Thoughts in the clouds

This morning, at a stop light, I looked up and mused about how striking the clouds looked.  Most days, I wouldn't think to notice that.  Less than a minute later, I heard Jim on the Radio Arts Foundation's station, K297BI, saying this would be a great day to see puffer clouds.  Shortly after that, I heard Cat on KDHX talk about the noticeably puffy cumulus clouds.

It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one whose thoughts were in the clouds.  I wonder if anyone had the presence of mind to play "Little Fluffy Clouds" by The Orb on the air.  It combines two seemingly unrelated elements--techno music and an interview with Rickie Lee Jones, in which she recalls fluffy clouds in Arizona--into a hypnotic mix.

Repetition for emphasis

I've written numerous posts about my middle and high school orchestra director, Mr. D.  Like many music instructors, his personality was somewhat eccentric.  One of his most frequent quirks was repeating statements for emphasis.  Three examples:

• After passing out copies of Claude T. Smith's challenging composition, "Our Creed Is Our Shield," to the high school orchestra, he told me, "That piece has a wicked bass line.  A wicked bass line."  He was right.  It was one of the most difficult bass parts I ever played, requiring a lot of fast shifting in a key that doesn't come up often.
• During middle school, the orchestra mused about how difficult college classes must be.  Mr. D. stressed the importance of being prepared for final exams.  "If your homework average is an A, your classwork's a B, and you get a D on that test, your grade in that class is going to be a C.  Think about that!  You've never been graded that tough.  You've never been graded that tough."  He was generally correct about that.  Final exams carry considerable weight in nearly every college class.
• As a senior in high school, I spoke with another senior about how much homework we had to do, in addition to all the music we had to practice for an ensemble outside of school.  Mr. D. appeared suddenly, telling both of us, "Multiply that by 10, and that's what you'll be doing a year from now.  They just expect that in college.  They just expect that."  Fortunately, college didn't necessitate doing 10 times the amount of work I'd done in high school, but Mr. D.'s underlying point about having to prioritize and juggle responsibilities in college was accurate.

Although these incidents happened, as Mr. D. would have said, "a long time ago...a long time ago," the accuracy of his advice and observations has stayed with me, and, I suspect, many other students, for decades.  When you remember not only what someone said but how he said it, that's a sign of an effective communicator.  His repetition only strengthened the impact of his statements.

WEW playlist flashback: 7/29/96

This stands out to me as one of the best shifts I ever did for WEW.  I was especially satisfied with the music I chose and the sets I put together.  It also elicited more positive feedback from listeners on the phone than almost any other shift I did there.  I think that was partially due to the rain that day.  In his memoir, Teacher Man, Frank McCourt writes about how rain softens the mood of a classroom.  I think that's also true of a radio studio with a view of the neighborhood.  Seeing downtown Clayton in the rain made me imagine that most listeners were stuck in their homes or offices and were paying closer attention than usual to the music.  That illusion made me seek out a combination of reflective tunes and uptempo numbers designed to pick up listeners' spirits.

My 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. playlist on this day 21 years ago:

   1.  Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me-Nina Simone
(I'm not sure anyone could top Nat King Cole's interpretation, but you can't go wrong with Simone's version.)
   2.  Too Marvelous For Words-Nat King Cole
(Cole is difficult to top here, as well.)
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   3.  Bicycle Bounce-Erskine Hawkins
   4.  Too Close For Comfort-Natalie Cole
   5.  The Gypsy In My Soul-Melissa Manchester
(Not every vocalist can pull off showy throwback melodies and pop hits with equal ease, but Manchester has.)
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   6.  Can You Find It In Your Heart?-Tony Bennett
   7.  Blue Skies-Bing Crosby
(A safe choice, to be sure; a well-covered, easy-to-relate-to melody by the mainstay crooner.  Want to hear it sung at a breakneck pace?  Listen to Al Jarreau's rendition, and be amazed.)
   8.  Teach Me Tonight-The DeCastro Sisters
(Al Jarreau covers this effectively, as well, using an arrangement not far removed from his take on "The Christmas Song.")
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   9.  Lo Joe-James Williams
(From one brassy big band arrangement...)
 10.  King Porter Stomp-Doc Severinsen & The Tonight Show Band
(...to another.)
 11.  Brazil-Jimmy Dorsey with Bob Eberly & Helen O'Connell
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 12.  I'm Always Chasing Rainbows-Take 6
(I doubt that any other ensemble sings this with cooler self-assurance than Take 6...)
 13.  Cab Driver-The Mills Brothers
(...and the way it flows into my favorite vocal number in WEW's library is still one of the segues I like best.)
 14.  You Stepped Out Of A Dream-John Pizzarelli
(A dramatic intro sets the scene effectively, right from the first note.)
 15.  I Get A Kick Out Of You-Frank Sinatra
 16.  Easy To Love-Billie Holiday
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 17.  Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy-Bette Midler
(Although this isn't a track I would listen to on my own time, I respect that it resonates with many listeners and lays the groundwork for a set of uptempo tunes...)
 18.  Muskrat Ramble-The McGuire Sisters
(...and segues well with "Muskrat Ramble.")
 19.  Do You Know The Way To San Jose?-Dionne Warwick
(Along with "Cab Driver," this was another one of my favorite songs to play on WEW.  For a song about aspiring stars who never made it big, this is one bouncy, inviting melody, especially the way Warwick sings it.)
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 20.  Here We Go Again-Glenn Miller Orchestra
 21.  Jivin' The Jeep-Red Norvo
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 22.  Fascinating Rhythm-Antonio Carlos Jobim
(I wish I'd thought to segue this with the Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 tune, "Bim Bom."  Those tracks flow together effortlessly.)
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 23.  I'm Looking Over A Four-Leaf Clover-Art Mooney and his orchestra
 24.  Wish You Were Here-Eddie Fisher
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 25.  Cast Your Fate To The Wind-Vince Guaraldi
(One of the most recognizable contemplative piano instrumentals, and it's ideal for a rainy day.  Also recommended: Allen Toussaint's played-with-jazzy-resolve cover of it.)
 26.  How Little We Know-Joey DeFrancesco
 27.  Them There Eyes-Anita O'Day
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 28.  The Lion Sleeps Tonight-The Tokens
 29.  Twilight Time-The Platters
(Leo Kottke covers this impressively on the guitar.)
 30.  It's Not For Me To Say-Johnny Mathis
(Another sure-fire crowd pleaser...)
 31.  Love Won't Let Me Wait-Nancy Wilson
(A go-to track when I wanted to follow one thoughtful, elegant vocal number with another.)
 32.  It Could Happen To You-Erroll Garner
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 33.  I Had The Craziest Dream-Harry James and his orchestra
 34.  The Midnight Sun Will Never Set-Sarah Vaughan
(A classy vocal number ideal for rainy days...)
 35.  Misty-Renee Rosnes Trio with string orchestra
(...and I love the way it segues with possibly the best piano-anchored instrumental cover of "Misty.")
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 36.  I Had A Dream-Jack Jones
 37.  When I Fall In Love-Linda Ronstadt
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 38.  You Are My Lucky Star-Louis Armstrong
 39.  Night Train To Memphis-Dean Martin
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 40.  Sing Joy Spring-The Manhattan Transfer
 41.  Beyond The Sea-Bobby Darin
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 42.  I Should Care-Lionel Hampton
 43.  Theme From "A Summer Place"-Percy Faith and his orchestra
 44.  Unchained Melody-The Righteous Brothers
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 45.  Satin Doll-Duke Ellington
 46.  I've Got A Feeling I'm Fallin'-Teresa Brewer
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 47.  On The Street Where You Live-Dennis DeYoung
(DeYoung sounds as comfortable covering this as he does singing "Babe" and "Lorelei" with Styx.)
 48.  Moondance-Michael Feinstein
(No one sings this with the ideal combination of earthiness and grit that Van Morrison does, but this is a strong cover version.)
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 49.  Open The Door, Richard!-Count Basie
 50.  Floatin'-Les Brown
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 51.  On A Slow Boat To China-Kay Kyser and his orchestra
 52.  Stella By Starlight-Chet Baker
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 53.  Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (Ma' Baby?)-Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five
 54.  Hallelujah, I Love Her So-Ray Charles
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 55.  Blues In The Night-Artie Shaw
 56.  Street Of Dreams-The Ink Spots
 57.  Why Don't You Do Right?-Peggy Lee
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 58.  Night Train-Buddy Morrow
(One of the slower, slyer renditions of this jazz standard; Morrow shows that it works well as a trombone showcase.)
 59.  Java-Al Hirt
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 60.  Harbor Lights-Swing And Sway With Sammy Kaye
 61.  Autumn In New York-Bobby Short
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 62.  Look For A Star-Billy Vaughn and his orchestra    
 63.  (CLOSING THEME) Closing Time-Tom Waits
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--- indicates a short break for a slogan and time check or a longer break for back announcing the music.

The original-yet-familiar challenge

I remember watching an interview in which Burt Bacharach said writing a song that sounds fresh and original is the hardest thing in the world.  He has pulled off this feat routinely in his songwriting, however.  This challenge that Bacharach acknowledges came to mind yesterday as I listened to Makar's "I Can't Tell You To Stay" on KDHX.  The band's blend of vocals and piano sounded instantly familiar yet original to me.  I heard elements of such disparate tunes as Money Mark's "Pick Up The Pieces," Green Day's "Warning," and "Game Of Love" by Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders.  As I listened, I thought, "I swear, I've heard this before--but not quite like this, and that's intriguing."

Kudos to Makar for pulling off a neat trick.  Not every band can fuse seemingly unrelated genres into a captivating, accessible blend, but Makar nails this on "I Can't Tell You To Stay."

Respecting the music--and the musicians

A friend once told me, "I'm not the biggest jazz or Classical fan, but I know that those are intelligent people making that music."

That honest, open-minded qualifier impressed me.  I think almost everyone feels that way about at least one genre.

SiriusXM highlights LXIX

I've heard a lot of standout tunes, including two amusing ones, over the past two weeks:

'40s Junction

• Jump Jive An' Wail-Louis Prima & Keely Smith (Somehow, I never heard the hippest vocal rendition of this tune on our former lounge music station, WRDA, i.e. "Red at 104.1."  I would be surprised if they didn't play it.)

'60s On 6

• Build Me Up Buttercup-The Foundations (A sing-along hit with a memorable chorus, lead vocals, and backing vocals that have earned the heavy play they still get on oldies stations.)
• Cherry Cherry-Neil Diamond (Possibly the catchiest of all Diamond hits; Diamond's vocals, the backing vocals, guitar, and piano punctuation are all integral to the effect it has on listeners.)

'80s/'90s Pop

• Genius Of Love-Tom Tom Club (Talking Heads bassist Tina Weymouth and company struck gold with one of the most demanding-to-be-sampled riffs of the early '80s.  I remember hearing this frequently on KMJM then.)

The Beatles Channel

• You Never Give Me Your Money-The Beatles (This is one of three stellar highlights from the album-ending medley on "Abbey Road."  The other two, in my judgment, are "Golden Slumbers" and "The End."  It's one of their best-structured tunes, showing the Lennon-McCartney team at its best, lyrically, vocally, and instrumentally.  The band moves deftly between stylistic transitions multiple times in a relatively short tune.) 

The Bridge

• Alone Again (Naturally)-Gilbert O'Sullivan (O'Sullivan's tune has an unfair reputation as one of the supposedly worst songs of the '70s.  If anything, it's actually a thoughtful, articulate song about the depression that follows the death of a family member.  I've never understood the animosity toward this song; after all, when life knocks you down, who doesn't feel like this?) 

Celebrate!

• Get Ready-The Temptations (I can't believe I haven't cited "Get Ready" on this blog until now.  It sports some of the coolest synergy between lead and backing vocals in a pop hit, and its central theme never wears out its welcome.)

Cinemagic

• "The Pink Panther" Theme-Henry Mancini (Who doesn't like or at least respect this sly, cool, jazzy melody that has stood the test of time?) 

Classic Rewind

• Even Now-Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band (If you like the feel of "Hollywood Nights," you'll probably enjoy the similar feel of "Even Now."  Seger sang this with considerable energy and conviction, which appealed to me when the tune was a hit.) 

Covers Channel

• Any Major Dude Will Tell You-Wilco (A faithful rendering of the Steely Dan tune; fine interplay between vocals, guitar, and keyboard.)

Elevations

• All About That Bass-The O'Neill Brothers (If The Boston Pops can cover Meghan Trainor's hit successfully, why can't a guitarist and bassist transform it into an easy listening/smooth jazz tune that could just as easily be called "Welcome To The Desert Southwest," the way they play it?)
• We Will Rock You-Piano Tribute Players (Imagine Queen's hit played as a new age piano instrumental and aspiring to be the "Days Of Our Lives" theme.)

Holiday Traditions

• Christmas In Killarney-Bing Crosby (Although it's out of season, the bouncy, carefree feel of this quirky tune still feels welcoming to me in July.)
• God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen-The Mills Brothers (The ensemble's voices are ideal for conveying this carol's solemnity.)

The Loft

• Smooth Sailin'-Leon Bridges (Bridges pulls off the admirable feat of sounding simultaneously contemporary and old school when he sings.)

Oldies Party

• The Rain, The Park & Other Things-The Cowsills (I'm aware that some readers might think I've lost my mind in citing this as a standout, especially after praising two quirky easy listening covers on the Elevations station.  Nevertheless, there's a comforting idealistic vibe in this hit from 50 years ago.  One quibble: To help listeners find the tune at the record store or online, the band should have drawn from the lyrics and called the tune "I Love The Flower Girl" or "(She Could Make Me) Happy.")

Real Jazz

• Hank's Shout-Lee Morgan & The Hank Mobley Quintet (When people used to praise a jazz club performance by saying "the joint is jumpin'," they could easily have been referring to a trumpet-dominated melody that cooks like this.)

Spa

• Wedding Rain-Liz Story (Story's piano playing conveys the turbulence of rain potentially ruining a wedding convincingly.  This track is from, in my opinion, one of the best, most consistent new age albums, "Solid Colors."  There are no weak selections on the album, and its title track is especially strong.)

SXM Comes Alive

• Follow You Follow Me (Live)-Genesis (Phil Collins and company convey the warmth of the tune's heartfelt studio version in concert.  Find this rendition on the "Three Sides Live" album.) 

Watercolors

• Higher Ground-Nathan East featuring Kirk Whalum (When you play jazz bass the way East does, Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" is a natural choice for an instrumental cover.  I've been glad to hear WSIE playing it in recent months.  It's one of the more appealing smooth jazz cuts of 2017.)
• In Heaven-Gregory Porter (Porter's deep vocals make the afterlife sound very inviting, when compared to this flawed Earth.  The piano and trumpet parts underscore this appealing picture effectively.  Porter is one of the strongest singers I've heard in recent years.  It's a pleasure to hear his music played online and on WSIE.)
• So Far From Home-Torcuato Mariano (Comforting, contemplative guitar and strings that bring Acoustic Alchemy to mind.)

Persistent earworm alert LXVIII

Hearing a short fragment of a tropical melody made me recall a tune I haven't heard in decades.  In 1983, Donna Summer had a huge hit with "She Works Hard For The Money."  Although there will always be those who need to hear Summer's admonishment, I think another song of hers released that same year holds up better.  In "Unconditional Love," Summer makes a direct request sound joyous and palatable in a way that not every artist could pull off.  The song's tropical arrangement is a large part of its appeal.  I don't think I ever heard "Unconditional Love" on the radio after 1983, most likely because it didn't crack the top 40.  It should have been a hit, though, and it still warrants at least occasional airplay today.