Why this tune? In honor of this week’s Presidential inauguration in my city, Washington, DC, I wanted to focus on one of the best musical tributes to the nation’s capital. Gil-Scott Heron recorded “Washington, DC” in 1982, when another American leader was, in his words, “making the world a nervous wreck.” The song captures theContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Washington, DC”
Author Archives: Oren Levine
Tunes on Tuesday: Schoolhouse Rock – The Preamble
Why this tune? We’re going through a difficult time in the US, seeing direct threats to our system of government, including some from people who swore to support and defend the Constitution that set up that system. Maybe they forgot the call to “establish justice and ensure domestic tranquility,” one of the ambitious goals inContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Schoolhouse Rock – The Preamble”
Tunes on Tuesday: A Foggy Day In London Town
Why this tune? Happy New Year! We’re starting 2021 with a foggy day here in the Caribbean, so my thoughts turned to perhaps the most famous song about the fog, George and Ira Gershwin’s A Foggy Day In London Town. I suspect the Gershwin brothers would be amazed that their song for a 1937 musicalContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: A Foggy Day In London Town”
Tunes on Tuesday: What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve
Why this tune? If this were a normal year, many of my fellow musicians would be preparing for New Year’s Eve gigs, which might include the Frank Loesser classic “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve,” It’s been a seasonal hit since Loesser wrote it in 1947, with popular recordings by the Orioles in 1949Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”
Tunes on Tuesday: Snow Day
Why this tune? Johnny Mercer’s lyrics for I Thought About You were inspired by a trip on a train. My lyrics for Snow Day were inspired by a trip on a bus, on a snowy day in Washington, DC, listening to music on my phone. That image became the first line of the song, whichContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Snow Day”
Tunes on Tuesday: Banu Choshech Legaresh
Why this tune? Today is the fifth day of Hanukkah, so I’m staying on the subject of Hanukkah songs. This year I’m releasing instrumental versions of eight Hanukkah songs, one for each day of the festival of lights. For day five, I recorded an original arrangement of one of the classic Hebrew songs for theContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Banu Choshech Legaresh”
Tunes on Tuesday: Hanukkah Light
Why this tune? Hanukkah starts this week on Thursday night. At this time of year in 2009, I heard that Senator Orrin Hatch had written and recorded a Hanukkah song. I thought that if a Mormon senator (with a name close to mine!) can write one, I could write a better one. Hanukkah Light wasContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Hanukkah Light”
Tunes on Tuesday: I Thought About You
Why this tune? On this Giving Tuesday, here’s a song with an appropriate title for today’s focus on generosity and kindness. “I Thought About You” is another song by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Mercer written in 1939, that became a popular jazz standard by the late 50s with classic recordings by Billie Holiday, EllaContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: I Thought About You”
Tunes on Tuesday: Thanksgiving With Uncle Rob
Why this tune? We celebrate Thanksgiving in the US this Thursday, and like so many other events this year, I expect many people will be celebrating virtually or in small groups due to the ongoing pandemic. I know my joy in the holiday is mixed with sadness about the traditions we may not be ableContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Thanksgiving With Uncle Rob”
Tunes on Tuesday: Body and Soul
Why this tune? I was happy to find that I share a birthday, November 21, with Coleman Hawkins, one of the pioneers of the tenor sax as a true jazz instrument. One of his most famous recordings is his revolutionary 1939 solo on Body and Soul, a 1930 ballad by Johnny Green. The NPR criticContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Body and Soul”
