Author Archives: Oren Levine

Tunes on Tuesday: The Gentle Rain

Why this tune? This week’s tune “The Gentle Rain” is a gentle bossa nova composed by Luiz Bonfá that has been in my set lists for a while. Bonfá wrote it for the soundtrack of the 1966 film “The Gentle Rain,” and it was quickly picked up by jazz and pop artists as an instrumental piece orContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: The Gentle Rain”

Tunes on Tuesday: Pot Luck

Why this tune? This week’s tune is an obscure bebop head written by Johnny Mandel for Stan Getz in the 1950s, that I came across while searching for some Mandel songs to suggest to singers I work with. It’s nothing like “The Shadow of Your Smile” and other more famous works, but still a funContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Pot Luck”

Tunes on Tuesday: Conversation (duet)

Why this tune? I first shared “Conversation” on Tunes on Tuesday
in June, performing the second version of a song
that I started to write back in February. I shared the post with the team at the “Switched On Pop” podcast and was delighted to get a supportive comment 
from them: “Small talk is so hard. ThisContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Conversation (duet)”

Tunes on Tuesday: These Foolish Things

Why this tune? I’ve been thinking about creating a workshop on lyric writing for jazz musicians, and was looking for a song to use as an example of of creative lyrics to serve as a model and inspiration. “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)” is what songwriter Mark Winkler calls a “laundry list” song,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: These Foolish Things”

Tunes on Tuesday: These Are The Words

Why this tune? Tunes On Tuesday returns to my Torah Tunes project with a song for the first portion of Deuteronomy, D’varim (דְּבָרִ֗ים) in Hebrew. The first verse of this fifth book starts “אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים” “eleh ha-d’varim,” usually translated as “These are the words.” The “words” here refer to the laws and practices conveyed byContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: These Are The Words”

Tunes on Tuesday: Beatrice

Why this tune? This week’s tune is another jazz standard and jam session favorite, Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice.” He recorded it on his 1964 album Fuschia Swing Song, after which it entered the jazz canon, with almost 150 recordings to date. According to Second Hand Songs, all of those
recordings are instrumental with the exception of
one trackContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Beatrice”

Tunes on Tuesday: Always and Forever

Why this tune? Tunes on Tuesday celebrates the birthday of the great
guitarist and composer Pat Metheny with one of
his lovely ballads. He recorded this one on his 1992 album “Secret Story“
in a lush orchestral arrangement. I had planned to play this song this week in any case,
following a chat with another musician at a jamContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Always and Forever”

Tunes on Tuesday: Googling My Ex

Why this tune? I’ve had an exciting and busy week performing my revue “Are you out of your mind?” with Barbara Papendorp at the District Fringe festival in Washington, DC. The show includes a bunch of my songs plus one from Dave Frishberg and this week’s song by Jill Leger, an accomplished songwriter currently livingContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Googling My Ex”

Tunes on Tuesday: Are You Out Of Your Mind?

Why this tune? This week’s song is also the title of a cabaret revue I’m presenting at the new District Fringe festival this month
in Washington, DC. I put together a bunch of my songs (and two covers) to
create a narrative that explores our relationships with our 
friends, our partners and ourselves. I invited Barbara PapendorpContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Are You Out Of Your Mind?”