Mod of the Day

ALDA | Fen-Fire Polska

From the website of Finnish traditional acoustic trio Alda: “The story of ALDA started in January 2018 on a late night at a folk music festival somewhere outside Helsinki, Finland. We had all met and heard each other play before, but never really had the opportunity to play tunes together – until now. It turned into a five-hour wild mayhem of energy, grooves, improvisations, crazy harmonies, and lots and lots of tunes …

ALDA was born in the aftermath of that session. – ‘We have to do this again!’ we thought to ourselves. So, we started composing and working on new music for the combination of saxophone, violin, and piano. The music that we have created is, just as its musicians, deeply rooted in the rich musical traditions of Finland and Sweden, based on traditional types of tunes such as polskas, polkas, schottisches, and waltzes … The energy of that first session is ever-present in what we do. Even as a band we regularly get together for sessions to remind ourselves why we fell in love with playing together in the first place.”

After a start in Bb major, the 2021 tune “Fen-Fire Polska” morphs into G major at 2:59, then reverts to the original key at 3:51, never losing its strong 3/4 drive.

please click on the image to hear the tune!

Holly Cole Trio | I Can See Clearly Now

“I Can See Clearly Now” was written and recorded by American singer Johnny Nash in 1972, and was a number-one hit in the US, the UK, Canada, and South Africa. Contrasting with Nash’s original reggae groove, the Holly Cole Trio recorded a jazz-driven cover as the lead track for their 1993 album Don’t Smoke In Bed. The tune begins in Db and, almost as if the sun is breaking through the clouds, emerges into Gb major coming out of the bridge at 3:02.

Frédéric Chopin | Prelude in C Minor, Opus 28 #20 (“Funeral March”)

“Chopin’s preludes are compositions of an order entirely apart. They are not only, as the title might make one think, pieces destined to be played in the guise of introductions to other pieces; they are poetic preludes, analogous to those of a great contemporary poet, who cradles the soul in golden dreams, and elevates it to the regions of the ideal,” (ChopinMusic.net). In 1841, this high praise was the assessment of Chopin’s contemporary, fellow pianist/composer and close colleague Franz Liszt.

The Prelude in C Minor (Op. 28 #20), published in 1839, moves through many key areas, but begins and ends at the same point. The dense accidentals throughout tell the tale. ChopinMusic.net continues: “It is known that Chopin studied thoroughly the works of Bach before writing his preludes. He admired a lot the perfection of form and harmony in Bach’s music. In spite of this example, however, Chopin created something completely new. Originally the French word prélude means nothing more than ‘introduction,’ but in this form Chopin let the 24 preludes develop into independent pieces of music.”

The Ramones | Bonzo Goes to Bitburg

“In 1986, the Reagan Administration entered into its second year of the second term in office,” (Consequence). “The Iran-Contra affair hadn’t fully been exposed at the time, and a group of leather jacketed punks from Queens, NY called The Ramones were entering their twelfth year together.” About a year before the release of The Ramones’ album Animal Boy in 1986, “President Reagan had made plans to observe the 40th anniversary of V-E Day. As a result of preplanned events, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl took the opportunity to show the strength between the U.S. and Germany and mend the differences between the nations that existed forty years prior. After all was said and done, President Reagan’s trip to Bitburg on May 5th, 1985 immediately caused outrage within the United States.” Much upset resulted — please look up the details. But the Jewish Virtual Library called it “one of the most acrimonious confrontations between any U.S. administration and the American Jewish Community.”

Consequence continues: “Joey Ramone (himself Jewish and sickened by Reagan’s visit), Dee Dee Ramone, and Plasmatics’ keyboardist/bassist Jean Beauvoir wrote the song in protest as well as a document of American history. “Bonzo” refers to the chimpanzee in the two movies that Reagan starred in during his acting career in the 1950’s, Bedtime For Bonzo (1951) and Bonzo Goes To College (1952).

At 2:39, the tune — an uncharacteristically polished and lengthy release for the band — shifts up a full step.

Gladys Knight | I Hope You Dance

“I Hope You Dance,” written by Mark D. Sanders and Tia Sillers, was originally recorded by American country singer Lee Ann Womack as the title track for her 2000 studio album. The song, which won the Grammy award (and many others) for Best Country song, became Womack’s signature hit and has sold over 2 million copies in the US.

American singer/songwriter Gladys Knight covered the tune for her 2013 album Another Journey. After beginning in G, Knight modulates up a whole step to A at 3:08.

Connie Stevens | Hey, Good Lookin’

In the early 1960s, Connie Stevens was a superstar, playing
photographer and nightclub singer Cricket Blake on the TV series
“Hawaiian Eye” and scoring on the pop charts with songs like “Sixteen
Reasons.” Later on, she worked as an actual nightclub singer in Las
Vegas, and continued to work in TV and film well into the 2000s. In
the early 1970s, she recorded some sides with famed producer Thom
Bell, making the first version of “Betcha By Golly Wow” (released
under the more sensible title “Keep Growing Strong”), and covering the
Delfonics hit “La La Means I Love You” (which Bell had co-produced).

The country classic “Hey, Good Lookin'”, was the lead track on her 1962 Warner Bros. album, The Hank Williams Songbook. The big band arrangement chugs along merrily in G major until a cute, unexpected, just under-the-wire modulation to Ab major at 1:44 during the end tag/turnaround.

Delta Goodrem | Innocent Eyes

“Innocent Eyes” is the title track on Australian singer/songwriter Delta Goodram’s 2003 debut album. Goodram said the song, which is autobiographical and dedicated to her family, is one of her favorites on the album, and it is one of five #1 singles from the record. Innocent Eyes is the second-best-selling Australian album of all time, and Goodrem has since followed it up with six more.

The track begins in Bb minor before a distinctive downward shift to A minor for the chorus at 0:22. It returns to Bb for the second verse at 1:07, and then remains in A minor from 1:29 to the end.

Olivia Newton-John + Cliff Richard | Suddenly

Olivia Newton-John, a winner of four Grammy awards and an artist who sold upwards of 100 million albums worldwide, passed away today after a multi-year battle with cancer. We’re featuring a tune from one of the many high points of her multi-faceted career.

“Longtime Olivia Newton-John associate John Farrar composed ‘Suddenly’ for the soundtrack to the movie Xanadu in 1980,” (AllMusic). “Recorded in Los Angeles in March 1980, a somewhat slight ballad was transformed into a genuinely heartfelt duet between the Australian and Cliff Richard, with whom she had enjoyed a decade-long association as friend and occasional co-performer (she was a regular guest on his early-’70s TV series). ‘We do have a good relationship and I think it really comes across in the song,’ Richard mused. Indeed, released as Richard’s 79th British single, ‘Suddenly’ reached number 15 in that country, despite the general failure of the accompanying movie. It also became Richard’s fourth U.S. Top 40 hit in a year, when it reached number 20 in October 1980.”

Newton-John was always more than just a pretty face; the same could be said for her UK duet partner! Richard was a massive star in the UK by 1980s, but was beginning to catch on in the US market as well — with plenty of boyish pop cred belying his age (40 vs. Newton-John’s 32). “Suddenly” was a central part of the Xanadu soundtrack, but on the eve of MTV’s appearance in 1981, a promotional video featuring both singers was called for, rather than footage from the fanciful rollerskating-centric movie. If the US Top 40 somehow had a baby with the visual aesthetic of TV soap opera General Hospital, one of the largest media blockbusters of the era, this video would have been the result (move over, Luke ‘n’ Laura … Cliff and Olivia are super cute and have pipes!) The chemistry here might not have been entirely the result of acting: upon her death, Richard said of Newton-John: “‘We hit it off straight away. She was the sort of soulmate that you meet and you know is a friend for life. When I and many of us were in love with Olivia, she was engaged to someone else. I’m afraid I lost the chance,'” (Daily Mail).

After a somewhat aimlessly wandering intro (OMG, we have synths now! Let’s use them a lot!), Richard’s half of the verse begins in Ab major (0:16) but ends in B major; Newton-John’s half begins in Bb major (0:35) but effortlessly glissades into the Eb chorus (0:53). Lots of pivots continue from there.

Natalie Cole | This Will Be

“Natalie Cole bloomed into a superstar with her debut single, ‘This Will Be,’ released in 1975 when she was 25 years old.” (JazzIz) With its funky, soulful sound, the song helped her step out of the shadow of her father, Nat ‘King’ Cole, one of the most iconic vocalists of the 20th century. Since its release, it has also been featured in several movies and was used in a long-running series of eHarmony commercials.

‘This Will Be’ was written and produced by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy. It became a Billboard hit and earned Natalie a couple of GRAMMYs, including that for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, a category that had been dominated by Aretha Franklin up to that point. As mentioned, it also turned Cole into a major star and her popularity continued to soar through the ’70s. While drug issues would slow her down, she would launch a comeback that peaked with her 1991 album, Unforgettable … with Love.”

The track has a unique layout which doesn’t adhere to traditional songwriting structure; there doesn’t appear to be a chorus! After starting in Bb major with an extremely long groove-driven intro for a tune that clocks in at less than three minutes total, two verses unspool as Natalie sings an impeccable duet with herself. As the third verse begins, there’s a transition up to Db major at 1:02. Each verse has a different overlay of vocal melody, but the underlying chords are the same. A stop-time bridge appears at 1:29. The intensity ramps up right to the end; even as the volume fades, Cole unfurls more and more of her powerhouse upper range belt. The swing momentum, effortless vocal prowess, and the sheer joy she communicates through her performance are reminders of the Cole family’s jazz and pop legacy, which started in 1940.

Louden Swain | Present Time

Louden Swain is an LA-based indie rock band that formed in 1997. The group has released 9 albums, and when their anticipated 2020 release was delayed by the pandemic, they decided to release one new single each month until they could get back on the road and support the creation of a full album.

“Present Time” is the lead track on the 2017 album No Time Like The Present. It begins in Eb and modulates up to F at 2:22.