Why this tune? Cherokee (Indian Love Song) started as a dance tune written by the British bandleader Ray Noble for his orchestra in 1938. According to jazzstandards.com, it was part of a larger work, a five-movement “Indian Suite” (Cherokee, Comanche War Dance, Iroquois, Seminole, and Sioux Sue). It quickly became a jazz standard, ranked byContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Cherokee”
Category Archives: Tunes On Tuesday
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: Blackbird
Why this tune? For a wedding gig later this month, the couple requested that I add a Beatles song to the set list. That was an inspiration to look at adding other Beatles songs to my song list for other gigs. This isn’t a new thing; jazz players have been playing Beatles tunes since theContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Blackbird”
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”
Tunes on Tuesday: Old Folks
Why this tune? I played “Old Folks” in the set I performed with Mark Saltman and Ron Oshima in my last Mr. Henry’s digital concert. It’s a lovely song by Willard Robison from 1938, which you’re more likely to hear without the lyrics by Dedette Lee Hill. This may show the influence of Miles Davis,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Old Folks”
Tunes on Tuesday: Park Road Serenade
Why this tune? I wrote “Park Road Serenade” in mid-2020, and shared it first in a livestream concert.This was one of the shows sponsored by Mr. Henry’s restaurant in Washington, DC. The tune didn’t yet have a title, so I asked for suggestions from the audience. Ian Taronji proposed the title I used – itContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Park Road Serenade”
Tunes on Tuesday: Woman On The Moon
Why this tune? In February, I received a Facebook message from Dee Osinski, a songwriter and musician based in St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands. She had heard a livestream I performed in from the Caribbean Museum Center for the Arts on the island, and asked if I could add chords to her newContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Woman On The Moon”
Tunes on Tuesday: When I Fall In Love
Why this tune? Victor Young and Edward Heyman wrote “When I Fall In Love” for an unsuccessful 1952 film “One Minute to Zero,” where it featured in the soundtrack as an instrumental. Doris Day made it a hit with record later that year, where she sings it in a lush orchestral setting. Nat King ColeContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: When I Fall In Love”
Tunes on Tuesday: C’est Si Bon
Why this tune? C’est Si Bon is a French song from 1947, composed by Henri Betti with lyrics by André Hornez. Eartha Kitt made the song a top 10 hit with her 1953 version. I learned the song from my longtime musical partner Barbara Papendorp. We have been performing it around Washington, DC for several years,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: C’est Si Bon”
Tunes on Tuesday: Just Squeeze Me
Why this tune? “Just Squeeze Me” started as “Subtle Slough,” an instrumental Duke Ellington wrote for the 1941 revue “Jump For Joy.” Lee Gaines later added the playful, romantic lyrics that gave the song the name we know today. “Jump for Joy” was an all-Black musical revue that Ellington called “the hippest thing we everContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Just Squeeze Me”
Oren Levine, jazz pianist and composer 