
Featuring an orchestra conducted by Sinatra. And he does a good job. Please help us to improve the site by answering one quick question: “How do you access the mp3s on this site?” Happiness Is Just A Thing Called Joe A beautiful, witty song by Harold Arlen, but hard to find a really convincing [...]

I hope you’re ready for some Snazzy New Orleans arrangements with some nice solos. This is a really upbeat, fun record. But I think you’ll agree that the cover is what really swings it. Comin’ Round the Mountain – Camptown Races (Medley) The power of collective improvisation. Very trad. The two tunes make nice bedfellows. Glow Worm What happens when you open the [...]

I hope you’re ready for some Snazzy New Orleans arrangements with some nice solos. This is a really upbeat, fun record. But I think you’ll agree that the cover is what really swings it. Comin’ Round the Mountain – Camptown Races (Medley) The power of collective improvisation. Very trad. The two tunes make nice bedfellows. Glow Worm What happens when you open the [...]

You can hear some marching bands letting their hair down a bit here in some descriptive records, sometimes with attendant sound effects. 01 The Phantom Brigade – The Home Guards Band If it is possible to be both spooky and sprightly, well, this is. 02 Baby Parade – Band of H.M. Welsh Guards [...]

You can hear some marching bands letting their hair down a bit here in some descriptive records, sometimes with attendant sound effects. 01 The Phantom Brigade – The Home Guards Band If it is possible to be both spooky and sprightly, well, this is. 02 Baby Parade – Band of H.M. Welsh Guards [...]

Another month, another five musical links that reveal to what extent the real world has slipped away from our reaches. June 13th How to Be A Retronaut – Vintage Ventriloquist Dummies Warning: contains some unsettling images. 16th June [...]

Another month, another five musical links that reveal to what extent the real world has slipped away from our reaches. June 13th How to Be A Retronaut – Vintage Ventriloquist Dummies Warning: contains some unsettling images. 16th June [...]

If you’re wondering what the first Evocations of the Dance post was, click here to find out. The opening of Eudora Welty’s Powerhouse (1941) is one of those masterful pieces of writing you come up with in your dreams but which on real paper seem to elude you: He’s here on tour from the city – “Powerhouse and His Keyboard” – “Powerhouse and His Tasmanians” – think of the things he calls himself! There’s no [...]
First of all, a musical treat: Blossom Dearie extends her affection to Lennon, whom she met on a chat show: Hey John, look at me digging you digging me! It’s a lovely little soufflé called Hey John . Right, now onto the links! 1. Faux-Beatles records on WFMU: ‘Have You Heard The Word?’ 2. Pop Hates the Beatles - Allan Sherman clearly wasn't their biggest fan. 3. Kenny Everett’s interviews with the Beatles – and one where [...]
A Touch of the Blues and I've Got the World on a String
Every month I’ll post five links to sites that I’ve really liked. Some will be music, some for people blogging their opinions, pictures or other silly crap. 5th May (Pic) Sex - B I G S L E E P A bit of a tune, this. 4th May (Pic) Amateur Cylinder Recordings: experimental sounds from over a century ago Turn of the century home recordings, including a drunken singalong to ‘John Brown’s Body’. [...]

Even on a fairly crackly 78 this is a fascinating record. Well done, that man. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Vaughan Williams) - The BBC Symphony Orchestra, cond. Sir Adrian Boult (1940)

It contains multitudes (of cheesy crap) but there is something spirited about this at times amateurish tribute to the Four Horsemen of the Popocalypse. A Hard Day's Night Eleanor Rigby Michelle She's Leaving Home This Boy
A one-finger mysterioso introduction; a guitar that thrums an almost inaudible heartbeat; beautiful structures that have as much room for carefree ensemble lollops as for solos of heart-rending intensity: sounds like I’m describing the music of Count Basie. And it seems to me that Florence’s arrangements have some of the laid-back glitziness of the later Basie band orchestrations, particularly the ones by Neal Hefti for E=MC 2 /The Atomic Basie (1957). The sleevenotes boast of the LP being completely manually compressed by skilful engineers. It [...]

Sam Browne, Anne Shelton and Evelyn Dall sing to these stylish orchestrations from the Porter songbook. Anne Shelton has been featured at MMM before here and here . I didn't realise I had such a thing for her. After You, Who? Easy to Love I Get A Kick Out of You I've Got You [...]
You can now view this blog in funky new ways. It kind of defeats the object in me designing the blog, but then I think it might appeal to some readers. If you like either of these, maybe bookmark that link. Music Makes Me - Snapshot View Music Makes Me - Timeslide View

Nicholas Frankau presents a programme about the remarkable double act his grandfather had with Liverpudlian Tommy Handley. I’ve just listened to it and really enjoyed it, especially the clips showing the pair’s incredible facility for fast patter. Listen to it here, NOW! (It expires in three days, so go now.) If you liked our Ronald Frankau posts, you’ll love it. Here are the links to those posts: Frankau’s World War II propaganda verses (and a helping [...]
I always thought the ‘shedload’ was a strange unit of measurement. I can, however, imagine people using ‘shit’ to reckon amounts. This quick Google Ngram search would suggest that this is because ‘shitloads’ came first. Presumably, then, ‘shedloads’ is a euphemising version, or some kind of genteelism? If anyone had any more information, please let me know.

Whenever someone proclaims in a review of a new single that it is ‘Beatlesque’, my ears prick up. Of course, you’re going to give any song with this kind of press a hard time, but what really bugs me is when lazy reviewers describe as ‘Beatlesque’ any song that features a descending chord progression. I wondered if there was any truth in the idea. I looked around on a few sites and forums and found nothing on this topic – in fact, I was told it was unquantifiable. I liked the idea of the challenge. So here [...]

A quartet of beautiful songs continuing from the earlier post. ASIDE: It’s now two years since the first post on Music Makes Me . It doesn’t feel like real time, web time. And does MMM really look that much older? Edelweiss (Rodgers & Hammerstein, 1959) Simple and stately, a wonderful distillation of what was best about this most famous of partnerships of composer and lyricist. [...]