While it's a been a crazy semester (personally as well as all around me), I hope you all have a great Summer. Rest, read, listen, hike, cook out, see friends, you know, all that stuff that gets pushed aside when we're in the midst of the school year.
Here's some tunes for your wide open ears!
"Woodstock" - Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - To celebrate the sponsor dropping out of the scam that was Woodstock 50… (Daniele D-M). This song, written by Joni Mitchell (who was involved with Graham Nash at the time), serves as a reminder of those halcyon days of the late 1960s. And she wrote "We are stardust, we are golden/ We are billion year old carbon/And we got to get ourselves back to the garden." The good old days! (Editor)
"Rolling In The Deep" - Adele - In honor of my daughter Laura who is finally starting the rest of her life. (B. Rosenblum) (Editor's note - I find it amazing that England creates such soulful singers. Adele can belt it with the best of them. As it used to be when I was growing up, many of these singers become more popular than the Black women they emulate. That aside, Adele can surely sing!)
"Watch" - Billie Ellish - Ms. Eilish gained popularity extremely quick (she's still only 17). Although this is not from her new album which is extremely popular, this is one of my favorites because it really showcases her style of singing. It's a bit more breathy and she doesn't belt, but I love that she's not following that trend because it really showcases how beautiful her voice is. (Megan. W)
The Roots - "Proceed" (from 1995’s Do You Want More?)
My students are stunned to discover that the Roots did not become famous from becoming Jimmy Fallon’s house band (and I am repeatedly stunned by my restraint in responding to this)... 25 years later, Black Thought (Tariq) is still one of the most intelligent lyricists in the history of hip hop. A great track for struttin’ into the Summer. (Kyle S.
"Thin Blue Line" - Jerry Salley - a Bluegrass tune that celebrates public servants. Many of my friends live this daily. (Thomas W) Salley is one of today's premier songwriters in Country music.From his website: "From Sir Elton John’s only chart single to appear on the Billboard Country Chart (“Where We Both Say Goodbye”) – duet with Australian artist Catherine Britt) to a Gospel song so popular it has been included in church hymnals (“His Strength Is Perfect”); from songs recorded by country music legends Loretta Lynn and The Oak Ridge Boys to some of today’s biggest country stars like Chris Stapleton, Reba McEntire, and Brad Paisley, Jerry’s long list of accomplishments speaks for itself." (Editor)
"Down San Diego Way" - Arthur Blythe - For me, Mr. Blythe (1940-2017) possessed the most joyful tune on his alto saxophone. He could standards, blues, "free" music, bebop, ragtime, Caribbean music - you name it, he'd find a way to lift your spirits. After a decade releasing albums on smaller labels, he was signed to Columbia and released two albums in short. "Down San Diego Way" (he was born there and returned home for the last decade of his life) comes from from one of those Lps, "Lenox Avenue Breakdown" - this delightful bounce feeds off the raucous tea of Bob Stewart and active drums of Jac De Johnette. Yes, it's a bit noisy but sounds great cruising in the car with the windows open and the volume. Dig the playful flute of James Newton! This tune never fills to make me smile and bounce around! It's 13:17 of noisy delight! (RBK)
"Theme from Exodus (This Land is Mine)" - Andy Williams - This song has always been very moving to hear. It will be more so within two weeks from now. I am so lucky and blessed to be traveling the route of ‘The Exodus’: Egypt, Jordan and Israel. (Joe G)
Our best wishes to Joe and his wife as they make their pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Naomi and I went to Israel 12 years ago and we still talk about all the amazing things as well as the scary things (when we toured near the Gaza Strip, there had been numerous missile strikes - RBK
Thanks to all who contributed and to all of you who took the time to read and listen! All goes well, I'll get the blog out more regularly in the Fall!
My music for the week is the "1812 Overture" by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). It took me nearly a week to figure out why it has been on my mind, but it finally dawned on me that it matches the music from (the 2001 HBO series) "Band of Brothers", which I’ve been watching all week.
"Ohio" - Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young - In a world of increasing crack down on dissent, this is a fitting song (Daniele Dugre-Martin).
(Editor's note - The tragic shooting at Kent State University took place on May 4, 1970. David Crosby saw the famous picture on the cover of LIFE Magazine (see below), gave it to Neil Young, and several hours later, the Canadian-born guitarist has written the song. Crosby booked a studio and, within three hours, the quartet had produced both the A and B sides of 45 rpm. Side B was the acoustic version of Stephen Stills' "Find the Cost of Freedom." The single was released to radio stations within the week and then to the public 12 days after the tragic event.)
"Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival - John Fogerty and company put out five albums from 1968 - 1970 and each one was a mix of blues, rock, folk, and more and better than the one before it. Fogerty knew a great "hook" when he heard it and this song built on Doug "Cosmo" Clifford's speaker-rattling drums tells the story of how rich kids get out of serving their country, how old folks, especially politicians, have no issue sending young men off to die. Fogerty wrote several other "protest" songs ("Who'll Stop The Rain" and "Don't Look Now") and liked to poke fun at the California governor at the time ("Ronnie the Popular") but mostly the band is known for the songs, "Proud Mary" and "Down On The Corner."
(Richard Kamins)
"2am" - Bear Hands - It has a very relaxed sound, and is actually a very good song to listen
to at 2am (especially because I am usually the only one I know awake at
2am if I do stay up that late). I like that it really reflects how you
(or at least I) often think when it's 2am.
(Megan Winslow)
Because it's Break Week, I leave you with two songs, one from 1970 and the other from 2011. The older song is Bobby Bloom's only hit, "Montego Bay", with its Caribbean feel, whistling, and easy feelings. This version has the surprise ending that the original 45 cut out!
The other is Bruno Mars and "The Lazy Song." A bit profane but it's another song with whistling, an Islands beat, and, most of the time, you can sing along. Come on, it's a vacation song!
"Rolling In The Deep" - Adele - In honor of my daughter Laura who is finally starting the rest of her life. (B. Rosenblum) (Editor's note - I find it amazing that England creates such soulful singers. Adele can belt it with the best of them. As it used to be when I was growing up, many of these singers become more popular than the Black women they emulate. That aside, Adele can surely sing!)
