My Favorite Things

...it's that time of year

Yes, I’m in full holiday music mode, adding to the repertoire of classics, and deep diving into one tune…

Since the more I can feel into a richer arrangement for songs I cover, the more creativity pours out…this jazz standard has captivated me.

It’s funny because what attracts me to a piece of music is ineffable, and maybe like a high school English analysis of Brit Lit poetry - hilarious guesswork to me - I’ll pick out pieces of structure, or identifiable bits to label…usually long after the love affair is in full swing.

This tune is referred to as “modal” jazz, considered one of John Coltrane’s pivotal performances, with cultural momentum that’s an outlier for jazz artists.

For me, the joy of pounding on the keys and singing this familiar refrain is endless.

Wrapped up in memories of three-network-TV Sound of Music watching each holiday season back when I was still wearing Strawberry Shortcake nightgowns, and now pulling to the present all the tunes I’ve worked on with similar chords, patterns, rhythm.

Waltzes are soooo fun to play, soooo easy to groove.

Stay tuned for some noodling, I’ll share a demo on Friday’s podcast - this will be a release for sure.

And…thanks for being here, making substack one of My Favorite Things.