Finals week! O boy, O joy! Papers to read, tests to take, decisions to be made - let's see what the contributors to this post believes will keep us from spinning into the vortex. Personally speaking, Hanukkah is, as I write this, just about over for this year but the spirit of light, freedom, and friendship should get us through the long, dark, nights of Winter. Music helps!
Luciano Pavarotti - "O Holy Night" - One of my favorite Holiday songs! (T. Williams) (Editor's note - The late, great, opera artist has that kind of voice, like Aretha Franklin, that can transport a listener beyond the everyday. Yes, it's theatrical and there are times when emotions are faked but there are some artists who, on certain sings, transcend! RBK)
Marconi Union - "Weightless" - I recently found this mesmerizing, magical and relaxing video and sent it to Michael. I’d like to share it with you for the blog. If you don’t watch and just listen you will feel your heart rate slow down and your breathing will become rhythmic and easy.... music to dream by, meditate to, zone out with. (B. Rosenbaum)
Paul Simon - "Under African Skies" & Peter Gabriel - "Don't Give Up" - Lord knows (pun intended) I’m not much for the holiday season… but it’s a good time of year for songs of beauty and of hope, so here’s one of each - two artists who manage to accomplish real tenderness without it ever being contrived (as it so often is), and with these songs do it in a legitimately multicultural and inclusive way befitting a neglected spirit of the season. Paul Simon’s “Under African Skies” is the best moment of his "Graceland" album for me - it’s such a beautiful, seemingly authentic moment from all the musicians involved. This live 2012 version is particularly sweet without being saccharine.
And Peter Gabriel’s always been a guilty pleasure of mine; he wears his heart on his sleeve in a way that only he can, and does it with so much integrity. This version of “Don’t Give Up” (originally written as a duet with Kate Bush), from Gabriel’s "Secret World" live album/tour justifies Paula Cole’s entire career - I could take or leave her solo stuff, but her voice was made for these moments. (K. Saulnier)
Billy Mack (Bill Nighy) - "Christmas Is All Around" - Not a real a holiday song, but what about Christmas is all around us from the movie, "Love Actually?" It’s snarky and funny and really campy! Love it. (C Hakala). (Editor's note - It took a day or two but I finally figured out that this sweet, albeit treacly, tune (hilarious video) is a rewrite of The Troggs 1967 smash "Love Is All Around", a treacly song recorded by the same group who did "Wild Thing" and "I Can't Control Myself.")
Bleachers - "Don't Take The Money" - Spotify released my top 100 most listened to songs, so I figured I would suggest my most listened to: "Don't Take the Money" by Bleachers. I have been listening to Bleachers for a while but have never really known much about them. In looking them up, the release of his first single as Bleachers was "I Wanna Get Better" was in 2014. However, he is part of the band Fun, which is more well-known for a couple of songs that got on the radio. "I Wanna Get Better" is the first song by Bleachers that I found, and I still listen to today. I was immediately drawn to "Don't Take the Money" when I first heard it because there is something about the chorus that I instantly fell in love with. I have never been able to figure out why, but I find it okay to indulge in ignorance from time to time. (M. Winslow)
Young People's Chorus of New York City -"Let There Be Peace on Earth" is a song written by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller in 1955. It was initially written for and sung by the International Children's Choir created by Easter Beakly and Arthur Granger of the Granger Dance Academy in Long Beach, California. The song's composers led a number of rehearsals for the children's choir from 1955 to 1957, and the song continues to be the theme for this group of children who represent a host of nations and who sang in Washington, DC at the JW Marriott next to the White House in 2002. The song was also performed at the 9/11 Memorial attended by Pope Francis sung by a children’s choir. (J Gaffney)
Lady Gaga & Joseph Gordon-Levitt - "Baby It's Cold Outside" - There's been a lot of discussion about whether this song promotes date rape and excess drinking, etc. but, there are many songs in the Great American Songbook that are worse than this (and no, I won't post them). This particular version turns the tables and the woman is doing the inviting. Whatever, just take a look at the lyrics, then the video, and judge for yourself. (RBK, suggested by T. Williams)
The Felipe Salles Interconnections Ensemble - "Lullaby #1" (live at The Jazz Gallery in NYC on 11/08/18) - As the semester comes to a close, I am also working on my Best of 2018 list of recordings. This was a really good year for big band/large ensemble albums. My Top 10 includes three, one each by Jim McNeely, Dafnis Prieto, and "The Lullaby Project" from saxophonist and composer Felipe Salles. OEWO contributor and large ensemble leader Kyle Saulnier is co-producer. The track below is from a showiest month in NYC. (RBK)
Thanks to all the contributors and to the readers - we'll be back in the Spring Semester. In the meantime, have a wonderful Holiday season, a Happy New Year, and a great break!
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