cooltunes

I’m a Sarah Vaughn fan, though I tend toward the remixes these days. ‘Round Midnight’, ‘East of the Sun, West of the Moon’ and ‘Summertime’ from Verve or Jazz Lounge pop up in my workday playlists.

But I wasn’t familiar with her version of ‘Just a Little Lovin'’ till I read this and did a search. A song that remains powerful after a decade-long hunt is certainly worth looking into.

As usual, go to http://www.bugmenot.com for a path into the NYT.

I put in a few livelier tracks that force me to get up and move around.

I Put a Spell on You - Queen Latifah
Yellow - Coldplay
Happy Ever After - Julia Fordham
Body Heat - Alicia Bridges
Get Me Through December - Alison Krauss
Wild is the Wind - Nicolas Bearde
Gula Matari - Quincy Jones
California Dreamin’ - Bobby Womack
Don’t You Worry, Baby - Melody Gardot

Of all the versions of Dindi that I have, this is my favorite. I’m sure I’ve mentioned A Twist of Jobim before, several excellent tracks there.

The mix of talent seems pretty near perfect, and while there are many videos of Debarge singing his better known songs, this is the only full version of Dindi that I can find online, and it’s mostly showing the album cover. But you’ll get the idea, if you’re unfamiliar with the song.

And yes, this is the Art Porter of the Art Porter Law. More on that in a bit.

Had it not been for a horrific bicycle accident when she was hit by an SUV, she would not have begun her singing career.

Kind of tough getting back into the work routine, but these smooth the process a bit:

See-Line Woman - Verve Remixed
Feelin’ Good - Joe Claussell Remix
Here Comes the Sun - Francois K Remix

Jaco Pastorius playing Portrait of Tracy with Weather Report.

A version of the song is in the album The Essential Jaco Pastorius. I wonder what he’d be doing if he had gotten treatment for his condition, and lived.

It’s been a downer of a week. But big oil companies keep making record profits!

Separate Ways - Teddy Thompson
Speed of Sound - Coldplay
Prairie Wedding - Mark Knopfler
Don’t Explain - Herbie Hancock, Damien Rice, Lisa Hannigan
Like a Lover - Dianne Reeves
Tempest (from The Insider soundtrack) - Lisa Gerrard and Pieter Bourke
Tearing Us Apart - Tina Turner and Eric Clapton
Whenever I Say Your Name - Sting and Mary J. Blige
Hey Girl - Ray Charles and Michael McDonald

The sneezing season is too early this year. Despite taking a massive (for me anyway) amount of antihistamines, I still had to sit upright several times last night to blow my nose. Which affected my dream cycle, or maybe it was the pills.

So it was that I dreamed of trying to sell the idea of Netflix to my dad, who died ten years ago. (’$20/month. Every month?’) And I woke up with ‘Lush Life’ in my head.

I often get music first thing, no outside source - the mind keeps churning out the odd song as I stagger toward the bathroom. Most times, it’s some banal piece. This time, I got to consider the ‘twelve o’clock tales’ and ‘troughful of hearts’ lyrics as I brushed my teeth.

There are worse ways to start a day. The version I listen to most is Queen Latifah’s from her Dana Owens Album.

Dexter Gordon is Lars’ godfather.

What is the connection between Lars Ulrich and Dexter Gordon?

Answer tomorrow unless you want to google it.

Over a decade ago, I heard Another Day by an unnamed singer, probably on a jazz radio station. But what struck me most was the amazing soprano sax soaring around the vocals, doing somersaults and exuberantly playful meanderings against the rather depressing lyrics. I liked the song so much I recorded it on cassette, and listened to it again yesterday.

It took some time to find online, but it turned out to be Buckshot Lefonque, a group founded by none other than Branford Marsalis, which certainly explains the sax. The singer was Frank McComb, whose voice is compared to that of Donny Hathaway, a favorite of mine.

As Marsalis explains, Buckshot Lefonque defies categorizing, even though some say it’s a combination of jazz and hip hop.

Usually, I can only take Etta James in small doses, but seeing as how I’ve got a ton of stuff to do that requires that I stay chained to the desk, I’ve put on Mystery Lady, Songs of Billie Holiday. Includes You’ve Changed, Body and Soul, The Very Thought of You and I’ll Be Seeing You.

Suggestions from The Telegraph: Brubeck, Krall, Benson, Sting, Cullum, Hancock, Tyner.

No matter what’s happening on the field, the players will interpret and improvise. That’s the premise at the Vortex Jazz Club, a tiny spot in east London, where fans are treated to spontaneous music from teams of musicians who strive to match the game’s actions with appropriate responses.

Some jazz, some rock, some really old stuff.

Summertime - Herbie Mann
Summer Samba - Walter Wanderly
The Summer Knows - Phil Woods
The Summer Wind - Michael Buble
Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts
Estate (In Summer) Grover Washington
Late in the Evening - Paul Simon
Miss Sun - Boz Scaggs
Summertime Blues - Stray Cats
Summer Song - Chad & Jeremy

Dreams - The Cranberries
Dream Scream - Death Cab for Cutie
Dreaming of You - Selena
In Dreams - Roy Orbison
Dream Lover - Mariah Carey
Dream a Little Dream of Me - Michael Buble
Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
All I Have to Do is Dream - Everly Brothers
Dream - Dinah Washinton
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Diana Krall
Dream Baby - Roy Orbison
Dreamland - Art Garfunkel

So what exactly is it? We all know that Sade is the official poster woman. Around here, it’s the station the guys always turn off when they drive my car.

Lately, it has expanded to include some mild electronic sounds. It does have its uses, but I’ve found that I work better to other music.