In observance of Independence Day in the US, today we feature Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America,” covered here by the Nashville-based a cappella Christian group Anthem Lights. The group, which includes Caleb Grimm, Chad Graham, Joey Stamper, and Spencer Kane, has released seven albums. This arrangement begins in A and modulates suddenly to B at 1:01.
Tag: 2020s
Eva Cassidy | Walkin’ After Midnight
“Walkin’ After Midnight” was written by Alan Block and Don Hecht in 1954, and originally offered to Kay Starr, whose label turned it down. A few years later, Patsy Cline recorded the tune. Though Cline didn’t especially like the tune, her 1957 recording was a big hit, becoming one of her signature songs. She recorded the song again in 1961, adding a modulation that did not appear in the original.
Patsy Cline died in a plane crash at age 30, at the peak of her career. Singer Eva Cassidy was not so well-known when she died in 1996 of a melanoma that had spread. Before her death, her recorded output was not extensive. But her posthumously-released recordings have sold tremendously well. New recordings continue to appear, including 2023’s I Can Only Be Me, which features new backing from the London Symphony Orchestra.
Eva’s recording of “Walkin’ After Midnight” appears on her 2008 album Somewhere. Her vocal is clearly inspired by the Patsy Cline original, taking a few more bluesy chances. There’s a half-step modulation for the final verse at 2:17, in the manner of Patsy Cline’s remake.
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.
BYU Noteworthy | Proud Mary
“Proud Mary,” written by John Fogerty and originally recorded by the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, was covered by Ike and Tina Turner in 1971 for their album Workin’ Together. Tina also later recorded a solo version, and frequently performed the song live. Turner died today at age 83.
BYU Noteworthy is a female a cappella group affiliated with Brigham Young University. They have released 7 albums and regularly perform across the country. Their arrangement begins in Eb and modulates up half step to E at 2:15.
Take It Up a Step (from “Some Like It Hot”)
Some Like It Hot, running in New York now and nominated for 13 Tony Awards including Best Score, is the latest Broadway musical by the MotD-favorite composing team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
The show is based on a 1959 movie, directed by Billy Wilder and starring Marilyn Monroe, that is widely considered to be one of the best films ever made.
As the title of the song implies, there are key changes scattered throughout.
Independently Owned (from “Shucked”)
“Independently Owned” is from the new Broadway musical Shucked. Composed by first-time musical theatre writers Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, the song is performed in the show by Lulu (played by Alex Newell), shown here recording the track for the cast album. Not only does the tune have a modulation, but Lulu announces it while she’s singing at 1:28; she kicks it up another notch (a third, to be precise) at 1:45.
Randy Rainbow | Grumpy Trumpy Felon from Jamaica in Queens
MotD favorite Randy Rainbow released his latest song parody yesterday, riffing on the 1941 song “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” written by Don Ray and Hughie Prince and originally recorded by The Andrews Sisters. The tune starts in Bb and modulates up to B at 2:58.
Taylor Swift | SuperStar
“SuperStar” is featured on the platinum edition of American singer/songwriter Taylor Swift’s 2008 album Fearless, which won Grammy Awards for Best Country Album and Album of the Year and helped Swift become a household name. The version below is included on the re-recorded version of the album, released in 2021, the first of six planned re-recordings that Swift plans to release. Swift began her first tour since before the pandemic last week, highlighting music from her four most recent albums.
The track begins in D, modulates briefly up to E for the bridge at 3:04, and returns to D at 3:29.
Goodnight Goodbye | Dad Dancing
Goodnight Goodbye is a progressive indie band comprised of three brothers: Sam, Joe and Nate Woollard. The group has over 22K monthly listeners on Spotify, and count The Beatles, ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, and Prince among their influences. “Dad Dancing” is the lead track on their 2020 EP Rose Garden, and modulates from D up to E at 2:53.
Josh Turner and Martina DaSilva | Águas de Março
Too much of a good thing can be wonderful, Mae West is reputed to have said. Accordingly, this post marks the third appearance of “Águas de Março” on Modulation of the Day. The earlier versions were by Susannah McCorkle and the version by the song’s composer Antonio Carlos Jobim with singer Elis Regina This version is indeed wonderful.
Guitarist Josh Turner’s YouTube channel features his collaborations with many other musicians, often singer Carson McKee, singer Allison Young, and singer Reina del Cid and her regular guitar accompanist, Toni Lindgren. Your correspondent was fortunate to see Reina del Cid’s show in San Francisco a few years ago, where Josh’s group with McKee, The Other Favorites, was the warmup act.
Here, Josh is paired with singer Martina DaSilva, who is American but speaks fluent Portuguese (her father is Brazilian). Their version tracks the Jobim/Regina version pretty closely, except the whistled middle section is replaced by a muted trombone solo, performed by DaSilva’s husband Josh Holcomb. The song is in B-flat. The trombone solo features fewer out-of-key notes than the whistled solo from Jobim and Elis, but enough to get the point across. Yes, that’s a quote of Walter Wanderley’s “Summer Samba”!
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