Why this tune?
You never know what songs will resonate with people, and when. I wrote “In The Lounge” in 2011, when I was still traveling frequently for my job at Nokia (remember them?). I usually introduce it as a “lounge song about lounges,” an ironic tribute to the dubious perks of frequent fliers. Tony Gudell contributed a lovely interpretation of the song to my album “Making Up For Lost Time” in 2018 (with a beautiful sax solo from Lionel Lyles). I created a lyrics video for that recording, drawing on photos from my life on the road. I haven’t performed the song much since the album came out, and the video and recording have attracted relatively small audiences online.
I was surprised, then, to receive two requests last week from other singers to perform and record my lounge song. I was delighted to share the song with them. I think it’s a great compliment to the music when other artists want to make it their own, and I’m looking forward to hearing what they do with it.
So far, several artists have performed and/or recorded their own versions of songs from Making Up For Lost Time:
- Lionel Lyles recorded “Alternative Facts” on his album Simplistically Complex
- Tony Gudell recorded an uptempo take on “Let’s Wander”
- I perform “Without You” frequently with Barbara Papendorp, who sang it on the recording, and Tony Gudell, each of whom has their own coda to end their version. I also shared the song with Adjoa, a lovely vocalist on St. Croix, who has performed it several times. She came up with her own coda as well.
- Barbara also sings “The Bar Where I Belong” which Aaron Myers sang on the record
- Adjoa is also a fan of “Let’s Wander,” which turns out to be as appropriate for Frederiksted on St. Croix as it is for Washington, DC (including the line about “forts from long ago”)
Oren Levine, jazz pianist and composer 