Elise – Page 75

Nando Lauria | Gloria

A native of Recife, Brazil’s fifth-largest city, guitarist and vocalist Nando Lauria is perhaps known for his wordless vocals on many tracks from the Pat Metheny Group. The Chicago Tribune describes Lauria’s work as “meld(ing) the Afro-Latin sensibilities of his native Brazil with American contemporary jazz to soothing effect.” AllMusic outlines Lauria’s sound: “Rather than blazing, polyrhythmic compositions, Lauria performs romantic, hypnotic numbers. He doesn’t downplay his ethnic heritage, but the rhythms are subdued rather than bubbling, aggressive, or intense … a tight balance between electric and acoustic instrumentation and modern and vintage arrangements, with a contemporary outlook.”

The track was released on Narada Records, which Billboard describes as “an independent New Age music label … (which) evolved through an expansion of formats to include world music, jazz, Celtic music, new flamenco, acoustic guitar, and piano genre releases.” Narada started in 1979 as a mail-order business, expanding in the 1990s to include Jazz and World divisions in addition to New Age.

“Gloria” (1992) is essentially a short multi-movement piece. The first section, centered around acoustic guitar, doesn’t introduce the melody until 1:09. This intro presents less of a specifically Christmas-y mood than a gentle scene of winter wonder. At 2:30, the track is built on the contemporary Latin text for the Catholic mass Gloria segment, performed a cappella by a multi-tracked Lauria. At 3:52, the acoustic guitar returns to accompany the vocals. 4:09, 5:05, and 5:16 bring more changes, re-visiting and expanding upon previous melodic and harmonic ideas while adding and subtracting groove elements. There are several modulations, with the first substantial shift at 2:27.

Rickie Lee Jones | It Must Be Love

“For her waywardness alone, Rickie Lee Jones deserves a lot of credit,” begins the New York Times‘ review of her 1984 release, The Magazine. “The pop record business is still coming to terms with self-directed female performers, and it prefers its songwriters – male or female – to be prolific, craftsmanlike and fond of the basic four-minute pop song. Ambition translates as the desire to sell more records, and eccentricity is fine as long as it’s confined to a performer’s fashion sense. That can put a strain on a musician like Miss Jones, who is determined to add some poetry to the standard-form pop song, then melt the whole thing down.”

Her #4 hit single “Chuck E’s In Love” (1979) was featured on her eponymous million-selling debut album. It seemed she could pivot in almost any direction after that release found her “evoking jazz singers, girl groups, and the strong influence of Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro. Miss Jones clearly knew American music from Bessie Smith to Leonard Bernstein to Bruce Springsteen, and she could sing just about anything … masking control with girlish playfulness.”

That playfulness was still in full evidence on her 1984 single “It Must Be Love.” In G major overall, at the beginning of the verses the I chord is actually Gsus2; it’s only the vocal line that defines the major third. While there is no modulation per se, the tune jumps the tracks abruptly at 1:28, when a Bmin7 –> E major pair is stated and then repeated before returning to G major at 1:37. At 1:48, a sustained instrumental interlude features suspended chords as the groove moves to the back burner. This kind of subtlety cemented Jones’ status as singular songwriter and performer.

The Fixx | Walkabout

“A London-based new wave group that managed to sustain a successful career in America for several years in the mid-’80s,” reports AllMusic, “the Fixx always flirted with the mainstream with their catchy, keyboard-driven pop.” After several albums and growing success in the US, “The terse, pulsating ‘One Thing Leads to Another’ became a #4 hit.” The band, which had less success in its native UK, “kept their basic, synth-driven sound intact for 1986’s Walkabout, which featured the hit ‘Secret Separation.'”

Starting in E major, the groove-driven title track shifts to G major at 1:12, Bb at 1:44, and finally Db at 3:04. Throughout, the melody features a very un-poppy factor: a very prominent tension 11 in the melody (heard for the first time at 0:16 on the final syllable of “investi-gate“), seemingly leading the way in providing the tense atmosphere so common to the band’s output.

Dan K. Brown deserves a special mention for his imaginative fretless bass lines, which hop and skitter through the track, providing as at least as much drive to the tune as its prominent percussion or Cy Curnin’s distinctive vocals.

Charlie Daniels | Drinking My Baby Goodbye

“Charlie Daniels accomplished something few other musicians did: he made the leap from session musician to superstar,” AllMusic notes. “The song that made him famous was ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia,’ a roaring country-disco fusion that became an international smash in 1979.” The tune “(introduced) him to millions of listeners and giving him a career that spanned decades. In its wake, Daniels quietly shifted his emphasis from Southern rock to country.” Earlier in his career, “his big breakthrough came when he played on Bob Dylan’s 1969 LP Nashville Skyline, a credit that opened the doors for the multi-instrumentalist to play with Leonard Cohen and Ringo Starr. Daniels parlayed this behind-the-scenes success into fronting his own band … Daniels weathered fashions, trends, and politics to become a beloved American music institution.” Daniels passed away in July 2020 in his mid-80s.

Rolling Stone Australia reviews “Drinking My Baby Goodbye,” Daniels’ 1985 release: “An outlier in a catalog more often associated with good-ole-white-boy anthems and Southern gothic story-songs, this 1985 Top 10 country hit is a dancing-all-over-your-troubles rave-up. It launches with an electric guitar part that, uh, tinkers with the one in Kenny Loggins’ ‘Footloose,’ but Daniels quickly commandeers the lick for himself … Daniels charges at his lines like he’s channeling Jerry Lee Lewis: ‘Pour me another one/I’m finished with the other one!’ But it’s Daniels’ delirious fiddle that moves the crowd and tips you off that this drinking cure might just work.”

This rollicking uptempo country/rockabilly dance hall track is fueled by Daniels’ vocal, which focuses on sung melody but adds a dash of the flow-state rap he made famous with “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” Daniels’ muscular yet agile double-stop fiddle technique is another central ingredient. A whole-step modulation cuts in at 2:56. Many thanks to Alex G. for yet another great tune!

Average White Band | A Love of Your Own

“Their self-effacing name to the contrary, Average White Band are anything but — one of the few white groups to cross the color line and achieve success and credibility playing funk,” AllMusic reports. “With their tight, fiery sound also belying their Scottish heritage, evoking American R&B hotbeds like Detroit, Memphis, and Philadelphia instead.”

Wikipedia details that the band had several soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980: “They are best known for their million-selling instrumental track ‘Pick Up the Pieces’, and for their albums AWB and Cut the Cake … They have influenced others, such as the Brand New Heavies, and been sampled by various musicians, including the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, TLC, Too Short, Ice Cube, Eric B. & Rakim, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, and Arrested Development, making them the 15th most sampled act in history.” Despite many changes in lineup, as of 2020, the band continues on — 48 years after it was formed.

“A Love of Your Own” (1976) starts in F# minor, shifts to A minor at 0:44, then returns to F# minor at 1:12. The pattern holds through a second verse (through 2:24), where a wholesale shift upwards to G minor kicks in for the balance of the tune — which amounts to an extended 3-minute chorus/outro. Many thanks to stalwart mod wrangler JB for submitting this tune!

Camille Saint-Saëns | Mazurka #1, Op. 21 (Geoffrey Burleson)

From Naxos’ liner notes for its release Camille Saint-Saëns Complete Piano Music 4: Dances and Souvenirs:

“There is a long history of composers writing instrumental dances that were and are intended as ‘concert’ works, initially flourishing in the Baroque era. By the late 18th century, the allemandes, courantes and gigues that were once all the rage were all but outmoded, save for the minuet, which appears copiously in works of Haydn, Mozart and in Beethoven’s early period. By the mid-19th century the fast triple metre of the waltz prevailed, along with the wealth of musical variety and contrast composers brought to its manifestations. Chopin codified the waltz as a stand-alone solo piano genre, as well as the much more vernacular, and resolutely Polish mazurkas and polonaises.

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921) inhabited all of these eras as a composer of concert music in dance genres, even though his first works didn’t see the light of day until the mid-19th century. Among his many formidable musical feats was as a pioneering editor and advocate for French Baroque music, especially works of Lully and Rameau, spearheading the revival of this music in the late 19th century. More famously to the 19th century public, Saint-Saëns was one of the greatest keyboard prodigies of the past 200 years. When he made his piano recital debut at the age of 10 … he announced to the audience that he would be pleased to perform any of Beethoven’s 32 sonatas as an encore. A good deal later, Liszt referred to him as the greatest organist on earth.”

1892’s Mazurka No. 1, Op. 21 starts in G minor. The “B” section (first heard here at 1:02) is in the parallel major. The French composer’s trademark chromaticism softens the lines between these two primary keys throughout. The pianist featured on this recording is Geoffrey Burleson.

The Hold Steady | Massive Nights

The Hold Steady is “an acclaimed and respected Minneapolis-bred indie rockers who boast a melodic, contemporary take on mid-’70s classic rock,” reports AllMusic. “Craig Finn and Tad Kubler — two N.Y.C. transplants from Minneapolis — decided to blend their punk roots with album-oriented classicism and a frenetic literary sense, winding up with a careening, open-hearted rock & roll that seemed to exist just outside of time.”

The AV Club reviews 2006’s “Massive Nights” as “a hard-partying prom theme … one of The Hold Steady’s fastest and most celebratory-sounding songs … Both in the studio and in concert, that chorus gets an extra reprise with a frenzied key change in the final stretch … though the key changes generally aren’t go-to moves in The Hold Steady’s arsenal … a key change is basically the only thing it can do to kick itself into higher gear before its three minutes are up.”

Careen is exactly what this uptempo 12/8 rocker does, propelled by backing vocals that sound like a hyped-up live crowd proclaiming the hook — even on the studio track. A whole-step key change hits at 2:24.

Todd Rundgren | Hope I’m Around

“In 1970, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Todd Rundgren, fresh off of a successful stint as a co-songwriter and guitarist for rock outfit The Nazz, began experimenting with the additional roles of vocalist and producer. The album Runt, released in 1970 when Rundgren was 22, was perhaps understandably somewhat spare and tentative compared to his later output. AllMusic reports that “such isolationism lends Runt its unique atmosphere — it is the insular work of a fiercely talented artist finally given the opportunity to pursue his off-kilter musical vision … it’s apparent that Rundgren could never have made Runt with the Nazz — and that’s before the introspective ballads or the willfully strange stuff kicks in. Throughout the record, Rundgren reveals himself as a gifted synthesist, blending all manners of musical styles and quirks into a distinctive signature sound …”

That the word finally can be justly applied to Rundgren at 22 gives some idea of his early-career impact. Runt hinted at much of what was to come in Rundgren’s future career (50 years and counting) — not least a sustained refusal of a formulaic approach to songwriting subject matter. “Hope I’m Around” wasn’t included on the initial pressing of the album, but was added to later versions. Hardly a throwaway track, it focuses on the messy/long goodbye phase of an apparently rocky relationship.

Starting in C major, the choruses throughout make ample use of a distinctive bVII – IV – I progression for the title line. That same bVII chord is the substrate for most of the bridge (2:56 – 3:09), ringing out on nearly every beat — oddly static in comparison with the balance of the tune. The piano-driven contemporary pop harmonies are clearly influenced by Rundgren’s Philly-centric youthful listening, as well as his newfound focus on the work of iconic singer / songwriter / pianist Laura Nyro. The country-tinged traditional ballad waltz feel provides an unexpected contrast to the broad harmonic vocabulary. 4:13 brings a vivid transition, lofting us all the way up into A major at 4:17 on our way to the closing measures.

Maria Rita | A História de Lily Braun

Brazilian vocalist Maria Rita began performing at the age of 24. According to her own website, the singer has said “’Finding yourself in the world is a very difficult task.'” The daughter of iconic Brazilian chanteuse Elis Regina and pianist/arranger/composer César Camargo Mariano, Maria Rita was told from early in life that she had “a duty to sing, but resisted for some time. ‘I see life as a big process built by small processes along the way. I always wanted to sing. But the question was not wanting, it was why.'” Shortly after launching her career, she won the 2002 APCA Award for Revelation of the Year from the Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte (São Paulo Association of Art Critics).

AllMusic details that for the 2011 album Elo, of which “A História de Lily Braun” is a part, Rita “re-creates the intimate setting of her appearances at Sao Paolo’s Tom Jazz club in 2010, as she is joined only by the trio of pianist Tiago Costa, bassist Sylvinho Mazzuca, and drummer Cuca Teixeira … To put it succinctly, this is a Brazilian nightclub chanteuse album in which Maria Rita offers her take on well-known songs by the likes of Djavan, Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, and Rita Lee.” The spare trio accompaniment certainly couldn’t center the vocal an inch more than it does.

Starting in Bb minor, this sultry, funk-inflected acoustic bossa track transitions to C minor with the help of a short instrumental hinge between 1:55 – 2:00.

The Fiery Furnaces | Even In the Rain

Jack White’s Third Man Records provides an overview of The Fiery Furnaces, a duo comprised of siblings Eleanor and Matthew Friedberger. Forming in New York City in 2000, “their debut album Gallowsbird’s Bark was released to critical acclaim in 2003. In the following seven years, they released eight more albums and toured extensively throughout North America, Europe, Australia and Japan.” The band was active during the 2000s, ceased operations during the 2010s, but apparently is staging a 2020 comeback. AllMusic describes the band’s focus as a “sprawling sound that draws on influences from indie rock to musical theater.” Read the entire AllMusic band bio — it definitely shatters the “quirky” meter!

Describing the sprawl is The AV Club‘s review of the 2009 track “Even In the Rain”: “The Fiery Furnaces’ albums are generally littered with idiosyncratic flourishes that sometimes seem directly designed to alienate the band’s less-patient listeners: backward tracking, tempo shifts, extended keyboard noise solos, and key changes, among others … on stretches of ‘Even In The Rain,’ the song sounds like a relatively straightforward ballad with a strong keyboard hook. But the chorus, which consists only of the words “even in the rain,” slides the song between keys several times, lending a lot of unpredictability to such a short, simple phrase.”

The key changes are unconventional and are wielded casually; the first one hits at 0:26, just before the vocal enters. There’s little sense of directionality or catharsis to the modulations; instead, each one is a page in a short and vivid animation flipbook which seems to advance or reverse the plotline at random.