Happy New Year 2009

a scratchy vinyl LP recording for nostalgic effect

This MP3 Selection Expired on 01-24-2009
Freddy Martin and Orchestra (1973) - Vienna Nights Medley
(Three Waltzes: Vilia; Wien, Wien; and The Merry Widow)

The Peace of God Transcends All Understanding

"How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may his His coming,
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive him still,
The dear Christ enters in."

Thou Forever Wilt Be

Summer and winter, and springtime harvest
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
Great is Thy faithfulness
Lord unto to me

Je chante avec toi liberté

Nana Mouskouri
Multi-lingual Vocalist
13 October, 1934
This MP3 Selection Expired on 12-31-2008
Nana Mouskouri (1982) - Je chante avec toi liberté
(The Slave Chorus from Verdi's opera 'Nabucco')

Quand tu chantes, je chante avec toi liberté
Quand tu pleures, je pleure aussi ta peine
Quand tu trembles, je prie pour toi liberté
Dans la joie ou les larmes je t'aime

Souviens-toi des jours de ta misère
Mon pays, tes bateaux étaient des galères

Quand tu chantes, je chante avec toi liberté
Et quand tu es absente j'espère

Qui e-tu: religion ou bien réalité
Une idée de révolutionnaire

Moi je crois que tu es la seule vérité
La noblesse de notre humanité

Je comprends qu'on meure pour te défendre
Que l'on passe sa vie à t'attendre

Quand tu chantes, je chante avec toi liberté
Dans la joie ou les larmes je t'aime

Les chansosns de l'espoir ont ton nom et tavoix
Le chemin de l'histoire nous conduira vers toi

Liberté, liberté

Take Care, JC

In heaven's morning breaks
And earth's vain shadows flee
Changes and decay are all around
In life
In death
The Lord changes not

He is kind and good with healing in His wings
for tears of all woes

Where is death's sting?
Where, grave thy victory?
We triumphs still, He abides with us
And we Him

First Day of Autumn, 2008

Falltime
Carl Sandburg (1878–1967)

GOLD of a ripe oat straw, gold of a southwest moon,
Canada thistle blue and flimmering larkspur blue,
Tomatoes shining in the October sun with red hearts,
Shining five and six in a row on a wooden fence,
Why do you keep wishes on your faces all day long,
Wishes like women with half-forgotten lovers going to new cities?
What is there for you in the birds, the birds, the birds, crying down on the north wind in September, acres of birds spotting the air going south?
Is there something finished? And some new beginning on the way?

It's Hot

It's 2034 hours, PDT.
The sun set few minutes ago at 2027 hours.

Current temperture: 101°F/38°C

pcso lotto is a Lotto Spammer

Ignore or delete this online lotto spammer's comment: I'm thankful with your blog it is very useful to me.

A Sentimental Journey

Ben Homer
Big Band arranger, composer, and conductor
27 June, 1917 -
This MP3 Selection Expired on 10-13-2008
Doris Day and The Les Brown Orchestra (1949)
Sentimetnal Journey (Homer)

Chanson de matin

Sir Edward Elgar
English-born late Romantic composer
(2 June, 1857 – 23 February, 1934)

This MP3 Selection Expired on 06-27-2008
Mantovani and His Orchestra (1958)
Chanson de matin (Elgar, 1901)

It's Bloody Good Music

Eric Wolfgang Korngold
Austrian-born neo-classical and Oscar winning composer
(29 May, 1897 - 29 November, 1957)

This MP3 Selection Expired on 06-02-2008
'Captain Blood' Overture (Korngold,1935)

Memorial Day Weekend, 2008

Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
This MP3 Selection Expired on 05-29-2008
Lausanne Intrumental and Vocal Ensemble (2000)
Qui tollis peccata mundi (JS Bach)

Qui tollis peccata mundi
Four-part Chorus
from 'Mass in B minor, BWV 232'
Johann Sebastian Bach

Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram.

Lead On, O King Eternal

Thou shalt come to thy grave in a full age,
like as a shock of corn cometh in in his season.
-- Job 5:26 KJV
His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We loss four of our own this past week.

Though we grief in remembrance of their absence, death no longer has sting and victory over these and all other saints. They are now on the other side of eternity, abiding in the presence of their Savior and Lord, our God. Forever.

More Ti Guardero' Nel Cuore

Kai Winding
Danish-born American jazz trombonist and composer
Best known for his hit arrangement of
More from the film Mondo Cane (1962)
(18 May, 1922 - 6 May, 1983)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 05-25-2008
Kai Winding, arr. - Ti Guardero' Nel Cuore (aka More)
(Oliviero and Ortolani, 1962)

Blue on Blue

Burt Bacharach
American-born pop music composer
and Academy Awards winner
12 May, 1928 -
Does Bobby Vinton's 'Blue on Blue' ring a bell?
This MP3 Selection Expired on 05-17-2008
Percy Faith and Orchestra (1964)
Blue on Blue (Bacharach, 1963)

The Modern Mother

THE MODERN MOTHER (1902)
By: Alice Meynell

Oh what a kiss
With filial passion overcharged is this!
To this misgiving breast
The child runs, as a child ne’er ran to rest
Upon the light heart and the unoppressed.

Unhoped, unsought!
A little tenderness, this mother thought
The utmost of her meed
She looked for gratitude; content indeed
With thus much that her nine years’ love had bought.

Nay, even with less.
This mother, giver of life, death, peace, distress,
Desired ah! not so much
Thanks as forgiveness; and the passing touch
Expected, and the slight, the brief caress.

Oh filial light
Strong in these childish eyes, these new, these bright
Intelligible stars! Their rays
Are near the constant earth, guides in the maze,
Natural, true, keen in this dusk of days.

A Distant Past Yet Not Forgotten

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian-born Romantic Era composer
(7 May, 1840 - 6 November, 1893)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 05-12-2008
Michael Ponti, piano (1994)
Distant Past, Morceaux (18) for piano, Op. 72
(Tchaikovsky)

不了情 - An Interpretive Visualization

My first and only Chinese YouTube:

鄧麗君 - [不了情]
An Interpretive YouTube Video
An interpretive visualization of an old popular Chinese pop tune [不了情].
By request, this YouTube is now captioned in traditional Chinese.

鄧麗君 - 不了情
[Never, My Love II]
This version II is traditional Chinese captioned.
Click here to view this L'Envoi YouTube.


[不了情]
鄧麗君　

忘不了忘不了
忘不了你的錯
忘不了你的好
忘不了雨中的散步
也忘不了那風裡的擁抱

忘不了忘不了
忘不了你的淚
忘不了你的笑
忘不了夜落的惆悵
也忘不了那花開的煩惱

寂寞的長巷
而今斜月清照
冷落的秋千
而今迎風輕搖

它重復你的叮嚀
一聲聲忘了忘了

它低訴我的衷曲
一聲聲難了難了

忘不了忘不了
忘不了春已盡
忘不了花已老
忘不了離別的滋味
也忘不了那相思的苦惱

[Interlude]

寂寞的長巷
而今斜月清照
冷落的秋千
而今迎風輕搖

它重復你的叮嚀
一聲聲忘了忘了

它低訴我的衷曲
一聲聲難了難了

忘不了忘不了
忘不了春已盡
忘不了花已老
忘不了離別的滋味
也忘不了那相思的苦惱

Un homme et une femme

Francis Lai
le compositeur de musiques de film
26 avril, 1932  -
This MP3 Selection Expired on 05-07-2008
Nicole Croisille et Pierre Barouh (1966)
Un homme et une femme

Un homme et une femme
du film 'Un homme et une femme' (1966)
Auteur: Pierre Barouh
Compositeur: Francis Lai
Interprète: Nicole Croisille et Pierre Barouh

Comme nos voix
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Chantent tout bas
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Nos cœurs y voient
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Comme une chance
Comme un espoir

Comme nos voix
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Nos cœurs y croient
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Encore une fois
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Tout recommence
La vie repart

Combien de joies
Bien des drames
Et voilà
C'est une longue histoire

Un homme
Une femme
Ont forgé la trame du hasard

Comme nos voix
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Nos cœurs y croient
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Encore une fois
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Comme une chance
Comme un espoir

Comme nos voix
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Nos cœurs y croient
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

On fait le choix
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

D'une romance
Qui passait là

Chance qui passait là

Chance pour toi et moi
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Toi et moi
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Toi et moi
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Toi et moi
ba da ba da
da ba da ba da

Toi et moi

AT&T Yahoo! SSL Service Announcement

For the past week, I have been receiving ad nauseam patronizing and condescending notices from AT&T Yahoo!. I, a customer, am being admonished for using an email client that has not properly configured its ports and SSL properties. Though I have failed to adhere to the security protocols, these reminders go on to say, I am in good hands. Because AT&T Yahoo! has painfully taken steps to ensure my out-going and in-coming messages are secured. Horsefeathers.

Since 2007, my MS Outlook email client, with the more recently added Thunderbird, are properly configured with the latest POP3, SMTP, and SSL properties.

These notices have also spawned confusions within AT&T Yahoo! Its 24/7 tech support staff has advised many irate customers, such as I, to ignore these letters. Accordingly, these automated warnings are still being sent.

Microsoft should do a hostile take-over of Yahoo! as far as I am concerned. And soon.

Hanging Out with Hank

Henry Mancini
Oscar winning composer, arranger, and pianist
Surely you have at least heard of
Moon River and The Pink Panther Theme
(16 April, 1924 - 14 June, 1994)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 04-26-2008
Henry Mancini Orchestra and Chorus (1965)
The Sweetheart Tree
(Mancini and Mercer)

The Sweetheart Tree
From the film: The Great Race (1965)
Music: Henry Mancini
Words: Johnny Mercer

Henry Mancini Orchestra and Chorus

They say there's a tree in the forest
A tree that will give you a sign
Come along with me
to the sweetheart tree
Come and carve your name next to mine

They say if you kiss the right sweetheart
The one you've been waiting for
Big blossoms of white
will burst into sight
And your love will be true evermore

[Interlude]

They say if you kiss the right sweetheart
The one you've been waiting for
Big blossoms of white
will burst into sight
And your love will be true evermore

A Denny Sunset

Martin Denny
American-born pianist and composer
He immortalized Les Baxter's Quiet Village
(10 April, 1911 - 2 March, 2005)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 04-16-2008
Martin Denny (1996) - Tahitian Sunset

April in Paris

E. Y. "Yip" Harburg
American-born lyricist
He wrote the lyrics for The Wizard of Oz (1939)
and received an Oscar from the film for Best Music and Original Song
Over the Rainbow
(8 April, 1896 - 4 March, 1981)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 04-09-2008
Jenny Evans, jazz vocalist (1997)
April in Paris (Duke & Harburg, 1932)

More Than You Know

Edward Eliscu
American-born lyricist
(2 April, 1902 - 18 June, 1988)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 04-07-2008
Carol Welsman (2000) - More Than You Know
(Youmans, Rose, and Eliscu)

More Than You Know
Broadway Show: Great Day (1929)
Music: Vincent Youmans
Lyrics: Edward Eliscu and Billy Rose

Vocal: Carol Welsman (2000)

More than you know
More than you know
Man of my heart, I love you so
Lately I've found, you're on my mind
More than you know

Whether I'm right
Whether I'm wrong
Man of my dreams, I'll string along
You need me so
More than you'll ever know

Loving you the way that I do
There's nothing I can do about it
Loving may be all I can give
And honey, I can't bare without it

Oh, how I'd cry
Oh, how I'd cry
If you grew tired and said goodbye
More than I show
More than you'll ever know

(Interlude)

Loving you the way that I do
There's nothing I can do about it
Loving may be all I can give
And honey, I can't bare without it

And, oh, how I'd cry
Oh, how I'd cry
If you grew tired and said goodbye
You're on my mind
More than I show

Man of my heart
I love you so
More than you'll ever know

Mozart Called Him 'Papa Haydn'

Franz Josef Haydn
Father of the Symphony and String Quartet
(31 March, 1732 - 31 May, 1809)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 04-02-2008
Judy Loman, harp (2003)
Excerpt - Fantasy on a Theme of Haydn, Op. 31
(Grandjany)

Buttons and Bows

Jay Livingston
American-born composer of popular songs such as:
Buttons and Bows, Tammy, Que Sera Sera,
Silver Bell, To Each His Own, and Mona Lisa
(28 March, 1915 - 17 October, 2001)

This MP3 Selection Expired on 03-30-2008
Bob Hope & The Clark Sisters
Buttons and Bows
(Livingston & Evans)

Buttons and Bows
Music: Jay Livingston
Words: Ray Evans
Oscar: Best Song - The Paleface (1948)
Starring: Bob Hope and Jane Russell


Rendition: Bob Hope and The Clark Sisters

A western ranch is just a branch of Nowhere Junction to me
Give me the city where living's pretty and gals wear finery

East is east and West is west
And the wrong one I have chose
Let's go where you'll keep on wearing
Those frills and flowers and buttons and bows
Rings and things and buttons and bows

Don't bury me in this prairie.
Take me where the cement grows.
Let's move down to some big town.
Where they love a gal by the cut of her clothes
And you'll stand out in buttons and bows

I'll love you in buckskin
Or skirts that you' ve homespun
But I'll love you longer, stronger where
Your friends don't tote a gun

My bones denounce the buckboard bounce
And the cactus hurts my toes
Let's vamoose where gals keep using
Those silks and satins and linen that shows
And you're all mine in buttons and bows

Don't bury me in this here prairie.
Take me where the cement grows
Let's move down to that big town
Where they love a girl by the cut of her clothes
And you'll stand out in buttons and bow

Those wide open spaces
Don't suite me like a roof
I'll love you longer, stronger
Where the sticking on the hoof

My bones denounce the buckboard bounce
And the cactus hurts my toes
Let's vamoose where gals keep using
Those silks and satins and linen that shows
And you're all mine in buttons and bows

And another thing

Give me eastern trimming where women are women
In high silk hose and peek-a-boo clothes
And French parfume that rocks the room
And buttons and bows

Buttons and bows
Buttons and bows
Buttons and bows

Resurrection Sunday

Now, O Death, where is they sting?

Death is swallowed up in victory!

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Papa Bach in Circulation Still

Johann Sebastian Bach
The Father of Music
(21 March, 1685 - 28 July, 1750)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 03-28-2008
California Guitar Trio (2004)
Prelude Circulation BWV 988 (Bach)

A Deep Purple Dream

Peter De Rose
American-born pop music composer
He wrote the instrumental (piano) standard 'Deep Purple'
before Mitchell Parish added the lyrics in 1939
(10 March, 1900 - 24 April, 1953)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 03-21-2008
Oscar Peterson (1950) - Deep Purple

Here is Jimmy, Mrs. Calabash, Wherever You Are

In my book, there are only two artists who could be called Messrs "September Song". Walter Houston and Jimmy Durante. Today is Durante's birthday anniversary.

Jimmy Durante
American-born musician, comedian, and actor
(10 February, 1893 - 29 January, 1980)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 03-09-2008
Jimmy Durante (1963)- September Song
(Anderson & Weill, 1938)

September Song (1938)
Lyrics: Maxwell Anderson
Music: Kurt Weill

Artist: Jimmy Durante (1963)

When I was a young man courtin' the girls
I played me a waiting game
If a maid refused me with tossing curls
I'd let the old Earth make a couple of whirls
While I plied her with tears in lieu of pearls
And as time came around she came my way
As time came around, she came

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you
These precious days I'll spend with you

Ah, The Snow of Yesteryear

Shelly Fabares
American-born singer and actress
Best known for her recording of "Johnny Angel" at age 18
(19 January, 1944)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 02-10-2008
Shelly Fabares (1962) - Johnny Angel
(Duddy & Pockriss)

Hey There, Bonnie's Dad

John Raitt
vocalist and actor
(10 January, 1927 - 20 February, 2005)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 01-19-2008
John Raitt - Hey There

Hey There
Written by: Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
Film: Pajama Game (1957)
Sung by: John Raitt as Sid Sorokin


Hey there, you with the stars in your eyes
Love never made a fool of you
You used to be too wise

Hey there, you on that high flying cloud
Though she won't throw a crumb to you
You think some day she'll come to you

Better forget her
Her with her nose in the air
She has you dancing on a string
Break it and she won't care

Will you take this advice
I hand you like a brother
Or are you not seeing things too clear
Are you just too far gone to hear
Is it all going in one ear
And out the other


[Sid and his inner voice, duet]

Hey there, you with the stars in your eyes
You talking to me?

Love never made a fool of you
Not until now

You used to be too wise
Yeah; I was once

Hey there
I hear ya

You on that high flying cloud
Though she won't throw a crumb to you
Don't rub it in

You think some day she'll come to you
Better forget her
Forget her

Her with her nose in the air
Her with her nose in the air

She has you dancing on a string
A puppet on a string

Break it and she won't care
She won't care for me

Will you take this advice I hand you like a brother?
Or am I not seeing things too clear?

Are you just too far gone to hear?
Is it all going in one ear and out the other?

The First Acadmey Awarded Song

Herb Magidson
American lyricist
Credited with Con Conrad
for winning the first Acadamy Award Song
(7 January, 1906 - 2 January, 1986)
This MP3 Selection Expired on 01-11-2008
Fred and Ginger, et al (1934)
The Continental (Conrad & Magidson)

The Continental
Film: The Gay Divorcée (1934)
Music: Con Conrad
Lyrics: Herb Magidson

Ginger Roger:

Beautiful music
Fredd Astaire (whistled)
Dangerous rhythm
Fredd Astaire (whistled)

It's something daring, The Continental
A way of dancing that's really entre nous
It's very subtle, The Continental
Because it does what you want it to do

It has a passion, The Continental
An invitation to moonlight and romance
It's quite the fashion, The Continental
Because you tell of your love while you dance

Your lips whisper so tenderly
Her eyes answer your song

Two bodies swaying, The Continental
And you are saying just what you're dreaming of
So keep on dancing, The Continental
For it's a song of romance and of love

You kiss while you're dancing.

Fredd Astaire: Not a bad idea

The Continental, woohoooo. It's continental
You sing while you're dancing
Your voice is gentle and sentimental

You stroll together arm in arm
You nonchalantly glide along with grace and charm

You will find while you're dancing
That there's a rhythm in your heart and soul
A certain rhythm that you can't control
And you will do The Continental all the time

[Concluding with first long segment of music and dance)

(Second music segment)

Eric Rhodes:

Beautiful music
Dangerous rhythm

Something daring, The Continental
A way of dancing that's really entre nous
It's very subtle, The Continental
Because it does what you want it to do

It has a passion, The Continental
An invitation to moonlight and romance
It's quite the fashion, The Continental
Because you tell of your love while you dance

Your lips whisper so tenderly
Her eyes answer your song

Two bodies swaying, The Continental
And you are saying just what you're thinking of
So keep on dancing, The Continental
For it's a song of romance and of love

You kiss while you're dancing
Continental, Continental
You sing while you're dancing
Your voice is gentle, so sentimental

You know before this dance is through
That you're in love with she and she's in love with you

You will find while you're dancing
There's a rhythm in your heart and soul
A certain rhythm that you can't control
You will do The Continental all the time


Lillian Miles:

Dukes and lords of noble station
Love the new sophistication of The Continental

In a Belgian hallroom
In a Monte Carlo ballroom, you will see The Continental

In the Paris bistros crowded with Apache
You will see The Continental in the best French fashion

Spain and Italy, Transylvania
Norway, Sweden and Rumania do The Continental

On the dike of ZuiderZee
The wooden shoes have found the key to The Continental

It's like a fever
It's like a plague
It's swept all Europe
From Moscow to The Hague

You kiss while you're dancing.
The Continental, the rhythm is driving you wild
The Continental, a meter that isn't so mild

You sing while you're dancing
His voice is gentle
It thrills you, the touch of his hand
The Continental, a meter that you understand

You know before this dance is through
That you're in love with her and she's in love with you

You will find while you're dancing
That there's a rhythm in your heart and soul
A certain rhythm that you can't control
The Continental
The Continental
The Continental

(Concludes the second and final music and dance segment)

Bob's Big Band Wedding Reception

Bob came by over the holidays and wanted me to go over a list of Big Band music for his upcoming wedding reception. I was pleasantly surprised he would wish my opinion on the play list he received from a prospective band.

Supposedly, this Big Band leader is a fairly good trumpeter. He has name dropped Harry James. His drummer is very good, too, I was also told. And yet, from what I could tell from the proposed song list, the repertoire of this 15-piece band was only so-so.

Today, I gave Bob 105 Big Band songs culled from my CDs. Included in this CD are some Harry James, Bobby Hackett, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich recordings. After listening to these standards, Bob will be knowledgeable. More important, he has the leverage to suggest to this band inclusion of songs he and Mary like for their wedding reception.