Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) / Kathrin Troester – Griminelli’s Lament
An evening pause: Recorded live 2005. Hat tip Dane.
Tag: music
Ralph Vaughan Williams:- A Song of Thanksgiving
An evening pause: Written for the BBC to mark the end of World War II, Vaughan Williams selected text from the Bible, Shakespeare, and Rudyard Kipling.
Teach us the strength that cannot seek,
By deed, or thought, to hurt the weak;
That, under thee, we may possess
Man’s strength to comfort man’s distress.
Teach us delight in simple things,
The mirth that has no bitter springs;
Forgiveness free of evil done,
And love to all men ‘neath the sun.
Go here for the full lyrics. It is absolutely worthwhile to print them out and read them as you watch this video. The images and words work together with amazing force, and illustrate well the importance of giving thanks on this day.
Ennio Morricone – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
An evening pause: With yesterday’s evening pause in mind, here’s a classical orchestra showing us how they perform spaghetti western music.
Spaghetti Western Orchestra
An evening pause: Recorded live 2011. With sound effects, props, and drinkable musical instruments!
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman
Jennifer Nettles – Hello Again
An evening pause: This song seems especially appropriate with me on the road in Israel and Diane back home in Tucson.
Hat tip Danae.
The Association – Along Comes Mary
An evening pause: Hat tip Keith Douglas. Recorded live during the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. The music is pure 60s pop, great to listen to. The opening intro, however, shows, as Keith wrote to me, that “nerds rock!”
Sandy and Richard Riccardi – Holiday Dinner Party
An evening pause: I think this is appropriate with the coming of the Thanksgiving and Christmas season.
Hat tip to Diane Zimmerman.
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet – Lotus Eaters
An evening pause: Hat tip Danae.
Nicole Atkins – Bird on a Wire
An evening pause: Hat tip Dane.
Buddy Greene – Classical Harmonica Medley
An evening pause: Hat tip Frank Kelly.
Victor Borge and Marilyn Mulvey – Hands Off!
An evening pause: Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Sha-Na – I’m Gonna Knock On Your Door
An evening pause: Sometimes all one really wants is a silly pop song.
Tina Dico & Helgi Jonsson – River
An evening pause: Hat tip to Danae.
Martin Brest – Hot Tomorrows
An evening pause: Hat tip again to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime. As Phil wrote to me, this scene is “the sensational finale from Martin Brest’s NYU student film, Hot Tomorrows. Brest, who went on to direct Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run and Scent of a Woman, broke all the rules in scrounging every resource he could find to make this 73-minute tragi-comic riff on the subject of death.”
Makes for a perfect Halloween evening pause.
An aside: Long ago, when I was in the movie business, I worked with many of the people who helped Brest make this film, and can say without doubt that he scored the best crew one could imagine finding for a student production.
Kitaro with 12 Girls Band – Matsuri
An evening pause:
Bond – Viva
An evening pause: Performed live in Japan. Proves beyond doubt that Vivaldi had rhythm.
Yael Ahn – Chopsticks
An evening pause: When I was 9 to 11 going to day camp each summer, I had to listen to kids playing this song every day, continually, on the camp piano. I grew to hate it.
This version, however, is absolutely worth listening to and watching, as Ahn adds some percussion, using of all things, chopsticks!
Hat tip to Edward Thelen.
Clean Bandit – Rather Be
An evening pause: Performed live at Wembley Stadium in 2014.
Ginger Rogers – We’re in the money
An evening pause: From the 1933 film Gold Diggers of 1933, choreographed by Busby Berkeley. I especially like the section when Ginger sings the song in pig latin!
Hat tip again to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime.
Jon Lord – Gigue
An evening pause: Hat tip Danae. As she notes, “The drumming is amazing, and the musicians are having such a good time.”