Oren Levine

Tunes on Tuesday – Peel Me A Grape

Why this tune? I picked “Peel Me A Grape” this week to have an opportunity to talk about the great pianist and songwriter Dave Frishberg. If you’re of a certain age, you may know him from Schoolhouse Rock – he wrote and sang “I’m Just a Bill.” If you’re a bit older, you might knowContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday – Peel Me A Grape”

Tunes on Tuesday – The Old Country

Why this tune? Nancy Wilson’s birthday was on February 20, so I’m marking that date with this song from one of my very favorite albums, Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley from 1962. I love how she brings out the story in the lyrics and adds a snarky edge that really stands out against the cool swing ofContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday – The Old Country”

Tunes On Tuesday – Nine Miles Wide

Welcome to the first edition of Tunes on Tuesday! Every week, I’ll post a short note about an that I wrote or one that influenced or inspired me. I look forward to hearing your comments on the songs and what they might mean to you. Why this tune? It seems appropriate to start the seriesContinue reading “Tunes On Tuesday – Nine Miles Wide”

Tunes on Tuesday – My Funny Valentine

Why This Tune? Is there anyone who doesn’t know My Funny Valentine? It was written by Rodgers and Hart for a 1937 musical (Babes In Arms) and, according to the incredible resource Second Hand Songs, has been recorded over 900 (!) times since then. It’s clearly popular, but also attracts plenty of strong negative opinions.Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday – My Funny Valentine”

Coming soon

Look for Tunes on Tuesday starting February 18, a weekly peek at the tunes that I love and that influenced me and how they got that way. I hope you enjoy the stories!

Happy 95th birthday Pa!

Our father Mel Levine would have turned 95 today. Remembering him with this syllabus from an adult ed class he taught in 1953 on “The Elements of Jazz.” He led students through the recorded history of the music to that time (post-Bop, pre-Miles?), and included an “oversimplified” history of jazz at the end with thisContinue reading “Happy 95th birthday Pa!”

Remembering Billie and Mel

We grew up with stories from my late father Mel Levine about the many evenings he spent in the jazz clubs of Boston in the 1940s and 50s, hearing the greats and hanging out with the local jazz players. Pa went to Storyville on April 24, 1959 to hear Billie Holiday, taking his camera withContinue reading “Remembering Billie and Mel”

More photos from the 50s

A few more Boston jazz photos from the 1950’s, discovered in the basement of my parents’ house in Boston, MA Best wishes for a happy and musical 2014!

Billie Holiday, April 1959

We’re in the process of clearing out my late parents’ house in Boston, and in the process discovered these photos from one of Billie Holiday’s last performances, at Boston’s Storyville club on April 24, 1959. Holiday died less than three months later, on July 17, 1959. These are scans from B&W prints. The negatives mayContinue reading “Billie Holiday, April 1959”