Mike Stern | Slow Change

Guitarist Mike Stern is described by AllMusic as “one of the finest electric guitarists of his generation, well-versed in the jazz tradition fusion, hard rock, and blues. His style combines phrasing normally attributed to saxophonists, innovative chord voicings pioneered by Jim Hall, and the sonic approach of a rock musician and the soulful, emotive expression of a bluesman.”

On 2001’s “Slow Change,” the A section (0:48) is in E minor; the B section jumps to G minor (1:41); we’re back to the A section at 2:16. The two sections continue to alternate throughout.

The Goodmans | Looking For a City

Our follower Kent P. has submitted this classic Southern Gospel tune by the family group The Happy Goodmans, “Looking for a City” (written in 1943). In 1968, the group won the first Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance. They produced 15 #1 singles and entered into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Museum in 1998.

“Starting off in B flat, each performer “one-ups” the other in a higher key. This legendary performance goes tit for tat a number of times…well, you’ll just have to watch and see who makes it higher. Or does Vestal Goodman‘s hairdo win that prize?”

Zedd + Kehlani | Good Thing

American singer, songwriter, and dancer Kehlani is a familiar fixture on the US R&B and HipHop charts. In 2016, she was nominated for the Best Urban Contemporary Album Grammy for You Should Be Here. Her 2019 track, “Good Thing,” a collaboration with German/Russian producer Zedd, charted worldwide, including Australia, Canada, Belgium, Singapore, and the US.

Built around a relentless 12/8, the tune modulates after a grand pause between 3:40 to 3:50. The music in the video starts at 0:45.

Jacob Collier | All Night Long

Vocalist/arranger/multi-instrumentalist and overall musical wunderkind Jacob Collier released a cover of Lionel Richie‘s 1983 hit “All Night Long” this month, featuring a cappella legends TAKE 6 and the cutting-edge Metropole Orkest.

Starting in F major, a bridge at 3:16 lands us in Ab major at 3:54; lastly, we transition to A major at 5:58. But modulation is really the very least of the special effects here. The rollercoaster bridge, saturated with quick key-of-the-moment progressions and exotic harmonic tensions, illustrates Collier’s any tone/any time practice (not just those in a diatonic scale). The sheer variety of the lush arrangement is striking — and worth every second of this seven-minute listen.

Boy Meets Girl | Waiting for a Star to Fall

“Waiting For A Star To Fall” was released in 1988 by the pop duo Boy Meets Girl, eventually reaching #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart and #5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

After the first two verses and choruses in Eb, the tune modulates to Gb for the third chorus (2:47) before landing in F (3:08) for the duration.

Antonin Dvořák | Humoresque No. 7 (Op. 101)

The “Humoresque No. 7” (Op. 101, 1894) by Antonín Dvořák was originally written as part of a cycle for solo piano. It was composed during a multi-year US visit by Dvorak during which the Czech composer also wrote his iconic “New World” Symphony.

Performed here by the legendary duo of violinist Itzhak Perlman and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, accompanied by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, the piece begins in Gb major, transitions to Gb minor at 1:35, and back to major again at 2:27.

Joan Jett + The Blackhearts | Bad Reputation

“Bad Reputation,” an uptempo guitar-fueled tune which clocks in at well under three minutes, was the title track of a 1981 album by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. Thanks to MotD fan Rob Penttinen for submitting this track!

Music Connection Magazine reports that “Jett took the record to a number of major record labels, none of which were interested in releasing the project. Rather than continue to hunt for a willing label, Laguna (the producer) and Jett decided to fund the pressing of the album themselves … (and) sold directly to concert-goers and record stores out of Laguna’s car trunk.”

Typical of Jett, (also known as “The Godmother of Punk”), the track is a classic 3-chord rocker — with the exception of a full-step modulation at 1:07.