Tommia's Tablet

How else can one describe musician Bobby McFerrin – the one who conducted the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, gathered twelve singers for a series of circlesongs, sang a whimsical melody to go with a Pixar short film?

Then again, I would imagine the reader to possibly be like many others who want to start at Square Known: Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

It is amusing how a ‘throwaway song’ can become a runaway hit and a ‘signature piece’ to a singer who does so much more! Granted, it was how I managed to get away with introducing this musician to my students, before trading that one song for the Pixar piece, then his songs recorded with Chick Corea and Yo-Yo Ma.

Hush was how I discovered Bobby’s brilliance. Browsing down the music collection, I decided to grab a recording at random, this audiophile’s equivalent to grabbing a book based on the cover. Then, there seemed to be fewer ‘scarier things’ on the shelves and I could discover many different artists that way. Up to that point, I hadn’t known of Yo-Yo Ma, either.

Hush was released four years after Don’t Worry, Be Happy’s popularity. Meant to be a children’s album, this child at heart enjoyed the goofiness of Hoedown and The Flight of the Bumblebee. The comical opening to Bach’s Musette is cute and you get a sense of the enjoyment and playfulness both men had in putting this recording together.

Involvement is what separates McFerrin from other performers. During a show at the Benaroya Hall, he called out for a child volunteer. Every able child stormed the stage, including a hesitant toddler whose run-stop-step-stop was priceless from our vantage point in the aisle. Equally priceless was Bobby’s wide-eyed expression to a stage filled with children – with joyful surprise. The two locked looks before Bobby gave a big grin and a wave of an arm to ‘come on up.’ How that child ran!

Bobby stood in the midst of the children and gave them a soft-spoken instruction: create whatever music you wish. Taking the tiny corner of the stage remaining, Bobby saw fit to keep the adults occupied and before we realized it, we were singing the song from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. A few singalongs later and the young composers were ready for their turn. Definitely music to one’s ears.

There are over fifteen recordings Bobby McFerrin has done, all of them enjoyable and different (and yes, I will admit to owning them all.) Daring me to select my favorite McFerrin recording is equivalent to asking me to select one Gregory Peck or Jimmy Stewart film – impossible. Medicine Music soothes the soul, Paper Music has you sitting in the middle of a chamber orchestra at its finest, and Mouth Music is an assortment of jazz, classical and so much more in between.

In terms of concert attendance, there would have to be a very compelling reason to find the money for the cost of a ticket. That has never been the case with Bobby. There have only been a couple of missed opportunities, but whenever Bobby’s in town, it is definitely worth the treat!

Today’s “Music Monday”  – when I go to the metropolitan library website where they feature Freegal.com – a legal website for free music downloads. When I saw the article in the paper about this feature, I was delighted, ecstatic, feeling good. To say I’m music-dependent is to say I like books.

Well, the first day the feature was available, I searched for favorite musicians and lo and behold, they had one! Not only was I able to find what I thought would be an obscure artist, I was able to find an album I thought I’d have to consider lost for good: Rich Mullins’ recording – Brother’s Keeper. More about him and that recording in another post. To be proper, the cassette of the favorite recording was on its last go around and the replacement cassette wasn’t in much better condition.

Getting back to the point, today was Monday and I was allowed to find three songs to download for the week. Previous weeks I had a plan. Today, there was no plan and that led to more time browsing through the various lists than I usually spend. I believe there was an hour and a half lost in the search. Sad, I know.

I began with my favorite genres – Jazz, R & B, Pop and didn’t see anything that struck out as a ‘must have’. Then I browsed through Rock. Some of the group names are too strange for words, things I don’t think I could have imagined or made up on my own – and I’d like to think I can be creative. Some of the names are not printable here (I believe in keeping my blog a “G” rating) and others had me shaking my head.

So, instead of having a plan in place – a collection of same-titled songs or a featured artist or recording, the three choices this week were random yet – for my poor little mind – sensible still. They are fun songs, things to keep this writer’s mind spinning while awaiting an order from an online store. When that order arrives, I believe I shall definitely indulge and share.

Until then, I don’t think I could chance browsing in a music store proper – too many choices and too many oddities. At least at the library (where FREE is a very nice price), if the music doesn’t strike the right note, it can be returned before it is due. Never mind the fact that I could thoroughly confuse myself and check the listings of something like CDNow.com or iTunes.

Maybe I’ll just select a CD off the bookshelf instead….

What is it about the lilt of a flute or the rumble of a baritone’s voice that brings a song such height or depth? What is it about the notes that are held for double-time or longer? Or the one-note held until the phrase is sung – ending at various times due to different singers’ abilities to take a deep breath?

Whether a capella or accompanied there is a joy in singing, a purpose, a need. For most folks, Sundays are filled with songs to go with service. For commuters not caring about what other drivers think, singing along with the radio/CD/MP3 Player/cassette is a way of getting ready for the start of, or thankful for the end of another work day.

Choirs are filled with individuals who love singing, who can sing – at diverse abilities and confidence levels. Students hold concerts to bring family members and neighbors in to share and showcase talents – assuming music classes are still available in most schools and concerts can still be planned without too much interference or censorship. There are the hummers and whistlers who complete their tasks, their chores, their routines with a soundtrack that makes sense to them. And finally, there are the brave souls who sing in the shower – admitting it or not – who lift up their own spirits as troubles wash down the drain.

What would happen if we lived in a vacuum world where music was deemed unnecessary, a nuisance, a detractor? What would happen if the only sounds surrounding us weren’t of flutes, organs, guitars, voices, even birds chirping? Would we be able to accept the silence or compose something to counter it?

First it was Joshua’s army with the ram horns, bringing down the Walls of Jericho – Joshua 6:1-27. Then it was Gideon’s army of 300 men with their trumpets bringing down a city – Judges, chapters 6-8. The power of the horn is actually symbolic of the Faith in God in doing His will.

Listening to an actor talk briefly of his joy of playing the trombone; watching a young man with a saxophone capturing the attention of passersby by a station and then leading a group of them down to the train station in the tunnel below, feeling the emotions of a street side musician trying to make ends meet with the lone valuable item at hand…

What is it about the sound that calls out to us, leads us to them, support and follow them? What is it about the horns section of a high school band or orchestra that leads the rallying cry at any sporting event or making a particular piece soar during an overture? Even the bugle call of military camps alerts the troops to prepare for a new day.

There are many great horn players – past and present. It will be wonderful to discover the horn players of the future.

…for now.

There are some actors who were meant to play a particular role, to convey the life of the singer in such a way that you see the singer, not the actor; where you see that actor alone pulling it off. Below is a short list of favorites:

Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, who is in his own right a gifted musician with an amazing voice.

Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn, who not only sang the songs in the film, but imitated Loretta’s mannerisms.

Lou Diamond Phillips as Richie Valens.

Angela Basset as Tina Turner.

As for the wish list:

Jesse L. Martin as Marvin Gaye.

I am sure there are several biopics focused on musicians. Whether or not I will make note to seek them out remains to be seen. If anything, the films do offer a quick and/or fun reminder to seek out the actual recordings of the musicians portrayed.

I stumbled onto this gem because of a Danny Kaye marathon. True, he was the master comedian, whether playing a jester or an inspector general. He was a great singer, whether he was playing Hans Christian Anderson, the Court Jester or half of the singing team in White Christmas.

What is enjoyable about The Five Pennies is Kaye’s depths of playing a musician trying to make it, striving to come into his own in regards to the jazz scene, and in doing what is best for his family – striking the right balance with the role of Red Nichols and the significance of the cornet.

It took me a while to track down a recording of Red Nichols and when I finally found it, it was worth it! The advantage of where I worked at the time was the freedom of playing our own music at certain hours of the day. Granted, there was a minor mishap when one of us hollered toward the back office and asked if it was “Miller Time” yet and failing to be aware of one lone patron whose scowl almost ended our musical freedom. Thankfully, when she saw the music case held up, she smiled and gave an approving nod. Back to the Nichols recording, one hazard of playing from our own collection was the possible chance of a customer enjoying said recording. My Nichols recording was sold for five-hundred pennies.

If there was ever a perfect ‘big band swinging line up’ for movie night, it would be these three: The Benny Goodman Story, The Five Pennies and The Glenn Miller Story. And, if time permitted, some foolish fun in watching “Swing Kids” as well.

The Benny Goodman story about the King of Swing starred Steve Allen as the clarinet player, and unlike Jimmy Stewart, the actor did play the instrument – soundtrack wise for the young Benny Goodman character’s beginning years – every single squeak. Then again, for a pianist to learn clarinet, Allen did a fair job.

While it seems to be the habit of almost any biopic in Hollywood that keeping to the true accuracy of the subject is secondary to a good story, this movie wasn’t quite as accurate as The Glenn Miller story, but it definitely had great music. There are more musicians in this one – Hampton and Krupa to name a couple – and to have Goodman provide the music to the soundtrack is the definite bonus here.

The Goodman story is a good film to have for background noise on a rainy day.

So after a bit of deliberations about what to focus on this month, the silly expression “March to a different drummer” came to mind. The whole quote as written by Henry David Thoreau was: “If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away.”

 And from the drums to music in general.

To begin this collection, I thought it would be fun to reflect on a few different bio-pics of some of the kings of swing: Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Red Nichols.

To begin with Glenn, I have Alfred Hitchcock to thank. Let me backtrack a few steps – I am sure at one point some of us had that ‘one item’ we had to see, hear, read, whatever. I don’t know how it began, but the film Psycho was on my determination list. Of course my parents were wise to tell me ‘no’ and steer me toward other alternatives.

When the ‘Lost Hitchcock Films’ were found – and watched repeatedly on cable with one parent or the other – Hitchcock’s style engrossed me. James Stewart in The Man Who Knew Too Much, Vertigo and Rop enthralled me.

To date, I have seen all but four of Stewart’s films and it wouldn’t be easy to try to select ‘one favorite.’ The Glenn Miller Story was enjoyable, close to true and introduced me to a musician whose staying power is understandable. Never mind the fact that Stewart’s musical talents went as far as a small bit of singing and playing the accordion – he made me believe he could play the trombone. Another wonderful thing about this film was that it was the second time that Stewart and June Allyson played husband and wife. There are some acting pairs that bring that impossible element of believability to what they do.