Mod of the Day

Säje feat. Jacob Collier | In the Wee Small Hours

“The female vocal ensemble säje brought their ethereal, contemporary jazz to the Grammys recently, winning the award for best arrangement,” (KUOW.org). “Their winning song featuring Jacob Collier, ‘In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,’ is off the group’s debut self-titled album, säje … You’re likely to find säje categorized as ‘jazz’ or ‘vocal jazz,’ … the group has been most influenced by Black American music. ‘There is a small subset of that in the jazz community that really prides itself on this concept of amplification of voices,’ vocalist Sarah Gazarek said. ‘Amplification of social issues. Intentional creation of music that means something beyond just romance and dreams, that is curious about music, that isn’t just nostalgic references.’

It’s that kind of support for each other and for underrepresented voices that makes säje what it is: an independent phenom. ‘It feels like so much of it is sort of gate-kept by these major labels and big publicists and big marketing machines,’ Gazarek said. ‘But at the end of the day, the majority of the music community is fighting tooth and nail. So, hopefully, that win felt like it was a win for [the independent music] community, because that’s the community that we inhabit.'”

“In the Wee Small Hours,” written in 1955 by David Mann with lyrics by Bob Hilliard, was first released by Frank Sinatra on his album of the same name. Säje’s version with Collier takes the original soft-spoken classic jazz ballad and deconstructs it further. The new arrangement’s rubato whisper is accompanied only by Collier’s piano. The transcription video shows where the several key changes occur within the arrangement, but the the video of the studio recording session is a must-see!

Don Henley | Dirty Laundry

“’Dirty Laundry’ is one of Don Henley’s greatest hits—but it doesn’t come without controversy,” (American Songwriter). “The song, co-written by Henley and session musician Danny Kortchmar, was released in 1982 as the second single off his debut solo album, I Can’t Stand Still. The lyrics take aim at mass media, proclaiming how people love dirty laundry. But the second verse is particularly scathing, as Henley sings, We got the bubble-headed bleached-blonde / Comes on at five / She can tell you ’bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye / It’s interesting when people die / Give us dirty laundry.

‘Dirty Laundry’ holds no punches when it comes to Henley’s opinion about sensationalism in news, especially. ‘I’m a news junkie, I watch the news a lot,’ the Eagles frontman said in a 1990 interview. ‘I got tired of seeing these talking heads up there stripping people of their dignity. I got tired of the sensationalism of the death of certain celebrities,’ he said, referencing the deaths of high-profile figures including Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi, and Elvis Presley … ‘Dirty Laundry’ became Henley’s first #1 hit as a solo artist. It reached the top of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.”

The song featured a star-studded personnel list, including Henley’s Eagles bandmates Timothy B. Schmidt and Joe Walsh and Toto’s Steve Porcaro, Jeff Porcaro, and Steve Lukather. Given that the song is one of Henley’s most static in terms of repetition of melody and chord progression, the whole-step key change arrives with a bang at 3:39.

Michael Medrano | Do Your Thing!

Michael Medrano is a Mexican-American singer, songwriter and producer who Billboard has called a “Pop Prince on the Rise.” His songs have amassed over 10 million streams on Spotify, and released his first mixtape, Lovesexdrugs, in 2023. “Do Your Thing!” was released as a single in 2020. The tune begins in F and shifts up a half step to Gb at 2:27.

Holly Near | I Am Willing

“Holly Near has had an amazing, exemplary life of artistry, performance, songwriting, and activism,” (The Progressive). “The arc of her professional life has spanned more than five decades in a most unique fashion, singing for a more peaceful, equitable, just, and feminist world. Through her music, she has been an insightful storyteller, consistently committed to keeping her work rooted in contemporary activism. Respected around the world for her music and activism, Near has released more than thirty albums and performed in many countries.

Near was born in 1949 in Ukiah, California, into a family that encouraged creativity. At age twenty-three, a half-century ago, she wrote her first feminist song, ‘It’s More Important To Me.’ About the same time, she started Redwood Records to support the release of her first album, Hang In There. Near was one of the first women to create an independent record company, paving the way for others in what had been a completely male-dominated industry … Near been recognized many times for her lifelong work promoting social change, including with honors from the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Ms. magazine, and the Legends of Women’s Music Award.”

“I Am Willing,” released on Near’s 2006 album Show Up, draws on an elegantly simple melody and chord progression. Its gradually burgeoning power and anthemic, gospel-influenced contemporary folk sound carry the day, particularly after its whole-step key change (1:44). Many thanks to Amy C. for this submission (her second)!

What Dreams Are Made Of (from “The Lizzie McGuire Movie”)

Written by Dean Pitchford and Matthew Wilder, “What Dreams Are Made Of” is featured at the end of the 2003 Disney film The Lizzie McGuire Movie and performed by Hilary Duff. The disco-infused track begins in Eb and modulates up to E at 2:54.

Josep Castanyer Alonso | Never Gonna GiFugue Up

“(Cellist) Josep Castanyer Alonso has been a member of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra since 2019,” (from the Orchestra’s website). “… He has performed in several festivals and attended different academies, such as the Verbier Festival in Switzerland or the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Italy, with mentors such as András Schiff, Lynn Harrell, Ferenc Rados, Gustav Rivinius, Wen-Sinn Yang or Gábor Takács-Nagy.

Performing regularly in different chamber music groups, Alonso has as well been a member of the Alinde Quartett. He is also frequently involved in other chamber music projects with colleagues, from the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Dresden, and the vast German and European orchestral scene. He was a student of the RSPO Orchestra Academy and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and he was the first student of this academy to become a member of the orchestra.”

From Alonso’s description of the video, which bearrs the subtitle A 4-voice fugue, but you got rickrolled: “… the contrapuntal throwback takes us to the ’80s with Rick Astley’s hit ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ — famous in its day and even more popular thanks to Internet meme culture and the “rick-rolling” frenzy of the early 2000s. I’ve developed the irritatingly infectious short initial motive of the tune into a 4-voice fugue, showcasing the structure with motion graphics and light-hearted commentary …” The piece shifts from D major to F# minor from 0:57 – 1:33. Of Alonso’s wonderful piano technique (in addition to his stellar composition chops), our regular contributor JB added, “It’s kind of dumbfounding that piano is just a hobby for him.”

Thank You, Sergio Mendes (1941 – 2024)

“There’s a word in English that I love: Serendipity. That’s the story of my life.”

– Sergio Mendes

“Serendipity and joy are two common threads that weave throughout the staggeringly diverse tapestry of music that Sergio Mendes has created over his remarkable six-decade career,” (SergioMendesMusic.com). “One of the most internationally successful Brazilian artists of all time, Mendes has recorded more than 35 albums, many of which went gold or platinum. He’s a three-time Grammy Award winner, Oscar-nominated songwriter and the subject of a joyful 2020 feature documentary.

From his pioneering contributions to the foundations of bossa nova alongside the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim, through the era-defining Latin-pop sound of his iconic group Brasil ’66; his scintillating collaborations with jazz legends like Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann to his chart-topping adult contemporary smash ‘Never Gonna Let You Go;’ on through his 21st-century reinvention with the Black-Eyed Peas and John Legend or his Oscar-nominated theme song from the animated hit Rio: an infectious spirit of joy pervades everything Mendes has ushered into the ears of listeners.”

We have featured many tunes by Mendes, who passed away this week, over the years. In his memory (though it’s very difficult to choose just one tune), we offer his collaboration with his fellow countryman Hermeto Pascoal, “Pipoca.” Though short in length, the track reflects Mendes’ positivity; his masterful use of the textures, colors, and shifting rhythms of Brazil; buoyant vocals (in this case, universally wordless); and the ever-present contemporary flair which pushed his music forward.

This 1992 track, which we initially featured in 2018, starts off with a tumbling, mischievous feel, throwing us its first modulation at only 0:16 (!) after a playful ascending chromatic run. The intro sets the scene for key changes which continue to to turn on a dime as they arrive frequently throughout the track.

Sure Fire Soul Ensemble | La Fachada

“If you are a fan of the organ (and we know you are), gritty funk, and beautiful original soundtracks, these guys are for you,” (Cole Mine Records). “The SFSE is a heavy, original, instrumental soul band based out of San Diego, CA that released their debut self-titled album on Colemine Records in June of 2015.”

“The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble rock an instrumental style of soul and funk with a long history, drawing upon contemporaries like Budos Band and El Michels Affair, then going back through a lineage that includes Poets of Rhythm, The Meters, and The Bar-Kays … It’s a gritty and raw style of funk …” (Scratched Vinyl). “SFSE is a large group, with three percussionists, three horn players, keyboards, bass, guitar, and drums, which gives them a nice full sound. Of course, it only makes sense to rock a group this big if you can be tight enough to make it worth it … SFSE lay(s) down grooves that will have you bobbing your head and making stank face …”

The SFSE’s 2022 track “La Fachada” begins in Bb minor, shifts to a strings tremolo feature section in Gb major at 0:28, and then drops into a horns-driven section built on a spicy Cb augmented chord at 0:50. These sections alternate until a bridge section in C major appears (1:59 – 2:20) before returning to the regular rotation.

Sharon Tandy | The Way She Looks At You

In 1964, Sharon Tandy moved from her native South Africa to the UK to pursue her musical career. Through the end of the 1960s, she released a string of UK singles, mostly on Atlantic, achieving moderate success. A few of the Atlantic sides were recorded at the Stax studio (à la Dusty in Memphis). Her material spans the gamut of the popular music of the period, with songs that fit into the “pop”. “soul”, and “rock” categories.

Her cover of “Our Day Will Come” is notable: Originally performed as a bossa nova by Ruby and The Romantics, the song is turned into a raw Janis/Big Brother-flavored uptempo rocker, with backup provided by Southampton band Fleur de Lys.

“The Way She Looks At You” (1968) falls neatly into the pop category. The song was written by Brian Potter and Graham Dee. Potter is best known for his collaborations with Dennis Lambert, with hits like “Don’t Pull Your Love” (by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds) and “Two Divided By Love” (by The Grass Roots). The swinging horn arrangement shouts “1960s London,” doesn’t it? The groove falls away for a harmonically dynamic instrumental transition begins at 1:39. The tune settles into a new key one half-step up at 1:50.

Jamie Cullum | All At Sea

UK singer/songwriter/pianist Jamie Cullum, “… mostly self-taught, began playing in a rock band at age 15,” (Brittanica). “He soon became attracted to jazz and began playing and singing it in bars and on cruise ships. He spent a year in Paris and then attended the University of Reading, England, where he studied film and English, composed music, and acted … His second album, Pointless Nostalgic … became such a favorite on British radio that … major labels fought a bidding war to sign him. His singing and playing, which evoked swing and ballad moods rather than rock, were an anomaly in the pop music of the day, but the CD sold 2,000,000 units, 400,000 of them in the United States.” Twentysomething reached top three in the UK, and the Netherlands; it scored top 100 status in most of Europe and the USA.

“… This is not a jazz album in the unapproachable sense – there are Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Buckley covers here (CLUAS.com, 2004) … This is a bona fide listenable and enjoyable opus. Jamie Cullum is not your typical jazz pianist or singer … he straddles genres for fun. This is certainly not a jazz-only album … the end result is surprisingly great.”

The single “All At Sea,” wasn’t a big hit by any stretch of the imagination, but received slow but steady airplay in the US (Cullum’s success seems better measured through the relative success of his full albums as opposed to his singles). Built in Eb major overall, the tune’s bridge (2:44 – 3:26) is in Ab minor; then Eb makes its return. The 2015 live version below includes an extended Billy Joel quote in its closing bars, demonstrating the breadth of Cullum’s improvisatory sensibilities. The studio version benefits from a full instrumentation and vocal harmonies — but Cullum’s dense voicings, sharpened vocal and piano technique, and absolutely unsinkable time make the solo version more than a full portion.