'50s On 5
- I Wish That We Were Married-Ronnie & The Hi-Lites (This hit is actually from 1962 but has a definite '50s doo-wop sound. Seek out 14 Karat Soul's excellent cover of it on "Saturday Night Live" from the 1980-81 season.)
- Tom's Diner-DNA featuring Suzanne Vega (It takes a perceptive ear to think this originally a cappella tune would work with this beat.)
- Blow Away-George Harrison (This 1979 hit isn't usually played on the radio today, and it's a shame. Harrison sings these upbeat, direct lyrics breezily, and it serves the song, especially the chorus, well. There's an appealing simplicity here that gives the tune a sing-along quality.)
- Mystery Achievement-The Pretenders (The drums set the tone here, right from the intro of this underplayed Pretenders tune. The drums, guitar, and Chrissie Hynde's vocals gel in predictably fine fashion.)
- Chega de Saudade-Eliane Elias (In English, the title is "No More Blues." Elias turns in a comfortable, reliable bossa nova performance, as usual. Whether singing or playing piano, she consistently displays just the right amount of warmth.)
- Paper Thin-Lianne La Havas (La Havas sings with a thoughtful intimacy that's simultaneously contemporary and old school. The guitar punctuates her vocals appealingly here.)
- Arabesque-Ahmad Jamal (This is as strong of a tune as any to play in honor of Jamal's 90th birthday today. Jamal's memorable recurring piano riff propels this foreboding yet enticing excursion for the rhythm section.)
- Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto For Two Trumpets in C major, RV 537 (English Chamber Orchestra/Raymond Leppard, conductor; Wynton Marsalis, trumpet) (This piece is as immediately accessible as a typical Mozart symphony or concerto.)
