Tunes On Tuesday – Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter

Tunes on Tuesday: Once Upon a Summertime

Photo of Oren Levine's hands playing an electric piano. Text at top left reads 'Tunes on Tuesday September 23, 2026 Once Upon a Summertime'

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”

Tunes on Tuesday: Chase the Wind

photo of Oren Levine playing an electric piano. He wears a green t-shirt and straw porkpie hat. Text at top right reads 'Tunes on Tuesday September 15, 2026 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

Photo of Oren Levine playing a small electric keyboard, wearing a ball cap and red T shirt. He sits in front of a wall with a painting geometric shapes in shades of blue hanging to his right. Text at the top right reads 'Tunes on Tuesday September 8, 2026 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: Stella By Starlight

photo of Oren Levine playing a grand piano. Text at top right reads 'Tunes on Tuesday September 1, 2026 Stella By Starlight'

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”

Tunes on Tuesday: Harmony

Photo of Oren Levine playing an electric piano and singing into a microphone suspended over the keyboard. Text at top reads 'Tunes on Tuesday August 4, 2026 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: But Beautiful

Photo of Oren Levine playing an electric piano and singing into a microphone suspended over the keyboard. Text at top reads 'Tunes on Tuesday July 29, 2026 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

Photo of Oren Levine playing the piano and singing. Text at top center reads 'Tunes on Tuesday July 21, 2026 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: Appetite

Photo of Oren Levine playing an electric piano and singing into a microphone. Text at top reads 'Tuens on Tuesday July 14, 2026 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

Photo of Oren Levine playing an electric piano and singing into a microphone. Text at top right reads 'Tunes on Tuesday July 7, 2026 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

Cover Art for the Lucky So & Sos single "Be Free." Text at top righ treads 'Tunes on Tuesday June 30, 2026 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”