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!
I was hoping to do, at least, two more posts with the ultimate one at the end of Finals Week. So, here's the penultimate post!
"Maybe" - Alina Baraz & Galimatias- Since I have been listening to a lot of very relaxing/slower music to study, I have been listening to "Maybe" by Alina Baraz a lot. I like how the song is somewhat sparse
instument/sound-wise. It has a very chill vibe,
but the song changes enough throughout to keep your interest. It comes
from her album Urban Flora which is a fantastic album to listen to while
studying (at least for me it is and I have recommended it to other students that are studying). (Megan Winslow)
"Money For Nothing" - Dire Straits - At the time this song came out, I was working at Sears and I was,
in fact, moving refrigerators and color tvs. The song was an anthem to
us in the warehouse and we sung it loud and laced with profanity. (Chris Hakala)
Editor's note: - Somewhere in our house is a picture of our younger daughter Rachel peering intently at the lyric sheet that came with Dire Straits's "Brothers in Arms" Lp. We swear it's how she learned how to read (from that album and Billy Joel's "An Innocent Man"). (RBK)
"Two of Us" - The Beatles- I played
this at a friend’s “funeral” on the Orkney Island of Rousay last summer. It illustrates our long friendship very well as it did Lennon and McCartney’s
collaboration of many years. (Daniele Dugre-Martin) From "The Beatles Bible": The opening song on The Beatles' final album, "Two Of Us" was written by Paul McCartney about his fondness for getting deliberately lost in the country with his future wifeLinda.
Lennon and McCartney shared the same microphone to sing the song, as captured in the Let It Be film. Indeed, the middle sections contain likely references to their relationship, with both acutely aware that their time as members of The Beatles was drawing to a close. (Editor's note: C'mon Paul, we know this is all about you and John!
"World We You Live" - Crowded House- I loved this group back in the 80s and 90s but only owned two of their albums. Of course everyone knows “Don’t Dream it’s Over” but they had many other hits over the years. Such as “World where you live.” Great road trip music. (Thomas Williams)
Editor's note - I have always considered this "adult pop" music, fun to sing along with plus lyrics that are not shallow. If you missed this group first time around, check out their songs.!
"Down San Diego Way" - Arthur Blythe - To end this post on a boisterous note, my 301 students ask me about my favorite songs. Of course, since I have been listening to music for over six decades, my list is way too long to publish anywhere. However, most of my favorites are connected to memories. In the mid-70s, I was a reviewer for the New Haven Advocate specializing in jazz, especially "out" jazz. I had the opportunity to meet saxophonist Arthur Blythe and hear him play live. No matter what musical situation he put himself in, his alto sax always sounded like joy personified. No more so than on "Down San Diego Way" from his first Lp on CBS Records. Guitar, percussion, bass, drums, tuba (Bob Stewart is the true "bottom"), flute, and Mr. Blythe's sweet tone. Yes, this is noisy but it' a reflection of a person who lived to play, loved to play, and appreciated when people would come up and say "thank you." This song is a real "summer - open the windows and play it loud, really loud - song". (RBK)
"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!)
