Oren Levine

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”

Tunes on Tuesday: Washington, DC / Lucky So & Sos

Why this tune? Tunes On Tuesday marks the return to the stage of the Lucky So & Sos, a latin / jazz / funk / hip-hop ensemble I joined several years ago. Guitarist and composer Ian Taronji has kept the band going with DC-based rapper/MC Ardamus, writing and arranging new music through the disruption ofContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Washington, DC / Lucky So & Sos”

Tunes on Tuesday: Shiny Stockings

Why this tune? September 23 is quite the day for music birthdays. John Coltrane, Ray Charles, and Frank Foster could all have shared a cake, along with Les McCann, Albert Ammons, George Garzone and Bruce Springsteen, to name a few. For Tunes On Tuesday this week, I chose to mark Frank Foster’s born day withContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Shiny Stockings”

Tunes on Tuesday: Fall In Boston

Why this tune? This week’s tune is a jazz waltz I wrote in 2008, which was originally supposed to have lyrics. I was trying to describe the sight and sounds of autumn in the Boston area where we lived. I worked on the lyrics for a while, but found that they were just not workingContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Fall In Boston”

Tunes on Tuesday: Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella

Why this tune? This week’s inspiration comes from the delightful Umbrella Cover Museum on Peaks Island in Portland, Maine, which we visited over the weekend. The museum was founded by Nancy 3. Hoffman in 1996, when she found herself with several umbrella covers she didn’t know what to do with. That odd decision evolved intoContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Let A Smile Be Your Umbrella”

Tunes on Tuesday: Polka Dots and Moonbeams (for Symme)

Why this tune? Last week I remembered my late father Mel, who got me started on a lifetime of playing and appreciating music. This week I’m remembering my stepmom Symme, who would have turned 94 this week (Aug. 22). “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” was (at least according to our dad) her favorite song, which I’mContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Polka Dots and Moonbeams (for Symme)”

Tunes on Tuesday: Song For My Father (for Mel)

Why this tune? Horace Silver’s classic “Song For My Father” was inspired by the rhythms of Brazil and the melodies Silver heard from his Cape Verdean father when he was growing up. I’m dedicating this version to my father Mel (z”l), who would have turned 97 this week (Aug. 16)Thanks to my father, we grewContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Song For My Father (for Mel)”

Tunes on Tuesday: Lullaby of Birdland

Why this tune? Tunes On Tuesday marks the birthday of the great pianist George Shearing this week withhis most well-known original songs “Lullaby Of Birdland,” which he wrote in 1952 as a theme song for a radio program based at that New York jazz club. It’s remained a popular jazz standard ever since, with wellContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Lullaby of Birdland”

Tunes on Tuesday: April In Paris

Why this tune? It’s not April and we’re not in Paris, but this is still a good time to celebrate this lovely song by Vernon Duke. First, it marks Louis Armstrong’s birthday on August 4. Louis recorded it with Ella Fitzgerald on their classic “Ella and Louis” album. I’m also remembering Paris as I startContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: April In Paris”

Tunes on Tuesday: Sunday Night Blues

Why this tune? This song started as a request from a friend, who wanted a song to express the dread she felt on Sunday evenings, thinking of the busy work week starting the next day. According to an article by Angela Haupt in the Washington Post, the “Sunday scaries” have been a thing for years,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Sunday Night Blues”