Great American Songbook Saturday – St. Louis Blues

112 years ago yesterday (9-11-1914) WC Handy published a song that would become a pop and jazz standard - St. Louis Blues. It was one of the first blues songs to "succeed as a pop song and remains a fundamental part of jazz musicians' repertoire." Handy said he had been inspired by a chance meeting with … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday – St. Louis Blues →

Great American Songbook Saturday

One of the greatest men to tickle the ivories was born today 101 years ago. Oscar Peterson was born on August 15, 1925. He was born in Canada and is considered to be one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. He has released more than 200 recordings, is a winner of eight Grammy … Continue reading Great American Songbook Saturday →

Movie Music Monday – Pete Kelly’s Blues

Today marks the 105th birthday of legendary singer Peggy Lee. She was discovered singing in a noisy club in Palm Springs. That noisy club played an important role in her sultry singing style. She said, I knew I couldn't sing over them, so I decided to sing under them. The more noise they made, the … Continue reading Movie Music Monday – Pete Kelly’s Blues →

Turntable Talk #34 – What’s My Scene?

Welcome to the first Turntable Talk of 2025, hosted by Dave of A Sound Day. This is the 34th round, if you are keeping track. If you are a new follower, let me fill you in on how it works. Dave Ruch offers up a musical topic to a group of us music fans each … Continue reading Turntable Talk #34 – What’s My Scene? →

Tune Tuesday – Stranger On The Shore

The clarinet celebrates birthday 335 today, and in honor of that, it is Clarinet Day! January 14th is the day the clarinet was invented in Nuremberg, Germany in 1690. The instrument was created by German instrument maker Johann Christoph Denner, or possibly his son Jacob. It had developed from much earlier reed instruments, going right … Continue reading Tune Tuesday – Stranger On The Shore →

The Music of My Life – 1997

Welcome back to The Music of My Life, where I feature ten songs from each year of my life. In most cases, the ten songs I choose will be ones I like personally (unless I explain otherwise). The songs will be selected from Billboard’s Year-end Hot 100 Chart, Acclaimed Music, and will all be released … Continue reading The Music of My Life – 1997 →

Make Some Noise – It Is May!

Welcome to May! Were you aware that May is International Drum Month? Cheers to the instrument that keeps the music in time. Anyone who has played in a school band or any band really knows that there are plenty of jokes made about the percussionists and the percussion section: What do you say to a … Continue reading Make Some Noise – It Is May! →

Sunny Side of the Street

"The Sunny Side of the Street" One of my favorite commercials on TV right now is the "Spring Into Action" commercial from Kohl's. There is something about the smile of the little girl as people "hop" by that tugs at the heart strings. It is a wonderful "feel good" commercial. If you haven't seen it … Continue reading Sunny Side of the Street →