FM dial scan highlights LII

Some of the better tracks played today:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Love You Strong-Terri Hendrix (Hendrix is adept at singing from the heart and ending phrases with breathy inflections for emphasis.  This title track from her new release, due out February 5, illustrates this.  If you like the feel and sentiments of "1000 Times," you'll probably appreciate this new song, as well.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Ask Me Now-Jon Batiste (This sublime piano cover of the Thelonious Monk tune from "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert"'s bandleader is a highlight of Batiste's 2013 release, "Jazz Is Now."  "Moon River" receives a similar elegant treatment.)
• There's A Dance Tonight-Marcus Roberts Trio (This piano-anchored standout off the 2013 release, "From Rags To Rhythm," transitions gracefully from swing to a more improvisational style.)

KCLC 89.1 FM 

• Breathe-Anna Nalick (When a mistake you've made overwhelms you, why not take a breath and then ask for help?)

KSHE 94.7 FM

• Dialogue-Chicago (An of-its-time give-and-take between two college students; Terry Kath sings the part of a cynic, concerned over the state of the world, while Peter Cetera adopts the outlook of a relatively unconcerned, sheltered student.  "Dialogue" and "Saturday In The Park" are two of the strongest tracks on the "Chicago V" album.)
• While You See A Chance-Steve Winwood (Winwood sings hopefully about how it's best to keep going and make the most of your opportunities.  If the song's outlook appeals to you, you might also enjoy Winwood's similarly optimistic tune, "Still In The Game.")
• Day After Day-Badfinger (Music reviewers frequently cite Badfinger as one of the most influential power pop bands.  Of the band's three best hits, "Day After Day" tilts most heavily toward the singer-songwriter side but is no less of a sing-along track than "No Matter What" or "Baby Blue.")
• School Days-Stanley Clarke (It was a pleasant surprise to hear KSHE play one of the most ear-catching fusion bass riffs.  If you like the feel of this instrumental, check out Clarke's "Hello Jeff.")
• Teacher-Jethro Tull (For the hidden wanderer/adventurer in some of us...)

Context? III

One of the most startling statements I've ever heard out of context on the radio: "In a furious rage, I strangled the man with my bare hands until his eyes popped out."  KDHX aired this on October 6, 1991, and I wasn't sure what to make of it.  Birds were chirping in the background, and the speaker sounded almost robotic.  I sure hope that he was reading from a work of fiction and not recalling a crime he'd committed!

In memory of Paul Kantner

In memory of Paul Kantner, a Jefferson Airplane co-founder, singer, and guitarist who passed away yesterday, I recommend these three tracks from the "Volunteers" album:

• We Can Be Together (Kantner wrote the band's best song, in my opinion.  This tune has the band's most appealing blend of vocal harmonies and summarizes the generation gap in 1969--and the way his generation was often perceived at the time--as well as or better than any other tune of its era.  It's an impressive album opener...)
• Volunteers (...and segues well with the album's closing track, which Marty Balin and Kantner co-wrote.  The tune serves as a call to protest the Vietnam War and uses the word "volunteers" ironically.)
• Wooden Ships (The excellent Crosby, Stills & Nash version still gets most of the radio airplay, but Jefferson Airplane recorded it, as well.  Kantner co-wrote it with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, and the way it details the consequences of nuclear war shouldn't leave any listener's mind easily.  It's an effective stop-and-think set of lyrics, in the same league as Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth.")

Kantner's most gripping contributions came from a specific time and set of circumstances, and the sentiments he expressed in those three songs deserve their due--and airplay.

"So, go buy--um, whatever it is they sell..."

What do you do when you're the lead singer of a band, you're plugging one of the sponsors of your concert, and you forget what they do?  A few years ago, one lead singer faced this predicament here.  Between songs, he told the audience, "Also, check out (name of sponsor.)  They...Actually, what is it that they do?  Well, whatever it is, they're the best at it, so go check 'em out."

In the heat of the moment, what else can you do?

Online radio sampler highlights XXXII

Six of the better tunes I've heard today:

KCSM (San Mateo, CA)

• Mr. Lucky-Vince Guaraldi (Bossa nova meets easy listening in classy, lush fashion.)
• Mambo De La Pinta-Art Pepper (If you're looking for a prototypical sax-led track to introduce someone to the mambo, you can hardly do better than this.)

KWMU-2 (St. Louis, MO)

• Don't Fall Off The L.E.J.-Sean Jones (A swinging melody that demands your attention, thanks to Orrin Evans on piano and Jones on trumpet.)

KXZY (Stillwater, OK)

• North-East To Nippon-Breakestra (A hip instrumental, seemingly derived from Sly & The Family Stone's "Sing A Simple Song" and The Meters.)

WRUV (Burlington, VT)

• Crazy-Au Revoir Simone (This trio of women recorded one of 2013's catchier hooks.)

WUSC (Columbia, SC)

• Feel-Petal (Kiley Lotz shows that sometimes, a voice and a guitar are enough to convey honest sentiments.)

Context? II

A radio commercial fragment I heard during the '80s: "I want to make the most of me, whoever I am!"

That was the only portion of the commercial I heard.  The speaker sounded like she was in her late teens or early twenties.  I remember detecting an interesting mix of determination and futility in her voice.  Most likely, the ad was for a local college.  Maybe it was for a trade school.  Or, thinking outside the box, maybe it was for a meditation center.  Maybe she just wanted to feel at peace with the world before heading out into it.  That wouldn't be a bad tag line for a meditation center, when you think about it.  After all, if you're embarking on some life-changing venture, why not strive for an inner calmness, if it isn't there already?

"Please don't eat the records."

When I was a kid, I checked out records frequently from various county library branches.  Whenever an album had a defect, a librarian would write it down on a damage noted sticker and attach it to the record's checkout pocket.  At most branches, you'd see sporadic stickers on the albums with unsurprising notations, such as "Side 1, Track 3 skips," "Side 2 scratched," or "Record warped."  At one branch, however, I wondered if patrons understood that records were intended to be played on turntables.  Frequently, I would see damage-noted stickers on their albums that read, "White-out on Side 1," "Glitter on Side 2," or "Barbecue sauce on both sides."  "How on Earth do people mistake records for typing paper, decorations, or lunch?" I thought.  It's a wonder that library didn't take a cue from Peppermint Patty.  The way she scolded Marcie for ruining the eggs in "It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown," if transcribed almost verbatim on a sign, might have helped preserve the quality of at least some albums.  (i.e. "These records are not to be fried.  Nor are they to be roasted, toasted, or waffled.")

Context?

I heard this exchange on KDHX during a dial scan about 25 years ago:

DJ:  So, the full moon's this week, huh?

Respondent, in werewolf voice:  Yeah, we don't talk much about that in my family.  We like to avoid the full moon.  It does strange things to us.

That's all I heard of the exchange, and I've wondered about the context since then.  Under what conditions would an announcer interview a werewolf on KDHX or any other station?  Was the respondent part of an all-werewolf band promoting a new album and/or an upcoming concert performance?  Was he playing the part of a werewolf in some production?  Or, was he a neighborhood werewolf invited to provide a perspective listeners don't usually hear? 

I still don't know the answer, but welcome, nevertheless, to a new recurring feature.

FM dial scan highlights LI

One track of note heard yesterday and seven heard today:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Old Photographs-Tommy Emmanuel (A warm acoustic guitar piece suitable for looking through photo albums or reading nostalgic works.)
• Ol' '55-The Eagles (Stacy, the host of "Backroads," made a strong choice here in memory of Glenn Frey.  Frey's lead vocals, and the band's harmony vocals, on this cover of a Tom Waits tune are among the best they've ever recorded.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Tell Me You'll Wait For Me-Roseanna Vitro (Sultry vocals and piano dominate the tune.  If you like Nancy Wilson's take on the Major Harris tune, "Love Won't Let Me Wait," you'll probably enjoy Vitro's impressive cover of this Ray Charles song.)

WFUN 95.5 FM

• I Call Your Name-Switch (It was good to hear a precursor of the DeBarge sound.)

KEZK 102.5 FM 

• Brave-Sara Bareilles (I wonder if T.S. Eliot's J. Alfred Prufrock would heed this advice or at least admire the song as an empowering pick-me-up.)

WARH 106.5 FM

• Do Ya-ELO (A good sing-along chorus with backing that's more orchestral than that of The Move, Jeff Lynne's prior band.  The feel comes through equally well in both versions.)
• One Love-Bob Marley & The Wailers (One benefit of The Arch's no-repeated-songs-in-the-same-day policy: The listener gets to hear an uplifting tune that might not be played on a commercial station here otherwise.)
• Set Adrift On Memory Bliss-P.M. Dawn (It was a pleasure to hear the group's chart-topping hit. It samples Spandau Ballet's "True" effectively, without letting it overpower the song.  Also recommended: "To Serenade A Rainbow," "A Watcher's Point Of View," and "Reality Used To Be A Friend Of Mine.")

Not the food source ad I expected

"Wow," said one woman to another in the radio commercial.  "Look at all this food.  It must have taken you hours to make all of this."  "Nope," the other woman replied. "I just..."

Now, how would you expect her to complete that sentence?  Most likely, you'd expect to her name a grocery store, praise a restaurant for providing take-home service, or recommend a catering company.

Instead, she went on to tout the food available at a church that serves lunch.  My family and I used to attend that church every now and then, and I remember seeing large amounts of pastries for sale after Mass.  I heard the commercial about 15 years ago on a station with a music-of-your-life format, and it surprised me.  There's nothing wrong with advertising that way, but you don't usually hear a church promote its "You want apple pie for lunch?  We've got apple pie for lunch!" angle in a radio commercial.

Was it really a requested song?

In looking through playlists from my KCOU days, I'm puzzled by a notation I made.  On one playlist, next to Andy Gibb's "Shadow Dancing," I wrote, "request, kind of."  I'm trying to remember why I specified "kind of" on the playlist.  Did a listener call the station and request it in a deadpan voice, as someone once did when asking to hear USA For Africa's "We Are The World?"  Did another DJ walk past the studio and say, "I haven't heard 'Shadow Dancing' in a long time?"  Did another DJ suggest, "It might be unexpected, but 'Shadow Dancing' would segue with the song playing now?"  Or, maybe a listener actually wanted to hear the song but felt awkward requesting it.

"Kind of," in this case, could have meant several things.  I'm still wondering.

"Mabel has a long list of school closings..."

...or she would have on a day like this in the '80s, when snow had fallen in St. Louis, and many schools were closed.  Bob Hardy and Bill Wilkerson read the school closings on KMOX then, and Hardy frequently personified the computer that printed the listings as "Mabel."  (i.e.  "Mabel has been very busy, churning out the school closings this morning...")  Hardy and Wilkerson would divide up the list and take turns reading sections of it, alphabetically.  I remember listening to the school closings and starting to hold my breath when I thought Hardy or Wilkerson would announce my school district.  More often than not, they wouldn't announce it because the superintendent was from Minnesota, and snow apparently didn't phase him easily.  (I understand the district closed more often when his successor, who hailed from Texas, took over.)  I remember one day 30 years ago when ours was one of only two districts open in St. Louis County.  Perhaps a coalition of students should have offered Hardy, Wilkerson, and Mabel cash to say on the air that it was closed.

Online radio sampler highlights XXXI

Tunes and pieces that got my attention this evening:

KSJS (San Jose, CA)

• Cut The Cake-Average White Band (Minimalist lyrics, with instrumental backing in the style of "Pick Up The Pieces.")

WBGO (Newark, NJ)

• Lorelei's Lament-Hank Crawford (The feel of Crawford's emoting on saxophone brings to mind one of the best jazz sax solos ever, in my opinion--Bud Shank's on Sammy Nestico's "Samantha.")
• Imagination-Betty Carter (Straight-ahead scatting with the rhythm section's nimble support.)

WCSB (Cleveland, OH)

• Gangsters-The Specials (Rock meets ska in one of the band's most memorable tunes.)

WHRB (Cambridge, MA)

• Claude Le Jeune: Missa ad Placitum (Choir Of New College, Cambridge/Edward Higginbottom, director) (Captures the solemnity of a Sunday morning service...)
• Robert Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9 (Nelson Freire, piano) (Festive and contemplative, by turns; this is an engaging series of short movements for solo piano.)
• V2 sur mes souvenirs-Taxi Girl (Captures the synthesized zeitgeist of new wave in the '80s; every instrument would be a blast to play on this track.)
• I Don't Mind It-Screaming Females (Featuring impressive shredding and new wave-style vocals from Marissa Paternoster, "I Don't Mind It" would segue well with Dressy Bessy's "Just Once More" or the Blondie tunes, "Dreaming" and "One Way Or Another."  It's from 2010 but sounds right out of the '80s.  It speaks well of WHRB that it can accommodate music ranging from Robert Schumann to Screaming Females.)

It's funny to think now...

...that there was ever a time when you couldn't look up song lyrics on the Internet.  In 1996, before song lyric web sites were common, I remember John Mellencamp's "Just Another Day" coming on the radio at work.  A co-worker and I tried to decipher the names of the song's recurring characters; it sounded to us as though Mellencamp was singing about "Brolidar and Big Jim Nahgahro."  A few years later, we learned that their names are actually Bobie Doll and Big Jim Picato.  It was good to confirm that.  After all, it's only right to know the names of two generous souls who are "always there with their free advice."

KCOU playlist flashback: 6-9 a.m., 1/17/93

Looking back at the variety of music I played on the air 23 years ago this morning made me smile.  Here's the playlist:

   1.  Walkabout-The Sugarcubes
(Bjork and her band recorded this late in the band's career.  Vocally and instrumentally, the energy level is infectious.)
   2.  Come Inside-The Black Watch
(The fiddling drew me in, as I recall.)
   3.  Donatello-Jawbreaker
   4.  Sunnyslope-Fish Karma
   5.  Little Maggie-Bob Dylan
---
   6.  Me And Rock & Roll Are Here To Stay-David Ruffin
   7.  Some Kind Of Wonderful-Soul Brothers Six
(The hook can't help but stay with you.)
   8.  Zanse't Nou Yo-Boukman Eksperyans
   9.  A Shot In The Dark-The Skatalites
(If the title isn't familiar, you've still probably heard this tune, at least as background music.  It's one of the most accessible, recognizable ska melodies.)
---
 10.  Last Up First To Go-Thousand Yard Stare
 11.  State Of Mind-Ten City
(One of the Ten City's most memorable grooves, along with "Whatever Makes You Happy.")
 12.  If I Can't Have You-Yvonne Elliman
(Elliman's smash hit still holds up.  Also recommended: her cover of "Hello Stranger.")
---
 13.  I'm Gonna Make You Mine-Michael Schenker Group
 14.  Undercover Of The Night-The Rolling Stones (*)
 15.  Maria's Wedding-Black 47
---
 16.  You Make The Whole World Cry-Tanita Tikaram
 17.  Waiting Game-Swing Out Sister
(If you like the group's hit, "Breakout," you'll probably enjoy "Waiting Game"'s similar feel.)
 18.  Shake Down The Stars-Sarah Vaughan
 19.  Chelsea Bridge-Nancie Banks Orchestra
(An elegant, beguiling instrumental...)
 20.  Never Let Me Go-Katie Webster
(...that segues well with this classy vocal number.)
---
 21.  Fire-Jimi Hendrix Experience
(Still one of rock's most immediate, pay-attention-to-this guitar intros.)
 22.  Tumbleswan-Jacob's Mouse
 23.  Satisfied-Junk Monkeys
 24.  Parasite-Throw
 25.  Neptune-Grasshopper
---
 26.  In A Lemon Twist-Radioblue
 27.  Save It For Later-The English Beat
(The band's best sing-along melody, in my opinion.)
 28.  ...And I'm Thinking-The Sneetches
(I remember that the KCOU staffer who reviewed this 45 wrote that this power pop band "can do no wrong."  Her assessment is correct.  This band has written so many radio-friendly tunes that, unfortunately, receive little or no airplay.)
 29.  Blindside-27th City
---
 30.  Temptation-Heaven 17
 31.  Everlasting-Soup Dragons
 32.  Bob Says No-Popdefect
 33.  Stuck On AM-Rex Daisy
(This wistful tale of someone who "fell too fast and too far" still holds up.  Proof that the world is smaller than we think sometimes: At my most recent high school reunion, I talked with a friend about the enjoyable times we'd had on-air at college radio stations in different states.  To my surprise, he brought up this song out of the blue.  As good as the song is, the song and the band aren't household names.  In fact, we were probably the only two people at the reunion who knew this song.  Of all the obscure indie tunes he could have mentioned...) 
 34.  I Don't Mind-Kicking Giant
 35.  Downtown Train-Everything But The Girl
(I've praised this version previously, but it's worth recommending again.  The acoustic, poignant arrangement makes the lyrics all the more effective.)
 36.  You Don't Have To Move That Mountain-Trisha Yearwood
(There's a reliable base of quality you can expect in Yearwood's music.  Nickel Creek's version is also worth hearing.)
---
 37.  I Can't Hold Back-Pure Prairie League
(I'm still puzzled that this was never a hit.)
 38.  Mr. Wendal-Arrested Development
(Looking back, I'm surprised to see that I segued Pure Prairie League with Arrested Development.  That said, this tune's message is well worth remembering in any era.)
 39.  Two Scoops Of Raisins-Common Sense
 40.  Juicy Fruit-Mtume
---
 41.  Time Won't Let Me-The Outsiders
(I don't hear this on oldies stations as much as I used to, but it still deserves airplay.  The melody has held up well over the decades.)
 42.  Cold Feet-Albert King
 43.  T-Bone Shuffle-Buddy Guy & Junior Wells
---

(*) indicates a listener's request.
--- indicates a station break between songs. 

Picking one's battles

This morning, as I was having my groceries bagged, the clerk taped up the prepared food containers so they wouldn't pop open in the bag.  "Thank you for putting tape on those," I said.  She replied, "You're welcome.  Some customers don't like it when we put tape on the containers.  One customer recently got very upset when we did that, so we try to do it quickly before a customer notices and complains about it." 

Thinking about how customers sometimes become unhinged for no good reason brought to mind a radio station meeting I attended in the '90s.  An announcer asked the program director, "How should I respond to a caller who gets upset when we talk over the instrumental intro to (a syndicated program), as we're required to?  A guy called and said he likes to record pristine copies of each week's show and doesn't like his recordings ruined by us talking over the instrumental."  The program director rolled his eyes at the thought of a caller acting that way and said, under his breath, "Tell him where to go."  He followed up quickly, in his regular voice, "Actually, say, 'I'm sorry that upset you.'"

Sometimes, it's easier just to say, 'Sorry,' to a listener even when an apology isn't deserved.

Eccentric criteria for successful playing

Rehearsing an experimental piece requires a lot of open-mindedness.  Sometimes, you'll discover that a composer has crafted an original, refreshing melody that no one else would have conceived.  In other cases, however, the end result is simply strange.

In high school, one orchestra in which I played tried its hand at a seldom-played avant-garde piece.  Among other unusual requirements, bassists were required to rotate their bows on the strings in a circular motion, which made them sound like planes taking off.  Different members of the same sections were required to enter on different beats of a measure.  The brass and wind players used only their mouthpieces during certain stretches.  The finished product sounded, at times, like disgruntled ducks sparring over who's entitled to the most bread crumbs.

During one rehearsal, the conductor clued us in, indirectly, on what he thought of the piece.  After stopping the orchestra, he told us, with mock seriousness, "This has to be played correctly, or else, your parents are not going to like it."  We all had a laugh.  Then, we went back to sounding like planes and ducks.

A groggy wake-up call

Earlier today, I took cold medicine that's known for its ability to make people sleep through virtually anything short of an earthquake.  I'm still not sure if it was the radio, my cat singing outside the door, or voices in my head imitating the garbled static heard between radio stations that woke me up.  At the time, all three options seemed equally plausible to me.

A supposedly natural sales pitch

You don't always appreciate well-written advertising until you've attempted to write a commercial.  Radio ads are notoriously difficult to write because a client will often want to tout all the selling points of a business in an allegedly natural, conversational format.  (i.e. "Wow!  You mean I can have said product shipped right to my door?" "That's right!  Absolutely free of charge!"  "How convenient that is, not even having to leave the house!" "That's ABC Products, Incorporated for you!")  Years ago, at work, a co-worker and I were discussing what to order for dinner.  After catching ourselves lapsing into advertising banter, I pretended our conversation was a commercial.  "Say," I said to my co-worker.  "I'm in the mood for a lean yet filling sandwich.  Perhaps we should order from Gordon's Deli at 101 North Main Street, which is just a two-minute drive from our office.  We can place an order via telephone and pick it up within mere minutes or take advantage of their fast, free delivery."  "Yes," my co-worker replied.  "And, you know, at Gordon's Deli, they slice the pickles three ways..."

Just your average, everyday conversation between hungry co-workers, isn't it? 

FM dial scan highlights L

Five standout selections heard tonight:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Kindness Be Conceived-Thao & The Get Down Stay Down (An uptempo acoustic charmer, vocally and instrumentally.  As I listened, I imagined how Troubadours Of Divine Bliss might cover this.  Also recommended: the band's cover of the INXS tune, "Need You Tonight," on avclub.com.)
• Lazarus-David Bowie (A fitting swan song from the "Blackstar" album, released four days ago.  Lyrically, it suggests how Bowie might look back at his life upon entering the afterlife.  Instrumentally, it reminds me of "Space Oddity," but with heavier world-weariness.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• So In Love-Eliane Elias (Elias leads the combo on piano, as usual, in an appealing instrumental with a bounce.  It's one of many examples of her consistently classy approach to every song she plays.)

WFUN 95.5 FM

• Take Your Time (Do It Right)-The S.O.S. Band (A throwback track encapsulating the feel of early '80s KMJM and WZEN.  It would segue well with The Gap Band's "Burn Rubber On Me.")

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

• John Adams: Naive And Sentimental Music: III. Chain To The Rhythm (Live at Walt Disney Concert Hall) (Los Angeles Philharmonic/John Adams, conductor) (The term "cacophony" is a compliment here.  Imagine a cauldron bubbling over, and you'll have a good approximation of the third movement's feel.)

In memory of David Bowie

In memory of David Bowie, who passed away Sunday at age 69, here are five tracks of his that stand out most to me:

• Come And Buy My Toys (For most listeners, this is the most obscure song of Bowie's that I've listed.  Lyrically, it's a nice memory of childhood through the eyes of a toy store proprietor trying to drum up business.  He seems to be saying, "Enjoy your childhood while you have it.  Come in and buy a toy to make yourself happy."  In keeping with its throwback feel, I've always thought it's appropriate that whenever I hear this song, it's on an LP.)
• Golden Years (This is Bowie's most appealing song, in my opinion.  Its infectious enjoy-life-while-you're-at-your-peak vibe should lift almost anyone's spirits.  Vocally and instrumentally, everything clicks.  Bonus points for using hand claps so effectively.)
• Modern Love (Bowie's most infectious '80s hit, to my ears.  Name another song that begins similarly and draws you in this way.  Still thinking?)
• Space Oddity (Very few people know what it's like to float in space.  Although Bowie wasn't an astronaut, the lyrics might convince you that he was.  Natalie Merchant's live, unexpected cover of this is worth hearing, also.)
• Suffragette City (As with "Modern Love," name another song that throws you right into the action this way.  It's an odd compliment to say that you can enjoy the tune without even listening to the lyrics, but that's the case here.  The feel of it is that strong.  I've never heard any radio station or online service segue "Suffragette City" with Chicago's "Once Or Twice," but it would be a great pairing, stylistically.)

I would be remiss if I didn't also give "Changes" and "Young Americans" their due.  Bowie has been a staple artist of album rock radio stations since the '70s, for good reason.  Many of his hits and album tracks show a vision that's unique enough to stand out yet comfortable enough to draw listeners in decades later.

And, with that nod of appreciation, it's time to listen to "Golden Years."

Blues tune ponderable

If a respected blues artist recorded a tune about the flu or the common cold, would the subject matter help or hinder sales?  Would listeners be more inclined to purchase it because they can relate to it?  Or, would they avoid buying it because they don't want to be reminded of their illness?

Only in college XIII

"Say, could you do a Tippy Turtle impression?" asked someone I knew from my dorm floor when I answered KBIA's studio phone.  Somehow, I hadn't expected anyone to ask me to do an impression of the cartoon character from the 1984-'85 season of "Saturday Night Live."  "On the air?" I asked incredulously.  "Well, no...How would I do that?  This is an NPR affiliate.  Would I read the weather or do a promo for 'All Things Considered' that way?  Even on KCOU, it would be a stretch to do that impression."  "Oh, come on," he replied.  "Sorry, but no," I said.  Looking back, I'm still convinced that "No" was the right answer.  I could just imagine having to explain to the program director why I lapsed into a Tippy Turtle voice while introducing the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra's performance of Beethoven's fifth symphony.

Give the downbeat. Then, wander off.

I've written many times on this blog about how much jazz appeals to me.  Beyond the feel of the music and the way it welcomes improvisation, there's just a sense of freedom about it.  I used to feel this whenever I watched my college's jazz band perform outdoors.  During the band's annual "Jazz On The Mall" concert, I'd frequently see the conductor give the downbeat, conduct at least the first verse of a tune, and then wander off into the crowd to watch the band play.  To this day, I still think, "What a cool job that must be, to get your jazz band going, conduct them in a 'You get the gist of this...' manner, and still get to see them in concert the way the audience does..."

"How about that requested song...Now, maybe?"

A memory from the '90s: One night, I'd brought in some CDs to listen to while working.  I'd mentioned having a Gordon Lightfoot CD with me, and a co-worker said that he'd like to hear one of his favorite songs, "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald."  I was too focused on work, however, to actually play the CD that night.  Each time I walked from my desk to the basket where work to be done was kept, this co-worker would let out a subtle reminder, such as, "Say, does anyone have any Gordon Lightfoot music?" or "Some Gordon Lightfoot music would sound good right about now."  When that didn't work, he started quoting lyrics from "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" each time I walked past.  When his shift ended that night, he said, in a complete deadpan, "What a disappointing evening this has been."  Looking back, I wish certain radio listeners whose requests I couldn't play because they weren't available or had just been played recently had taken the answer, "No," with such good humor.

Online radio sampler highlights XXX

Six of the more interesting selections I've heard this morning:

KZSC (Santa Cruz, CA)

• E Ku'u Morning Dew-Keola Beamer (A subtle Hawaiian slack-key guitar instrumental, fit for greeting the new day; it would segue with the piece I cited on WCBN this morning.)

WBGU (Bowling Green, OH)

• The Listener-John Wojciechowski (A captivating straight-ahead jazz number for saxophone and rhythm section.)

WCBN (Ann Arbor, MI)

• The Air Of Place-Rachel Grimes (A gripping new age orchestral prelude from 2015.  "The Clearing" is an appropriate name for its CD, as it's easy to picture clouds giving way to clear skies at the end of the track.)

WERS (Boston, MA)

• Smoking Gun-Robert Cray Band (Still one of the band's most powerful tracks; with vocals and guitar work like this, it's not surprising this was the first Cray track that received widespread commercial radio airplay.)

WFDU (Teaneck, NJ)

• One Foot In The Blues-Johnny Adams with Dr. Lonnie & Jimmy Ponder (An ideal blues riff--vocals with just the right amount of emoting, backed up by shimmering organ, guitar, and saxophone.)

WPRB (Princeton, NJ)

• Gloria Coates: Perchance To Dream (Susan Allen, harp; Cotton Lytle, bowed vibraphone) (This haunting, ethereal piece would also segue well with "The Air Of Place.")

Persistent earworm alert XVI

While making toast for the last several mornings, I haven't been able to get the oldie, "Bread And Butter," by The Newbeats, out of my mind.  In short, the protagonist likes bread and butter, as well as toast and jam.  He's thankful that his wife (or girlfriend?) remembers this; in fact, his taste for these breakfast foodstuffs looms so large that even when he's betrayed, his reaction is "No more bread and butter.  No more toast and jam."  Not surprisingly, the tune's cheery dance beat plays down the cheating aspect to focus on the food shortage.

I don't remember "Bread And Butter" being played much on oldies radio stations here, but I remember a TV commercial for an oldies compilation that featured it.  Oldies in TV commercials, for some reason, aren't allowed to stand on their own as often as they should; supposedly, people have to dance around to them, often with crazed smiles.  Such was the case with "Bread And Butter."  Classic rock anthems face a similar fate; instead of letting the songs that people have heard hundreds of times speak for themselves, commercials have to show listeners playing air guitar and/or spouting archaic slang as they listen.  Apparently, it isn't enough to just play a well-worn excerpt from a song; at least one listener has to give it the "groovy" or "right on" seal of approval.  Heaven forbid that one should simply listen to "Bread And Butter" and make an independent judgment on its merits.

Turning one's back on a wrong note

When a high school musician flubs a note during a rehearsal, the conductor will usually ask the player's section to correct its intonation.  Sometimes, the conductor will speak to the individual player.  I once saw a conductor try a more unusual tactic, however.  When a bassist played a note out of tune, the conductor stopped the orchestra and said, "I don't want to know who played that note out of tune.  I'm going to turn my back.  While my back is turned, would whoever did that please make a note in his or her music?"  After a short pause, the offending bassist exclaimed, "It was me!"  As the orchestra burst out laughing, the conductor, while starting to chuckle slightly, told him, "I said I didn't want to know!"  To the conductor's credit, his unusual strategy worked.  The bassist played the note in tune from then on.

You might hear a forecast like this...

...when the announcer hasn't had enough sleep.  I've only heard this happen once, but I still remember an announcer saying, "It'll be clouder and coldy today..."

Fireworks music food for thought

Downtown Kirkwood rang in the new year with an enjoyable fireworks display last night, and the music that accompanied it, including The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back" and "Brick House" by The Commodores, meshed reasonably well.  It would be interesting in the future if someone threw a spanner in the works, though, by choosing a song that would make people think, "Wait...Huh?"  Perhaps, without explanation, the chorus of "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris could be slipped into the middle of the medley.

Positive perspective

"Sometimes, I think about what it's like being in radio," a program director once said to me.  "I don't have some of the things that other people have.  But, you know, I've had a lot of years in this business that have been very good to me."  Combined with this program director's on-air admission, "There are tougher ways to make a living," that's a healthy perspective to have as a new year begins.