Tunes On Tuesday – Page 21 – Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter

Tunes on Tuesday: On A Slow Boat To China

Why this tune? Frank Loesser’s 1948 song “On A Slow Boat To China” was inspired by a phrase used by poker players, according to his daughter Susan. He crafted a romantic story about a lover wishing to take her mate on the longest trip imaginable, to keep her “all to myself, alone.” This 70-year oldContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: On A Slow Boat To China”

Tunes on Tuesday: On All Other Nights

Why this tune? I wrote “On All Other Nights” before Passover 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to conduct our holiday seder meals virtually. The song was inspired by a question we ask at the seder: “Why is this night different from all other nights?” When I wrote the song, I was convinced thatContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: On All Other Nights”

Tunes on Tuesday: Speak Low

Why this tune? “Speak Low” is an another popular jazz standard that started as a song for a show, in this case the 1943 musical “One Touch of Venus,” As you might expect for a song by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Ogden Nash, it’s a musical and lyrical masterpiece. Nash’s lyrics are clever andContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Speak Low”

Tunes on Tuesday: Theme In Search Of A Jam

Why this tune? In 2012 I wrote the “18th Street Theme” for the DC Jazz Jam, which we played regularly to close this weekly jazz jam session in Washington, DC. I wrote another theme a few years later, but this time with no session as a customer. That led to the title “Theme in SearchContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Theme In Search Of A Jam”

Tunes on Tuesday: Biggest Part Of Me

Why this tune? “Biggest Part Of Me” was a huge hit for the band Ambrosia in 1980, reaching number 27 in the year-end pop singles chart. That year’s chart also included “Rock With You” by Michael Jackson and “Funkytown,” plus many other songs you still may hear on oldies radio or as background music inContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Biggest Part Of Me”

Tunes on Tuesday: When Sunny Gets Blue

Why this tune? What do you play when someone asks you to “play us a song?” For me, one of the first tunes I think of is “When Sunny Gets Blue,” a pop ballad by Marvin Fisher and Jack Segal and from 1956 that has become a jazz standard. It’s one of the first songsContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: When Sunny Gets Blue”

Tunes on Tuesday: Crystal Silence

What’s new? Tunes On Tuesday enters its second year this week. For the new year in tunes, I’m changing the format to add more of my playing to the weekly story. In the weekly video, you’ll hear my version of the tune of the week accompanying the weekly story about why it deserves attention andContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Crystal Silence”

Tunes on Tuesday: Alfie

Why this tune? In this week leading up to Valentine’s Day, I’m taking a closer look at an unconventional love song, Alfie, written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David to promote the 1966 film of the same name. In David’s lyrics, based on the movie script, the singer is speaking to the title character, aContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Alfie”

Tunes on Tuesday: It’s Snowing In Vegas

Why this tune? When I read last week about a rare snowfall in Las Vegas, I was ready with a song. That song, “It’s Snowing In Vegas,” started one evening in our home. We told a group of friends about one of our trips to the West Coast. We drove from Los Angeles to LasContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: It’s Snowing In Vegas”

Tunes on Tuesday: The Hill We Climb

Why this tune? If you watched the Presidential inauguration last week, you probably heard Amanda Gorman reciting her poem “The Hill We Climb.” If you heard it then, it’s worth watching it again. It’s a beautiful work, meaningful and musical and brilliantly constructed. I was looking for a way to spend more time with thatContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: The Hill We Climb”