Why this tune? I wrote “Sunday Night Blues” a few years ago, responding to a request from a friend for asong about the dreaded “Sunday scaries.” I asked Barbara Papendorp to perform it for the first time in public at Blues Alley on August 26. She’s premiering another new song on the 26th, and singingContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Sunday Night Blues”
Tag Archives: original song
Tunes on Tuesday: Don’t Sleep On Me
Why this tune? Here’s another song that is on the list for my show at Blues Alley in Washington, DC on August 26, a tune we recorded in 2020. I wrote “Don’t Sleep On Me” in 2019, as a reaction to feelings of inadequacy that I felt at jam sessions or gigs, in the presenceContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Don’t Sleep On Me”
Tunes on Tuesday: No Ducks
Why this tune? This week I’m sharing another song that I’m planning to include in my show at Blues Alley in Washington, DC on August 26. “No Ducks” was inspired by Carolyn Hax’s advice column in the Washington Post. She had a question from a reader trying to deal with a family conflict. Hax’s advice,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: No Ducks”
Tunes on Tuesday: Opposites
Why this tune? I’m excited to announce that I’m presenting my own show at Blues Alley in Washington, DCon August 26! I’m assembling a program of my songs, old and new, and hired some of my favorite musicians to play and sing them. “Opposites” will be on the program. I wrote it during the song-a-dayContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Opposites”
Tunes on Tuesday: Cleveland Park
Why this tune? This week I’m revisiting a song I wrote in 2011 as part of Jason Mendelson’s MetroSongs project, and ambitious collection of songs inspired by the stations of the Washington, DC Metro subway system. Jason produced eight albums between 2011 and 2017 documenting our public transit system with songs in a wide varietyContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Cleveland Park”
Tunes on Tuesday: Wrong Amount of Right
Why this tune? This week’s tune is another from my January song-a-day challenge, that I finally got around to “polishing” for this recording. I wrote this in response to the prompt “the right amount of wrong,” and started by reversing the prompt to see where that would lead. The result was an empowerment song forContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Wrong Amount of Right”
Tunes on Tuesday: Eyes Unveiled
Why this tune? This week’s tune is another in my “Parsha Songs” series, inspired by the weekly Torahportions from the Jewish tradition. “Eyes Unveiled” is based on a quote from Numbers 24 in Parashat Balak, a translation of the Hebrew “וגלוי עינים” (“ve-galui einayim”) Balak, king of Moab, called on Balaam, well-known for his blessingsContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Eyes Unveiled”
Tunes on Tuesday: First Ripe Grapes
Why this tune? This week’s tune is a work in progress, another in my “Parsha Songs” series inspired by theweekly Torah portion. The prompt for this song comes from Parashat Shelach (Numbers 13:1-15:41). The portion includes the story of the “spies” sent to explore the land of Canaan before the Israelites enter the Promised Land.Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: First Ripe Grapes”
Tunes on Tuesday: As Water Covers The Sea
Why this tune? This week’s tune is another original that I wrote in 2016. it’s an instrumental tune exploring some harmonic ideas. I chose the title after I wrote the tune, deciding to look for a Biblical reference that fit the mood of the piece. I thought the phrase “as water covers the sea” fromContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: As Water Covers The Sea”
Tunes on Tuesday: Think Spring
Why this tune? Tunes on Tuesday comes out on Wednesday this week with “Think Spring,” which I wrote in January this year, when we were waiting impatiently for warmer days to come. It’s still somewhat relevant here in DC, where the weather hasn’t yet received the news about the change of season. When I wroteContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Think Spring”
Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter 