Oren Levine

Tunes on Tuesday: Isfahan

Why this tune? Once again, the long running Facebook group Jam Of The Week inspired me to learn a new tune. Each week the group leader sets the theme for the week, calling for members to post their take on a specific song, or a work by a specific composer or player. Last week wasContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Isfahan”

Tunes on Tuesday: Mi Yimalel

Why this tune? Last year around this time I released a collection of eight short interpretations of Hanukkah songs, one for each of the eight days of the Festival of Lights. The oldest arrangement in the collection is one I’ve played with for several years, a jazz version of the Hanukkah classic Mi Yimalel (מיContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Mi Yimalel”

Tunes on Tuesday: Thanksgiving With Uncle Rob (2021)

Why this tune? I wrote this week’s tune ten years ago around this time, as part of an effort to write songs for holidays that need (in my opinion) more musical attention. I was inspired by the holidays we spent over the years with my late uncle Rob and his sister Nora (my late father’sContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Thanksgiving With Uncle Rob (2021)”

Tunes on Tuesday: A Little Late

Why this tune? I was late in planning for this week’s Tune, so it’s no surprise that I chose a song about just that condition. The inspiration for the song was a phrase “A little late, a little lame” which I heard somewhere sometime and wrote down in my file of words and phrases forContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: A Little Late”

Tunes on Tuesday: Nothing To Say

Why this tune? I was determined to write a new song for this week’s Tunes On Tuesday, but ran into a problem. I couldn’t come up with an idea for a song. I tried starting with a couple ofphrases I had in my notebook, but they were not sparking any good ideas. That left oneContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Nothing To Say”

Tunes on Tuesday: Be Free

Why this tune? I wrote this week’s tune in 2018 for the Lucky So & Sos, the latin/ jazz/ funk/ hip-hop ensemble I wrote about back in September before our show at the Capital Cider House. Now that the band has been reactivated I hope to perform it live with the group in the DCContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Be Free”

Tunes on Tuesday: Jinx Killer

Why this tune? Song ideas can come from anywhere at any time. This song is a case in point. The “anywhere” was a pharmacy on St. Croix, which sells a variety of “mystic baths.” I saw “Jinx Killer” and thought it would make a great song title. I didn’t, however, try out the product. it’sContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Jinx Killer”

Tunes on Tuesday: That Old Feeling

Why this tune? This week’s tune is “That Old Feeling,” another tune from “The Great American Songbook” that can still sound new almost 80 years after its first appearance in “Walter Wanger’s Vogues of 1938.” Thanks to YouTube and streaming services, it’s easy to explore the evolution of the song from the early recordings byContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: That Old Feeling”

Tunes on Tuesday: Lullaby Of The Leaves

Why this tune? For this week’s tune I was looking for a song for the season, and recalled “Lullaby Of The Leaves,” which suggests the falling leaves of autumn. This was a song from a minor 1932 Broadway revue, “Chamberlain Brown’s Scrap Book,” that was later adopted as a jazz standard. Mary Lou Williams recordedContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Lullaby Of The Leaves”

Tunes on Tuesday: Island In The Sea

Why this tune? I wrote “Island In the Sea” in 2016, inspired by the time we spent on the lovely Caribbean island of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. The singer invites their partner to get away from the rush and action of the city and travel to “a sunset shore under starry skies.”Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Island In The Sea”