A DJStan Selection Selection

As promised not so long ago – time flies, eh? – here are a few songs from the DJStan Selections playlist.

1. How Far Am I From Canaan - The Soul Stirrers
I’m semi-surprised at how much gospel is on this list. Given that I’m more than a tad skeptical when it comes to things spiritual, I myself don’t know what to make of my attraction to this genre – but there it is. Maybe it’s just another uncanny “taste”, like my love for medieval ivory carvings or the art of Joseph Cornell or cheese popcorn (best in the country is made by Candyland of St. Paul on Wabasha St., BTW). That aside, this song features Sam Cooke soloing, backed by the rhythmic harmonies of the Soul Stirrers, about whom there is not much to say below the superlative.

2. Down To The River To Pray - Alison Krauss (Jimmie Rodgers/Traditional)
Harmonies also do it for me in many ways. This white gospel track from the “O Brother” soundtrack has the rich group harmonizing of a Baptist Choir behind Alison Krauss’ ethereal vocal. I like to sing along with the baritones. Note that Jimmie Rodgers is associated with this song – I’ll have more to say about him in the future.

3. Postcards from Downtown - Dayna Kurtz
An unusual voice that goes from cigarette rasping to rich legato, and quirky personal songs that have some Reed, some Waits, some torchy Dietrich, and something that’s purely Dayna Katz. “I’m going out now; I’ll send you some postcards from downtown”.

4. Please Say You Want Me - The Schoolboys
From my doo-wop youth, this is gospel call and harmonic response adopted for teenage romance. Good for backing a make out session down in the basement on a beat-up old couch behind the ping-pong table with the sagging net in a girlfriend’s knotty pine family room.

5. The Fat Angel - Donovan
I was never a big Donovan fan, but this is one of the best songs from his best album, "Sunshine Superman". The folkie goes big-time psychedelic: “He will bring you happiness in a pipe”. Gets a nice drony sound going, too - did I mention that I like drones? Even bagpipes?

6. The Pan Piper - Miles Davis ("Sketches Of Spain")
Miles is an indisputable giant of jazz, and his work with Gil Evans blends cool trumpet with modal harmonies and romantic orchestral arrangements. These Davis/Evans sets, and Charlie Parker’s string arrangements, are the best of their kind – and this song, with its off-beat rhythm and charming woodwinds, is haunting.

7. In Christ There Is No East Or West - John Fahey
No words, just the fine, stripped down fingerpicking of the late John Fahey. Another original who helped create the kind of musical blending of blues, mountain music, and modal harmonies that generated the “Americana” school - kind of the Aaron Copland of the acoustic guitar. This one moves from classical structure to an Elizabeth Cotten kind of thing and back again. A long-time favorite.

8. The Old Ship of Zion - Roberta Martin Singers
Gospel again. This one, a traditional song, gets me with the powerful resonant voice of baritone Norsalus McKissick. When I sang (College glee club, coffe-house stuff), I had a second Tenor range, which bridges the upper end of baritone with the lower end of tenor, but all voice ranges appeal to me, and sometimes I think I like the low baritone/basso voice the best. This one is a good example.

9. Cloudburst – Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross
Jon Hendricks and King Pleasure invented “vocalese”, where appropriate words are put to jazz arrangements (both chorus and solo parts) - as opposed to "scat", where nonsense syllables are used to cover vocal lines. LH&R were the best exponents of this style, and this arrangement is pure fun.

10. New Orleans Wins The War – Randy Newman
Randy Newman wrote two songs for his “Dixie Flyer” album, which together tell the story of his brief childhood in New Orleans, a stay which I believe forever marked his music as bred in the Ragtime Parish of the delta. This song and the title track form a succinct evocation of a child’s memory and a fine example of how – in the best songs – words and music combine to display a shard of the artist’s soul for our contemplation.