St. Paddy's Day Radio has taken over the Spectrum station today. I've heard an impressive variety of traditional and modern Irish music on that channel and a wide selection of ear-catching tunes in other genres this afternoon. Among the highlights:
The Coffee House
- Iris-Phoebe Bridgers & Maggie Rogers (These impressively sung harmonies give this Goo Goo Dolls tune a sensitivity I didn't realize it possessed.)
Deep Tracks
- Even In The Quietest Moments-Supertramp (Everyone can relate to wanting to stay in a moment or with someone indefinitely. Supertramp's lyrics acknowledge this. In keeping with that feeling, the tune builds appropriately slowly with chirping birds and acoustic guitar.)
Escape
- Who Can I Turn To?-Beegie Adair (Elegant piano, as always; this arrangement is fit for a slow dance.)
- Jean-Peter Nero (I'd praised Rod McKuen's vocals on this in a recent post. Not surprisingly, the tune lends itself well to an easy listening piano and strings arrangement.)
The Loft
- Searching For A New Day-Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (This was released in 2017 but has a strong late '60s/early '70s vibe, vocally and instrumentally.)
Love
- I Only Have Eyes For You-Art Garfunkel (Best known to me through the excellent Flamingos version, this tune requires an angelic-sounding voice or voices. Thus, Garfunkel's voice is ideal.)
Luna
- Mas Que Nada-Dizzy Gillespie (A brisk romp for trumpet and flute, and a great workout for the piano. With a melody this infectious, could there ever be a bad version of this Jorge Ben tune? I also recommend the Sergio Mendes and Marc Antoine renditions.)
- Theme From "The Anderson Tapes"-Quincy Jones (This is one of the most impressive examples of genre-blending I've heard. Funk, jazz, electronica, easy listening, and international influences coalesce perfectly in this instrumental.)
- Society Red-Dexter Gordon (Strong tenor sax and trumpet underscoring for a dapper night on the town.)
Spa
- Spinning Song-Keola Beamer (I remember this song, also known as "Spinning Wheel," from a John Thompson piano instruction book. This memorable melody translates effectively to the guitar.)
St. Paddy's Day Radio
- Roaring Water-Altan (A midtempo gallop for fiddle.)
- The Rocky Road To Dublin-The Dubliners (Those who like the raucous, uptempo rhythm of "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" by The Dropkick Murphys will likely enjoy just about any version of this. The High Kings do it justice, as well.)
- The Parting Glass-The Clancy Brothers (See the first sentence of my Deep Tracks review of Supertramp's "Even In The Quietest Moments.")
- The Musical Priest-Cora Smyth (An uptempo fiddler's banquet.)
- A Jig & 5 Reels: The Leitrim Fancy-The Bothy Band (If this isn't fit for foot-stomping, I don't know what is.)
Watercolors
- Sao Paulo-Rick Braun (A laid-back groove for trumpet with a pleasant hook. There's yacht rock. Why not yacht jazz?)
- Vahevala-Loggins & Messina (A welcoming sing-along chorus, fit for a travel agency commercial. Also, does the intro remind anyone else of ABBA's "Fernando?")
