Today's selections were among the most enjoyable ones I've heard on SiriusXM recently. Among the highlights:
'80s On 8
- Head Over Heels-The Go-Gos ("Head Over Heels" and "Turn To You" are the band's two catchiest hits, in my opinion. It's no coincidence that both tunes share a similar energy.)
HBCU
- Electric Vibes-Down To The Bone (A fun groove from 2007 with instrumentation and vocals seemingly extracted from the late '70s or early '80s.)
Holiday Pops
- Est ist ein Ros entsprungen-Arturo Delmoni String Quartet (A stately yet tender reading of "Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming.")
- O Tannenbaum-The Louisville Chorus (These warm vocals combine Harry Simeone Chorale and Benedictine monk song stylings.)
Holiday Traditions
- Frosty The Snowman-The Glenn Miller Orchestra (Quite the snazzy big band rendition.)
Noel Incontournable
- Joyeux Noel-Patrick Norman (A tasteful acoustic guitar-and-vocals rendition of "The Christmas Song.")
- Plus Grand Que Nature-Pascale Paradis (I wouldn't have guessed that this Paradis track from last year is a Christmas song, but I like her vocals on it. The tune's rhythm reminds me of "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." by John Cougar Mellencamp if it had been slowed down to sound like an '80s DeBarge hit.)
Oldies Party
- Bongo Rock-Preston Epps (This impressive 1959 instrumental hit is an energetic surf rock-style romp for guitar and percussion.)
Real Jazz
- Vonski-George Freeman/Von Freeman (An appealing walking melody for saxophone and guitar.)
- Take Five (Live At The Childe Harold, 1976)-Al Jarreau (I was pleased to hear this unearthed Washington, D.C. concert recording on "Jazz Detective" with host Zev Feldman. Jarreau sustains his scat vocals on his cover of the Dave Brubeck tune for an impressively long time. The concert will be released as a vinyl album, appropriately titled "Wow," on November 29. Also recommended: Jarreau's concert renditions of "Rainbow In Your Eyes" and "We Got By," which Feldman also played.)
- How Insensitive (Insensatez) (Live At The 4 Queens, 1984)-Emily Remler (I second Feldman's objective of making Remler's music better known. This lengthy Las Vegas concert cover of Antonio Carlos Jobim's tune is outstanding, as Remler puts every ounce of feeling possible into the melody. Also recommended: The live versions of "Cisco" and Remler's take on the Sonny Rollins tune, "Tenor Madness." It's impressive to hear Remler transfer a tenor sax melody to the guitar so gracefully, and Cocho Arbe sizzles on piano. It's a testament to SiriusXM that I selected the Real Jazz channel, intending to listen for a song or two, but listened for nearly an hour instead. That's compelling programming.)
The Verge
- That's The Gods Talking-Slow Spirit (It's interesting to hear a guitar part that's reminiscent of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me" overlaid with such laid-back vocals.)
Watercolors
- Sleepwalk-Larry Carlton (This pleasant guitar cover of the Santo & Johnny tune nails the melody's toddle-off-to-bed vibe. I enjoyed playing it frequently on KNJZ in the mid '90s, and I'm glad that it's still a mainstay on smooth jazz stations and streams.)
