Valentine's Day Gift Guide

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Valentine's Day Gift Guide for her (me)

Those whom we lost in 2012 #MusicMonday

In addition to Andy Williams and Hal David, here are other musical luminaries from different genres whom we lost in 2012:

Stage and film composer Marvin Hamlisch died August 6, 2012. This video is a treat for both red-blooded men (Carly Simon) and the Lisa Lupners (Marvin Hamlisch) of the world:
Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck died December 5, 2012, one day shy of his 92nd birthday:
R&B singer Fontella Bass died December 26, 2012. Great song, great voice. I'm proud to claim her as a St. Louis native:

Marilyn and Ella #MusicMonday

Ella Fitzgerald wanted to play at Mocambo, a very popular club in the 50’s but they wouldn’t book her because she was black. Marilyn Monroe called the owner and said she would sit at the front table every night Ella sang. And she did.

Brava, Marilyn!  Ella, as you know, is part of the Holy Trinity of female jazz vocalists that also includes Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.

Source: dodsonandross.com via STYLE on Pinterest

Source: todaystruffles.com via STYLE on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Julie on Pinterest

Can you imagine a female jazz vocalist CD compilation that features both Ella and Marilyn?

Divas of Jazz

Divas of Jazz features performances by Ella and Marilyn (although not together :-).  It also features Lena Horne and her signature song "Stormy Weather" and Peggy Lee in a live version of "Fever."  Add Billie and Dinah to the mix, and it's a complete collection!   I found Divas of Jazz at my local Hallmark store - seriously!

Jazzy #Halloween playlist

hip hip gin gin  @HipHipGinGin put together a great playlist with Halloween themes that I put on Spotify:


Enjoy, and Happy Spookin' Halloween!

I love Dinah Washington playlist #MusicMonday

The Holy Trinity of female jazz vocalists: Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington:

Dinah Washington (1925-1963)

You will need to download and install the Spotify player to enjoy the Dinah Washington playlist. Remember - Spotify inserts commercials, which can be irritating.

Nina Simone - Love Me or Leave Me #MusicMonday

In my #MusicMonday feature Nina Simone performs Leonard Cohen's Suzanne, I promised that I would feature her cover of Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn's "Love Me or Leave Me."  Here she demonstrates her skills as a pianist, with a fugal interlude worthy of Glenn Gould!

Dinah Washington - What a Difference a Day Makes #MusicMonday

As I wrote, I got hooked on Female jazz vocalists, especially the classic women jazz singers.  I remember Ella Fitzgerald as an older woman appearing on network TV, and I knew that she was renown for her scat singing.  I didn't know how silky her voice could be.  Then, of course, there is Billie Holliday.

When I first heard Dinah Washington, I wondered "Who is she?" "Where has she been all my life?" which betrays my ignorance more than anything else. Here she sings what is probably her best known song 'What A Difference A Day Makes' and picks up the tempo with 'Makin' Whoopee.' Louis Jordan and his band back her in this TV segment.

And the announcer is none other than our prez Ronald Reagan!  What could be better??!!

Nina Simone performs Leonard Cohen's Suzanne #MusicMonday

After my recent #MusicMonday features on Leonard Cohen's Suzanne and Female jazz vocal compilations, it seems fitting that I feature Nina Simone's unique styling of "Suzanne":

In the 60s, Nina Simone was known for protest songs such as "Mississippi Goddam." She also performed songs such as The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun," Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's "Feeling Good," Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell on You," and "Ain't Got No/I Got Life" from the musical Hair with her one-of-a-kind styling.

In a future #MusicMonday feature, I'll present Nina Simone's cover of Walter Donaldson and Gus Kahn's "Love Me or Leave Me."

Female jazz vocal compilations #MusicMonday

It all started with a TV commercial for the 2-CD set Lady Sings The Blues of songs performed by female pop and jazz vocalists.  Perhaps Capital Records was trying to, er, capitalize on the success of Norah Jones (Norah is signed with Capital subsidiary Blue Note and her cover of Roxy Music's More Than This is featured on the CD set).  Curious, I purchased the 2-CD set, and I was hooked.  I began buying similar CD compilations from places as diverse as The Sharper Image (before it closed its brick-and-mortar stores), Bed Bath & Beyond, Whole Foods Market, and my local Hallmark store.  Here's a list of some CD compilations of songs recorded by female pop and jazz artists:

View this list »

Female jazz vocal compilations

In upcoming weeks, I'll feature videos of Nina Simone and Dinah Washington.

I am Starbucks

Every Saturday and Sunday, I go to Starbucks for coffee (double tall latte) and breakfast breads. Starbucks very cleverly places the CD stand near the cashier as a point-of-purchase (POP). Starbucks CD compilations such as Jazz Impressionists, Prestige Jazz, and Blistering Licks! has exposed me to music I might otherwise not hear. The cashiers say that the CDs don't sell particularly well, which was surprising, given that Starbucks has become a force in the music industry.

Starbucks' current campaign has features about their coffee suppliers and artists from the Americas, whose items are available for purchase at Starbucks stores. For stationery lovers (like myself), there are notepads and notebooks featuring the bright and bold designs of self-taught artist Yamileth “Yami” Luna Arias. There are also coffee drinks flavored with dulce de leche, banana coffee cake with dulce de leche swirl, and mango and pineapple empanada.

However, the slogan I am Starbucks for this campaign is maladroit, especially for a company as marketing-savvy as Starbucks. It sound more like one of those damage control campaigns where a company bring out its employees to say what a great company it is (think Wal-Mart), when the company is facing a lot of bad press.