Hermione/everyone - Always True to You (In My Fashion)

Honda CRZ commercial

Wow...a long time away from my blog. What a demented year! Anyway, saw this on TV the other night and thought I'd skim youtube for another look. I'm guessing this version of Night and Day is the one by U2?! Not sure...

2011 Honda CR-Z Commercial

My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Julie London Cover)

Can you say "minimalist?" Holy smokes, this is a fine bit of amateur youtubery.

Don Shirley: Love For Sale

Oh yeah...this is great stuff! An eight minute bit o' interpretation that really seems like pure improv. Don Shirley is one interesting character: born in Jamaica in 1927, he was taught piano by his mother, and was giving public performances when just 3 years old! Played with the Boston Pops at 18, and was later given a grant to study the relationship between juvenile crime and music. Recorded 16 albums for the Cadence label. I didn't do any processing on this track because every time I tried I ended up with digital artifacts that detracted from the beauty of the original vinyl. www.box.net/shared/0erdmdlstp

Diana Krall: I've Got You Under My Skin

You know what? I just don't get the appeal of this singer. Not a consistent voice, not very passionate/playful whilst singing. Perhaps the world really does need a female Harry Connick. Perhaps her voice sounds superb with a Bose stereo system. She does have legions of fans, though, so I might be missing something (Is it because many of her fans are not familiar with more talented voices?). For all you web-Krallers...DK live at Yoshi's in San Francisco, 12/31/98. www.box.net/shared/zq89qlgggb

Gladys Swarthout: Begin The Beguine

My first 78 transfer...from a truly mud-encrusted disc found at Goodwill! The results are certainly listenable, especially considering the condition of the record. The "album" contained eight songs on four records, and the jacket, though dusty, cleaned up nicely. I began the restoration by submerging the record in lukewarm water and scrubbing it with a brush, drying it with an old t-shirt, and then playing/recording with a Stanton cartridge with an appropriate 78 stylus. I used a bit of pop reduction and boosted the eq to give a tad more lower end. Gladys' version of Beguine is a fantastic example of high-class, "mezzo-soprano" antiquity. Doesn't date very well, that is for sure. www.box.net/shared/zz1zlksc9b

Gertrude Niesen: Katie Went To Haiti

With a name like Gertrude, its gotta be old school! Still, the song is somewhat timely as it is set in Haiti. This is typical, racy Cole material: western woman travels to exotic country and shacks up with multiple natives (or "naties"). Scandalous stuff at one time, I suppose. A fun song, but I wish I could get my hands on the original 78. The art of remastering has come a long way since this compilation LP was issued. Anyway, its Saturday morning and our company has headed for a local ski resort. The house is quiet, the cats are positioned in a beam of sunlight, and I hear the coffee machine beeping. You know what? I think spring is rapidly approaching...

www.box.net/shared/f91526jtff

Dancing Dog

Oh geez....this is downright odd.

Monsterpiece Theater - Anyone's Nose

Tuesday morning...is it March 2nd? Slowly getting ready to head back to Boston! Back to the wife, the cats, and snow! Its beautiful in Tampa right now. We had a deluge last night, but around 8am it starter to clear. Now there isn't a cloud in the sky...but, for some reason, all I can think about is home. While sipping my coffee I ran across this Muppet salute to Cole. Fun stuff...

Jack Haskell: Its De-lovely

Red, Hot, and Blue...the same show that would cement Ethel Merman's position as legendary broadway-belter...also introduced one of the most recognizable of all Porter compositions: Its De-lovely. While it is this writers position that the finest version of this song was delivered by Robbie Williams in the recent film "De-lovely", I would agree that anyone blessed with a decent voice and bit of verve could deliver an agreeable version. And what of Jack Haskell? One of those forgotten celebs from the mid century: early career singing with Doris Day and The Les Brown Orchestra, a reporter on the first incarnation of NBC's Today Show, and numerous cameos on both Jack Paar and Johnny Carson shows. www.box.net/shared/5lv3pc0mj2

Libby Hoffman: A Primitive Man

Libby Hoffman is supposed to be a "famous torch singer" but there really isn't alot of info on her. I'm guessing her clame to fame is that she married an heir to the Reynolds tobacco fortune...who shot himself. Then her next husband died of a drug overdose. Then her son died in a "suspicious mountain climbing accident." Then Libby did herself in with carbon monoxide! Anyway, Primitive Man was written for the 1929 Porter show Fifty Million Frenchmen. It was a fairly popular song due to its uptempo, dance-worthy nature, and, of course, the sexy lyrics couldn't hurt. www.box.net/shared/zm43rmal56

Well Did You Evah? - Cover

Wow...this is just great! Two high school students in tuxes, sipping champagne, and lip-synching to "Well, Did You Evah." I would have loved to hear the parents reactions to this teen swagger. Bravo!

Trinidad Steel Band: Begin The Beguine

I really had high hopes for this one!  First of all you have a genuine steel band covering a sophisticated Porter song.  Next, you have this beautiful vinyl release (with a wonderful "they'll never make 'em like that again" glossy jacket) on the Elektra label.  Unfortunately, the song itself is poorly recorded...was Elektra just jumping on the steel bandwagon?  Its amazing how many steel drum discs were recorded.  It seems like every hotel in the Caribbean had an in-house record label that sold in-hotel musical souvenirs to sun-loving tourists.  Heck, you were picking up sunglasses and beach towels...might as well grab the new release by the Palm Frond Five (not a real band, but it kinda sounds legit).  Unfortunately, there is something grating about the steel drum sound.  It only sounds good in situ...or when you are in the company of drunk friends...or you are trying to conjure an element of campiness to your rum-soaked party.  Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, puts on one of these discs when they are alone.  I guess they are like the sonic version of a velvet painting. www.box.net/shared/ncmfdmyyhk.

YOUNG@HEART - OFFICIAL TRAILER

Damn...I forgot to mention this amazing film! While transferring The Smithereens LP I was thinking about Northhampton and its lively music scene...which reminded me of the movie Young@Heart. Next time you are cruising the video store or Netflix remember this mind-blowing documentary. My wife and I actually ran into this group while hanging out in Amherst. About 14 old timers in white robes...singing a Led Zeppelin song!!! Stopped us in our tracks, I gotta tell you.