Author: Mod of the Day

The Piano Guys | Arwen’s Vigil

The Piano Guys, a piano/cello duo featured on MotD before, describe the genesis of Arwen’s Vigil on their website as follows:

“When Aragorn was abroad, from afar Arwen watched over him in thought” –Lord of the Rings

“After signing with Sony we were putting together our first official release. Just before the deadline, we looked at the song list and all agreed the album needed to include a new original piece. But we had 48 hours…

As we prayed for help Jon recalled a tune he had almost included in a solo album, but for reasons he couldn’t remember he had not finished it. It was just the compositional catalyst we needed. Al, Steve, and Jon had the track written, recorded, mixed, mastered and handed off to press with minutes to spare. It needed a name. We felt like the tune was the personification of a storybook character – someone that was in need or in distress, but who harbored an inextinguishable hope. We went through several drafts and notions, finally arriving upon Arwen, daughter of Elrond in The Lord of the Rings. The Gaelic, Celtic feel that had naturally eventuated in the music sounded as an “elven” edge that seemed to fit this beautiful story – of Arwen’s timeless devotion to Aragorn as she waited for him to return for a mission that seemed doomed from its beginning. Convinced by her father to abandon her vigil for her own sake she turned back to wait once more as she saw in vision her future child, her son with Aragorn.

We filmed this in the Italian Gardens at Thanksgiving Point in Utah. As we write and as we film we try to find the “flow” – letting composition and cinematography lead out as much as possible. The autumn weather proved extremely volatile. One minute we had the sun, then the next rain, then snow, then sun again. We used this as best we could, letting the constant battle between clouds and sun match the conflict between despair and hope in the story and in the music. We furthered this dichotomy with day and night scenes – representing intense longing keeping faith in the future alive.”

The track starts in E minor and modulates up a step to F minor at 1:52.

Margie Joseph | Show Me

” … Margie Joseph’s legacy has been nearly buried by the inaccessibility of her music,” (PopMatters). “For far too many years, finding her music has been the wont of voracious crate-diggers. Only the most dedicated listener would pony up for pricey import re-issues or seek out the few rare compilations that currently exist.

(Producer) Arif Mardin treated Joseph like a soul queen on her eponymous debut for Atlantic in 1973, earning her inevitable comparisons to label mate Aretha Franklin.” Al Green liked one of Joseph’s tunes so much that he asked her to tour with him; she also received praise from Paul McCartney. Of her collaboration with Mardin, Joseph said “’I would just hear these melodies. Arif was so patient. He’d sit there and listen to me sing a line of a song out of the blue, and he’d create something out of it.’ … The signature Margie Joseph sound … strength and sensitivity intertwined in one powerhouse set of pipes.” Joseph also went on to work with Lamont Dozier and Narada Michael Walden.

Starting in C major, the off-kilter intro/verse 1 junction of 1968’s “Show Me” features an odd meter just before the lead vocal’s entrance, warning us from the get-go not to get too comfortable. 1:26 brings an upward half-step shift, followed by another leading into the fading outro at 2:07. This horn-driven knockout punch weighs in at only just over 2.5 minutes, but is nothing short of a lyrical mic drop throughout.

Far From The Home I Love (from “Fiddler on the Roof”)

“Far From The Home I Love” is from the landmark 1965 musical Fiddler on the Roof, which tells the story of the Russian milkman Tevye trying to maintain his Jewish and cultural traditions in a rapidly changing world.

Sung by Tevye’s daughter Hodel near the end of the show, this song is her plea for Tevye to understand how much it pains her to leave her home and family to be with the man she loves, but that she must do it nonetheless. The music beautifully reflects Hodel’s conflicted feelings by easing between C minor and C major throughout.

Sheldon Harnick, a three-time Tony Award winner who wrote lyrics for the show, passed away last week at age 99.

Steps Ahead | Self Portrait

“Steps Ahead is an American jazz fusion group (which) arose out of spontaneous sessions at Seventh Avenue South, a jazz club in New York City owned by saxophonist Michael Brecker and trumpeter brother Randy Brecker,” (AllAboutJazz). Fully deserving of the term “supergroup,” the band’s “shifting roster has included vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, saxophonists Michael Brecker, Bob Berg, Bendik Hofseth, Bill Evans, Ernie Watts, and Donny McCaslin; pianists Don Grolnick, Eliane Elias, Warren Bernhardt and Rachel Z; guitarists Mike Stern, Chuck Loeb, and Steve Khan; bassists Eddie Gomez, Darryl Jones, Tony Levin, Victor Bailey, Richard Bona, and Marc Johnson; and drummers Steve Gadd, Peter Erskine, Steve Smith, and Dennis Chambers. Steps Ahead was active during the 1970s and 1980s, intermittently during the 1990s, and reunited for concerts in the mid-2000s.”

“Released in 1984, Modern Times … was a radical departure from their self-titled debut,” (JazzMusicArchives). “Unlike the first album’s mostly acoustic textures, Modern Times is a high-tech, futuristic, jazz-of-tomorrow fusion masterpiece … Strong compositions, impassioned performances, and early DDD production are married to otherworldly yet urban atmospheres to create one of the best albums any of these distinguished players has ever appeared on. “Self Portrait” (is a) classic Mainieri composition: long-lined unforgettable melodies, loud/soft contrasts, quirky bridges, outstanding solos over synth splashes, and sudden endings.”

Starting in D major, this 1986 live version of “Self Portrait” shifts into D minor between 1:14 – 1:39 before returning to the original key; the two keys continue to alternate throughout the tune. This particular gathering of the band, perhaps its quintessential lineup, featured Michael Brecker on tenor sax; Mike Mainieri, vibes; Darryl Jones, bass; Mike Stern, guitar; and Steve Smith, drums.

for Mark

Da Capo | You Don’t Know Me

*This is the fifth and final installment of a weeklong series featuring covers of the 1956 song “You Don’t Know Me”*

The Da Capo singers were a barbershop quartet based in DC; according to the group’s Facebook page, they disbanded in 2017. This performance of “You Don’t Know Me,” arranged by Jim Clancy, was recorded live in 2016 at the Barbershop Harmony Society International Convention, held in Nashville, Tennessee. It begins in D and modulates up to Eb at 2:34.

Elvis Presley | You Don’t Know Me

*This is the fourth installment of a weeklong series featuring covers of the 1956 song “You Don’t Know Me”*

Elvis Presley recorded “You Don’t Know Me” for the 1967 film Clambake, which he also starred in. Presley was a fan of the song and personally added it to the film, which was directed by Arthur H. Nadel. The track starts in B and shifts up to C at 1:50.

Van Morrison | You Don’t Know Me

*This is the second installment of a weeklong series featuring covers of the 1956 song “You Don’t Know Me”*

Van Morrison’s cover of “You Don’t Know Me” was featured on his twenty-third studio album, Days Like This, released in 1995. His daughter, Shana Morrison, joins as a guest artist on the track.

There is a modulation from Eb up to E at 3:48.

Ray Charles & Diana Krall | You Don’t Know Me

*This is the first installment of a weeklong series featuring covers of the 1956 song “You Don’t Know Me”*

Written by Eddy Arnold and Cindy Walker in 1956, “You Don’t Know Me” has been covered by dozens of artists. The song tells the story of a man and his encounter with a woman he secretly loves; fearing rejection, he lets her walk away without ever expressing his feelings.

The most successful recording of the song was released by Ray Charles on his 1962 album Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music. The cover we are featuring here is a duet from Charles’s last studio album, Genius Loves Company, which consists of R&B, blues, country, jazz and pop standards with a variety of high-profile guest artists. The record won eight Grammy Awards, including Album and Record of the Year.

The track begins in Eb and modulates up a half step to E at 2:49.

Bill Chase | Bochawa (feat. United States Marine Band)

“The U.S. Marine Band’s mission is to perform for the President of the United States and the Commandant of the Marine Corps,” (Marine Band website). “Founded in 1798 by an Act of Congress, the Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. President John Adams invited the Marine Band to make its White House debut on New Year’s Day, 1801, in the then-unfinished Executive Mansion. In March of that year, the band performed for Thomas Jefferson’s inauguration and it is believed that it has performed for every presidential inaugural since. In Jefferson, the band found its most visionary advocate. An accomplished musician himself, Jefferson recognized the unique relationship between the band and the Chief Executive and he is credited with giving the Marine Band its title, ‘The President’s Own.’”

“‘Bochawa’ was written by Bill Chase (1935–74); this version was arranged by Jackie Coleman,” (from the video description). “Chase was a trumpet player who graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with Herb Pomeroy and Armando Ghitalla. After graduation, Chase soon found himself working with Maynard Ferguson, where he remained for about a year before moving on to the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Chase finally settled into the lead trumpet chair in Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd. After leaving Herman’s band in August 1967, he moved to Las Vegas where he worked as a freelance musician and arranger. Around this time, The Beatles burst onto the scene, and his interest turned towards rock. As the 1970s began, Chase wanted to create his dream band comprised of four trumpets, four rhythm instruments, and one vocalist. Chase gained national attention after his group earned a Grammy nomination in 1971 for Best New Artist. ‘Bochawa’ comes from Chase’s third and final album, Pure Music.“

Splitting up into various smaller ensembles to perform for various events is a constant process for the Marine Band, including the jazz quintet heard here. Featuring the trumpet in the original spirit of Chase’s composition, the funk/rock track modulates up a whole step at 4:47.