Tunes on Tuesday: Chase the Wind

photo of Oren Levine playing an electric piano. He wears a green t-shirt and straw porkpie hat. Text at top right reads 'Tunes on Tuesday September 15, 2026 Chase the Wind'

Why this tune?

I wrote this week’s song on a cruise earlier this summer, a Windstar journey from Barcelona to Rome through the islands of the Western Mediterranean. We had a wonderful time on the ship, and the song reflects that feeling. I was determined to include both “wind” and “star” in the chorus as a nod to the company running the cruise. My wife suggested that the appropriate style for the song had to be yacht rock. I certainly took inspiration from those songs in writing the music.

We had two talented entertainers on board, singer Rea Mendoza and guitarist Wilson Codrea. They performed every evening, usually pop songs accompanied by tracks. Rea told me that she grew up singing jazz standards, and arranged for us to play a couple of jazz duo sets during the week. She also invited me to perform my song on the last evening of the cruise, which included a fine guitar solo from Wilson.

I hope the folks at Windstar appreciate the sentiment.

Tunes On Tuesday Reel

Published by Oren Levine

Jazz pianist and songwriter from Washington, DC.

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