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.)