Why this tune? This week’s tune is a tribute to the life and work of the “saxophone colossus” Sonny Rollins, who passed on May 25. He recorded over 60 albums as a leader and composed several standards of the jazz repertoire including “Oleo,” “Doxy” and “Airegin.” He was the last surviving musician from the iconicContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Hold Em Joe / St. Thomas”
Category Archives: Tunes On Tuesday
Tunes on Tuesday: We Hate the Same Way
Why this tune? I wrote the first version of this week’s tune in January as part of my song-a-day challenge. I found inspiration in a column by Miss Manners we read in the Washington Post, where their response to a letter included the blessing “May you two have a long and happy life together focusingContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: We Hate the Same Way”
Tunes on Tuesday: The Last Banana
Why this tune? I wrote “The Last Banana” a couple of years ago, and have been performing it at live shows and open mics for about a year. I have shared it with appreciativeaudiences in DC, St Croix, and most recently at the Cast Party open mic in New York City. I’ve been working onContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: The Last Banana”
Tunes on Tuesday: Yesterdays
Why this tune? Tunes on Tuesday returns to the jazz standard repertoire this week with “Yesterdays,” written by Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical Roberta. That show also included the classic “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.” Before the end of the decade the song was adopted by swing and jazz musicians,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Yesterdays”
Tunes on Tuesday: Tell Me About Yesterday
Why this tune? This week’s song is a collaboration that started in Scarlet Keys’ weekly songwriting class. Our group meets on Friday mornings to practice “object writing,” a method pioneered by The Berklee College songwriting legend Pat Pattison. The emphasis is on writing lyrics that draw on all of our senses, using visual imagery andContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Tell Me About Yesterday”
Tunes on Tuesday: Plague
Why this tune? As we approach the end of Passover, I’m sharing a song inspired by the Torah story of the Ten Plagues (Parashat Vaera in the book of Shemot/Exodus). “Plague” transforms the story into a bluesy breakup song, sung by someone who realizes that their relationship has become toxic and that it’s time toContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Plague”
Tunes on Tuesday: My Funny Valentine
Why this tune? It was a treat to welcome my good friend and long time musical collaborator Aaron Myers to St. Croix earlier this month. We had the opportunity to introduce him to our new home and to share his talent with a St Croix audience. The show we presented at the Caribbean Museum CenterContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: My Funny Valentine”
Tunes on Tuesday: Tech Can’t Fix People
Why this tune? I spent most of my professional life in the worlds of technology, as an engineer, programmer, marketer and product manager. Spending all that time creating products and seeing their impact led me to the conclusion that our technology can do plenty of good, but can’t by itself resolve the very human conflictsContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Tech Can’t Fix People”
Tunes on Tuesday: Island in the Sea
Why this tune? I’m delighted to welcome my friend and long-time musical collaborator Aaron Myers to St. Croix this week for a concert at the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts in Frederiksted. I brought a draft of this week’s song “Island in the Sea” to Aaron in 2021, with a plan to record itContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Island in the Sea”
Tunes on Tuesday: Reflections
Why this tune? I’m taking a break from the original songs this week to share Thelonious Monk’s lovely ballad “Reflections.” Monk recorded it at least twice, with a band in 1952 and as a solo pianist in 1959. I first heard the tune on a 1984 album “That’s the Way I Feel Now,” a collectionContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Reflections”