Tag: Americana

Suggested Listening Feburary 1, 2019

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our lucky seven musical streaming* suggestions for the week.

(Click on the photo of the albums to stream them)

Recommended Freegal Streaming Albums & Playlists (Genre: Many!):

Black History Month Playlist featuring Various Artists:

February is Black History Month, offering us the opportunity to learn more about the history and rich cultural heritage of African Americans, and by extension the history and cultural heritage of America itself; as America is a nation of many diverse peoples who contribute their individual threads of culture and history, that when joined together create the tapestry that is the United States.

With that in mind, Freegal is featuring a Black History Month playlist. The list runs more than six hours and features 92 songs. Most of the songs are by great vintage artists including: Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Harry Belafonte, Louis Jordan, Aretha Franklin and Dinah Washington; although the collection also includes some contemporary artists including, Bad Brains, Michael Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, Alicia Keys and John Legend.

And Martin Luther King Jr. is also featured in the collection. He gives a short speech titled We Shall Overcome.

Songs in the collection include: Wade In The Water by The Staple Singers, Me And The Devil Blues by Robert Johnson, No More Auction Block For Me by Odetta, Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday and A Change Is Gonna Come by Same Cooke.

It is a great playlist – check it out!

 

El Sofisticado Jazz & Lounge De Cocktail Inn (2009) by Cocktail Inn (Genre: Jazz, Cocktail Music, Pop, Instrumental):

I couldn’t find any information online about the group “Cocktail Inn.” What I can tell you is that their collection titled El Sofisticado Jazz & Lounge De Cocktail Inn features 14 cool lounge songs – perfect for background music during dinner, cocktail parties or during a cold weekend afternoon!

And I can tell you that according to Google, the English title of the album is Sophisticated Jazz & Lounge by Cocktail Inn.

The songs on the LP are all lounge classics including: Brief And Breezy, Days Of Wine And Roses & The Pink Panther Theme written by Henry Mancini, Corcovado, Wave and The Girl From Ipanema composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, The Way You Look Tonight written by Jerome Kern and Green Onions originally written and performed by Booker T. & the MGs.

 

Live in Atlantic City (2019) by Heart (Genre: Rock):

The classic band Heart, led by sisters Ann & Nancy Wilson, offers us a live LP, Live In Atlantic City, for this their twenty-third album.

The group plays their greatest hits accompanied by some terrific guests including: Carrie Underwood, Jane’s Addiction founding member and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, country singer-songwriter Gretchen Wilson, singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright and the band Alice In Chains.

Songs in the set include: Crazy On You, Bébé Le Strange & Straight On (w. Dave Navarro), Lost Angel & Rock n’ Roll (w. Gretchen Wilson), Dog & Butterfly (w. Rufus Wainwright), Rooster (with Alice In Chains) and Barracuda (w. all guests artists).

This is a fun album and perfect for weekend listening! The songs are all familiar but with the guest artists joining in they have an extra spark that makes them even more enjoyable to listen to.

 

Out of Sight (1968) by Maxine Brown (Genre: R&B, Pop, Vocal):

Out Of Sight is classic album by the sixties R&B singer Maxine Brown.

Brown really is a top notch singer and should be much better known today than she is. This album is from the pivotal year 1968 and features the following songs: Sugar Dumplin’, I Wish It Would Rain, I’m In Love, In My Entire Life & When A Man Loves A Woman.

 

Liberty: Piano Songbook (2018) by Lindi Ortega (Genre: Piano, Popular Music, Instrumental, Country):

Lindi Ortega is an award winning Canadian singer-songwriter whose previous five albums clearly showcase her great voice and country music style. With her Liberty: Piano Songbook, which is an instrumental album, she changes pace completely and shows, that in addition to being a great singer/songwriter, she is also a fine pianist.

Songs on the LP include: You Ain’t Foolin Me, Til My Dyin Day, Forever Blue, Pablo, The Comeback Kid and Nothing’s Impossible.

 

Somewhere in Between (2018) by Adam Hood (Genre: Country, Americana): 

Somewhere in Between is Nashville singer-songwriter Adams Hood latest LP. And on the LP Hood shows off his relatable-slice-of-life songs and his laid back Americana style.

Songs on the album include: Easy Way, Locomotive, Alabama Moon, Downturn, Easy Way and Heart of a Queen.

 

Standards: What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? (2018) by Alexander Claffy (Genre: Jazz):

According to his hip website, Alexander Claffy is a New York City based bassist and bandleader.
Standards is his new album and it offers a collection of Jazz standards, obviously!  – the songs are indeed standards and thus great songs!

Songs in the set include: Blues on the Corner, You Must Believe in Spring, Michelle, Just One of Those Things & So in Love.

 

Videos of the Week:

What Did I Do To Be So Black And Blue by Louis Armstrong:

Poor Man’s Blues by Bessie Smith:

Oh, Freedom by Harry Belafonte:

The Bourgeois Blues by Leadbelly (aka Lead Belly):

Am I Asking Too Much? by Dinah Washington:

Saturday Night Fish Fry by Louis Jordan:

To Be Young Gifted And Black by Nina Simone:

 

Hard Times by John Legend & The Roots:

 

Blue Moon by Cocktail Inn:

 

Crazy On You by Heart with David Navarro:

 

I Wish It Would Rain by Maxine Brown:

 

The Comeback Kid by Linda Ortega:

 

Easy Way by Adam Hood:

 

Blues On The Corner by Alexander Claffy with Kurt Rosenwinkel & David Kikoski:

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

REFERENCES:

AllMusic. https://www.allmusic.com/

Alexander Claffy’s Official Website https://www.claffy.me/

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Witburn

About Freegal: 

Freegal is a free streaming music service available for free to library card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries. STLS member libraries include all the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegany counties — including our own Southeast Steuben County Library.

You can download the Freegal music app to your mobile device or access the desktop version of the site by clicking on the following link:

*The Freegal service offers library card holders the option to download, and keep, three free songs per week and to stream three hours of commercial free music each day.

Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.

Suggested Listening July 6, 2018

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, here are our five musical recommendations for the week; four streaming suggestions* and one recommended album on CD.

And since we celebrated the 4th of July this week – I’m focusing on traditional Americana music this week! I’ll jump back into recommending modern music next week.

(Click on the photo to stream or request the album you’re interested in!)

Freegal Streaming Suggestions*

Stephen Foster by RKO Orchestra:

Despite the bland album cover this is a great collection of songs by the old movie studio – RKO’s orchestra. The collection  features a chorus and orchestra on some songs – others are instrumentals. I can find nothing about this collection online. Freegal lists this LP as having been released by RKO in 2011 this despite the fact that RKO studios, a big player during the Golden Age of Hollywood, was sold to the Disney company in the late fifties.

Having said that, I would guess this collection of songs was probably recorded during the 1940s, and the collection features great songs that have become woven into the American culture tapestry including: Beautiful Dreamer, My Old Kentucky Home, Oh Susanna, Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair and Carry Me Back to Old Virginny.

Freedom: A History Of US – Original Soundtrack Recording:

This is the soundtrack to the PBS series based upon the Joy Hakim book which chronicles American history from 1776 to 2001.

Songs on the soundtrack include: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free by Nina Simone, Because All Me Are Brothers by Peter, Paul & Mary, The Star Spangled Banner by Duke Ellington, Chimes of Freedom by Bruce Springsteen, America the Beautiful by Keb’ Mo’ , Hard Times by James Taylor and Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland.

Civil War Songs by Traditional Brass Band:

This album was released in 2013 and as with the RKO Stephen Foster collection, I haven’t found any additional information on the album online. What I can tell you is that it offers a nice collection of U.S. Civil War era brass band music. The LP includes the songs: Light Cavalry Overture, Honor to Our Soldiers, Salutation to America, Louisa Polka, Home Again and Martha Quickstep.

Yankee Doodle Dandy (O.S.T – 1942) by Various Artists:

This album is the 1942 RKO soundtrack to the James Cagney film Yankee Doodle Dandy. The film is a fictionalized account of the life of popular entertainer and Broadway musical composer George Cohen of “Born on the 4th of July” fame.

Cohen wrote a number of classic American song including: Over There, Give My Regards to Broadway, You’re a Grand Old Flag and The Yankee Doodle Boy.

Songs on the soundtrack include: Yankee Doodle Dandy, Keep Your Eyes Upon Me, Harrigan, I Was Born in Virginia and Give My Regards to Broadway.

The film Yankee Doodle Dandy has been much less popular in recent years than it once was, probably because it was filmed in black and white. However, if you’ve never seen it – you should check it out as it is fun.

The Movie Yankee Doodle:

Americana (2009) by Various Artists: 

Here’s another neat collection of vintage American songs – some of these go back to the Revolutionary War era; and as with the RKO and Brass Band albums, I didn’t find any relevant details on who is playing the music via online searches, However, this too is a neat collection of classic American folk songs and, overall, ones earlier in vintage than the ones on the other albums I’m recommending this week.

Songs in this collection include: Revolutionary Fife & Drum by James Reichert, Election Eve by Frank Talley, Revolutionary War Tune 1 by Arnold Freed, Allegheny Morning by Eugene Cines, Cowboy Campfire by James Cohn, Dixieland Hop by Christopher Norton and more.

Recommended CD of the Week:

American Masters: Classical Favorites by Various Orchestras & Conductors:

This Time Life collection was originally released via mail order in 1993. The collection features some great twentieth century American music including songs composed by Gershwin, Bernstein and Copland. Songs in the set include: Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue & Catfish Row, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story & Candid Overture and Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Appalachian Spring. Various orchestra and conductors are featured.

Videos of the Week:

Nina Simone – I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free

Because All Men Are Brothers by Peter, Paul & Mary

America the Beautiful by Keb’ Mo’ (Live 2016)

Fanfare for the Common Man, New York Philharmonic, James Levine

Light Calvary Overture by Traditional Brass Band

Episode at Bunker Hill by Eugene Sines

Revolutionary Fife & Drum by James Reichert

Arizona Trail by Ray Davies

Yankee Doodle Dandy by James Cagney from the film Yankee Doodle Dandy

Rhapsody In Blue written by George Gershwin, performed by the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting (1976)

Have a great weekend!

Linda, SSCL

*A library card is required to use the Freegal Music Service. If you live in the service area of the Southern Tier Library System, which consists of the public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Alleghany counties in New York State, you can get a library card for free at your nearest public library – including our own Southeast Steuben County Library in Corning, New York. The Freegal Music Service is free for all Southern Tier Library System member libraries library card holders to access.

References:

Artist Biography & Discography Information:

http://www.allmusic.com/

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits by Joel Whitburn (Billboard Books. New York. 2009.)

P.S. If you have any questions about how to download or stream free music through the Freegal Music service to a desktop or laptop computer or how to download and use the Freegal Music app let us know! Drop by the library or give us a call at: 607-936-3713

*You must have a library card at a Southern Tier Library System member library to enjoy the Freegal Music Service. Your card can be from any library in the system, and the system includes all public libraries in Steuben, Chemung, Yates, Schuyler and Allegheny Counties and includes our own Southeast Steuben Count Library in Corning, New York!

Library cards are free if you live in our service area. And you can obtain a card by visiting the Circulation Desk and presenting staff with a form of ID that features your name and your current address.

Links to the desktop versions of the catalogs for the library system – apps for each are available in your app store:

Digital Library Catalogs:

Freegal offers streaming and downloadable music

OverDrive allows you to check out eBooks, downloadable audiobooks and handful of streaming videos

RB Digital is the place you go to check out magazines – on demand – and you never have to return them!

The Traditional Library Catalog:

You can search for and request books, DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks on CD and other physical format items through StarCat – it is the modern day card catalog!