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Happy Day – Red Shirt Day

Day 23 — Share Your Music: 30 Days, 30 Songs

Ladies and gentlemen, I have had a change of heart about my song selection for Day 23 of the 30 Days, 30 Songs music challenge.  I think we need a happy song.  I’ve chosen Red Shirt Day by Seaman Dan.  Seaman Dan wrote Red Shirt Day after overhearing a barmaid say that she wore red to cheer herself up when working on a Sunday.

Seaman Dan was born in 1929 on Thursday Island in the Torres Strait.  Over his lifetime he has worked as a cattle hand, pearl diver and a ship’s captain, before giving all that up to become a recording star.  Seaman Dan started his recording career at age 70.  He has the distinction of being the oldest ARIA award winner.  In March this year he was honoured at the Queensland Music Awards with the Grant McLennan Lifetime Achievement Award.  He turns 90 years of age in August.

I first heard Seaman Dan perform at Canberra’s National Folk Festival in 2007.  That was my first or second year attending the festival.  Seaman Dan came and sang with our massed choir.  It was so much fun and he was an absolute delight.  Those were the days.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy his song.  I’ve included two links in the hope that you can access at least one of them.  The singing begins just before the 2 minute mark in the second clip.

The incredibly talented Sarah of Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  There are still a few days left to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy

Information sourced from The Deadly Vibe.

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Oh Joy, New Song – Let It Out

Day 22 — Share Your Music:  30 Days, 30 Songs

Here we go again.  Day 22 of the 30 Days, 30 Songs challenge.  To think, yesterday I was ready to call it quits.  I’m so tired.  Too much singing, dancing and thinking over the last three weeks.  My fitness level is not good.  Remind me never to do that 30 day poetry challenge, Nopepoem, or whatever it is called.  However, I’ve nearly made it to the end of this  month long song challenge, so I’ve decided to keep going.

I am going to share with you a song that I’ve only heard once!  Today.  It was love at first hearing.  It made me cry.  I was going to post another song from the same group, but in the course of questing around for some background information, I learned that Seeker Lover Keeper have just released their first new single in eight years.  Singer-songwriters – Sally Seltmann, Holly Throsby and Sarah Blasko – have got together and got it together again.  The new single is called Let It Out.  That other national treasure, Magda Szubanski, stars in the video clip.   You are going to love it.

I’ll play the other song tomorrow.  It comes with a story.  Anyway, time for some music.

The incredibly talented Sarah of Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  There are still a few days left to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy

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A Wee Tune

Day 21 — Share Your Music:  30 Days, 30 Songs

Short admin note – Dear Readers, it seems that my comments on people’s posts have been going to spam.  I’m not ignoring you.  I also understand that some of my music videos for this challenge have been unavailable.  This has also happened to other participants of the music challenge.  They can still be found with an internet search.  My apologies though as I know this is a hassle.

Back to the post.

I have yet another instrumental piece lined up.  It is Alesa Lajana playing The Briezh/The Seagull.  This is from her first album, Home Calling.  Her follow-up album seems to be more banjo and singing.  Not that there is anything wrong with the banjo.

The wonderful Sarah of Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  It is not too late to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

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Piano Man

Day 20 — Share Your Music: 30 Days, 30 Songs

Maybe not who you think.  Operating on a just in time basis, I knew that today’s tune for the 30 Days, 30 Songs challenge would make itself known to me before the day was out.  And it did.  As I was flipping through my CD collection, it just kept saying “Pick me.”

So I did — Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.  Are you feeling it in your core?  Liquid delight?  Not sure if you know this concerto?  You do.  It has been borrowed extensively for film and television.  The second movement is the most well-known, and that is what I am sharing with you today.  However, you really must listen to the whole concerto.  More than once.  Rachmaninoff makes rock stars of concert pianists.

The wonderful Sarah of Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  It is not too late to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy

 

 

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Country Man

Day 19 — Share Your Music: 30 Days, 30 Songs

I’ve heard Frank Yamma described as a national treasure.  I agree.  And yet, until recently, I had never heard of him.  Thank goodness, I’ve finally caught up.

Mr Yamma is a Pitjantjatjara man from Australia’s central desert.  He has been writing  songs and performing most of his life — about country, culture, community, life, loss and love.  He sings in Pitjantjatjara and in English.  When he plays for Anangu (blackfella) audiences, he plays fast and hard.  It is a rock and roll dance party.  For us new Australians and other folk, he plays slow.  Mr Yamma has toured internationally with gigs at festivals in the UK, Canada and Spain.

I have included a link to a TEDx event at which Mr Yamma sings two songs.  I’ve chosen this video because it has good sound quality.  The first song — Nguta Waljilpa — is about country in the remote western corner of Australia; the second — She Cried — deals with indigenous issues from a personal perspective.  I must confess, I do like his slow songs.

The wonderful Sarah of Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  It is not too late to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

Further Information:
You can read more about Frank Yamma and listen to some of his music at his website here.  Information contained in this post was sourced from an interview conducted by Alister McKeich for NITV.  See the full article here (nb. international readers may not be able to access this site).

 

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Just Outta School And Real, Real Cool

Day 18 — Share Your Music: 30 Days, 30 Songs

Somehow I’ve managed to go to on a long and totally unexpected musical journey for this song challenge.  One thing leads to another, as they say.  Sticking with yesterday’s rock ‘n roll theme, today I thought I would go with a cover of another Johnny O’Keefe favourite.  Co-written by Johnny Greenan, Johnny O’Keefe, Dave Owens and Tony Withers, Wild One (also known as Real Wild Child), was released by O’Keefe as a single in 1958 and Australian rock and roll was born.  Wild One has been covered numerous times, including by that other wild child, Iggy Pop.

Enjoy.

The wonderful Sarah of Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  It is not too late to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy

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Rock ‘N Roll

Day 17 — Share Your Music:  30 Days, 30 Songs

In Australia, Fathers Day is not until September.  However, I would like to play a song for my dad.  He is a great fan of Johnny O’Keefe.  I particularly love J O’K and Margaret McLaren’s rendition of Mockingbird.  However, I understand some people cannot access this due to regional blockers, so I’ve also included another version.

Or this version, if you can’t access the other.

The wonderful Sarah at Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  It is not too late to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy

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Oud Star

Day 16 — Share Your Music:  30 Days, 30 Songs

The National Folk Festival is held each year in Canberra.  I attend the four day festival every year and have done so for many years.  The depth and breadth of talent to be seen at the festival is overwhelming.  My family and I had the great fortune of seeing Australian Oud player, Joseph Tawadros, perform at a couple of festivals.  Joseph is charming, very funny and a gifted musician.  Naturally, we bought some of his CDs, including World Music.

Joseph plays 52 instruments on World Music, although clearly not all at once.  Joseph’s incredibly talented brother, James, also plays 11 percussion instruments on the album.  Joseph Tawadros has a new album out — The Bluebird, The Mystic and The Fool.  I think I should buy it for my husband’s birthday.  He would like that.

Sarah at Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  It is not too late to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

Posted on by Reflections of an Untidy Mind

Wind In The Whistle

Day 15 — Share Your Music:  30 Days, 30 Songs

Ladies and gentlemen, it is hump day in the 30 Days, 30 Songs challenge.   I’m exhausted and I am not sure I can think of another 15 songs/tunes.  I’ll have to play it by ear (groan).  Clarinet featured heavily in my classical music phase, possibly because No. 1 son was a clarinet player.  I might be biased (I know I am), but I consider the clarinet one of the most beautiful instruments in bands and orchestras.  It has such a warm tone.  Yes, it is time for some clarinet music.

I have listened to the following piece numerous times and I still love it.  It was my son’s audition piece for music school.  My goodness, kids really have to play some challenging pieces for auditions!  One can’t help wondering whether it is an anti-climax when the young students get into the course of their choice.  Anyway, endless music scales and practice was not quite as interesting as birds or native orchids apparently so that foray was short-lived.  Nevertheless, we still love the clarinet, and hope that you too will love Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Concertino played by Anthony Gigliotti.

Sarah at Art Expedition is hosting 30 Days, 30 Songs for the month of June. You can see her latest post here.  It is not too late to join in the challenge.  Casual players welcome.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.