Why this tune? I’m posting this week from Star Island, New Hampshire, off the coast of Portsmouth. I’m here for a songwriting workshop led by Scarlet Keys and Susan Cattaneo from the Berklee College of Music, learning from them about the craft and art of songwriting. I hope to share some new work from theContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Stella By Starlight”
Tag Archives: jazz standard
Tunes on Tuesday: But Beautiful
Why this tune? I shared an instrumental version of this classic Jimmy Van Heusen song a few years ago. I’m returning to it this week with a vocal version, trying to do justice to Johnny Burke’s elegantly crafted romantic lyric. It’s been recorded almost 500 times since Bing Crosby sang it first in 1947, soContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: But Beautiful”
Tunes on Tuesday: Nice ‘n’ Easy
Why this tune? I’ve been working on my singing lately, preparing for a recording session in LA in October. I committed to singing two of the ten original songs on my next album, a fun swinging tune and a ballad. I am working with a vocal coach and have started to sing a few songsContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Nice ‘n’ Easy”
Tunes on Tuesday: The Gentle Rain
Why this tune? This week’s tune “The Gentle Rain” is a gentle bossa nova composed by Luiz Bonfá that has been in my set lists for a while. Bonfá wrote it for the soundtrack of the 1966 film “The Gentle Rain,” and it was quickly picked up by jazz and pop artists as an instrumental piece orContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: The Gentle Rain”
Tunes on Tuesday: These Foolish Things
Why this tune? I’ve been thinking about creating a workshop on lyric writing for jazz musicians, and was looking for a song to use as an example of of creative lyrics to serve as a model and inspiration. “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)” is what songwriter Mark Winkler calls a “laundry list” song,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: These Foolish Things”
Tunes on Tuesday: Beatrice
Why this tune? This week’s tune is another jazz standard and jam session favorite, Sam Rivers’ “Beatrice.” He recorded it on his 1964 album Fuschia Swing Song, after which it entered the jazz canon, with almost 150 recordings to date. According to Second Hand Songs, all of those recordings are instrumental with the exception of one trackContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Beatrice”
Tunes on Tuesday: Always and Forever
Why this tune? Tunes on Tuesday celebrates the birthday of the great guitarist and composer Pat Metheny with one of his lovely ballads. He recorded this one on his 1992 album “Secret Story“ in a lush orchestral arrangement. I had planned to play this song this week in any case, following a chat with another musician at a jamContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Always and Forever”
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: 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: Easy Living
Why this tune? Tunes on Tuesday posts on Wednesday this week, as I was traveling on Tuesday, returningfrom a short vacation in Copenhagen. I played this tune with a singer at a Copenhagen jam session. That reminded me what a beautiful song it is. Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin wrote the song for a 1937Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Easy Living”