Music Diary, Vol. -45
For the rationale behind this mad effort, explanations here . The full series of Music Diary posts are here . The full playlist is above, also here . Week of Feb. 27-March 5, 2023 LYRICS: Scott Merrill (Weill/Brecht/Blitzstein), "Ballad of the Easy Life" SONG: This ebullient 7-minute jam was my intro to the great Youssou N’Dour, and with its major-minor mix of bright electric guitars, brass, restless percussion, and vocals that sound both impassioned and joyous, it’s still my favorite of his. ALBUM: My favorite jazz record is based around Marcus Roberts’ piano, but all the players bring their A game to this soulful, capering collection , including a mystery trumpeter named E. Dankworth (spoiler: It’s Wynton). LYRICS: Lotte Lenya (Weill/Nash), "Speak Low" SONG: The secret weapon of this hypnotic, loping Shins track imo is the flat 6th chord of the bridge—it sounds like a curtain has been pulled back to view “a mountain range on fire.” The main melody is pret
