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)”
Category Archives: Original music
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: 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: 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: 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”
Tunes on Tuesday: Free Sailing
Why this tune? Sometimes it can take months to write a song, and sometimes it can happen much more quickly. “Free Sailing” was the result of an afternoon at the piano, after I (for some reason) decided to write a be-bop tune. I called the tune “Free Sailing” in part because I started with aContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Free Sailing”
Tunes on Tuesday: Sahara Dust
Why this tune? Every year around this time, clouds of dust from the Sahara desert blow across the Atlantic ocean. We just experienced this year’s storm on St. Croix and other Caribbean islands. The resulting haze can be irritating to breathe, but it does have a positive effect of reducing the chance of major hurricanes.Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Sahara Dust”
Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter 