If the essence of Jazz is to listen to and improvise off of the musical ideas of those you are playing with, and you are in essence a one man band, can you still consider the music you make jazz? The orchestrion is a mechanically controlled mini orchestra that was designed by Pat Metheny and controlled by his touch on the guitar. Metheny based his orchestrion on his … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Improvisation #2” by Pat Metheny Orchestrion Project
Song Of The Day by Eric Berman
Song Of The Day – “Sarah Jackman” by Allan Sherman
Funny guys are often tragic figures, and Allan Sherman surely fits into this category. In the span of several years, Sherman went from the pinnacle of success as a TV sketch writer and recording artist who had a huge hit with the song “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” (plus the requisite books, cartoons and board games that spun off of the song’s success), to being a divorced … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Sarah Jackman” by Allan Sherman
Song Of The Day – “Whipped Cream” by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
Before forming the Tijuana Brass and a record company (A&M) that still lives today, Herb Alpert was best known for co-writing Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World" and producing tracks for Jan & Dean. All that changed in 1962 when he recorded "The Lonely Bull" in his garage and gave birth to one of the biggest recording acts of the 1960s rivaling The Beatles. The first few … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Whipped Cream” by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
Song Of The Day – “Caramels” by Mort Shuman
“For those who will listen and not just hear…” That was the intended audience for the album where today’s Song Of The Day comes from, according to its back cover, and they certainly broke the mold after this one was committed to wax. But back in 1969 record labels like Reprise let artists experiment and follow their muse, resulting in one of the most eccentric records ever … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Caramels” by Mort Shuman
Song Of The Day – “Did You See?” by John Simon
John Simon’s 1970 debut album for Warner Brothers, called John Simon’s Album, was a culmination of the many album projects he produced over the two years it took to record. While a staff producer at Columbia Records, Simon produced such classics as Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends, Big Brother & The Holding Company’s Cheap Thrills, Leonard Cohen’s Songs By Leonard Cohen, … [Read more...] about Song Of The Day – “Did You See?” by John Simon