Stingray Music highlights XLI

Standout selections played on U-verse this morning:

Cocktail Lounge

• Night Side-Henry Mancini & his orchestra (The cool, sly side of easy listening--for vibes, flute, and orchestra.)

Cool Jazz

• Saudade Vem Correndo-Bebel Gilberto (A fresh breeze of refreshing bossa nova vocals; most listeners who know the tune know Stan Getz's rendition.)

Folk Roots

• We Could Fly-Rhiannon Giddens (A beautifully sung, heartbreaking reminder of how inhumane people have been throughout history.  One of 2017's more bracing songs.)

Greatest Hits

• Cars-Gary Numan (There aren't many tunes about which I'd write this, but the deliberately robotic melody holds up.  I imagine a lot of listeners sing along with at least part of the song without realizing it.)

Jazz Masters

• Message To A Friend-Charlie Haden & Pat Metheny (Subtle, contemplative bass and guitar, from the duo's strong release, "Beyond The Missouri Sky.")

Jazz Now

• Zinnia-Parker Abbott Trio (A dreamy, engaging melody for piano and organ.)

Retro R&B

• Sweet Soul Music-Arthur Conley (Does the title not ring a bell?  How about the opening lyric, "Do you like good music?"  Few artists have name-dropped so many standout musicians in one song, while making it sound this natural and catchy.  Seek out the scene from "Cheers" in which the cast starts singing it.)

Swinging Standards

• September Song-Nat King Cole & George Shearing (Sublime, lush vocals and piano.)
• Stairway To The Stars-Sarah Vaughan (Some of Vaughan's strongest, most elegant vocals, in my opinion; I wish I'd played this on WEW or KCOU's "Jazz Odyssey.")

SiriusXM highlights LXX

Noteworthy selections from the past two weeks:

'60s On 6

• Up, Up, And Away-The 5th Dimension (It's gratifying to hear oldies stations play this of-its-time burst of idealism decades after it was a hit.)

'70s On 7

• I Feel The Earth Move-Carole King (Great synergy between the piano and vocals; with universal sentiments such as these expressed so sincerely and openly, it's no wonder that King's "Tapestry" album has been such a huge seller.)

The Loft

• Rudy, A Message To You-The Specials (A sober-up-and-wise-up plea that gets its point across without sounding heavy-handed.  It's another way of conveying the Nat King Cole/Irving Mills admonition, "Straighten Up And Fly Right.") 

Real Jazz

• Maiden Voyage-Bobby Hutcherson (Sly vibes and piano permeate this just plain cool rendition of Herbie Hancock's tune.)
• Song For My Father-Louis Hayes & Gregory Porter (A compelling blend of vibes, drums, and resonant vocals; this impressive rendition of Horace Silver's tune is one of 2017's stronger jazz tracks.)
• This Here-Cannonball Adderley (The song's rhythmic underpinning brings the Miles Davis tune, "All Blues," to mind.)

Spa

• Wind Of The Western Sea-Bill Douglas & Ars Nova (Vocals seemingly arranged for a solemn Mass.) 

Symphony Hall

• Gabriel Faure: Pelleas et Melisande: Prelude (Boston Symphony/Seiji Ozawa, conductor) (An emotive, sobering piece; the first movement of "Mysterious Mountain," Alan Hovhaness's second symphony, evokes a similar mood.)

Underground Garage

• When My Baby's Beside Me-Big Star (Chiming guitar, a memorable hook, and a sing-along chorus; you'd think that would be a hat trick of ingredients for massive success on the charts.  Inexplicably, for this cream-of-the-crop power pop band, it wasn't.)

Watercolors

• Callie-Joyce Cooling (A breezy guitar-with-strategically-placed-whispered-background-vocals number fit for driving or possibly a hockey game.)

Context? XXX

I heard this exchange during an FM dial scan years ago:

Voice 1: Know that even when no one else can see you, Jesus sees you.  He knows what's goin' on!
Voice 2: I went in my room and got on my knees.  You see, I knew I needed help!

Alas, I switched to another station after Voice 2's plea for help.  I guess I shouldn't be concerned, however.  Presumably, the station wouldn't have aired such an exchange if it ended with Voice 2's unanswered prayers and a resulting life of failure and despair.

The right musical tone on an awful anniversary

One year ago, in my post, "Treating music as a hot potato," I wrote about how inappropriate it felt to listen to music on September 11, 2001.  Today, however, I listened to two Alison Krauss songs that I think are appropriate.  "Down To The River To Pray" is a tasteful request for strength when you need it most.  "How's The World Treating You?" is her duet with James Taylor, and it's an appropriate question to ask those who suffered losses on that terrible day or any other day.

Instant Supertramp recall

During one of my high school classes, the teacher took attendance.  "Rudy?  Is Rudy here?" he asked.  "He dropped out of school," a student responded.  "That's off to a fine start in life," the teacher responded sarcastically.  "Do you all know the song, 'Rudy,' by Supertramp?  It goes, 'Rudy's on a train to nowhere.'"

Fortunately, Rudy returned to school a few days later.  I always wondered if the teacher's reaction got back to him and was one of the reasons he returned.

Pavlovian congregants

Does "Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring," played on the organ, make anyone besides me hungry for communion wafers?  At Mass, during the early to mid '80s, that was the organist's default communion hymn.  Consequently, any other hymn, no matter how reverential, played during communion would be as out of place to me as "Take Me Out To The Ball Game."

FM dial scan highlights LXXXVII

Standout tracks heard today:

KDHX 88.1 FM

• Rainy Night In Georgia-Brook Benton (I remember hearing this for the first time in the early '80s.  Leo Chears played it on WMRY, and I thought, "Brook Benton sure sings with authority and an appreciation for what's around him, even when it means spending the night in a boxcar."  I've heard the song many times since then, and the richness of Benton's vocals still impresses me.)

WSIE 88.7 FM

• Time And Tide-Basia (Basia's vocals are warm and thoughtful, and this album title track is among her best songs.  During the launch of former smooth jazz station WSSM, when the station was consultant-programmed, Basia was on the playlist.  Surprisingly, when the station started being programmed locally, her music disappeared from the mix.  It's puzzling to imagine her songs, which are immediately accessible, not testing well with the audience.)
• In The Name Of Love-Kenny Rankin (Rankin pulls off some impressive vocal acrobatics here.  Upon hearing the intro, I wondered if he was about to go into Dave Brubeck's "Take Five.")
• Frosty-Albert Collins (Ringing, upbeat blues guitar; that's no surprise for an artist who pulled off the impressive consistency of the "Truckin' With Albert Collins" album.)

 W279AQ 103.7 FM, a.k.a. KLOU-HD2

• That's The Way Of The World-Earth, Wind & Fire (This is one of the most inviting songs about staying centered and positive.  As much as I've heard it, I can't imagine it ever wearing out its welcome.)