Why this tune? This week’s tune is very much a work in progress, another song in my “Torah Tunes” series inspired by the weekly Torah portion. “Here I Am”, for Parashat Vayera, takes its cue from Abraham’s first response when G-d calls him to sacrifice his son Isaac. The song doesn’t deal with that story,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Here I Am”
Author Archives: Oren Levine
Tunes on Tuesday: It Might As Well Be Spring
Why this tune? As the weather gets colder in DC, I turned to an American classic about spring by Rodgers and Hammerstein, written for the 1945 film “State Fair.” “It Might As Well Be Spring” is not really about spring as a season, but as a metaphor for joy and new beginnings. Thereare many otherContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: It Might As Well Be Spring”
Tunes on Tuesday: Stand Right (Election Day 2024)
Why this tune? On this Election Day Tuesday in the USA, I added a new introduction to an old song, hoping to share something we can all agree on. I wrote “Stand Right” soon after returning to Washington, DC in 2010, when I learned about the etiquette expectations on the local subway system. The DCContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Stand Right (Election Day 2024)”
Tunes on Tuesday: Haunted (Not Haunted)
Why this tune? I’m not a big fan of Halloween, but as a songwriter think its worth having some topical material for the season. I wrote the first draft of this song “Haunted (Not Haunted)” in 2023 during the annual 50/90 challenge at fawm.org. It started in a song “skirmish,” an exercise that gives youContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Haunted (Not Haunted)”
Tunes on Tuesday: Terminal
Why this tune? I started this week’s tune “Terminal” in January, and only got around to finishing it this week. It’s a musical complement to “In the Lounge” from my 2018 album, but this time about all those people who don’t have “the right to be in the lounge.” Even though I don’t travel asContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Terminal”
Tunes on Tuesday: Ask Me Now
Why this tune? Tunes on Tuesday marks the birthday of the great Thelonious Monk (Oct. 10) with hislovely tune “Ask Me Now.” Monk recorded the tune in his first recordings as a leader, which were released first in 1952 on a then-new 10″ album format. He recorded other versions later on, including a solo pianoContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Ask Me Now”
Tunes on Tuesday: How do we know
Why this tune? I wrote this week’s tune during this year’s 50/90 challenge at fawm.com, an opportunity during the summer to gather virtually with a global community of songwriters to create, collaborate and share. The song prompt “sage” led to this musing about the challenges of finding reliable information when so many sources and peopleContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: How do we know”
Tunes on Tuesday: When the Morning Comes
Why this tune? We celebrate the start of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year 5785 תשפ”ה tomorrow night (Oct. 2, 2024). After a year that has been difficult for many of us (including me), I wanted to share a positive, hopeful message for the new one. “When The Morning Comes” tries to do that, celebratingContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: When the Morning Comes”
Tunes on Tuesday: Whisper Not
Why this tune? This week’s tune is a jazz classic penned by the late Benny Golson, who sadly passed last week (Sept. 21, 2024) at age 95. “Whisper Not” was one of the many jazz standards he left us in a long career as a performer, composer and arranger for jazz bands, film and television.Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Whisper Not”
Tunes on Tuesday: Pay the Band
Why this tune? This week’s tune came about as part of my “Torah Tunes” project, an attempt to write songs inspired by the text of the weekly Torah portion we read in the Jewish tradition. Last week’s portion Ki Teizei (from the book of Dvarim / Deuteronomy) includes a verse about prompt payment of wagesContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Pay the Band”
Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter 