Ambling on with two Christmas carols

When your Christmas spirit makes you want to skip down the lane, consider using John Fahey's medley of "Hark, The Herald Angels Sing" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" as your accompaniment.  Fahey gives each carol a bounce on the guitar, and pairing them illustrates their common thematic ground.  Neither carol is ordinarily intended for ambling down a country road, but in this case...

Not a statistically valid sample, but...

After remembering this announcer's turn of phrase, I should admit saying a comparable example on-air.  When a baseball team defeated a team from Limestone, I reported that the winning team "took Limestone to the quarry."

My phrasing amused the newscaster.

"Took Limestone to the quarry!" he exclaimed off the air.  "Drew, that's a good one.  I like it a lot."

Because that was the only feedback I received to my choice of phrasing, I'll continue to say the reaction from listeners was 100% positive.

Favoring variable chair placements

My college orchestra director had the right idea about chair placements.  He told me during my freshman audition that seating was rotational.  It wasn't a precise rotation, however, as in volleyball.  Typically, each section would have three or four seating arrangements per year, resulting in up to four different concertmasters and two or three different principals in the non-violin sections.  That way, multiple talented musicians got to have a turn at having a lead role, and the other musicians got a chance to hear pieces from different perspectives in the room.  Once, he told the orchestra, "Some years, over the course of a school year, I've been able to take all of the second violinists and make them firsts.  Some years, I haven't been able to do that."  That impressed me.  It would have been even more impressive if he'd said, "Some years, I've been able to take all of the second violinists and make them trumpeters," or "I've been able to give each trombonist a turn at playing timpani."  Admittedly, it would have stretched the definition of rotational seating, though.

Context? XXXIV

Perhaps I heard this wrong.  However, yesterday, I could have sworn I heard a radio announcer on a program spotlighting British choral composers say, "He managed to keep his head and return to being a priest." 

"Avoided being beheaded" isn't an accomplishment you typically see in a composer's biography.

Sort of a compliment, perhaps

Once, I answered the phone for a business and read off the required introductory spiel.  When I didn't get a response, I read the spiel again.  The caller responded, "Oh, I'm sorry.  Your voice is so well modulated, I thought it was a recording."

In one sense, that's a compliment; the caller thought I sounded professional.  By the same token, it could also mean I sounded robotic and soulless.

I imagine this has happened to a lot of radio announcers.

FM dial scan highlights XC

Highlights from this afternoon:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Take The A Train-The Quebe Sisters (Old school-style strings fit this country-based take on the Duke Ellington classic well.)
• M.T.A.-The Kingston Trio (A political ad expanded into a sing-along folk hit; one of my teachers led our sixth grade class in singing this at camp.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• White Christmas-Lee Ritenour (One of the subtlest, most soothing renditions of this; Ritenour shows this carol works as a contemplative guitar instrumental.)
• Jingle Bells-Oscar Peterson (Possibly the hippest instrumental version of this, thanks to the jazzy bounce of Jack Schantz on flugelhorn and Peterson on piano.)

W279AQ 103.7 FM, a.k.a. KLOU-HD2

• Silent Night-The Temptations (Although the group's earlier, shorter version is moving and reverential, their longer, six-minute rendition is even more impressive, showcasing the warmth of their tenor and baritone vocalists.  The band's closing wish, "Merrrrry Christmas--to. all. of. you," is a sincere, effective ending.)

Shouting "Wilma!" with gusto

You're the director of a high school jazz band.  The score for "The Flintstones" theme calls for the band to shout, "Wilma!" in unison near the end of the piece.  Do you perform the piece as written, or do you ask one person who can shout, "Wilma!" with full commitment to carry it off?

My director took the latter approach, and it was the right call.  Will, the saxophonist, belted it out with the right volume and inflection each time.  With a voice that's best suited for Classical and late night jazz shows, I'm sure I wouldn't have done that half as well.

Online radio sampler highlights LXVII (Thanksgiving edition)

Whether your taste in Thanksgiving music runs toward a reverential instrumental, such as Jay Ungar and Molly Mason's "Thanksgiving Waltz," a hip-for-its-time song of gratitude, such as William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful For What You Got," or the "Turkey In The Straw" excerpt that Emerson, Lake & Palmer slip into their rendition of Aaron Copland's "Hoedown," I hope you hear your favorite seasonal selections today.  Here are some of the noteworthy ones I've heard so far:

KQAC (Portland, OR)

• Louis Moreau Gottschalk: Home Sweet Home (Alan Feinberg, piano) (A thoughtful take, with many keyboard flourishes, on a familiar favorite.)
• Percy Grainger: Harvest Hymn (City Of London Sinfonia, Joyful Company Of Singers/Richard Hickox, conductor) (Ideal accompaniment for witnessing a panoramic vista in Autumn.)

WRTI (Philadelphia, PA)

• Ron Nelson: Mayflower Overture (Keystone Wind Ensemble/Jack Stamp, conductor) (Conveys the drama, turbulence, and promise of the Pilgrims' voyage to their new world.)

WUMB (Boston, MA)

• Thanksgiving Song-Mary Chapin Carpenter (Lyrically, this is the essence of Thanksgiving--bringing the most important people in your life together and expressing gratitude for them.)

WXPN (Philadelphia, PA)

• Visitation-Carrie Newcomer (As usual, Newcomer excels at writing and singing sensitively about life's hard questions and appreciating life's most meaningful moments.)
• Step Inside This House-Lyle Lovett (When you're getting to know someone, you can tell a lot from the mementos that person displays.)
• Coming Home-Eileen Ivers (A beautifully, resonantly played fiddle instrumental.)
• Simple Gifts-Tracy & Thea Silverman (A somber violin, flute, and recorder rendition from the Windham Hill compilation, "Thanksgiving."  It underscored a scene from "Once And Again" effectively.)

As always, thank you for reading and supporting the artists I've cited.

An overlooked cover tune XLII

Sometimes, it's challenging for an instrumentalist to cover a song whose lyrics are its main appeal.  Stanley Turrentine pulled this off, however, in his cover of David Soul's "Don't Give Up On Us."  Soul topped the charts with the ballad in early 1977.  Turrentine released his version later that year, proving that a tenor sax could pull off the tune's feel as gracefully as a vocalist.  I've never heard any radio station play it, but it would fit easily into a traditional or smooth jazz playlist.

SiriusXM highlights LXXVIII

Standout tunes heard yesterday:

'60s On 6

• Baby, Now That I've Found You-The Foundations ("Baby..." and "Build Me Up Buttercup" have enjoyed continued life on oldies stations, for good reasons; both songs convey universal sentiments in sing-along arrangements that don't wear out their welcome.  Alison Krauss covers the tune admirably, as well.)

'90s On 9

• She's So High-Tal Bachman (I remember this being played frequently on WVRV, "The River," in 1999.  The lyrics about desiring someone you won't likely get should hold up in any era.)

Carolina Shag

• Inventory Of Heartaches-Susan Trexler (This sentiment has been expressed thousands of times in song but not quite like this--and not usually with harmonica backing that's this engaging.)

Holiday Traditions

• Santa Claus Is Coming To Town-Lester Lanin (A sharp, brisk big band arrangement that I would have played on WEW.  Listening to this version, I never get the impression that Santa is lollygagging on the job.)
• Silver Bells-Al Hirt (What Henry Mancini's orchestra and chorus might have sounded like with a solo trumpeter.)

Real Jazz

• Bags' Groove-Hank Jones (Jones drives the melody of this Milt Jackson tune on piano, bringing to mind a hip, urban alternate theme for "The Odd Couple.")

Silk

• There'll Never Be-Switch (This could segue with Earth, Wind & Fire's "Can't Hide Love" and contains elements of "That's The Way Of The World" in its vocals.)

Watercolors

• Where Do You Want To Go?-Lindsey Webster (Laid back, accessible vocals fit for late nights on a smooth jazz station.)

Signing on with the sunrise

If I ever got to choose a jazz station's "(Name of station) now begins its broadcast day" sign-on music, I'd select Stanley Turrentine's "Papa 'T.'"  Its opening chords convey a sunrise more convincingly to me than almost any other song.  Also, if Turrentine's assured saxophone playing doesn't make you want to welcome the new day, I don't know what to tell you.

An overlooked cover tune XLI

Another standout Johnny Mathis recorded for his "I'm Coming Home" album: "Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)," which was an inexplicably minor hit for The Stylistics in 1971.  Wisely, Mathis stuck to the original ballad's arrangement, showing that the Thom Bell-Linda Creed tune needed no further embellishments.  Considering the song's lyrical universality and depths-of-the-heart emoting that The Stylistics and Mathis pull off, both versions should be better known.

Fit for familiar ground

Johnny Mathis has released huge quantities of albums over the last 60 years, so it's not surprising that a 1973 album title track of his would become lost in the shuffle.  I've only heard his tune, "I'm Coming Home," once on the radio, years ago.  Lyrically, it reminds listeners how important being true to yourself is.  Musically, "Only Yesterday" by The Carpenters flows well after it.  It doesn't receive nearly as much radio or online airplay as Simon & Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" or "Celebrate Me Home" by Kenny Loggins.  Its sentiments, however, are just as suitable for a trip home at Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Context? XXXIII

Heard one recent early morning from an AM radio talk show host: "They're not so friendly when you're lost in the woods."

Was the host referring to big, bad wolves?  Hermits who claim the woods for themselves?  A college alumni association that finds you even in the wilderness and wears down your steadfast refusal to join because the state and various wealthy benefactors already fund the university?  Actually, upon doubling back to the station, I learned he was talking about grizzly bears.

Grudgingly, I'll concede that the most pedestrian answer is often the correct one.

Online radio sampler highlights LXVI

Six compelling selections heard today:

KUAF (Fayetteville, AR)

• W.A. Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 10 in C major, K.530 (Alfred Brendel, piano) (An accessible piano piece in an accessible key.  The opening and closing movements, Allegro moderato and Allegretto, are upbeat, easy-to-follow movements, while the middle movement, Andante cantabile, is more delicate, measured, and sorrowful, at times.)

KXCI (Tucson, AZ)

• Every Morning-J Mascis (Some fine acoustic guitar and a lyrically honest account from Dinosaur Jr.'s guiding force of how facing a new day or uncomfortable situation sometimes feels; if I'd been at KCOU in 2014, I would have played this.)
• Another World-Miranda Lee Richards (This release from June features thoughtfully sung lyrics about vulnerability and staying optimistic even during bleak times.  The cello underscoring is appropriately ornate.)

WRTI HD-2 (Philadelphia, PA)

• How Deep Is The Ocean? (Live)-Beegie Adair Trio (Most renditions I've heard of this are slow or midtempo sung ballads.  Adair's piano-anchored instrumental proves that the tune works as a faster number that swings.)
• Star Eyes-Bill Holman Big Band (This ensemble's rendition shows excellent precision and call-and-response phrasing.  I was predisposed to like it after learning that "Peanuts" composer Vince Guaraldi was at the piano.  Also recommended from the "West Coast Jazz In HiFi" album: "(Back Home Again In) Indiana," which shows off the group's uptempo chops.)

WSCR (Frederick, MD)

• 4-Page Letter-AFTA-1 featuring Nikko Soul (An appealing way to add lyrical and instrumental spice to a "Quiet Storm" format.)

Warped expectations?

Surprisingly, no St. Louis radio station has switched to all Christmas music so far this year.  I know it's only a matter of time.  Strange that it's now normal to expect at least one station to have jumped the gun by November 15...Once upon a time, that wasn't the norm.

November 16 update: I knew it was only a matter of time.  KEZK flipped over to all Christmas music at noon, and KLOU started mixing in Christmas music not long after that.  As expected, a lot of the most predictable boxes are being checked off.  That's not a bad thing, when the most predictable tracks are by Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, The Carpenters, Brenda Lee, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Vince Guaraldi Trio, The Ronettes, James Taylor, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, and Amy Grant.  All of those artists recorded Christmas tracks that are evergreens for good reasons.

Pesky "Classical jazz" stations?

Soon after WSSM, the former smooth jazz station at 106.5 FM, went on the air in 2000, someone I knew asked, "We already have KFUO.  Does St. Louis need another Classical jazz station?"

Despite all of my passionate proselytizing about the enticing, separate genres of jazz and Classical music, those formats were one and the same to her.  They were just forms of instrumental music to which she didn't usually listen.  Her reaction reminded me that one person's passion is another person's only-sporadically-sampled background music.  It also reinforced that as often as I like to think of both formats as secure, they're still select tastes.

A semi-gracious winner, at best

About 28 years ago, I won a soft rock station's elevator music contest for identifying an easy listening instrumental cover of  Peter Cetera and Cher's "After All."  After congratulating me, the DJ asked, "So, is there anything you'd like to say to the other people in the elevator?"  Caught off guard, I responded, "Oh, Jesus Christ..."  "Uh, never mind, then," he replied.

In retrospect, I wish I'd had the presence of mind to just say, "No, thank you."

So, it didn't happen exactly like this...

Sylvia: Peaceful, purring tabby or crafty tabby hooligan?  Those qualities aren't always mutually exclusive.

Two days ago, I went to take my cat, Sylvia, to the vet.  I was unable to start the car after several attempts, so I had to cancel the appointment and have a new battery installed.  Although it was momentary, I swear I heard giggling from Sylvia's cat carrier.  I couldn't prove that she had drained the old battery.  Still, after hearing the song she played after getting out of her carrier, I wondered.  It was a rare alternate version of a Harry Belafonte tune called "Man Smart, Tabby Smarter." 

I hadn't known there was such a version.  I was torn.  I didn't know whether to let Sylvia's possibly nefarious scheme irk me or admire her clever initiative and record collecting prowess.  I took her to the vet the next day, though, and she was a good sport.  I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt.

FM dial scan highlights LXXXIX

Compelling tunes heard this morning:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Somewhere In Time-David Mallett (The heartfelt spirit of this acoustic number's lyrics and vocals brings "The Thanksgiving Song" by Fred Holstein to mind.)
• Turtle Dove-Dori Freeman (This new release blends elements of '50s ballads and Linda Ronstadt's vocals appealingly.)
• When I Woke-Beth Bombara (This St. Louis artist's tune, released in March, made an immediate impression on me; its tone and energy remind me of Maia Sharp's "Something Wild.")

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Living For The City-Ramsey Lewis (A smooth instrumental rendition of the Stevie Wonder standout.)
• You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go-Madeleine Peyroux (Shawn Colvin's version of this Bob Dylan tune is still my favorite, but Peyroux's breathy alto vocals and nightclub jazz arrangement serve the tune well.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Better-Regina Spektor (I admire the protagonist's resolve to help someone whom she might not be able to reach.)

WFUN 95.5 FM

• I Apologize-Anita Baker (A somewhat underrated low-key track of Baker's, augmented by Take 6's strong backing vocals.  In retrospect, this was one of her more appealing tunes played on KNJZ in 1994.)

Sage advice: Dodge flying music stands

Our high school orchestra once sat in on the rehearsal of a college orchestra in another state.  Our tour guide warned us matter-of-factly about the conductor's notorious temper.

"I'd advise all of you not to sit in the first few rows," he told us.  "He might throw a stand or two."

Fortunately, the conductor threw no stands on that day in the '80s.  Still, it concerned me that our tour guide wasn't being facetious and that throwing stands into the audience was treated as a mere personality quirk.  In an age of so much being posted on YouTube, I doubt that behavior would be tolerated today.

Online radio sampler highlights LXV

Eight noteworthy tunes heard today:

KCLC-HD2 (St. Louis, MO)

• Get Ourselves Together-Delaney & Bonnie (I can't imagine any producer telling these singers, "Once more, with feeling," as there's plenty of grit and soul here.  This is about as close as album rock gets to R&B without being R&B.)
• Omaha-Moby Grape (A fun, fast, of its time, i.e. 1967, romp that should have been titled "Listen, My Friends."  Also recommended: "Come In The Morning" and "Looper.")

WBOM (Rockford, IL)

• Apache-Jorgen Ingmann (A guitar instrumental of a theme seemingly intended for a western filmed in space.)
• Over Under Sideways Down-The Yardbirds (This would segue well, to my ears, with "19th Nervous Breakdown" by The Rolling Stones.)

WDCB (Chicago, IL)

• Lovely Day-Freddy Cole (To me, the Bill Withers original is still the best version, but Cole and company do a fine lounge-tinged, jazzy take on it.  Impressive trumpet work by Terell Stafford.)
• Pannonica (Live)-Peter Bernstein (A good guitar-based rendering, released in July, of a memorable Thelonious Monk melody, with compelling rhythmic support from Brad Mehldau on piano and Christian McBride on bass.)

WKZE (Red Hook, NY)

• It Would Be So Easy-Cassandra Wilson (A compelling case for not leaving your feelings for your significant other unspoken.  Rhythmically, the tune reminds me of the Esther Phillips song, "Home Is Where The Hatred Is.")
• Bitter Truth-Iron & Wine (I suspect that Lyle Lovett and Chris Isaak would also sing this effectively plaintive tune, released in August, convincingly.)

Good advertising, good medicine?

If I ever have to take medication for rheumatoid arthritis, I'll likely inquire about Xeljanz XR.  I have to respect an advertiser whose commercials contain music played on vinyl and feature the Orleans hit, "Dance With Me," which I have on a 45.

Admittedly, that's not an advisable way to choose a medication.  Still, if it's feasible, I'd like to reward such smart marketing.  Bring on the joint pain and inflammation!

Actually, let's not have any joint pain or inflammation.  Let's put it off for a while, at least.

When a song's context is everything

Grappling with Sammy the cat's passing since yesterday has caused an unfortunate chain reaction of memories for me; I've thought back to other difficult times in which previous pets have passed away.  In reflecting on them, I've realized I've become a little smoother--or less contrived, at least--in dealing with the grief that sets in just before the end of a cat's life.

In June 2001, I took a lot of photos of a previous cat, Simon, on his last day.  I thought that as long as he was still alive, I should be preserving his memory.  In retrospect, taking all those photos on his last day wasn't a great idea.  A sorrowful wave sweeps over me whenever I run across or even think about that envelope of photos.

I made a different mistake with Rusty, another cat who passed in December 2000.  Because Rusty enjoyed listening to music, I was determined to play as much music as possible for him on his last day.  He'd often responded well to jazz and swing guitar, as well as piano pieces, so I made sure those genres were well represented.  When I saw Rusty for the last time, Van Morrison was singing the chorus of the William Butler Yeats poem, "Crazy Jane On God."

I know there's no one right way to grieve.  Still, I think simply petting your cats and telling them how much you've enjoyed their company, as I did with Rosie and Sammy, is a better way of handling things than the way I dealt with Simon and Rusty.  Admittedly, there's a certain poignancy to hearing Van Morrison sing the Yeats line, "All things remain in God," at the end of your cat's life.  It's respectful and reassuring--and I haven't listened to it since that day 17 years ago.

In memory of Sammy the cat

2005: Sammy staking out a good post from which to listen to Christmas music.

It's difficult, at best, to write a blog post about a cat who has been part of your life for over 16 years, when he just passed away and you just saw him earlier this morning.  Nevertheless, Sammy was a wonderful family cat, so I'm attempting to put raw emotions to the side and forging ahead.

Sometimes, we forget how much the most important people and pets in our lives enhance our enjoyment of great music.  I'm thankful that the London Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams will forever be intertwined with Sammy and his calico sister, Rosie.  While looking after the cats at my parents' place one early morning several years ago, the three of us listened to this symphony on SiriusXM.  We all sat relatively still throughout the piece; at its conclusion, we gave it a collective four paws and two thumbs up.

Sammy was not only a music critic, however.  He was also a contemplative cat who pondered all the angles carefully before making a decision.  Nick Drake's "One Of These Things First" struck me as a suitable theme for him; in the song, Drake muses about the various vocations he could have chosen.  If Sammy had been human and pursued a career, I'm sure he would have had comparable reflections.

In most respects, Sammy experienced life at a more deliberate pace than his take charge calico sister, Rosie.  I've written previously about how Carole King's "Really Rosie" fit her personality well. The Call's "Let The Day Begin" captures some of her seize-the-day outlook, as well; granted, some of the "Here's to you"s would need to be changed to "Here's to me," to capture her spirit accurately.

One exception to Sammy's slower pace, however, was the excitement he exhibited when hearing and seeing birds.  When Rosie and he sat in the window and watched birds, Sammy typically took the lead in squealing with delight.  Even on the third go-around, the "Wild Bird Songs" compilation album still made him sit by a stereo speaker and squeal.

Sammy's sudden "Mowwwwwww!" that he would break into before running across the room in his younger years and the lower-pitched, voice-of-experience meow he adopted in later years had a musical quality unique to him.  Our family will never forget Sammy's signature meows or the happiness he elicited from us for more than 16 years.

In memory of Bill Wilkerson

I was sorry to learn of KMOX and KTRS personality Bill Wilkerson's passing on Thursday.  I remember the easy, lighthearted banter that Wilkerson had with KMOX's former Total Information a.m. personality Bob Hardy.  An example from August 5, 1985:

Wilkerson: Now, because of our hours here, I'm talking about in the morning, breakfast is pretty much a late morning affair for us, right?
Hardy: Yeah, I never have been able to crawl out of bed at a quarter to four and sit down to bacon, eggs, and hash browns.  That just doesn't cut it.  I don't think it does for you, either.
Wilkerson: Yeah, (KMOX co-worker) Rudy has been able to, but he's been unable to find breakfast.
Hardy: Nobody serves at that hour, right?
Wilkerson: That's right, and his wife says, "Don't be ridiculous."  At any rate, what I'm getting at is there's a study in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch this morning about something that has been debated for years.  Do you need breakfast?  Yes or no?  Now, you said, "Sure."  You mean you want breakfast.  We're talking about, do you need breakfast?  You always want breakfast, Rudy, but because of the growing interest in the restaurant business with breakfast, you know, everybody's serving breakfast.  As a matter of fact, it says, "Breakfast in restaurants is the fastest growing segment of the dining out trade, according to a 57% increase in business from 1977 to 1984."
Hardy: I'll be darned.
Wilkerson: But according to the studies here, it seems that, as one person says, "If, physiologically, you don't feel you need breakfast, then you shouldn't eat it."  In other words, they can't find any really hard evidence that going without breakfast affects your performance.  Now, you hear children who don't eat breakfast perform below par.  Well, here it says skipping breakfast has an adverse effect on a child's late morning problem solving performance, but he says you can't extrapolate that for adults.  So, apparently, it does affect children somewhat because when children eat breakfast, they perform better in problem-solving situations when attention is critical.  But, other than that, as far as adults are concerned, it seems as though if you don't eat it, it's no big deal.  As they say here, breakfast can either get you off on the right foot or virtually ruin your diet for the entire day, but it's entirely up to you. (It) depends on what kind of person you are.  So there.
Hardy: So, (the) bottom line is, nobody still knows about anything.
Wilkerson: Nobody knows.
Hardy: OK.  Well, it makes sense to me.  You eat your breakfast after you've been on the air for three or four hours.
Wilkerson: Yeah, but...
Hardy: That's really a brunch for you.
Wilkerson: Right, but the longer I go, I'm becoming bored with breakfast.
Hardy: Bored with breakfast.
Wilkerson: Bored with breakfast, yeah.
Hardy: Well, how do you intend to handle that?
Wilkerson: I have no idea.
Hardy: I mean, are we to put in a little kitchen here or something?  You want to do a little something on your own, just to lighten up your life?
Wilkerson: Actually, I prefer to have a grilled chop at this hour, as opposed to your normal breakfast.
Hardy: I'm sorry?
Wilkerson: A grilled chop.
Hardy: A grilled chop.
Wilkerson: Yes.
Hardy: Like a lamb chop?
Wilkerson: Yeah.  Instead of your bacon, your eggs, your marmalade, that sort of thing.  I'm bored with all of that stuff.
Hardy: Find me a restaurant that'll serve you a grilled chop at 10 minutes before 7:00.

I liked that Wilkerson and Hardy talked as if they were two neighbors bantering over the backyard fence about the latest news.

I also listened to Wilkerson calling the infamous Mizzou-Colorado football game, with its erroneous fifth down, on my birthday in 1990.  Even a casual Mizzou football fan must have seconded Wilkerson's frustration that day when he said, "The clock stopped!  Why has the clock stopped?!"

Wilkerson's easy-going demeanor on the airwaves will be missed.  I hope that, if he wishes it, the sunrises in his afterlife look like "grape punch with floating cinnamon sticks."

Can't listen too much

My high school orchestra director, Mr. D., surprised me once when he was going over a passage with another section of the orchestra.

"What do you think about what you just heard?" he asked me.

"I'm sorry," I replied honestly.  "My mind wandered, and I wasn't really listening."

"This is an ensemble," he reminded me.  "We listen to each other."

Mr. D.'s unexpected question irked me slightly.  Admittedly, however, it was a good reminder that even when your section isn't playing, listening to those who are is the respectful, responsible thing to do.

Persistent earworm alert LXXVI

I remember the Sherwood Ford jingle as, "He gives a better, better deal on a better, better car, and he sells at a better, better price price.  He gives a greater, greater deal on a greater, greater car--so good, good, you got to say it twice twice."  Naturally, a "Sherwood Sherwood Ford Ford" tag followed that jingle in the radio commercials.

I can't say that's one of my favorite commercial jingles.  Decades later, however, I still remember it, so that's effective advertising...

...Or maybe not, as I drive a Toyota.

A positive change of the guard

A memory from 1999: The radio was on WVRV, "The River," one night at work.  Fiona Apple's latest single, "Fast As You Can," was playing.  I remarked to a co-worker, "This new single of hers isn't getting much play here."  "I can see why," my co-worker responded.  "It's not that great of a song."

I thought it was an interesting choice of a release for Apple, whose previous singles, "Shadowboxer," "Sleep To Dream," and "Criminal," had been more accessible and received more airplay.  Some listeners might have been turned off by "Fast As You Can"'s manic lurches in tempo and the protagonist's warning that a potential suitor might be wise to flee.  Still, the song was always strangely intriguing to me. 

I thought back to that night as I listened to "A Prairie Home Companion" last Saturday.  Apple was one of many musical guests in a packed show, and she performed an impressive, spitfire rendition of "Fast As You Can."  At the 4:29 mark, she shouted, "GO!!!!"  A great albeit brief band freakout, which "...Prairie Home..." host Chris Thile led on mandolin, ensued, bringing the song to a dramatic close.  It was a pleasure to hear one Apple's underappreciated tunes get its due.

Another musical highlight: Dan Auerbach's "Shine On Me," which has become one of my favorite songs of 2017.  If you have a pulse, singing along with the tune's poppy chorus is almost involuntary.  It doesn't hurt that the tune's feel brings Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open The Door" to mind.

To top everything off, "...Prairie Home..." also featured renowned violinist Hilary Hahn performing moving works by J.S. Bach.

This Saturday's show should be stellar, as Thile's old band, Nickel Creek, will reunite.  Just running through the possibilities of everything they might perform makes it a can't-miss show, in my estimation.  I've raved before about the collective abilities of Sara Watkins, Sean Watkins, and Thile; any band that can produce such gems as "Reasons Why," "Out Of The Woods," "The Lighthouse's Tale," "Beauty And The Mess," "Smoothie Song," "This Side," and "Young," deserves considerable respect--and record sales.

Yes, I miss the singular voice that is Garrison Keillor and his "News From Lake Wobegon" monologues.  However, the musical guests, the continuity with the previous "...Prairie Home..." incarnation, and Thile's showmanship demonstrate that this new version of "...Prairie Home...," now in its second season, is in excellent hands.

Making history with a "new" format--or not

Over a decade ago, a DJ I know was at a radio station meeting.  A consultant announced that the format to which the station was switching had never been done in St. Louis.  Later in the meeting, the DJ told him, "Actually, (this format) has been done here before."  "No," he replied.  "It hasn't been tried here." "Yes, it has," she replied. "I did afternoon drive at (the previous station with that format.)"  "Oh," he replied sheepishly.  "I told (the new radio station's powers that be) it hadn't been done in this market."

It's easy to proclaim something is historical when you don't know its history.