Six of the better tunes I've heard this morning:
KBEM (Minneapolis, MN)
- A Race Against Yourself-Alexa Tarantino (Compelling, brisk playing from saxophonist Tarantino and the rhythm section.)
- Three To Get Ready (Live)-Dave Brubeck Quartet (An immediately friendly, memorable piano hook, with customary smooth, melodic alto sax support from Paul Desmond. Seek out the 1976 version recorded at Symphony Hall in Boston. The players are clearly enjoying themselves, resulting in a fun, freewheeling performance.)
KCMU (Napa, CA)
- To This World-Soel (Sobering questions about the state of the world, set to a downcast beat. This is from 2003, and the questions asked are even more resonant today.)
KHMB (Half Moon Bay, CA)
- Hitchin' A Ride-Vanity Fare (An ill-advised way to travel, but I've thought this would be a fun oldie on which to play piano.)
WRFU (Urbana, IL)
- All My Friends-Amos Lee (A good reminder, lyrically, that we're all in this life together and that everyone has troubles. Instrumentally, it conjures up the sensation of floating, making it a good middle-of-the-night song.)
WTND (Macomb, IL)
- Back To Dreamin' Again-Pat Shannon (The Grass Roots recorded a slightly slower version of this. I wonder if Shannon's happy-go-lucky, skippin' along version would have been a hit if it had been released in 1966 instead of early 1970. It sounds somewhat like The Lovin' Spoonful and even more like The Monkees to me.)
