"A balmy high of eight degrees in store today..."

In the midst of a St. Louis deep freeze, I'm not sure why I would seek out radio air checks from similarly cold days, but I have.  I listened to one excerpt recently from a frigid night in 1977.  After mentioning that it was zero degrees, the newscaster said, per the gas company, that thermostats should be set at 65 degrees; that way, there would be enough gas to heat all the households that need it.

That's an admirable goal, but only a 65-degree setting in zero-degree weather?  If you can manage that without your pipes freezing, more power to you.

I prefer not to take that chance.

A linguistic irritant XXVIII

I'm generally not a fan of referring to the stomach as one's tummy.  I'll admit, however, that the Honey Nut Cheerios jingle wouldn't have worked as well if it had been phrased, "It's gonna tempt your stomach with the taste of nuts and honey..."

In that context, "stomach" would have sounded too stodgy--and wouldn't have come as close to rhyming with "honey."  The jingle writer was wise to have used "tummy" in that case.

"Average show in progress; no need to listen..."

Even when doing a mock radio show that won't be on the air, it's best not to be too self-deprecating.  I remember a broadcasting school instructor stopping a student's tape after her first song intro.

"The morning guys had a great show, but I'm here now," the aspiring DJ said over her first song.

"Don't undersell yourself that way," the instructor told her.  "Don't put the idea in the listener's mind that your show won't be as good as the one that just ended."

That's sound advice--for radio and life.

In memory of Chick Corea

The jazz world has lost a major composer, band leader, and keyboardist in Chick Corea.  Six of his most captivating tracks, in my opinion, are:

• Light As A Feather (A raucous fusion jam; Flora Purim's vocals float over the spacey instrumentation, especially late in the tune.)
• Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (I hear a Dave Brubeck influence in the piano and bass.)
• Spain (Since playing this on bass with my high school jazz band, I haven't been able to get enough of the tune.  Just try to scrub this memorable, energetic melody from your mind after you hear it.  Be sure to also check out versions by Al Jarreau and The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet.) 
• Where Have I Loved You Before/The Shadow Of Lo/Where Have I Danced With You Before (An outstanding triple play of complementary and disparate styles, as I've written before.)
  

Online radio sampler highlights CXXIV

Five noteworthy tunes heard today:

KJHK (Lawrence, KS)

• Anxiety Feels-Goat Girl (Breathy, melancholy vocals coalesce compellingly with psychedelic-sounding instrumental backing.  There's nothing like a catchy "Na-na, na-na, na, na" hook to keep me listening.)

WUMB (Boston, MA)

• Blue-The Jayhawks (It's difficult to tire of the band's close, sincere vocal harmonies on this tune, even after a few hundred listens.)

WVAZ (Chicago, IL)

• Free-Deniece Williams (The tune's appealingly spacey intro would segue swimmingly after Flora Purim's "Dindi."  Williams had her first hit with this in 1977, and her warm vocals reminded me that radio stations should play "Free" more often.)

WWFM-HD2 (Trenton, NJ)

• By The Time I Get To Phoenix-Herbie Mann (I've written previously about the appeal of disparate versions by Glen Campbell and Isaac Hayes.  Add this to the list.  This rendition's blend of flute and vibraphone gives the tune a musty feel, in the best sense.) 
• Desafinado (Slightly Out Of Tune)-Karrin Allyson (This cover of an Antonio Carlos Jobim tune sports inviting vocals and vibraphone underscoring.)
  

Persistent earworm alert CCXVIII

When you're trying to read the news of the day, it's distracting when a song you haven't thought about since grade school enters your mind and won't stop playing.

For no apparent reason, the song, "Polly Wolly Doodle," which we had to sing in grade school vocal music class, has cemented itself in my mind--and I haven't even been to nor did I read about any reference to Louisiana--or Lou'siana, per the song--in the news.

Best to hear the actual music

Say, there's a CD I haven't heard in a while--"Sandbox" by Erik Voeks.  I remember buying that in 1994 at Sound Revolution.  Nektar's "Remember The Future" was playing in the store as I shopped; I'd wondered about the title and artist of the song since hearing it in the mid to late '80s on WMRY.  I remember telling a co-worker about the "Sandbox" CD the following week.  He was one of the few people I knew who also had it.  We agreed that it had some strong power pop tunes and that the guitar and vocals were right on the mark.

I remember the weather was great the day I bought that disc, and...Actually, I'll get even more out of this nostalgia if I actually listen to the CD...

Here it goes...