackie Wilson had a big hit with this in 1967.  Ten years later, Coolidge had an even bigger hit with it.  Coolidge's vocals, and a slower yet still energetic tempo, made this an especially strong remake.) 

Watercolors

• Carmel-Joe Sample (This has a bit more bite than I'm used to in Sample's solo piano recordings.)

Yacht Rock Deep Cuts

• Little Darling (I Need You)-The Doobie Brothers (A perfect cover; Michael McDonald handles lead vocals with his customary force.  The instrumental interlude from 1:40 until 2:08 is one of the most infectious I've heard, as it builds upon the momentum of McDonald's preceding vocals.  How was this not a hit?)

The challenge of being in the background

Recently, I listened to Porcupine's self-titled CD, which I hadn't heard in a while.  As I listened, I thought, "There's a pleasant consistency to these tracks--appealing smooth jazz with easy-to-digest keyboard parts, sunny saxophone, and a good undercurrent of bass.  I wonder why I've never heard this group's music on the radio."

I knew the answer, though.  When your music is consistent but consumed largely as background accompaniment, it's easy for it to get lost in the shuffle of similar-sounding artists.

Such is the challenge smooth jazz and new age artists face.

Persistent earworm alert CDXLII

The electricity has gone out five times today.  The first four times, the power outages only lasted, at most, about as long as Chopin's "Minute Waltz."  The fifth power outage, however, lasted over 20 minutes.

It's interesting to ride out a power outage with "Minute Waltz" playing on a back-of-the-mind mental loop 20 times.  Who knew that such a fast piece could have such a calming effect?

Online radio sampler highlights CCCI

These are six of the more interesting tunes I've heard today:

KBZR (Baker City, OR)

• 'Til You Know-Slippers (This new release's catchy jangly guitar power pop underpinning takes the edge off of lyrics about a relationship that probably can't be salvaged.)

KVSF (Santa Fe, NM)

• Come Rain Or Come Shine-Milt Jackson Quintet (Jackson's mellifluous vibraphone and the piano playing on this rendition conjures up the feel of many Bill Evans piano recordings, which I always consider a plus...)
• Too Blue-Victor Feldman (...Feldman, on the other hand, captures a different mood on the vibraphone here throughout this sly walk of a melody.) 

WSUM (Madison, WI)

• Why Try To Change Me Now?-Fiona Apple (Apple's low-pitched vocals and sublime piano playing fit this Cy Coleman-penned standard perfectly.  I'm not sure how this version escaped my notice until now.)

WTIP (Grand Marais, MN)

• Mandarin Moon-Pearl & The Oysters (The '70s-style flute and keyboard stylings. in conjunction with endearing vocals, give this May release a surprisingly sunny vibe.  That's not what I'd expect from a song about the harrowing subject of surviving a fire.  Rhythmically, this could segue with EchoWave's "Sad Dream.")
• Red Sun-Big Wild (The captivating midtempo dance beat serves the vocals well.  If this tune had existed in the early '90s, I would have played it on KCOU.)

Reassuring continuity

I graduated from college over 30 years ago, so it's not surprising that most of the music department instructors during my time there have retired.  It's nice to see that a few of them still teach there, though.  

I know that the passage of time is inevitable, but I'll take all the links to my years there that I can get.

Underscoring the thrill of the chase

While listening to Sammy Nestico's "Dark Orchid" yesterday, I wondered if the tune had ever underscored a chase scene in a TV drama or movie.  It should, as that instrumental conveys a tense, suspenseful vibe while falling somewhere between a Chuck Mangione track and the Isaac Hayes classic, "Theme From 'Shaft.'"

Context? CDXLI

An AM radio caller said this morning, "Of the Three Stooges, my favorite is..."

...And, that was my cue to change stations.  Although it has been about 45 years since I last saw anything they did, I'm certain their comedy isn't for me.  I know they had a long career and people still watch them today.  The appeal of their humor just eludes me, though.  Even as a 10-year-old, I thought, "This is a form of entertainment?  Really?"

No law requires every form of humor has to be cerebral, but...