Why this tune? I thought this week’s tune “Once Upon a Summertime” was a fine way to mark the end of the season in Los Angeles, where I’m located at present, preparing to record my next album here in a couple of weeks. It was the first hit for the legendary composer Michel Legrand, whoContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Once Upon a Summertime”
Tag Archives: songwriter
Tunes on Tuesday: Chase the Wind
Why this tune? I wrote this week’s song on a cruise earlier this summer, a Windstar journey from Barcelona to Rome through the islands of the Western Mediterranean. We had a wonderful time on the ship, and the song reflects that feeling. I was determined to include both “wind” and “star” in the chorus asContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Chase the Wind”
Tunes on Tuesday: Broken Hearts
Why this tune? I just returned from a enjoyable and intense songwriting workshop on Star Island, New Hampshire Scarlet Keys and Susan Cattaneo, two brilliant writers and teachers, helped us explore the building blocks of great songs. On our first day, we were talking about cliches, and Scarlet mused about the caveman who may haveContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Broken Hearts”
Tunes on Tuesday: Harmony
Why this tune? This week’s song is one of ten originals I chose to record in October for my next album. I’m traveling to Los Angeles for the sessions, working there with an experienced producer and an array of talented LA-area musicians, including some of my favorite singers. I’m planning to sing two songs onContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Harmony”
Tunes on Tuesday: Appetite
Why this tune? This week’s tune marks Bastille Day, the French national holiday, with a silly song about how we rely on a French phrase to start our meals in the USA. I responded to a songwriting prompt to use “foreign words” and took this idea to an absurd extreme. This was the second ofContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Appetite”
Tunes on Tuesday: My Country
Why this tune? Once in a rare while, inspiration strikes and there’s no choice but to follow it. That happened to me on the morning of July 4, when we celebrated the 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence. I had an image in my head of an enormous American flag flying over aContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: My Country”
Tunes on Tuesday: Be Free
Why this tune? In honor of this week’s celebration of Emancipation Day in the US Virgin Islands and US Independence Day, I’m sharing “Be Free,” a song I wrote back in 2018 for The Lucky So and So’s, a funk/latin/jazz/hip-hop band I was part of for a while in DC. The song has a simple,Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: Be Free”
Tunes on Tuesday: What About Us
Why this tune? This week’s tune is an update of my Torah Tune for Parashat Pinchas (Numbers 25:10-30:1). It tells the story from Numbers 27 about the five daughters of Zelophehad, who successfully petitioned to inherit their late father’s share of the Promised Land, establishing a rule that daughters could inherit property if there wereContinue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: What About Us”
Tunes on Tuesday: On the March Again
Why this tune? For this week’s tune, I’m, going back to my ongoing Torah Tunes project with a song for this week’s portion, Beha’alotcha (בְּהַעֲלֹֽתְךָ֙). The song was inspired by the story of the Israelites’ journey through the desert starting in Numbers 9. The lyrics reference the cloud that covered the Tabernacle during the night.Continue reading “Tunes on Tuesday: On the March Again”
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”