Day 16 : April 2 - It's Summertime Somewhere...
Because it’s getting a bit dreary out there, some summer jamz!
cinnamons x evening cinema - Summertime
This is such a cute song. Japanese pop trio cinnamons gives us a funky fresh J-Pop dream about spending the summer with your crush. Not sure who evening cinema is and I can’t find any info about them, but I don’t care because I am in a manic pixie summer dream.
Mark O’Connor - The American Seasons (Seasons of an American Life): Summer
American violinist and composer Mark O’Connor, besides being a phenomenal musician, is one of the greatest advocates for Americana. His music brings traditional American music into the 21st century with the freshness, heritage, and significance that it deserves. His violin concerto,The American Seasons, is a Star-Spangled take (I’m sorry not sorry for that line) on Vivaldi’s The Seasons. The Summer movement features a slippery theme and builds off that, introducing polytonal elements and harmonic parallelism a la Ives or wonky Gershwin. Like Vivaldi’s summer storm scene, a middle section introduces a more solid, jaunty character, a marcato syncopation rising from the low strings, into a brilliant solo and some tasty trills (a la Vivaldi). This jaunty rhythm climaxes, after some more brilliant soloing, in a very assured, chordal perfect cadential progression (perhaps a bit out of place given the rest of the musical language). The coda-ish that follows is brilliant, low passagework by the soloist over some PLEASANT pizzicatos and a short reprise of the opening materials. Recorded by Mark himself with The Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra under Scott Yoo.
Jimmy Carter and Dallas County Green - Summer Brings the Sunshine
No. Not THAT Jimmy Carter, our 39th president. Even better, this Jimmy Carter recruited local famhands and amateur musicians to record some good ‘ol Americana. This gem is a classic 70’s country rock tune about driving country roads back home, even through unrest personal and cultural. Like Country Roads, but less obnoxious.
John McCabe - String Quartet no. 7 ‘Summer Eaves: V. Finale
English composer John McCabe gives us a different take on summer. This is a thoroughly modernist take, following after other Manchester schoolboys Ogdon and Maxwell-Davies, with Stravinsky and Bartok in there. With this quartet, McCabe was inspired by classical forms and styles. To my ear, this is quintessential British modernism, a more elegaic, modal, or lyrical interpretation of the abstractions common during that time. There are more overt diatonic references here than from the continent (maybe because he was imitating Haydn?) and less orchestrational brilliance as found in the Manchester School. But it is a very good piece still, with very clever and idomatic string quartet writing and some tight rhythmic vitality. Performed here by the Carducci Quartet.
Alexander Glazunov - The Season, Op. 67: Summer (Intro, Valse, Barcarolle, Variation, & Coda)
Romantic-era Russian composer Alexander Glazunov composed this ballet at the turn of the last century. The summer movements begin with my favorite Russian asset: bright metallic percussion. The opening bells, winds, and harp are just SO CHARMING! The rest of the movements follow nature as it rejoices in the summer sun: cornflowers and poppies waltz (Valse), naiads bring fresh water as satyrs and fauns play pipes (Barcarolle), the Spirit of the Corn appears (Variation), and the satyrs and fauns try to steal her in a lively coda (Coda). Recorded by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Neeme Jarvi.
The Waikiki Beach Boys - My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua - Hawaii
It would be an understatement, if ridiculous, to say that the Waikiki Beach Boys are getting our house through quarantine. Manchester’s biggest Hawaii-themed jam band is the balm we all need. It’s is just so pleasant and entirely innocuous. I could listen to it all day and never realize Im listening to it. It just permeates the air, like a ukulele-shaped pathogen.