Tag: Music

This post wasn’t planned. It just sort of happened when I fell down a research rabbit hole.

Every year as the U.S. Independence Day approaches, I consider purchasing some seasonally appropriate music. While I love many music genres, for some reason I gravitate toward classical music for July 4. I already have a collection of marches by John Philip Sousa, a recording of Aaron Copland’s Rodeo and Billy the Kid, and Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, along with a few individual pieces, such as “Chester” from William Schuman’s New England Triptych: Three Pieces for Orchestra After William Billings.

This year, as I contemplated buying some Duke Ellington (yes, he wrote classical music, too), I wondered: What else could I add to my collection to diversify it? I began poking around, discovered some gems, and this playlist was born. All of these pieces are by U.S. composers, and all of them sound, in my mind, distinctly “American,” because they draw on influences such as jazz, spirituals, and even high school marching bands. Most of these were new to me, and I’m willing to bet that many will be new to you, too.

Note: You may have to be content to sample some of these on YouTube. For instance, I found one Naxos recording that included a single piece by Viet Cuong (not the one on this list). I found a few more of his pieces on Spotify, but only one movement from Re(new)al. Unfortunately, it isn’t the one that really made me think, “Re(new)al belongs on this list!”

Re(new)al – Viet Cuong

I was introduced to Cuong’s music just over a week ago at a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra concert, and I liked what I heard. When I decided I wanted to diversify my Independence Day music collection, I thought of him and wondered, “Do any of his pieces sound distinctly American?” As a matter of fact, the answer is “yes.” Cuong was a member of a high school’s marching band. You can hear the influence in Re(new)al. As far as I’m concerned, anything that is evocative of the half-time show during a football game qualifies as “distinctly American.” (Be patient. The marching band section starts around 4:45.)

From Atlanta to the Sea – Frank Duarte

Frank Duarte wrote this march in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the song “Marching Through Georgia.” Popular with the Union Army, the song celebrates General Sherman’s March to the Sea. Duarte drew inspiration not only from that song but from Sousa’s marches and songs such as “The Yellow Rose of Texas” and the U.S. “Army Song.”

Suite From The River – Duke Ellington

If your knowledge of Ellington’s music is confined to his excellent jazz standards like “Satin Doll” and “Take the ‘A’ Train,” you absolutely must check out his Suite from The River. While you’re at it, listen to Black, Brown, and Beige, another appropriate pick for an Independence Day playlist.

Bethena Waltz – Scott Joplin

Pretty much anything by Scott Joplin would fit comfortably on this list. I chose “Bethena Waltz” simply because I think it is a gorgeous piece.

Einstein on 6th Street – Daniel Montoya

Daniel Montoya’s “Einstein on 6th Street” was inspired by American composer Philip Glass’ opera Einstein on the Beach. He also draws inspiration from the numerous live music performances that can be found in venues on 6th Street in Austin, Texas.

Fantasie Negre no. 1 – Florence Price

Florence Price was a Black composer active during the first half of the 20th century. Inspired by a spiritual, “Fantasie Negre no. 1” easily belongs on this list of American music. Listen, and I think you’ll agree with me that it’s stunning. Then read James Bennett’s essay and ponder the fact that the world of classical music isn’t all that different from pop music. You hear a relatively small number of songs over and over, while other songs are sadly neglected.

Symphony #1 – William Grant Still

Other than Ellington, William Grant Still was the only other composer on this list I knew before I started researching diverse American composers… and, sadly, I know relatively little about him. His Afro-American Symphony draws on the blues and spirituals.

Chokfi (Rabbit): Sarcasm for String Orchestra and Percussion – Jerod Tate

Jerod Tate’s “Chokfi” is, in his words, a “character sketch” of the trickster rabbit that appears in Southeast American Indian cultures. He also incorporated a Muscogee Creek church hymn in the music.

Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman #1 – Joan Tower

In 1986, Joan Tower wrote her first “Fanfare of the Uncommon Woman.” She’s followed it up with five more fanfares, the latest of which was written in 2016. If you’re well-acquainted with classical music, you’ll know from the title alone that Tower was inspired by Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” a staple of many Independence Day playlists.

Where to Look for Additional Inspiration

It wasn’t difficult for me to find information on Florence Price and Joan Tower through simple Google searches for Black composers and American female composers. Beyond that, one of my best resources for researching diverse composers was the Composer Diversity Database. There’s lots of good information there; I’ve only scratched the surface so far. In addition, I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about American Indian composers in the NPR article “American Indian Composers Go Classical.”

I’ve always loved Halloween, but over the years it has become one of my favorite holidays. I suspect that’s because it’s so low-pressure. Many holidays require lots of work from adults, often women. If you’re married, you may have to negotiate where, with whom, and how you celebrate. But Halloween is easy… at least, it is for my family. Before COVID-19, I usually only had to buy fair-trade chocolate ahead of time and answer the door a few times on October 31. (Our neighborhood doesn’t get many trick-or-treaters.) That gives me plenty of time to just kick back and enjoy the season.

One way I celebrate is by listening to my Halloween playlist. I started pulling it together after I got tired of listening to an Internet-based Halloween station that played the same songs over and over. I enjoy Halloween classics like “Thriller” and “Monster Mash,” but I also like variety. My actual playlist includes the usual suspects, such as “This is Halloween,” “Werewolves of London,” and “Danse Macabre.” But in the playlist below, I’ll give you some of the more unusual songs I like to listen to as Halloween approaches. I’m sure some song choices will seem obvious to you, but I’m also confident that this list will inspire some new additions to your own playlist.

Music From Soundtracks

Cat People (Putting Out Fire) – David Bowie

It’s been decades since I watched Cat People, but I remember it fondly as a slightly cheesy, not-too-scary horror film. This is the title track, which has appeared in several other movies, most recently Atomic Blonde.

Coraline End Credits – Bruno Coulais

Based on Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name, Coraline is a perfect pick for family-friendly Halloween viewing. (Note: Like adults, different kids have different tolerance levels for scary films. Please read some reviews and check out some clips before you watch it with your little ones.)

Cry Little Sister (Theme From “Lost Boys”) – Gerard McMann

Last year I mentioned The Lost Boys as one of two Halloween movies that are “spooky but not too scary.” I love this song from the opening credits.

The Cyberman – Murray Gold

In a debate over the most frightening monsters from Doctor Who, I would pick the Weeping Angels. But the Cybermen would also rank high on my list, and they have better music.

Edward Scissorhands Introduction (Titles) – Danny Elfman

Even though Edward Scissorhands takes place around Christmas, the fact that it’s a Tim Burton film makes it a natural fit for Halloween. This piece sounds more magical than spooky, but not all Halloween songs need to be scary. Don’t believe me? Think of “Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter series.

The Game Is On – David Arnold and Michael Price

I read mysteries year-round, but they feel especially appropriate as Halloween approaches. If you’ve watched Sherlock, wouldn’t you agree that music from its soundtrack belongs on this playlist?

Ghostbusters Main Title Theme – Elmer Bernstein

Sure, Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” is a Halloween classic. The actual theme for the movie, written by the great Elmer Bernstein, is also excellent.

Great Pumpkin Waltz – Vince Guaraldi

Perhaps because it’s found on the album A Charlie Brown Christmas, this Halloween song gets overlooked too often. I always play “Great Pumpkin Waltz” in October. In November I listen to another song from the album, “Thanksgiving Theme.”

Grim Grinning Ghosts – Buddy Baker

Does music from a theme park ride count as a soundtrack? I think so.

By the way, if you want to listen to a story Disney made up to go along with the attraction, featuring Ron Howard as one of two teenaged protagonists, check out The Story and Song From the Haunted Mansion.

Paul’s Theme (Jogging Chase) – Giorgio Moroder

Yes, there really are two songs from the Cat People soundtrack on my Halloween playlist.

Blade Runner End Titles – Vangelis

I deliberately veered from alphabetical order here, because you’re more likely to follow my odd musical reasoning for including this song if you listen to it immediately after “Paul’s Theme (Jogging Chase).” I don’t think of Blade Runner as a Halloween movie, but the mood of the end titles song seems to fit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAwo7DPUFUM&ab_channel=VioLenTPeN

Stranger Things Title Sequence – Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein

As a member of Generation X, I am required to include this on my playlist.

Trust in Me – Scarlett Johansson (composers: Robert and Richard Sherman)

Sterling Holloway is a somewhat comedic Kaa, but Scarlett Johansson’s Kaa is seductive and evil.

Popular Music

Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo

This isn’t entirely ignored on popular Halloween playlists, but it’s vastly underplayed. That said, if this song was as ubiquitous as “Monster Mash” at this time of year, maybe I wouldn’t love it so much. (For those who don’t know, this is the second Danny Elfman song on this list. In addition to being a film composer, he used to be a member of Oingo Boingo.)

Don’t Pay the Ferryman – Chris de Burgh

Chris de Burgh is best known for his ballad, “The Lady in Red,” which still pops up on oldies stations. In my opinion, this song is far better.

Ghost – Mystery Skulls

Most of the songs on this list don’t have a video to go with them. This is an exception. You must watch this dark homage to Scooby Doo. It’s the first in a series of animated videos for Mystery Skulls.

Superstition – Stevie Wonder

If I can fit a Stevie Wonder song into a playlist, I will. Superstition, Halloween… it works.

With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm – Water City Music Tower Voices

This old song, with lyrics by R.P. Weston and Bert Lee and music by Harris Weston, has been recorded many times, so I categorized it under “popular.” The relatively new recording below is so cute that I had to include this version on the playlist. This is another video you really should watch.

Classical Music

Cinderella’s Departure for the Ball – Sergei Prokofiev

Are you scratching your head and wondering just why I included this on a Halloween playlist? Well, just listen. Doesn’t it sound a little… sinister?

Ghosts’ High Noon – W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan

With ghosts and a curse, Ruddigore is the spookiest of all of Gilbert and Sullivan’s operas. This version of “Ghosts’ High Noon” from the opera comes complete with a ghost puppet.

The Gnome – Modest Mussorgsky

Classical stations often play Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain” around Halloween, and with good reason. But this is one of two songs from Pictures at an Exhibition that I think also fit the Halloween mood. According to Wikipedia the “picture” this represents is of a nutcracker, but I always imagine the gnome as a malevolent little fellow.

The Hut on Fowl’s Legs – Modest Mussorgsky

This is the obvious choice for a Halloween song from Pictures at an Exhibition. On a personal note, I will always associate the witch Baba Yaga with my mom. When I was a kid, I used to get Jack and Jill magazine. They often included a Baba Yaga story in their October issue, and whenever they did, my mom would exclaim, “I love Baba Yaga stories!” This one’s for you, Mom.

Infernal Dance – Igor Stravinsky

Hmmm… the classical music on this list is mostly Russian. What do my music-loving readers think: Are Russian composers the best at scary music?

Just as it can be difficult for people to name five or more women artists, it’s far from easy to name female jazz musicians who are not vocalists.

Here’s one name you need to know: Terri Lyne Carrington, one of the best jazz drummers alive today.

Born in 1965, Carrington was a child prodigy. She established a solid reputation by her mid-20s, playing as the drummer for the Arsenio Hall Show. I first heard her name around this time. I was listening to a show on female jazz instrumentalists and remember hearing Carrington mentioned alongside women such as Mary Lou Williams and Dorothy Donegan. Over the years she performed with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Stan Getz, and other big names in the jazz world.

Carrington was not yet 25 when she released her first album, Real Life Story, which was nominated for a Grammy in the category Best Jazz Fusion Performance. But it is only in the past decade that she has really made her mark in recorded music. In 2011 her album The Mosaic Project, performed entirely by women, won Best Jazz Vocal Album. In 2013 she became the first woman to win Best Jazz Instrumental Album with Money Jungle: Provocative in Blue, her reinterpretation of a 1963 album by Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Max Roach. She also won Best Jazz Vocal Album for an album she produced, Beautiful Life by Dianne Reeves.

While much of the material on these albums was written by others, she has included her own songs as well. In November she released a new double-album, Waiting Game, which includes several original songs. Waiting Game also builds on the theme of social justice, which has been present to a lesser extent in her other albums. She writes boldly, unafraid to take a provocative stand. But, as Downbeat points out with a quotation from her press release, Carrington is writing to make a difference. “At some point you have to figure out your purpose in life,” she writes. “There are a lot of drummers deemed ‘great.’ For me, that’s not as important as the legacy you leave behind.”

Being a quirky person with broad musical taste, I create themed playlists that could give many people whiplash. While I’ve never shared any of my odd, multi-genre playlists on the blog before, I thought I’d give it a try with this selection of autumn-focused music. It’s dominated by jazz — not merely because I love jazz, but because there are a number of wonderful jazz numbers about autumn. Sample these songs and pick your favorites for your own playlist. You may decide that you, unlike me, want to focus on only one genre of music.

Many of the jazz pieces in this list have been performed by a number of different artists; I have listed my favorite artist with each of those pieces. Likewise, there are many recordings you can choose from for the classical pieces, but although there are differences between recordings, I have no strong feelings about any particular version, so I leave that up to you.

If you have any favorite songs I’ve missed, please share them in the comments!

The Accursed Huntsman — César Franck

We start with something classical. This piece tells the story of a hunter who decides to ignore the Sabbath and hunt on Sunday. He ends up becoming the Devil’s quarry. What could be more autumnal than a spooky hunting story?

Autumn — Ed Calle

Once upon a time I had a coworker who was in charge of the music for our office, and she loved smooth jazz. Hours of forced listening to a smooth jazz station made me somewhat allergic to the subgenre, but there are still individual pieces I like. This is one of them. “Autumn” is a song for early to mid-fall, when you can still feel some summer in the air and the leaves are turning; it doesn’t really fit gray November days.

Autumn in New York — Ella Fitzgerald

You absolutely cannot have a list of autumn songs without including this one, and Ella Fitzgerald sings it beautifully.

Autumn Leaves — Nat King Cole

This is another “can’t omit it” classic. I love Nat King Cole’s silky smooth voice, so I had to pick this version.

Autumn Nocturne – Lou Donaldson

This is a lesser-known jazz piece, covered beautifully and in-depth in this blog post by Steve Wallace. The first version I heard was Claude Thornhill’s — apparently the earliest recorded version — but it sounds “dated” to me (I can just see couples dancing on a ballroom floor to the sounds of Thornhill’s orchestra). I prefer Lou Donaldson’s take.

Autumn Serenade — John Coletrane and Johnny Hartman

While I meant everything I said about loving to listen to Nat King Cole, I can’t imagine preferring his voice to Johnny Hartman’s on this one. Somehow, Johnny makes it sound as if he is singing about something he really experienced. And you can’t go wrong with John Coltrane on the sax.

Autumn Song — Van Morrison

It may not be pure jazz, but Van Morrison’s “Autumn Song” certainly has a jazzy feel. Google “Autumn Song Van Morrison,” and you’ll find more than one person proclaiming how perfectly the song captures autumn.

Don’t Wait Too Long — Blossom Dearie

Here autumn is merely a metaphor, but this song about a romance between two people of different ages is beautiful.

Folk Songs of the Four Seasons: Autumn — Ralph Vaughan Williams

I’m a sucker for Ralph Vaughan Williams, including his arrangement of seasonal folk songs for a women’s choir. There are actually three folk songs in the autumn section; “John Barleycorn” is the first one. You can find the other two, “The Unquiet Grave” and “An Acre of Land,” on YouTube.

The Four Seasons: Autumn — Antonio Vivaldi

This choice isn’t much of a surprise. Ask someone to name some classical music related to autumn, and they will almost certainly mention “Autumn” from Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Graceful Ghost Rag — William Bolcom

This has even less to do with autumn than “Don’t Wait to Long,” but since I first heard it on Halloween, I always think of autumn when I hear it. This is the best-known of three “ghost rags” that Bolcom wrote.

Harvest Moon — John Pizzarelli

What a beautiful autumn love song! With apologies to Neil Young, I prefer this cover to the original version. It’s also one of my favorite songs on this list.

Harvest Home: Autumn (Thanksgiving Hymn) — Jay Ungar and Molly Mason

Jay Ungar is the famous composer of “Ashokan Farewell” (the song Ken Burns used on his series, The Civil War). Molly Mason is his partner in music and marriage. This piece comes from Harvest Home, their five-part suite about the seasons in rural America.

If I Could Make September Stay — Michael Franks

I love summer and hate winter, so while I enjoy autumn, it also makes me a little sad. This song about hanging onto those last summery days resonates perfectly with me.

October — U2

Although this short song ends on a note of hope (“…kingdoms rise/and kingdoms fall/but you go on and on”), it sounds as sad as a cloudy autumn day after most of the trees have shed their leaves.

The Seasons: Autumn — Alexander Glazunov

This energetic piece makes me think of the riot of fall colors and fall festivals during peak autumn.

The Seasons: October — Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky

This is one of twelve piano solos Tchaikovsky wrote for each month of the year. To me, it is the most autumnal of the bunch. Actually, the mood is somewhat similar to U2’s “October.”

September — Earth, Wind & Fire

The only thing autumnal about this song is the fact that the singer is hearkening back to a particular September night, but it’s a great song, and I could not possibly leave it off the list. My kid and I consider it a must-listen on September 21.

September Song — Dave Brubeck

This is Brubeck’s straightforward take on a Kurt Weill tune. In the words of lyricist Maxwell Anderson: “Oh the days dwindle down to a precious few/September, November/And these few precious days I’ll spend with you…”

Summer Is Gone — Carmen McRae

Summer may be gone, but Carmen McRae looks on the bright side. “Winter is near/the fire soon will glow. … The crocus buds are bedded down with snow – just a disguise ’til spring.”

Thanksgiving Theme — Vince Guaraldi

You’ll recognize this from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Anyone up for a feast of toast, pretzels, popcorn, jelly beans, and ice cream? I’ll let you have all my jelly beans.

‘Tis Autumn — Jackie Paris

My favorite version of this song is by Jackie Paris (in fact, there is a documentary about him titled ‘Tis Autumn). Unfortunately, I can’t find a legally uploaded version to link to right now, so here’s a lovely version by Lily Bee.

150 Great Albums by Women

In 2017, National Public Radio pulled together a list of the 150 greatest albums by women since 1964, according to 50 women who work in public radio. The list incorporates a range of music, including jazz, pop, rock, folk, bluegrass, Tejano, hip-hop and more, from The Ronettes to Beyoncé. NPR’s intent was to offer the list as “an intervention, a remedy, a correction of the historical record and hopefully the start of a new conversation.”

I recently made my way through the list and was delighted with what I discovered. Of course, there were albums on the list I knew well. For example, I was pleased (though not surprised) to see that Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love was included among these “greatest albums”.

But there were plenty of unfamiliar albums on the list. Sometimes I’d heard of the artist but had never listened to their music, such as Bjork, whose album Post made the list.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeAZ9DQZFz8

Other artists were completely new to me, such as Pauline Oliveros, whose album Deep Listening is now on my wishlist.

And how is that I don’t remember hearing about jazz musician Alice Coltrane earlier in my life? I’m thankful to NPR for including her on the list.

Wisely, the list is not confined to English-speaking countries. It includes women such as Mercedes Sosa, Oumu Sangare and Ofra Haza.

200 Great Songs by Women+

While not everything will be your cup of tea, those 150 albums alone will give you many hours of listening pleasure and musical discoveries. But NPR decided to follow up the list the following year with a new Turning the Tables project: a list of the 200 best songs of the 21st century by women and non-binary artists.

Again, the list includes well-known songs, perhaps none more well-known than Idina Menzel’s “Let It Go.” (I confess I skipped listening to that. I could never hear it again for the rest of my life and be just fine.) And, because the “greatest albums” list issued in 2017 would naturally include some of the greatest songs of this century, there was some duplication between the lists. Norah Jones, Solange, and Against Me! are just a few of the artists who have songs on the top 200 list from albums on the top 150 list.

Again, the list is broad, spanning a variety of genres from artists around the world. If anything, the list is broader, including several classical tracks, such as “Flowers” from Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields.

There’s even “kawaii metal” (please stay with me… it’s much better than it sounds), represented by Babymetal’s “Gimme Chocolate!!”

There’s plenty of room for arguing with both of these lists. (No Amanda Palmer among the top 200 songs of this century? What were they thinking?) But if you are a music lover and have not yet explored NPR’s Turning the Tables project, especially these two lists, you owe it yourself to dive in. You almost certainly will discover some new favorite artists, albums, and songs.

 

When I was a kid, there were certain albums that I checked out from the library over and over again. The one I probably borrowed the most was The Nonesuch Explorer: Music from Distant Corners of the World. A 1971 double-LP compilation of folk music recordings from the Nonesuch Explorer Series, the album featured music from Indonesia, Japan, India, Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia), the Americas, Eastern Europe, Greece, and Sweden. It introduced me to music ranging from gamelan music to Swedish fiddle tunes from Dalarna.

This album is long out of print, but years later I discovered Java: Javanese Court Gamelan. I purchased it and was thrilled to recognize one of the pieces from The Nonesuch Explorer. The album has since been reissued as Java: Court Gamelan.

In fact, most of the source recordings for the album I loved so much are still available through the Nonesuch Explorer Series. There are some noticeable holes. Only one CD from India is in print, and it contains none of the music from The Nonesuch Explorer. You also won’t find Greek or Swedish music in Nonesuch’s Explorer Series. But there are plenty of other recordings, including many from places not included on the 1971 compilation, including Tahiti, Iran, Tibet, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Burundi.

These recordings are not what we normally refer to as “world music” today. They do not reflect contemporary music around the world. They are recordings made by ethnomusicologists in specific places and specific times. But if you have wide-ranging musical taste, these recordings are gold.

I swear there were informative liner notes with the double-album, but I can’t find them online. For instance, I seem to remember that the compilation album said that Guarani songs like “El Chupino” traditionally were interrupted with a compliment to a woman, but perhaps I’m remembering that incorrectly. From what I’ve been able to catch, it certainly seems that the singers are saying something about a beautiful woman.

If you decide to delve into the Explorer Series, where should you start? It really depends on the regions of the world that interest you the most. I recommend sampling the available music and deciding what you like best. Nonesuch’s website allows you to listen to 30-second samples of their music, and Warner Music Group (which owns Nonesuch), has uploaded several songs in their entirety on YouTube, though it’s a bit of a pain to find them. (I recommend searching by “Nonesuch [Name of Song].”)

But if you asked me to recommend just one album, I’d tell you to get Music of Bulgaria. None of its music was included on The Nonesuch Explorer compilation, though I could have sworn that’s where I first heard “Polegnala E Todora.” It’s a nice mix of Bulgarian music, and as far as I’m concerned, “Polegnala E Todora” is absolutely beautiful. You can also find a different recording of that song on the Nonesuch recording Le Mystère dex Voix Bulgares. It’s not part of the Explorer Series, but there’s a good reason NPR included it in its list of the 150 greatest albums by women.