New year ponderables

What's in store musically for 2020?  Will the Dixie Chicks release a song as poignant as "Home" or as hook-filled and defiant as "The Long Way Around?"  Will Field Music's next release contain any songs that are as lyrically wry as "The Noisy Days Are Over?"  Will Sarah Harmer's next release contain a standout track that stays in the mind as much as "Almost?"  How will the new Tennis release stack up with 2016's strong CD, "Yours Conditionally?"  Which jazz, R&B, and folk artists will release captivating and thought-provoking melodies that end up in my favorite-music-of-the-year countdown?

I can't answer any of these questions yet.  I look forward to filling in the blanks, however, over the next 12 months.

Not everyone will get this, but...

I'm not sure how it started, but a large portion of the high school newspaper staff during my junior year remembered a "Rocky And Bullwinkle Fan Club" segment.  One day, one side of the room started chanting rhythmically, "I can't pay the rent."  The other side responded, "You must pay the rent."  Then, both sides chanted in unison, "I'll pay the rent!"

With an appreciation for that type of humor, I knew the paper was in good hands.

Can't hear everything

After I've posted a list of my favorite songs of the year, I have to accept that some great songs might have escaped my attention.  There are always at least a few in any given year.  Six months from now, I might read or hear a review that casually mentions an artist's "best recording, released last year."

At first, I'll think, "Arrrrrrggggghhhhh...How did I not hear about this before now?"

Then, I'll make peace with the fact that, try as I might, there isn't time to hear every piece of recorded music that was released in a year.

Dreams are odd...

...Recently, I dreamed I was in a record store catering to cats and their people.  As I flipped through the 45s, I thought, "Did I see that right?"

Sure enough, there was an alternate version of an Anne Murray song, with the revised spelling, "You Kneaded Me."

I'm still not sure if that's an example of narrowcasting or expanding one's audience.

Continuing the Christmas cheer II

I didn't do this consciously.  While driving this morning, however, I realized I was listening to Christmas music at only about two-thirds of its usual volume.  I'm not sure why I did that.  Did I think someone in another car would snap, "Enough!  Christmas was two days ago!  Stores, radio stations, and streaming services played Christmas music for weeks or even months!  I'm sick of it!  I don't want to hear it anymore!  Listen to whatever you want around me, except that?"

That has never happened to me.  Considering one song that came up on the CD, however, it could have.

Continuing the Christmas cheer

So...How do I handle listening to music on the day after Christmas?  Do I continue to listen to Christmas music?  It feels like it has a little less meaning than it did yesterday...

...But that won't stop me.  Good music is good music, regardless of when I play it.  So, here's Grover Washington, Jr., playing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" on the saxophone...

...I'm sure I'm not the only one listening to it today.

FM dial scan highlights CXXI (Christmas edition II)

Some of the more ear-catching Christmas selections heard today:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• The Holy Baby-The Dixie Hummingbirds (This variation of "Children, Go Where I Send Thee" features well sung dialogue between baritone William Bobo and the rest of the ensemble.  Kudos to "Feel Like Going Home" host Roy for including this tune and the next three carols on today's show.)
• Beautiful Star Of Bethlehem-Emmylou Harris (Moving country crossover vocals and fiddling. Also recommended: "Light Of The Stable," "The First Noel," and "O Little Town Of Bethlehem.")
• Go Tell It On The Mountain-The Zion Harmonizers (Bluesy gospel vocals.)
• Children, Go Where I Send You-Nina Simone (Possibly the most tuneful rendition I've ever heard.  An infectious piano accompaniment underscores Simone's vocals.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Sleigh Ride-Andy Williams (The backing vocalists' cheery take on "Jing-a-ling, jing-jing-a-ling" adds to the fun.)
• The Coventry Carol-Erin Bode (This is one of the more downcast carols, but Bode's vocals, along with appealing piano and guitar accompaniment, offer a glimmer of hope.)
• The Christmas Song-Gregory Porter (Sung as a tribute to Nat King Cole, Porter's rich vocals are a great fit for the tune.)
• Jingle Bells-Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass (A respectful choral intro followed by an uninhibited freak out between the instrumentalists and backing singers.  Everything following the chorus's introduction suggests that Alpert either told the musicians to have fun with the tune, or the musicians instinctively understood that a sense of whimsy was appropriate.)

K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. KNOU-HD2 

• Silent Night-Mannheim Steamroller (This is how you transition from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day--with a quiet, tasteful rendition of "Silent Night."  Whenever I hear this rendition, I take stock of how fortunate I am to have another Christmas with my family.)
• John Rutter: Candlelight Carol (John Rutter, The Cambridge Singers, City Of London Sinfonia) (A reverential accounting of the Nativity.)
  

So many carols, so little time

Christmas Eve has always been one of my favorite days of the year.  For me, it's the perfect combination of traditions--Christmas dinner, watching the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol with the family, and getting hardly any sleep.

However, there's also a play-it-by-ear component that appeals to me, as well.  There's so much Christmas music I can listen to via so many sources.  The Radio Arts Foundation's station, K297BI, played some appealing variations of "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" earlier tonight. I was also pleased to hear Carolbeth True's piano-anchored version of "I Saw Three Ships" on WSIE today, which uses the carol's lesser-played melody that brings to mind "London Bridge."  In the car, I've switched back and forth between radio stations playing Christmas music and a CD I compiled from late '80s and early '90s recordings of KYKY's "36 Hours Of Christmas."  That was the first station on which I ever heard the Emmylou Harris gem, "Light Of The Stable" and still the only station on which I've ever heard Hagood Hardy's tender, easy listening instrumental version of "Silent Night."  Before I left to celebrate Christmas Eve with my family, I had to listen to favorite carols from my own library.  The night would have felt incomplete without hearing Erin Bode's "The Star's Song," the Laurence Juber/Kenny Rankin version of "Angels We Have Heard On High," and the best rendition of "Away In A Manger" I've ever heard, by Oscar Peterson.

I know I won't get to every single Christmas carol I'd like to hear tonight or tomorrow, but I'll listen to as many as possible.  If carols and Christmas Eve go hand in hand for you, as well, I hope you get to hear as many of them as you like.

A glimmer of hope

While Sting's approach to "Gabriel's Message" is perfectly appropriate, the carol still sounds grim to me, so I don't listen to it often. 

Recently, however, I discovered the key to appreciating it a little more; listen to a brass ensemble play it.  Played with that instrumentation, the carol offers at least a glimmer of hope to the listener.

Varying foodstuffs

I've noticed that one lyric in "Sleigh Ride" differs from version to version.  Sometimes, people pass around the turkey.  Other times, it's coffee.  Some versions mention chocolate instead.  They always pass around the pumpkin pie, however. 

I wonder what accounts for the variance.

Learning the ways of a new cat

I was pleased to learn today that my new cat, Collette, likes washing her fur in time to David Grisman's expansive, mandolin-based rendition of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen."  The carol isn't over yet?  No problem; she just washes her face again. 

That's the kind of thing they don't tell you at the shelter.  I appreciate being surprised that way.

Two similar paths to joy

To most listeners, "While By My Sheep" is not one of the most well-known Christmas carols.  If you listen to "While By My Sheep," followed by "Joy To The World," you can hear how "...Sheep..." sounds like a prototype for "Joy..."  "Joy To The World" takes "While By My Sheep"'s most tuneful elements and shapes them into a melody that's more memorable.

In both carols, however, the joy comes across.

FM dial scan highlights CXX (Christmas edition)

Noteworthy Christmas selections heard this month:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Somerset Wassail-Artisan (Lyrically, this is a good reminder of how caroling is about brightening your community and how we're all interconnected.)
• Do You Hear What I Hear?-The ReGeneration (A compelling a cappella rendition featuring nice contrasts between the soprano and baritone voices.)
• It Doesn't Have To Be That Way-Jim Croce (I'm always liked Croce's "Maybe this isn't the best Christmas so far, but it can still be salvaged" attitude in the lyrics.  Christmas is a season of hope, after all.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Caroling, Caroling-The Manhattan Transfer (Four voices with the force of a choir make this my go-to rendition of this carol.  Appropriately cheerful and concise.)
• Christmas Time Is Here-Warren Wolf (Vibes complement the piano melody in this standout tune from "A Charlie Brown Christmas.")
• White Christmas-Oscar Peterson (Sublime piano, guitar, and rhythm section.  Also recommended: the most beautiful version of "Away In A Manger" I've ever heard.)
• Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town-Jimmy McGriff (Hip organ and guitar; you just know this Santa knows how to read people and chooses the right gifts.) 

K297BI 107.3 FM, a.k.a. KNOU-HD2 

• The Many Moods Of Christmas, Suite 2 (Atlanta Symphony and Chorus/Robert Shaw, conductor) (This medley encompasses an impressive range of carols, from the reverence of "O Sanctissima" to the exuberance of "Joy To The World" to the stately procession that is "March Of The Three Kings.")
• It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Philadelphia Brass Ensemble) (As usual, the ensemble shows reverence for the melody in this respectful rendition.  I also recommend the ensemble's concise, mighty rendition of "Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella" and basically everything on the album, "A Festival Of Carols In Brass.")
• What Child Is This? (John McDermott Ensemble) (A powerful voice, with appropriately solemn accompaniment from the harp, strings, and winds.)

The exhilaration of a sleigh ride

Recently, I read a book about the history of various Christmas carols.  The illustration with the entry on "Sleigh Ride" was a print of parents and their kids going downhill on a sled.  That jogged my memory; I thought about times, roughly 40 years ago, when I went over to friends' houses and rode down what, at the time, seemed like steep hills on a sled.  Sometimes, when the snow was deep enough on a school day, a gym teacher would tear off large bits of cardboard for kids to use as sleds during recess.

Looking back, it's amusing to think that going on the closest thing we could as a sleigh ride was the height of adventure, danger, and exhilaration for us as kids.

Favorite music of 2019

After a fair amount of revising, I've ranked my 25 favorite songs of 2019:

25.  Sweet Sunshine Wine-Pearl Charles
(1975-ish, Fleetwood Mac-style vocal harmonies are always welcome, as far as I'm concerned.)
24.  Fantasy-Herb Alpert
(If you're familiar with Alpert's previous work, you'll likely recognize his signature trumpet sound.  The trumpet carries the melody where vocals were in Earth, Wind & Fire's original version, softening the tune somewhat but making it no less appealing.)
23.  Dreamtime-Abdullah Ibrahim
(An appropriately titled jazz piano melody.)
22.  Sorry Now-Jill Andrews
(Andrews sings compellingly about why a relationship failed in this strong release from September.)
21.  Triste-Dave Zinno Unisphere
(A brassy, expansive cover of the Antonio Carlos Jobim tune, with plenty of room for each band member to solo.  Also recommended: Kenny Barron's rendition, with its great, self-assured piano intro.)
20.  Unapologetic-Katherine Penfold
(Penfold's strong vocals shine in conjunction with a laid-back organ accompaniment that mimics falling rain.  This throwback-sounding tune, released in October, would be equally at home on a smooth jazz or R&B playlist.)
19.  Fail Safe-William Tyler
(This guitar piece, from Tyler's solidly consistent "Goes West" release, could mark the start of a new Celtic/Country acoustic genre.  Rhythmically, it could work as a prelude to Paul Simon's "Learn How To Fall.")
18.  Rocking Chair-Over The Rhine
(One of 2019's more appealing songs, due to a melody and vocals that fall somewhere between Bonnie Raitt's "Nick Of Time" and the Kenny Loggins/Stevie Nicks tune, "Whenever I Call You 'Friend.'")
17.  Forever Turned Around-Whitney
(This August release has a laid-back '70s throwback feel.  The lead vocals bring to mind Larry Lee's voice on the Ozark Mountain Daredevils hit, "Jackie Blue," with a bit of ELO's "Strange Magic" thrown in.)
16.  The Optimist (Live in Minneapolis)-Cory Wong
(An electric guitar instrumental that could pass for a sketch comedy show theme.  Wong also plays an impressive electrified version of The Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Christmas Is Coming," heard Saturday on Chris Thile's program, "Live From Here.")
15.  Cast-Off-Bruce Hornsby featuring Justin Vernon
(Hornsby's almost church-like keyboard part underscores appropriately sour lyrics and vocals; somehow, this combination works.)
14.  Guide-Steve Lacy
(I hear a Prince influence in the vocals and bass funk line; one of this year's catchier releases.)
13.  Begin Again-Norah Jones
(Can a relationship be salvaged through another go-around?  With a sly, slinky piano line underscoring Jones's always welcome breathy vocals, I'm inclined to think, "Maybe," at least.)
12.  Song Without Words, No. 2: Ballad-Fred Hersch, WDR Big Band & Vince Mendoza
(If this elegant throwback instrumental had been around during the big band days of WEW, I wouldn't have hesitated to play it on the air.)
11.  Echo Park-Bedouine
(I hear Joni Mitchell's influence in the lyrics and vocals of this 2019 standout.  The outro of birds chirping closes the tune appropriately.)
10.  Runnin' With The Devil-The Bird And The Bee
(I'm not a Van Halen fan, but The Bird And The Bee's reworking of the tune made me hear it in a new light.  Actually, using piano in place of guitar with easier-to-decipher vocals improves the song more than I ever would have imagined.)
  9.  Light On-Maggie Rogers
(Kudos to Rogers for her honest admission that being successful sometimes entails a dizzying array of choices to make and more public exposure than you might want.  The energetic, accessible hook sounds familiar but doesn't wear out its welcome.  I wish more pop music sounded like this.)
  8.  Radiate-Ex Hex
(One of 2019's catchiest indie rock tunes.  The vocals, guitar, and drums contribute equally to the song's propulsive, great-for-driving momentum.)
  7.  We Had Searched For Heaven-Tony Momrelle featuring Maysa
(The positive ingredients making up this strong April release: Sincere lyrics, beautifully sung to a refreshing uptempo melody, and an undercurrent that resembles the bass line from Al Jarreau's "Save Me.")
  6.  Home (Re-recorded version)-Karla Bonoff
(On her "Carry Me Home" release, Bonoff revisits standout tracks from throughout her career, including this standout, originally recorded for Bonoff's strong 1977 self-titled release.  The sentiments of longing for home still resonate all these years later, in Bonoff's re-recorded version.  For beautiful vocal harmonies, I also recommend the cover version by The Boxcar Lilies.)
  5.  Diamond In The Rough (Acoustic Edition)-Shawn Colvin
(Colvin also revisited part of her career this year by releasing new acoustic versions of her "Steady On" tracks.  Thirty years later, Colvin's strengths as a singer-songwriter shine just as brightly.  Also recommended: "Steady On," "Shotgun Down The Avalanche," and "Ricochet In Time.")
  4.  101-Smuggler Brothers
(2019's standout funk instrumental, as far as I'm concerned; its infectious riff would segue with "El Nino" by The Sound Stylistics.)
  3.  Blacck (Live at The Village Vanguard)-Jon Batiste
(2019's standout jazz piano riff, in my opinion; an appealing strut of a melody that accommodates piano, trumpet, saxophones, and scat vocals perfectly.  Elizabeth Shepherd's "Shining Tear Of The Sun" has a compatible piano vamp and would sound appropriate before this.)
  2.  She-The Brothers Steve
(Immediately accessible, incredibly catchy power pop.  It's deceptively difficult to craft a tune that sounds relatively basic lyrically and match it with a guitar line that keeps you hooked for the entire song.  If sitcoms still had theme songs, I'd bank on the showrunner who insisted on this one.  Seriously, if you can refrain from shaking your head in time to this, you just might be a cyborg.)
  1.  Dance In The Graveyard-Runa
(My immediate reaction upon first hearing this in April was, "I think I just heard my favorite song of the year."  And, so it is.  Wonderfully warm, spirited vocals and Celtic-style fiddling make these lyrics about celebrating life resonate.  The cycle of life is sometimes painfully hard to accept, but these lyrics remind us to appreciate those who went before us, those who are still with us, and those we have yet to meet.  Sung reminders are rarely more valuable than that.  If the sentiments of which The Wailin' Jennys sing in "Old Churchyard" appeal to you, Runa's perspective here should provoke a similar reaction.)

"Respect the Christmas muse!"

It always irked me slightly that my high school jazz band tended to play Christmas carols with less enthusiasm than most other songs.

"Come on," I sometimes thought while hearing the band go through the motions during "(There's No Place Like) Home For The Holidays" or "The Christmas Song."  "Respect the music and Christmas.  It's not as though anyone's asking you to sing maniacally about pumpkin pie."

Persistent earworm alert CLXVII

For about the past four hours, the sung title of Nightnoise's "Snow Is Lightly Falling" has been on my mind.  It's ironic, as the snow has fallen rather quickly here in that time.

Listening to that 1990 track from the Windham Hill compilation, "A Winter's Solstice III," I'm reminded of how grim, solemn, and emblematic of Winter it is.  Lyrically, it's about someone struggling with loneliness, in keeping with the season.  The vocals are appropriately sorrowful, and the instrumentation sounds rooted in the '80s.

To balance this downbeat feeling, I'm going to try thinking of the Vince Guaraldi Trio's "Skating" instead.  I hope that makes me appreciate the beauty of the snow--instead of its inconvenience.

Persistent earworm alert CLXVI

So far this month, I'd been able to avoid thinking about one of the odder Christmas covers.  Alas, in the past hour, Boney M's version of "Mary's Boy Child" has infiltrated my mind.  Putting a respectful, reverential song about Christ's birth to a disco beat is just strange to me.

I'm sticking with Harry Belafonte's rendition.

The "Feliz Navidad" conundrum

Objectively, there isn't much to the song, "Feliz Navidad."  Objectively, listeners glean right away that the singer wants to wish us a merry Christmas, and that's basically it.  Objectively, it gets repetitive quickly. 

Christmas isn't about being objective, however.  Jose Feliciano sings it with such joy that it's churlish not to seek it out at least once in December...

...Actually, if you listen to commercial radio stations playing Christmas music, you probably won't have to seek it out.  It'll find you.  Such is the way of "Feliz Navidad."

A caroler's challenge II

In retrospect, I should have requested a carol on the Dial-A-Carol hotline this morning that was easier to sing.  The caroler on the phone pulled up the lyrics of "O Holy Night."  She apparently wasn't familiar with the melody, so she attempted to improvise.  That hadn't happened when I'd called in previous years, but with so many calls coming in, I don't blame her for making that judgment call.

Later that afternoon, I called again, resolved to request a more familiar carol.  Per my request, the caroler sang "Silver Bells," with a backup singer chiming in part of the way through it.  Those carolers didn't let any pitch limitations in their singing ranges stop them as they forged ahead.

Due to a limited singing range, I've never sung Christmas carols to anyone over the phone.  I commend all of these singers I heard today for giving my requested carols the old college try.

Putting your stamp on a Christmas carol

When you're arranging an extremely familiar Christmas carol, you can dive right into the immediately recognizable aspects of it or attempt a prelude.  Alan Danson's arrangement of "Joy To The World," as played by Mainstreet Brass, succeeds with the second, riskier approach.  If you hear it blind, you might not realize it's "Joy To The World" for the first 19 seconds.  Nevertheless, the joy is apparent immediately, and it's a fitting lead-in to the carol's familiar melody.

Persistent earworm alert CLXV

For at least three days, Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" has been on my mind.  I've been singing it with revised lyrics, however, in honor of my new, constantly underfoot cat, Collette.  The chorus, as I sing it, begins, "Sweet Collette cat...You will make me break my legs..."

Luckily, despite the hint of a self-fulfilling prophecy, I haven't tripped over Collette and broken any bones--yet.

Persistent earworm alert CLXIV

Ordinarily, I don't presume what persistent earworm might be running through someone else's mind.  In this case, however, I'll make an educated guess.  My new cat, Collette, has been following me around at home constantly.  I don't know what music she heard during the two years before I adopted her, but I suspect that one lyric from Little Peggy March's oldie, "I Will Follow Him," has stuck with her.  When she approaches, I start hearing the wheels in her mind zero in on the lyric, "I will follow him, follow him wherever he may go..."

When your cat moves in step with you and backtracks when you backtrack, I think it's plausible that she might have taken that lyric to heart and decided to live by it.  If that's the case with Collette, or even if it isn't, I take her tagalong tendencies as a compliment.  Moving across the kitchen is next to impossible for me lately, but, under the circumstances, I don't mind.

Only in college LXXI

Near the end of a semester, I went to the instructor's office to turn in a paper I'd written.  I'd put a lot of effort into it, in addition to studying for finals, so I felt somewhat frazzled.  The instructor, the general manager of the NPR affiliate at which I worked, wasn't in his office.  The program director was there, however, so I spoke to him. 

Half-sarcastically, half-seriously, I told the p.d., "I'm turning in the paper I wrote for Mr. D.'s class.  It's my analysis of a Florida radio station's situation and my recommendation for a format change.  As far as I'm concerned, it's excellent."

"How lucky for the powers that be, then, who would heed your advice," the p.d. responded.

How lucky, indeed.  What commercial radio station powers that be wouldn't see fit to heed the advice of a 22-year-old who, at the time, had worked solely in noncommercial radio?

Persistent earworm alert CLXIII

Just hearing it once is enough to keep "Riverbottom Nightmare Band" from "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" in my mind for weeks.  By Muppet standards, it's some unusually in-your-face rock.  Sounding somewhere between Deep Purple and Edgar Winter Group's "Frankenstein," "...Nightmare..." almost makes Dr. Teeth And The Electric Mayhem sound like an orderly jazz combo.

Not meant to be techno

While grocery shopping recently, I thought, "It'd be nice if the store played Christmas music, but I guess it's not mandatory."

I listened more closely.  Turns out, Christmas music was playing.  It was a techno-sounding, seemingly Auto-Tuned version of "Jingle Bells."

Nothing says one can't sing "Jingle Bells" that way.  In my view, however, "Jingle Bells" shouldn't have an "oonce, oonce, oonce" beat.

Only in college LXX

The philosophy instructor asked who played an instrument.  I raised my hand and said I played the bass.  He asked, "Are you good?"  I replied, "Yeah, I guess so."  "How do you know?" he asked.

I made a quick mental calculation.  "He's not looking for a resume of my accomplishments," I thought.  "I'll bet he's trying to tell us that everything is relative."

"It really demands on the standard of comparison," I answered.  "I'm not Charles Mingus, Jaco Pastorius, or Ron Carter.  Compared to someone who doesn't play the instrument or someone who has just begun, though, I'd say I sound good."

That was the type of answer the teacher wanted.  In his defense, he did tell the class early in the semester, "I'll contradict you no matter what you say."

Don't let the mellow expression fool you...

December 3, 2019: Seemingly tranquil Collette.

...My new cat, Collette, can zip across a room in no time.  After nearly tripping over her and almost breaking my neck at least three times and having to catch her in the vet's office after she jumped out of the carrier and nearly ran out the door, David Rose and his orchestra's "Parade Of The Clowns" has run through my mind...

...And that's fine.  After what I've been through recently,  I welcome my new cat's boisterousness, within reason.  With a young cat and a weary guardian, clown music is sometimes inevitably appropriate.

A Christmas carol for a somber mood

If you don't have the most joyous Christmas spirit this year but still want to acknowledge the holiday, I recommend Sandy Owen's version of "What Child Is This?"  Owen is faithful to the carol, and his embellishments on the piano complement its solemn nature.

Laying the groundwork for a miracle

Since my cat, Sylvia, passed away, I've thought a lot about the song, "Even A Miracle Needs A Hand," from the Rankin/Bass Christmas special, "'Twas The Night Before Christmas."  Since 2010, Sylvia required a special type of cat food.  For the last two and a half years of her life, she went to the vet for fluids to help her kidneys and an appetite stimulant pill.  I gave her additional prescribed medicine at home.

All of it was absolutely worthwhile.  Thanks to the animal hospital staff's efforts, my efforts, and Sylvia's cooperation, we were able to extend her life for over two years.  That miracle needed a hand, and I'm grateful to everyone who provided one.

Appreciating the moment

I remember listening to a Norman Luboff Choir Christmas CD one morning several years ago.  I was sitting on the sofa with my cat, Sylvia, curled up on me and purring loudly.  We were both looking at the Christmas tree, and every so often, I'd look out at the snow outside.  Neither of us had to be anywhere soon, so there was time to simply enjoy the music--and the moment.

"Sylvia," I said, "If you hear me start to complain about something, please find a way to remind me of this moment."

There were other incidents in which Sylvia sat on my lap or next to me and purred loudly while music played.  I was convinced she'd gotten my message, and I thanked her for that.

Bonding over Brahms

A few years ago, while driving home, I was pleased to hear the Radio Arts Foundation's station, K297BI 107.3 FM, play one of my favorite Brahms pieces, Serenade No. 1 in D.  When I got home, I turned on K297BI as I told my cat, Sylvia, that one of my favorite pieces was playing.  She came over and listened to the remaining movements with me, including my favorite, the fifth, Scherzo.

I like to think that Sylvia understood me and that she heard what I heard in it.  (A common trait among pet owners, I'm sure...)  Even if she didn't, I'm still glad that we got to hear one of my favorite pieces together.

Music for pouncing?

Shortly before Christmas one year, I filmed video footage of my cat, Sylvia, stalking and pouncing on a toy mouse.  She gave it her all--as Freddy Cole's version of "A Cradle In Bethlehem" played.

It's an incongruous pairing of a song and activity, but it's no less heartwarming to me.  It's a pleasure to see my cat doing something she loves while a song that I love plays.  When I've watched the video in past years, I've sometimes imagined the melody of "A Cradle..." with the revised lyrics, "A tabby tonight is stalking a toy mouse in Kirkwood, MO..."

Music for a subdued Thanksgiving

May 2013: Sylvia at her listening post on top of a speaker.

Given my recent loss, Fred Holstein's "The Thanksgiving Song" hits especially hard today.   Loving each moment of life with Sylvia "'til (I'd) loved it away" has made me extremely sad about her departure--but extremely thankful to have had so many wonderful moments with her.

Life's progression is sometimes sorrowful, but it would be unfair of me not to acknowledge all of the happiness that preceded the sorrow...

...And that happiness was considerable.

A sure sign of a keeper

A postscript to Sunday's memories: One morning in May 2010, my cat, Sylvia, and I listened to the former Classical station, KFUO, for an extended time.  The station was about two months away from changing formats, and I wanted to savor the time it had left.  I sat by the stereo through two symphonies by Brahms and Schubert.  Sylvia jumped onto my lap and stayed there for the duration.  As she purred contentedly, I thought, "A cat who's happy to listen to two symphonies with me and purr blissfully...Sylvia's the perfect cat for me."

If you have a comparable opportunity with your pet, take it.  It will only strengthen an already strong bond.

Musical comfort

"The Gift (Simple Gifts)," performed by The King's Singers, was the last piece of music my cat, Sylvia, and I heard together on the night before her passing.  Thinking about it now, I think that's as good a choice as any for a final selection to enjoy.  It pairs the melody of the Shaker composition, "Simple Gifts," with lyrics that herald the birth of Christ.  In a larger sense, to me, it's a beautifully sung reassurance that all things remain in God.

That's comforting at a time when I can use all the comfort I can get.

Appropriately sung grief

As I continue to grapple with yesterday's awful turn of events, one song keeps hitting me in the heart.  Although "Darkness" by The Police has come to mind, the chorus of Colin Hay's "Send Somebody" has dominated my thoughts most often.

Although there's no one right way to grieve, I think it starts with acknowledging how upset you are.  "Send Somebody" is painfully effective that way.

In memory of Sylvia the cat

Spring 2013: Sylvia does her RCA record label cat pose on top of a stereo speaker.

How do you grapple with losing the best music listening companion you've ever had?  My cat, Sylvia, lost her battle against kidney and liver diseases this morning.  I've felt overwhelming grief and sadness over losing the sweetest cat I could ever have adopted.

I've written before about the songs that I think fit Sylvia's personality best.  During our 11 years and change together, I found that Sylvia was easy to please when it came to music.  Not once did she twitch her ears, look at me oddly, or meow angrily at the stereo.  She would purr happily whether I was playing Joni Mitchell's "Free Man In Paris," Stevie Wonder's "Es Una Historia (I Am Singing)," or Beethoven's seventh symphony.

We both loved it when I'd sit on the floor by the record player.  Regardless of what music I was playing, Sylvia would run over, jump in my lap, and purr.  The Boorays, The Drifters, Basia...It didn't matter what I chose.  As long as she could sit with me and listen to it, she was happy.  We should all be so eager to please.

I like that iTunes categorizes the recordings I've made of Sylvia and my family's other cats meowing and purring as songs.  To me, they are songs; they're more personal, heartfelt, and musical than any mass-produced flavor of the week hit.  Hearing Sylvia emit a three-toned request for food or an elaborate circular scale of notes when she wants water from the kitchen sink is as musical to me as any birdcall...

...and I look forward to savoring Sylvia's recorded warbling for the rest of my life. 

Wouldn't do that now

When I was in high school, an orchestra in which I played had a particularly good first half of its concert.  Pleased with this momentum, I didn't just walk back on stage near the end of the intermission.  I hopped over my double bass.  As a teenager, I didn't think twice about whether this was appropriate.  I can't imagine doing that at age 49, though.  Somehow, I doubt that the St. Louis Symphony bassists hop over their basses when returning to the stage.

"OK, Gen X-er?"

Admittedly, it's more convenient for today's college radio DJs to sequence the songs they want to play in advance through software.  For me, however, that doesn't match the satisfaction of programming music in real time, especially when you segue from one turntable to another.  There's something gratifying about finding the start of a song, moving the record back in a counterclockwise quarter-turn, and starting it at just the right moment.  Yes, it's more labor-intensive.  Yes, if you forget the quarter-turn step, the song will sound warped until the turntable gets up to speed.  When it works, though, you have the satisfaction of knowing that your judgment was on the mark.

Ideal gardening and cat-feeding music

In recent days, I've been feeding my cat, Sylvia, from my hand or sometimes using a plastic knife or spoon to put food in her mouth.  While doing that this morning, I sang a folk song that I first heard at sixth grade camp--the David Mallett-penned "Garden Song (Inch By Inch.)"  There are many versions of it, but Pete Seeger sang the one most familiar to me. 

I'm not surprised that my brain drew a parallel between "Garden Song"'s lyrics and my new feeding routine with Sylvia.  In both cases, there are no shortcuts; when you plant a garden or feed an ailing cat, you need patience and perseverance to achieve the best results.

Feeding my cat two or three pieces of food at a time?  That's not a burden to me.  That's prolonging the life of the best pet I could ever have chosen.

I'm about to try feeding her again.  One, two, three, four..."Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow..."

Only so much space

One area radio station's playlist only allows so many characters in each one-line song title.  Thus, Bing Crosby's "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas" is listed on the station's website as "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christ."

If any voice could convey the gravity needed for a song with that title, Crosby's would have.

When was the last straw?

I don't know what triggered this realization.  I can't remember the last time I heard someone slurping a beverage through a straw in a radio commercial, though.  Decades ago, that was a go-to sound effect in fast food and convenience store commercials.  Now that more people see straws as environmentally unfriendly, it's an anomaly when commercials call attention to them.

A flexible Christmas purist

Generally, I frown on Christmas music that's not specifically about Christmas.  I don't seek out any version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside," "A Marshmallow World," or "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

I'm impressed, however, that the coordinator of the "Warner Bros. Jazz Christmas Party" compilation included Mark Turner's version of "Pure Imagination."  If the title doesn't ring a bell, Gene Wilder sings it in the movie, "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory."  Turner's tenor sax captures the warmth and wonder of Wilder's original vocals.  Warmth and wonder are key ingredients of a wonderful Christmas, so I wouldn't fault any radio station for including "Pure Imagination" in its Christmas rotation.

"Welcome to Obvious Communication Theory 101..."

After graduating from college, I went to broadcasting school.  The school's president told prospective students, "I'm not anti-college.  I'm anti-college broadcasting school."  In his view, college broadcasting programs had too many communication theory classes and not enough opportunities for students to be on the air.

After remembering college broadcasting classes in which instructors would impart such wisdom as, "In this model of communication, the sender sends a message to the receiver," I saw his point.

An overlooked cover tune LV

Looking for a brassy arrangement of "Frosty The Snowman" that takes listeners back to the days of Glenn Miller?  If its sporadic, surprising vocals don't bother you, you might like how Jim Self & Hollywood Tuba 12 perform it.

Can't listen to the album cover, but...

I've never planted squash.  I've seldom eaten or craved squash.  Furthermore, it's much too late to grow squash this year.  And yet...

...when I see the pastoral cover of Jay Ungar and Molly Mason's "Harvest Home" CD, I feel the need to plant squash...

...and harvest wheat...

...and say Hello to the cows grazing behind the barn...

...and thank the owners of the farm on the cover, even though it's not real, for indulging my wishes to plant squash, harvest wheat, and say Hello to the cows on their land.

An elementary school art teacher once told our class that sometimes, the cover of a report you submit for a class might make a difference in the grade you receive.  Similarly, I think beguiling album cover art occasionally nudges listeners to purchase an album.  I knew I liked Ungar & Mason's moving "Thanksgiving Waltz" instrumental, but the album's cover illustration of trees in Autumn finery, a bridge over a river, a stately house, and said barn cinched my decision to buy "Harvest Home."

Sometimes, it isn't just the music that draws you in.

Context? LXVI

Heard on an NPR station this morning: "And, yes, I said, 'It.'  I refuse to refer to Alexa as a she."

Considering how virtual digital assistants and smart speakers have become disturbingly ubiquitous, I agree that it's best not to personify them.

A linguistic irritant XVI

It irks me whenever I hear any announcer refer to the oeuvre of a composer.  I always think, "Just tell me you're referring to the works of the composer or that composer's catalog."  Although it's perfectly valid to refer to a composer's oeuvre, it sounds slightly pretentious.

Context? LXV

I heard a radio talk show host say yesterday that he's now an age "that's evenly divisible by 60."

That's a healthy perspective to have on one's birthday.  Take it from someone whose age is evenly divisible by 49.

SiriusXM highlights CXIV

Standout tracks heard yesterday:

1st Wave

• The Ghost In You-The Psychedelic Furs (It's an odd trick that memories sometimes play--comforting and torturing you all at once.  I'm sure this is the essence of how a lot of college radio stations sounded in 1984.)
• I Confess-The English Beat ("Save It For Later" is still my favorite track by this band, but the intermingling of vocals, keyboard, and trumpet, seemingly inspired by David Byrne, secures a close second place for me.  Lyrically, I admire how the antagonist realizes he's no saint.)

The Groove

• Summer Madness-Kool & The Gang (A laid-back, trance-inducing instrumental from 1974; chill guitar and keyboards sustain the mood for nearly 10 minutes.) 

Heart & Soul

• Unapologetic-Katherine Penfold (Penfold's strong vocals shine in conjunction with a laid-back organ accompaniment that mimics falling rain.  This throwback-sounding tune, released last month, would be equally at home on a smooth jazz or R&B playlist.)

Outlaw Country

• Diamond In The Rough (Acoustic Edition)-Shawn Colvin (Colvin's vocals and guitar shine in this new version.  Colvin's "Steady On" has always been a first-rate example of singer-songwriter musicianship, so it's a treat to hear her rework the album 30 years after its original release.  I also recommend the new and old versions of "Shotgun Down The Avalanche," "Ricochet In Time," and "Steady On.")

Real Jazz

• El Hombre (Live)-Pat Martino (Cool, slinky guitar and organ.)
• Stella By Starlight-Erroll Garner (So many people have covered this standard, but Garner's interpretation is not only an inviting piano rendition but possible accompaniment for learning the cha-cha.  Disagree?  Then, you might like Tommy Dorsey's cha-cha rendition of "Tea For Two.")

Watercolors

• Long Weekend (See You On Tuesday!)-Bob Baldwin featuring Ragan Whiteside (A familiar yet fresh-sounding new uptempo groove for piano and flute.)

Willie's Roadhouse

• City Of New Orleans-Willie Nelson (Upon hearing the title of this Steve Goodman song, most listeners probably think of Arlo Guthrie's rendition.  I haven't heard Nelson's version nearly as often, but it deserves its due; Nelson's voice is a natural fit for this tale of a train ride.)

Stingray Music highlights LXXXI

Highlights from yesterday:

The Chill Lounge

• Elevator-Jaffa (This throbbing, organ-anchored groove wouldn't be out of place in a smooth jazz station's playlist.)

Flashback '70s

• Follow You Follow Me-Genesis (The band's first American hit, and still one of its most endearing ones; you'd have to be awfully cold-hearted not to be moved by these lyrics, which Phil Collins sings against one of Tony Banks's most accessible, memorable keyboard accompaniments.) 

Folk Roots

• Dear Mary-Linda Thompson (Beautifully sung lyrics about not burning bridges.) 

Holiday Hits

• Silent Night-Percy Faith and his orchestra (One of the most tasteful easy listening renditions of this carol, with its strings, chimes, and just the right amount of background vocals.)

Jazz Now

• Seventy-Six-Kenny Wheeler Quintet (A contemplative midtempo piece for flugelhorn.)

World Carnival

• Sowa-Fatoumata Diawara (A voice and guitar are all that's needed to convey the heart-wrenching reality of giving up children for adoption.)

Persistent earworm alert CLXII

So, what's it like when you only have so much time to write a blog post and are stuck for inspiration?  I've found that the chorus of "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" by Blues Magoos runs through my mind--purely coincidentally, of course.

Casting for age authenticity

When casting the voice of a child in any radio commercial or production, it's usually best to cast an actual kid.  While listening to some old radio dramas recently, I was dismayed by adults' attempts at pretending to be kids.  Their unconvincing efforts took me right out of the story each time.  An accomplished voice actor might be able to pull off a child's voice convincingly, but those instances are exceptions.  When a commercial or production is well-cast, the audience shouldn't think, "That's a 50-year-old attempting to speak the way (s)he thinks eight-year-olds speak."

An overlooked cover tune LIV

"Country Road" is one of my favorite James Taylor songs.  It should have been a bigger hit, but "Fire And Rain," with its painfully heartfelt, excellent lyrics, eclipsed it on the charts.  In his low-key follow-up hit, Taylor captures the tranquility of walking down a country road compellingly via his vocals and guitar. 

Years ago, I was surprised to learn that jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson covered "Country Road."  The keyboard sets a tone that's about as pastoral as fusion jazz can be.  Ferguson's trumpet comes wailing--or blaring, depending on your perspective--in.  Taylor coveys the bliss of ambling down a country road in his version, and Ferguson captures the exuberance of such a walk through a loud, uninhibited trumpet line.  On the surface, Ferguson's approach shouldn't work as well as it does.  Somehow, though, it does.

It speaks well of the human race...

...that a beautiful French Christmas melody composed in 1556, Nicolas Martin's "Nouvelles, nouvelles," has survived through the centuries.  I was fortunate to hear The Boston Camerata's performance of it last Christmas on the Radio Arts Foundation's station, K297BI.  Listening to it today, it was heartening to realize that good taste has been handed down for an impressive 463 years.

Persistent earworm alert CLXI

Logically, you'd think that most earworms would be songs you really like or can't stand.  It always puzzles me when a song I haven't heard anywhere lately comes to mind, and it's a song to which I'm completely indifferent.  For some reason, my mind keeps looping through the intro of "Key Largo" by Bertie Higgins today.  Why is it standing out so prominently to me today when I have no strong feelings either way about the song, and I rarely think of it otherwise?

Striving for a good radio aftertaste...

...No, I wasn't eating a radio, but I had the radio on as I got close to home this morning.  The DJ said the next song she was about to play was beautiful.  What I heard of it sounded listenable but more cold and robotic than beautiful.  As I switched stations, I thought, "This doesn't make much sense.  I'll only be in the car for another 15 seconds.  I can tolerate 15 more seconds of a cold, robotic instrumental."

I still changed stations, however, and listened to 15 seconds of jazz instead.  Petty as that might have been, there's something to be said for how you end a situation.  What I heard most recently on the radio often stays with me for a little while, so whenever possible, I want to get out of the car with a positive mindset.

SiriusXM highlights CXIII

Noteworthy selections heard recently:

'80s On 8

• When Smokey Sings-ABC (Sung tributes to other artists don't always work, but this tribute to Smokey Robinson largely does while staying true to the era when it was recorded.)

The Bridge

• Arc Of A Diver-Steve Winwood ("While You See A Chance," one of Winwood's best songs, eclipsed the album title track in airplay and commercial success, but "Arc...," the album's title track, also deserves its due lyrically and musically.)   

Escape

• Patricia-James Last Orchestra (Easy listening strings with a kick.)

Holiday Traditions

• Silent Night-The Mills Brothers (Solemn, reverential vocals.  The group's "Merry Christmas" CD is easy to listen to in its entirety and feels like it's over much too soon.)

Prime Country

• Angel Of The Morning-Juice Newton (A strong cover of the 1968 hit by Merrillee Rush & The Turnabouts.  Both versions deserve more airplay these days.)

Real Jazz

• One By One-Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (An inviting midtempo melody, in which every lead and rhythm instrument is critical.  The audience who got to hear the group play this at Birdland in 1963 was lucky.)

Stingray Music highlights LXXX

Appealing selections heard yesterday:

Baroque

• Joan Ambrosio Dalza: Piva (Shirley Rumsey, lute) (Actually, this is a pre-Baroque piece that would have been suitable for skipping stones across the water in the early 1500s.  This would be a fine interlude between two comparably energetic dances.)

Bluegrass

• Ragtime Annie-Byron Berline (Kudos to Berline for this master class in fiddle-playing dexterity.)

Cocktail Lounge

• Come Rain Or Come Shine-Ray Charles (The strings and backing singers mark a bygone era, augmenting the considerable emotional depth Charles shows in his vocals.)

Folk Roots

• Rise-Carol Crittenden (Inspiring lyrics capture the perseverance needed during uphill battles for equality and respect.)

Holiday Hits

• We Wish You A Merry Christmas-The Glenn Miller Orchestra (This is an effective way to feel transported to a ballroom for a brassy Yuletide performance.)

Jazz Masters

• What'll I Do?-Bob Cooper & Bud Shank (Impressive swingin' dialogue between flute and oboe.)

Jazz Now

• Maybe I Knew-Ellen Doty (Brave confessional lyrics about a match that isn't meant to be.)

South Africa Traditional 

• Loneliness-Vusi Mahlasela & Louis Mhlanga (Honest lyrics about how your scope of loneliness changes once you find the right companion.)

"Hit it!" Well, maybe not...

I'm always curious to hear what music follows a singer yells to his or her band, "Hit it!"  Sometimes, it's an incredibly catchy song that makes you think, "How did no one think of this song earlier?"  Other times, you might think, "The singer's trying to create some excitement and drama here, but this song is derivative and not particularly special."

Stingray Music highlights LXXIX

Three witch cats agreed in 2018, and their edict still stands today.  Halloween music is best played at night.  Playing haunting verses about ghosts and goblins during daylight hours compromises the music's potency.

Wednesday and Thursday highlights:

Chamber Music

• John Thomas: The Minstrel's Adieu To His Native Land (Rita Costanzi, harp) (It's easy to feel the minstrel's sorrow in this delicate, sensitive piece.)

Easy Listening

• Pacific Coast Highway-Burt Bacharach (I kept expecting Dionne Warwick to start singing; this brass-and-strings arrangement is sufficiently pleasant, however.)

Folk Roots

• Journey's End-Clannad (Welcoming Celtic vocals and instrumentation acknowledge the safe completion of a voyage to see those about whom you care most.) 

Holiday Hits

• J.S. Bach: Toccata and Fugue In D minor (Canadian Brass) (I'd always thought this piece needed to be played on the organ to achieve a ghoulish effect, but the Canadian Brass make a persuasive case for a more stately approach.)
• Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead-Ella Fitzgerald (I like the swingin', matter-of-fact way Fitzgerald approaches the vocals.  She sings this with the attitude that suggests, "This was justice, you understand.  It was something that needed to be taken care of, so let's celebrate."  The big band accompaniment underscores the need for rejoicing.)  

Jazz Now

• In A Sentimental Mood-Oliver Gannon & Bill Coon (Elegant, understated guitar playing, which fits the song perfectly.)

Retro R&B

• Express Yourself-Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band (One of the funkiest ways to say, "You do you; there's room enough in this world for everyone to be themselves."  This was a deserved hit in 1970.)

Swinging Standards

• Time On My Hands-Susie Arioli (Arioli does this standard from 1930 justice with her vocals and allows the saxophonist and rhythm section to shine, as well.)

SiriusXM highlights CXII

Standout selections heard this morning:

'70s On 7

• 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.) 

The Groove

• The Finest-The S.O.S. Band (An of-its-time '80s groove that deserves more airplay; I wonder if any college or noncommercial station has ever played The Human League's "Human" before it.)

Real Jazz

• Ill Bill-Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet (Like the opening theme of "Frasier?"  Expand your vibraphone palette gradually with this engaging track.)
• Let's Face The Music And Dance-Cassandra Wilson (This Irving Berlin standard swings in Wilson's captivating alto voice.)

Spa

• Tenderland-Margie Adam (A heartfelt, downcast piano melody.  Images of a desolate street and a hospital ward came to mind as I listened.)

Symphony Hall

• Federico Moreno Torroba: Dialogues Between Guitar And Orchestra (Malaga Philharmonic/Manuel Coves, conductor; Vicente Coves, guitar) (By the end of this piece, I felt like I'd heard everything ranging from tarantellas to moving panoramic vistas of sound.)

Watercolors

• We Had Searched For Heaven-Tony Momrelle featuring Maysa (The positive ingredients making up this strong April release: Sincere lyrics, beautifully sung to a refreshing uptempo melody, and an undercurrent that resembles the bass line from Al Jarreau's "Save Me.")

An overlooked cover tune LIII

While listening to "Sonic Space" on KDHX Monday, a jazzified version of a rock song I knew well came on.  It took a cool, confident swagger of a beat and turned it into an equally cool, jazzy backbone for a rendition brimming with confidence.  I couldn't quite place the voice, however.  To my surprise, it was Grace Jones covering "Breakdown" by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. 

I don't have any of Jones's music in my collection, but I'd recommend buying her cover of Tom Petty's first (should-have-been-a-bigger) hit.

SiriusXM highlights CXI

Saturday and Sunday highlights:

'60s On 6

• See You In September-The Happenings (This was a big hit in 1966, although the vocal harmonies sound like they're from the early '60s.  If The Four Seasons had taken this toned-down approach to their vocals, I might have liked more of their early '60s output.)

Bluesville

• Spann's Boogie-Otis Spann (Boogie woogie piano that swings.)

Enlighten

• When They Ring The Golden Bells-Chet Atkins (Tasteful, understated guitar, as usual.  I wouldn't have been surprised if Atkins had approached "In Your Easter Bonnet" similarly.)

Escape

• Overjoyed-Jack Jezzro (A good guitar and piano cover of the Stevie Wonder tune, with a bossa nova feel.)

Garth Channel

• Wide Open Spaces-Dixie Chicks (Appealing lyrics about embarking on a challenge in a new setting, with a wide array of possibilities on the horizon.)

Outlaw Country

• That Old Black Magic-Louis Prima & Keely Smith (This is not outlaw country music or country music at all.  Instead, it's a strong example of two singers playing off of each other well in the definitive uptempo version of this song.  I wish I'd played this more often on WEW.)

Real Jazz

• Things Ain't What They Used To Be-Ray Bryant (See my review of "Spann's Boogie.")

Watercolors

• It's So Amazing-Joyce Cooling (An energetic guitar piece suitable for underscoring, "Welcome to our movie theater...Now, our feature presentation.")

Persistent earworm alert CLX

Thanks to Chris Thile and company for setting a text to music on yesterday's "Live From Here."  While eating, sleeping, and brushing my teeth, I can't stop thinking about the earworm, "The spatula and the slotted spoon are non-stick metal."

That text sounds like a sentence a middle school class might be asked to write during the dictation portion of a spelling test.  As Thile proved, it works as a melody or as a counterpoint to a melody...

...And now, I could no sooner forget it than I could forget my own name.

An odd way to respect artists

As I read a newspaper review recently of a Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly hologram concert, I thought, "What would possess someone to go to such an event?  Regardless of how revered the artists are or how lifelike their holograms appear, wouldn't it make more sense to appreciate the music they made through footage and recordings that aren't contrived?"

Stingray Music highlights LXXVIII

Noteworthy selections heard through U-verse today:

The Chill Lounge

• Occidente-Arrojas (A sly late night groove for piano, bass, and percussion.)

Classic R&B And Soul

• We Got Some Catchin' Up To Do-Jean Carn (An appealing tune about rekindling a spark with someone; vocally and instrumentally, this is a strong groove from 1981.)

Cocktail Lounge

• Susquehanna-Oscar Peterson (If the vocal stylings of Nat King Cole appeal to you, Peterson's vocals and piano in this elegant gem from 1957 should also move you.)

Cool Jazz

• Goin' Out Of My Head-Wes Montgomery (As effectively as The Lettermen sing this, I enjoy Montgomery's forceful take on the guitar just as much.)

Everything '80s

• Axel F-Harold Faltermeyer (Jan Hammer's theme from "Miami Vice" encapsulated the general instrumental sound of 1985.  A close second in that category, however, is this memorable keyboard riff.  Sidebar: After hearing this song for the first time in '85, I called a radio station to ask what artist was performing it.  The DJ replied, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you--Harold Faltermeyer."  If you're only going to have one hit, this is a commendable melody to have under your name.) 

Folk Roots

• Bony On The Isle Of St. Helena-Uncle Earl (Not just any ensemble could make me want to hear a traditional tune about Napoleon Bonaparte's later years.  The vocals, which remind me of Suzanne Vega, are beautiful, and Abigail Washburn's banjo playing underscores them compellingly.)

Holiday Hits

• X-Files (Main Theme)-101 Strings (An appropriately eerie rendition; it's particularly impressive coming from an ensemble known for easy listening renditions of tunes that fade into the background.)

Jazz Now

• Just As In Spring-Rebecca Martin & Guillermo Klein featuring Jeff Ballard (Somber alto vocals against a backdrop of piano and drums.  I'd be curious to hear Norah Jones cover this.)

FM dial scan highlights CXIX

Six standout tunes heard today:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Forever Turned Around-Whitney (This August release has a laid-back '70s throwback feel.  The lead vocals bring to mind Larry Lee's voice on the Ozark Mountain Daredevils hit, "Jackie Blue," with a bit of ELO's "Strange Magic" thrown in.)
• Empty Ring-Paul Weller (A skillfully assembled R&B sampler platter.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Concrete Jungle-Down To The Bone (Five recurring beats fit for power walking.)
• When Lights Are Low-John Pizzarelli (Tasteful, low-key crooning in a style similar to Harry Connick, Jr.; there's a consistency to Pizzarelli's work that gives a jazz station program director a lot from which to choose.)

KCLC 89.1 FM

• Castles-Freya Ridings (Appealing low-pitched vocals; October Project with a beat?)

WFUN 95.5 FM

• If I Ain't Got You-Alicia Keys (A strong voice with contemplative piano underscoring; "Silly" by Deniece Williams would sound appropriate after this.)

Online radio sampler highlights XCIX

Five standout selections heard today:

KBGA (Missoula, MT)

• Salt Peanuts (Live At Massey Hall)-Charlie Parker (The Quintet) (Depending on the edition, this is credited to either The Quintet or Charlie Parker.  Fantastic interplay between all players, particularly Bud Powell, with his rapid runs on the piano, and Parker on alto sax.  I envy the audience who got to see this set in 1953.)

KDRU (Springfield, MO)

• Fall Down-Crumb (Released in June, this tune's spooky vocals and instrumental backing would sound appropriate before Milo Greene's "Move.")

WCRI (Block Island, RI)

• Franz Schubert: Piano Sonata in A major, D.664: III. Allegro (Radu Lupu, piano) (A vivacious closing to a short, compelling sonata.)

WWOZ (New Orleans, LA)

• Shadow Of The Sun-Irma Thomas (A movingly wistful R&B tune for days when you feel overwhelmed or thanklessly anonymous.)
• Oh Happy Day-Louis Prima with Sam Butera & The Witnesses (Like many listeners, I tend to think of the Edwin Hawkins Singers upon mention of the tune's title; I've always liked that rendition and play it on Easter Sunday.  That said, there's no skimping on energy or emotion in the trumpet or guitar in this no-holds-barred cover.  If the way The Boston Pops and Chet Atkins approached "Alabama Jubilee" appeals to you, you might also enjoy this.)

Persistent earworm alert CLIX

You walk past the vending machine at work and see that it has Zingers, snack cakes you haven't eaten in decades.  It becomes disconcerting when you go back to your desk and discuss life and death matters with clients, all the while thinking, "10 Zingers, 9 Zingers, 8--Yummy!--Zingers, 7 Zingers, 6 Zingers, 5--Tasty..."

While the thought of the Zingers TV commercial jingle amuses you, you think, "I saw the Zingers commercial originally in 1980.  I have a good memory, but I know I've forgotten more important things than this jingle.  I haven't eaten or even seen Zingers snack cakes anywhere in many years.  Why do I have instant recall of this jingle and not my blood type?"

The mind's priorities are sometimes disturbing.

A less-than-great business II

At the end of a session, a broadcasting school instructor turned candid about the state of his career.

"I wish a better future for all of you than I  have," he said.  A student asked him, "So, you don't like what you're doing now?"

The instructor/DJ replied, "Oh, I think big band radio is making a comeback.  It's the wave of the future."

Sarcasm is partial insulation against making a precarious living.

Persistent earworm alert CLVIII

Seeing a reference to lacrosse made me remember a song I thought had left my mind--Chic's "Le Freak."  I imagined the group singing, "It's called lacrosse...," and touting the virtues of the sport.

I don't know that promoting lacrosse as if it's a '70s dance craze is the most natural fit, but the mind is known for making disparate associations.

A linguistic irritant XV

I'm going to listen to the radio.  I'm not going to play the radio.  The radio has provided me with a lot of enjoyable music and information, so I don't want it to feel outfoxed.

Persistent earworm alert CLVII

One benefit of aging: You can shop for cat food and not feel self-conscious about bobbing your head in time to the Wings tune, "Goodnight Tonight," as it plays over the store's speakers.  At least, that was my experience recently.  I drew the line at singing along, however.  My singing range is too limited for that, and I still have some degree of dignity.

Sometimes, it's best to split the difference between being carefree and careful.

FM dial scan highlights CXVIII

Five standout tunes heard today:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• How Everyone But Sam Was A Hypocrite-Sandy Denny & The Strawbs (No one punctures pomposity quite like the British.  "Pop! The Beat Bubble Burst"'s host, Rich, remarked that he was playing a lot of music from 1967 today, "but not by design."  I wouldn't fault him if it was deliberate, however; 1967 produced a lot of musical gems, including this rarely played commentary on the class system.)
• Goin' Back-Dusty Springfield (Lyrically, this is a comforting reminder that growing older doesn't mean you have to stop thinking young.  Springfield sings it with the right amount of sensitivity.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Body And Soul-Harry Allen (Allen plays this standard with a warm, welcoming tone on the saxophone.  Sidebar: A high school English teacher told one of my classes that years ago, she offered to lend someone her copy of "Body And Soul."  As they got off the streetcar, he told her, "I'll be back tonight to get your 'Body And Soul.'"  This raised some eyebrows from people overhearing him.  I wish now that I'd thought to use this story as one of my "Context?" posts.)
• Midnight Creeper-Lou Donaldson & Dr. Lonnie Smith (I don't think there's such a thing as uncontrived sashaying, but if someone wanted to sashay freely for an unusually long time, this saxophone/organ piece could underscore it.)

KPNT 105.7 FM

• Smooth Criminal-Alien Ant Farm (It's interesting hearing this Michael Jackson song in a metal context, with thrashing guitars and manic vocals.  In Jackson's version, I pay more attention to the rhythm of the tune.  In this cover, I notice how grim the lyrics really are.)

Online radio sampler highlights XCVIII

Noteworthy selections heard Wednesday night:

KKBB (Bakersfield, CA)

• The One Who Really Loves You-Mary Wells (Rhythmically and lyrically, this could segue with multiple versions of "It Takes Two To Tango."  Rosie & The Originals also do a strong version.)
• Come Back To Me-Janet Jackson (No surprise that this was a huge hit in 1990, as it's one of Jackson's most endearing ballads.)

KNCJ (Reno, NV)

• Christopher Tignor: What You Must Make Of Me (Christopher Tignor, violin) (This celestial-sounding electronic soundscape would work as dramatic new age underscoring.)
• Julia Kent: Through The Window (Julia Kent, cello) (A hypnotic journey-through-the-cosmos-style loop.)
• Michael Harrison: Raga Prelude I (Yaman) (Maya Beiser, cello; Michael Harrison, piano) (Movingly melodic with excellent synergy between performers.)

WVUM (Miami, FL)

• Resavoir-Resavoir (This track pulls off an intriguing double retro trick; it sounds like samples of '70s free form jazz recordings, not wedded to one tempo, remixed in '90s acid jazz style.  Actually, it's from 2019.  All this, and seagulls, to boot...)
• Guide-Steve Lacy (I hear a Prince influence in the vocals and bass funk line; one of this year's catchier releases.)

FM dial scan highlights CXVII

Tuesday's standouts:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Call Me Your Fool If You Want To-Jean Knight (With R&B piano accompaniment that's this infectious, a vocalist is already halfway home.  Knight's big hit in 1971 was "Mr. Big Stuff."  This tune from the same year, however, should have been a hit in its own right.)
• Comes A Time-Neil Young (People and the world evolve inevitably, but it's reassuring that, at the core, you're still you.  Time passes, but you can still hold on to a lot of the same values and priorities.  Young is at his songwriting best on tunes like these.)
• Wild Horses-The Flying Burrito Brothers (Sincere voices and a strummed guitar are all you really need to pull of a strong cover of this Rolling Stones tune.  For a more ethereal-sounding take, however, listen to The Sundays.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Cook's Bay-Regina Carter (Great interplay between Carter's violin and the piano on this warm, uptempo instrumental.)
• Good Morning Heartache-Chris Botti featuring Jill Scott (Laura Fygi's take is still my go-to rendition, but Botti and Scott make a persuasive case for recasting the tune in a faster tempo with trumpet and more forthright vocals.  Seek out any live version in which Scott tells heartache to get a job.)

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

• Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B minor, D.759, "Unfinished" (Berlin Philharmonic/Herbert von Karajan, conductor) (As a bassist, this was one of my favorite pieces to play.  I was pleased to hear the Berlin Philharmonic play both movements with an appropriate degree of warmth.)
• Frederic Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 (Ingrid Filter, piano) (This piece asks a lot of a performer, technically and dynamically.  Filter pulls off the piece's tender passages with convincing feeling and the forceful passages with impressive fire.  It's a shame the station had to fade out of it to start a prerecorded program on time.)

Online radio sampler highlights XCVII

Six standout tracks played today:

KBCU (North Newton, KS)

• Carolina Shout-James P. Johnson (As I listened, I thought, "This is a cool, joint-is-jumpin' stride piano melody, with a lot of Roaring '20s flavor."  Although the version I heard was from 1944, the tune is from 1921.)

KFMG (Des Moines, IA)

• Sweet Potato Pie-Al Jarreau (If you enjoy the tempo and feel of "We Got By"'s leadoff track, "Spirit," you'll probably also like Jarreau's similar-sounding, midtempo "Sweet Potato Pie."  Also recommended: "Letter Perfect" and "We Got By.")

KFMU (Steamboat Springs, CO)

• Where It's At-Beck (In 1996, this tune, with its "two turntables and a microphone" hook, felt fresh.  It still holds up as one of Beck's most memorable tunes, even though some of the lyrics might make you think, "Um...What?"  Sometimes, a song's feel is its most important asset.)

WOVM (Appleton, WI)

• Sorry Now-Jill Andrews (Andrews sings compellingly about why a relationship failed in this strong release from September.)
• Time-Alan Parsons Project (I always thought this well-crafted tune about a sorrowful parting was underplayed, even when it was a hit in 1981.)

WXRV (Boston, MA)

• Can't Let Go-Lucinda Williams (The opening guitar lick gets my attention in a way few other songs do.  The somewhere-between-country-and-rock guitar line underscores well-written, effectively sung lyrics about wanting to hold onto a relationship that's clearly over.  This tune is just as catchy to me as it was in 1998--and should have gotten more exposure on the St. Louis airwaves.)

An overlooked cover tune LII

I'm surprised I haven't heard Herb Alpert's cover of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Fantasy" on the radio yet.  Granted, it was just released last month, but it's a natural candidate for airplay.  If you're familiar with Alpert's previous work, you'll likely recognize his signature trumpet sound.  The trumpet carries the melody where vocals were in the original version, softening the tune somewhat but making it no less appealing.

Context? LXIV

I turned on NPR's "Ask Me Another" today, puzzled to hear one woman clarify with another that she was "knitting to heavy metal."

I've never done any needlepoint.  If I concentrate, though, I can imagine someone getting into a knitting rhythm during AC/DC's "Highway To Hell"--sort of.  It's not the most obvious inspiration for finishing a scarf, but if it works, it works.

A low-key evening of music

Around this time of year in 1990, I went to a George Winston concert.  There was no foot-stomping, talking during the music, or shouts of, "Play 'January Stars!'" from the audience.  It was just Winston at the piano, playing selections from his seasonally appropriate album, "Autumn."  The music did the talking, and that was enough.

The world could use more of that no frills, yet evocative approach to concerts today.

No need for constant air time

I learned recently that an AM radio station I thought was on-air 24-7 signs off the air at night and signs back on in the morning.  In a world of too-frequent tweets and commentary designed to fill time instead of enlighten the masses, a station that gives its transmitter and personnel a rest for part of the day is refreshing--and quite an anomaly these days.

Playing to the regulars

At last month's high school class reunion, a friend mentioned a sports talk radio station. 

"I haven't listened to that station in years," I replied.  "As I remember, it was mostly the same three people--Don, John, and Ron (not their real names)--who called in."

"It's still like that," he responded.

Good for that trio of callers, I guess, for propping up the radio station; this is a tradition-based town, after all.

Spend less, buy more

You're a teenager in the '80s with only so much money to spend.  You want to preserve radio air checks.  Do you buy the normal bias cassettes, which have more tape hiss but do the job well enough?  Or, do you splurge for the high bias or metal bias cassettes that have less tape hiss and better sound quality?  Although I bought high and metal bias tapes more often as I got older, I bought the normal bias tapes most of the time.  I reasoned, "If I spend less, I can buy and preserve more.  It might not be perfect preservation of what I've heard, but it'll be close enough."

Considering that I can still listen to air checks I recorded 36 years ago, I think I made the right call.

A less-than-great business

I once heard a broadcast school instructor who had worked on-air at one of St. Louis's renowned rock stations level with a student.  The student asked how he could work for that station or at least pursue a similar career path.

"Well, my career has not been that stellar," the instructor replied, despite having at least 20 years in the business.

I'm still not sure if the instructor was being modest or if he was just preparing the student for the frequently precarious radio business.

Rethinking a birthday tradition

Each year, on my birthday, I record a sample of what I've heard on the radio.  Most years, I record at least one newscast.  In this morning's newscast, I heard about a death, a carjacking, and a missing person alert.

Next year, I think I'll just stick to recording music.

The beginning: The best place to start

When you're having a radio sports report recorded for the next morning, you'd think you wouldn't have to remind the newscaster to start recording it from the beginning.  Numerous times, however, when a particular newscaster was on duty, I'd listen for my report the next day, only to hear it begin, "By the score of 68-66," or "Sixth straight win, making them undefeated this season."

I still wonder if that newscaster just kept forgetting to start recording at the beginning or didn't grasp the concept of leader tape.  Either way, it was vexing to turn on the radio and hear my name announced, followed by a recording that began, "Three home runs!" or "For 100 yards!"

Context? LXIII

On an NPR affiliate this morning, I heard talk of a celebrity on whom the staff keeps tabs.  It's a celebrity, according to the host, who has his own talk show.

Which star has achieved this pinnacle of success?

"Sesame Street"'s Elmo.

I'll admit, the prelude to that segment on KWMU didn't go where I'd predicted.

How to welcome Autumn

Although Autumn officially began on September 23, temperatures during the day haven't felt Fall-like in St. Louis until today.  This afternoon, I rang in the new season listening to an excellent Neil & Liam Finn cover of the somewhat underplayed Beatles tune, "Two Of Us."  My cat, Sylvia, curled up on me and purred while we listened.

Fall is a season of contemplation, and this, in my opinion, was the best way to start contemplating.

I don't think that's subject to debate.

Sobering show biz reality

A vocalist who sang with a band years ago told me about a satisfying gig.  She thought the band was especially on its game and that she had sung particularly well.  Then, after the performance, the band and she collected their pay--and realized the money they'd made that night barely covered the cost of drinks after the show.

Talk about a vocation in which you really have to love what you do...

Good enough for me

An artist was selling her music on vinyl at her concert because, as she said, "records are cool."

That was all the justification I needed.  As much as I like to think I make decisions based on logic, I'm as susceptible as anyone to the allure of nostalgia--and a shiny LP.

Persistent earworm alert CLVI

I always wondered why Canada Dry advertisers chose a razzle-dazzle, steppin'-out-on-the-town approach to their jingle decades ago.  Full of life, the jingle singer proclaimed, "I'm makin' my move..."

..."Where?" I wondered.  "Is she starring in her first role on Broadway?"

"...to Canada Dry!" she sang triumphantly.

"Oh," I thought, puzzled yet amused.  "She's making the transition from soda to ginger ale."

I'm still not sure that supposed life-changing milestone was worthy of a full-fledged production number, but I can't deny that the jingle latches onto one's brain.

Irreverence before the movie

I'd be amused if, without explanation, a Wehrenberg theater played its locally famous late '70s/early '80s theme while actors wearing sheep costumes came dancing in. singing along to the "Baa, baa-baa-baa, baa, baa, baa-baa, baa-baa-baa" portion of the theme.

It would be a unique way for a movie house to say, "Enjoy the show."

Among friends II

Following up on yesterday's post, I learned at last night's high school class reunion that one classmate majored in operatic voice performance in college, another has played her violin in a band that covers Nickel Creek's "Jealous Of The Moon," and the friend who recommended Batdorf & Rodney's "Oh My Surprise" decades ago has used it as background music for slide shows of his kids.

It was great catching up with musically inclined friends--and learning that they have their priorities in order.

Among friends

I've been thinking about my upcoming high school reunion and the connections various classmates have to music and radio.  I know someone, for instance, who sings on Broadway; it's hard to believe over three decades have passed since she was performing Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love For You" at a high school dinner dance.  I know someone else who was concertmistress of the high school orchestra.  Another friend was a fellow bass player in that same orchestra, and other members of my class were cellists in that ensemble.  Two other friends have worked on-air in radio.  Another friend, who was a high school musical star, married a woman with whom he'd starred on stage.  Perhaps the most impressive musical achievement, however, came from another friend in grade school.  Our of my grade school classes saw her perform "My Favorite Things" at another grade school.  I remember thinking, "She has such a good, confident singing voice that I forgot for a few minutes how much I dislike 'My Favorite Things,' except when John Coltrane plays it.  That's no easy feat."

Hopefully, most--or maybe, all--of these music and radio-inclined friends will be at the reunion.  If they can't make it, I hope they'll still sing, play their instruments, or take to the airwaves.

Bygone days of adult contemporary music

In June, I heard Art Garfunkel's "In A Little While (I'll Be On My Way)" on KDHX's "The Big Bang."  My first thought: You don't typically hear quality material written this well on the radio these days.  My second thought: You rarely hear quality material sung this well, with the proper balance of emotion and understatement on the radio today.  My third thought: This is what adult contemporary music used to be.  These days, most adult contemporary stations have hot A/C formats, with more uptempo recent hits.

If the hot A/C tunes of today start to sound too similar to you, check out some well-chosen and well-sung adult contemporary music from yesteryear.  Listen to all of Garfunkel's "Fate For Breakfast" album, and prepare to be impressed.

A DJ's basic job

I was listening on and off to a jazz station today.  The station doesn't post its playlist online, so that made it frustrating when the DJ would say every so often, "I've always liked this next tune by (so-and-so)...," without mentioning any of the songs before it.  There were two songs whose titles and artists I would like to have known.

How about telling me what I've heard?  That's a DJ's job, above all else.

FM dial scan highlights CXVI

Eight of the best tunes I've heard on the FM dial since June:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Radiate-Ex Hex (One of 2019's catchiest indie rock tunes.  The vocals, guitar, and drums contribute equally to the song's propulsive, great-for-driving momentum.)
• Sweet Sunshine Wine-Pearl Charles (1975-ish, Fleetwood Mac-style vocal harmonies are always welcome, as far as I'm concerned.)
• I Can Feel The Ice Melting-Yo La Tengo (The tune is from 2015, but its throwback arrangement reminds me of The Zombies and The Lovin' Spoonful.)
• Echo Park-Bedouine (I hear Joni Mitchell's influence in the lyrics and vocals of this 2019 standout.  The outro of birds chirping closes the tune appropriately.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Golden Time Of Day-Maze featuring Frankie Beverly (Is there a more welcoming "time-to-chill" song in this genre?)
• So Many Stars-Eric Alexander (Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 had possibly the best intermingling of vocals and instrumentation on any version of this, but Alexander's take on the saxophone is strongly appealing, as well.)

KWMU 90.7 FM

• Easy To Remember-Roy Hargrove (A warm trumpet tone on a melodic standard, heard late at night.  There's no way I can dislike that.  Speaking of that...)
• My Funny Valentine-Miles Davis (...See my review of Roy Hargrove's "Easy To Remember.")

Persistent earworm alert CLV

It's a songwriting feat to make a listener sing along with a lyric such as "Alligator lizards in the air," while still thinking the tune is one of the most pleasant, carefree oldies ever.  Thanks to breezy vocals and guitar, America's "Ventura Highway" somehow pulls this off.  Thus, I don't mind that the song has crowded out all other thoughts from my mind over the past hour.

Subtle pushback?

While I was grocery shopping this morning, a store employee sang along with the Stealers Wheel hit, "Stuck In The Middle With You," on the sound system.  If you want to keep your job, that's probably as close as you can come to expressing your exasperation with customers.

"Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right" is about the limit in most stores, I would think, of being able to express irritation on the job.

A linguistic irritant XIV

A soft rock station in the '80s used to play a comedy segment on weekday mornings, calling it "your breakfast flake in the morning."

Apparently, if you were a comedian, the station had to label you as zany--or flaky, rather.

Persistent earworm alert CLIV

While pondering what to write for today's post, the "Cantina Band" theme from "Star Wars" entered my mind and stayed there; inexplicably, it's not the Meco version but a former co-worker's ring tone of the tune that won't leave my mind.

I haven't seen "Star Wars" in decades or thought often about the "Cantina Band" theme since then, nor has this been a day that would inspire that theme.  Why is it now in my mind so prominently?

Respecting the music

I knew someone who would apologize to the artist on the car radio when turning a song off in the middle of a phrase.  If the song was by Joe Walsh, for instance, she'd say, "Sorry, Joe; totally bad timing..."

That impressed me, as it shows respect for the artist.  I also identify with it, as I've probably done that more than I realize.

Reconsidered merit V

It was one of the band's biggest hits, but my initial reaction was, "This is creepy and off-putting.  It isn't what this band is supposed to do."  That was how Styx's "Mr. Roboto" struck me on first hearing it in early 1983.

After hearing the song a few times, however, I thought, "Maybe I should consider this from the band's perspective.  If you keep writing and singing the same types of hooks for years, don't you want to try singing something new, at some point?"

Admittedly, I'd much rather hear "Crystal Ball," "Lorelei," or "Mademoiselle" than "Mr. Roboto."  I don't look to Styx for a cold, dark revelation of Kilroy.  I have to respect the band, however, for wanting to stretch.

A linguistic irritant XIII

I know it's commonly accepted to say you detect a particular note when tasting wine, but it still irks me.  Save the notes for music, and just say the wine tastes this way or that way.

Staying for a new tune

How do you prevent an audience from heading for the restroom or concession stand during your new songs?  Has any artist ever prefaced a new song with, "Here's one you'll know?"  If the song is catchy or inspired enough, I could forgive an artist for faking the audience out that way and even saying at the end of the song, "That wasn't so bad, was it?  That's actually a new song.  Thank you for indulging me."

Not the best gift

In the '80s, I remember a conductor listening to two orchestra members talking about what they'd give another orchestra member for his birthday.  One of them suggested flowers.

"Flowers?" the conductor scoffed.  "No.  Give him socks or a gun or something."

Even facetiously, I'm still not sure how a firearm was ever an appropriate suggestion.

An alligator's perspective

I was pleasantly surprised to hear Monica Casey's song, "The Singin' Gator," on KDHX's "Backroads" this morning.  I remember hearing Casey sing it live on a "Backroads" predecessor show, "Blue Highways," in the early '00s and thinking, "The song is somewhat discomforting, but it's well-structured, has a great refrain, and Casey's vocals make you want to hear how the story pans out."

If you've ever wanted to hear a tale in which an animal has the last laugh on a human, this is your song.

In memory of Eddie Money

I'm sure a lot of people are cranking up the volume, especially in the car, tonight, in memory of Eddie Money.  Two of the best classic rock hooks practically designed to test a sound system's volume knob are Money's "Two Tickets To Paradise" and "Think I'm In Love."  If you haven't heard those tunes in a while, seek them out, turn them up, and, if you please, drive to a random destination.

Four syllables not meant to be sung as three

One American benefit of the passage of time and the former Soviet Union's dissolution: I no longer hear anyone singing "Born In The USSR" to the tune of Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." and thinking it's clever.

18 years later

My September 11 post on this blog is always challenging, at best, to write.  When I think back to the feelings of fury and helplessness that accompanied that day, I keep having the same thoughts.  Carrie Newcomer's "A Safe Place" strikes me as the ideal situation for which all humane people strive.  Also, if you can internalize Lyle Lovett's "I Will Rise Up" and live by it, you have immense bravery--and an incredibly strong constitution.

Persistent earworm alert CLIII

I've never had a drink of Corbett Canyon.  I don't care much for alcohol in the first place, but even if I did, a product that cements its jingle, "Good taste echoes from the canyon, canyon, canyon...," in my mind for over 20 years has already taken up enough of my brain space.

Persistent earworm alert CLII

On certain days, when there's a lot of construction, lane restrictions, and pedestrians jutting out into the street while looking at their phones, I feel like I'm driving an obstacle course.  On those occasions, the intro of the Steve Miller Band's "Living In The U.S.A." comes to mind.  Surely, some professional racers have used it to motivate themselves before a competition.  I use it internally to get around on side streets.

The right answer--to an odd rhythm

A student in middle school shop class had a partially finished pen holder and asked the teacher what he should do next.  The teacher replied rhythmically, "Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it.  Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it.  Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it."  He walked off, still chanting rhythmically, "Clamp that base down.  Drill a hole in it."

Perhaps it was best that the teacher was nearing retirement.

A proper welcome

I always think better of an emcee when (s)he is courteous enough to say, "Please give a big (insert name of city) welcome to..." an artist who is about to perform.  It isn't enough to just say, "Ladies and gentlemen, (name of artist)..."  It gets a concert off on the right foot, though, if the announcer conveys to the audience and the artist how great it is that the musician is there.

Context? LXII

I once heard a DJ who'd just started his shift back announce a tune the previous DJ had played and admit that he knew nothing about the artist and hadn't heard the song before. 

"I read that, and that meant nothing to me," he said flatly.

Credit for honesty, I suppose.

Lacking an audiophile's presence?

After telling someone I knew in high school that I was an avid record collector, she responded, "That's surprising.  You don't look like someone who would be."

Granted, record collectors don't ordinarily wear shirts that say, "Ask me about that Emerson, Lake & Palmer LP on 180-gram vinyl."  Still, I wonder what she thought an avid record collector looked like. 

Not for the mildly enthusiastic

I'm glad that none of the radio jobs I've had required me to work in a CHR (contemporary hit radio) format.  That format typically requires a DJ to convey unnatural amounts of manic enthusiasm on the air.  As I've mentioned indirectly before, that isn't me.

Or, as a broadcasting instructor once told me, "I think you could do (a CHR format), but you'd hate it."

Three cheers for accurate phrasing

When I heard a radio traffic reporter say, "Gawkers are backed up to" a certain part of a highway this morning, I thought, "Bravo for describing those who stop and stare at car accidents accurately.  I'm not even on the scene, but I know enough about human nature to know the reporter's description is accurate."

On Labor Day...

...in 1982, "Out Of Work" by Gary (U.S.) Bonds was still on the charts.  I never heard it on the radio, outside of "American Top 40," however.  While some listeners could relate to the subject matter, I'm not sure why they'd want to buy a record that reminds them of it.  A lot of people get the flu, as well, but it doesn't mean they want to hear a song about vomiting.

And yet, after looking it up, I see that "Out Of Work" was a bigger hit than I thought it was.  Apparently, a lot of listeners liked the feel of the tune.  Something about the feel of the chorus reminds me a bit of Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart," so maybe the sound, rather than the lyrics, was the tune's key ingredient.

Five years later

Today marks five years since I started musicandradiomusings.blogspot.com.  I've asked myself, "What will I do if I run out of music and radio memories?"  Compelling music is always being released, so I can still react to it.  People are always saying interesting or humorous things on the radio, so I can react to that, as well.  Moreover, life still continues to happen, so I can always comment on the music and radio-related aspects of it.

Here's a look back at some of my favorite posts so far:

Maybe the principal was on to something...
The art of pacing
Halloween music and radio musings
Overhyped twosomes
Easygoing folkies
Seeing a carol through to the end
Sarcastic opening ahead...
"Please don't eat the records."
Had this sentence ever been said before?
Good intentions, but...

Thank you to everyone who reads and enjoys my blog as the music and radio musings continue into their sixth year.

Context? LXI

An excerpt from a radio commercial got my attention today.

"You look very...satisfied with yourself," the woman in the ad said, presumably to her husband.

Something about that pause to find the right word made me wonder, "Where is this going?"  It turns out, the man in the commercial was satisfied because he'd scheduled an air conditioner tune-up--not performed it, mind you, but just scheduled it.

It might have been the right choice, but that's setting the bar for accomplishments in an interesting place.

Persistent earworm alert CLI

It's difficult to feel angry about much of anything when your internal soundtrack is the "Fraggle Rock" theme.

"Dance your cares away," indeed.

Lend or recommend?

Knowing of my penchant for music, even at an early age, a grade school gym teacher asked if she could borrow my 45 of Kool & The Gang's "Celebration."

"Or," she asked, "would you be able to tell me where I might be able to buy it?"

I recommended Record Bar at the West County Mall as a place to buy it.  I was glad she gave me that second option.  "After all," I thought, "lending her the record would mean having to trust someone."

I was a jaded cynic from an early age.