Author Archives: Oren Levine

Why this tune? “You Are Too Beautiful” is another classic from the “Great American Songbook,” written by Rodgers and Hart the 1933 film “Hallelujah, I’m a Bum,” where it was sung by Al Jolson. The film was an experiment in “rhythmic dialogue,” where all of the lines in the script were sung in time. TheContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: You Are Too Beautiful”

Why this tune? I recorded a solo piano cover of Steely Dan’s Dirty Work in 2017, after the death of Walter Becker, half of the duo at the core of the group. I grew up listening to and loving Steely Dan, but usually have paid more attention to their to the music than their words.Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Dirty Work”

Why this tune? Frank Loesser’s 1948 song “On A Slow Boat To China” was inspired by a phrase used by poker players, according to his daughter Susan. He crafted a romantic story about a lover wishing to take her mate on the longest trip imaginable, to keep her “all to myself, alone.” This 70-year oldContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: On A Slow Boat To China”

Why this tune? “Speak Low” is an another popular jazz standard that started as a song for a show, in this case the 1943 musical “One Touch of Venus,” As you might expect for a song by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Ogden Nash, it’s a musical and lyrical masterpiece. Nash’s lyrics are clever andContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Speak Low”

Why this tune? In 2012 I wrote the “18th Street Theme” for the DC Jazz Jam, which we played regularly to close this weekly jazz jam session in Washington, DC. I wrote another theme a few years later, but this time with no session as a customer. That led to the title “Theme in SearchContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Theme In Search Of A Jam”

Why this tune? “Biggest Part Of Me” was a huge hit for the band Ambrosia in 1980, reaching number 27 in the year-end pop singles chart. That year’s chart also included “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson and “Funkytown,” plus many other songs you still may hear on oldies radio or as background music inContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Biggest Part Of Me”

Why this tune? What do you play when someone asks you to “play us a song?” For me, one of the first tunes I think of is “When Sunny Gets Blue,” a pop ballad by Marvin Fisher and Jack Segal and from 1956 that has become a jazz standard. It’s one of the first songsContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: When Sunny Gets Blue”

What’s new? Tunes On Tuesday enters its second year this week. For the new year in tunes, I’m changing the format to add more of my playing to the weekly story. In the weekly video, you’ll hear my version of the tune of the week accompanying the weekly story about why it deserves attention andContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Crystal Silence”

Why this tune? In this week leading up to Valentine’s Day, I’m taking a closer look at an unconventional love song, Alfie, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David to promote the 1966 film of the same name. In David’s lyrics, based on the movie script, the singer is speaking to the title character, aContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Alfie”