Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday October 31, 2023: Halloween

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU, 93.1 FM, in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can be streamed on-demand, now or anytime, by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/62553.html

Theme: Halloween and CKCU Funding Drive.

I’ve been involved in community radio, first in Montreal at CKUT, and now in Ottawa at CKCU, for almost 30 years and I truly love the diversity of programming that you only find on community radio stations like CKCU. 

It’s only at community radio stations that people like me have the freedom to curate and host our shows without regard to commercial concerns. CKCU has shows that reflect very rare diversity in genres, artists, songs, and communities – and we’re only able to do that with your support. 

All of us who create programs at CKCU are dedicated volunteers. I know that I work hard to create interesting programs each week on CKCU and I think my programming is unique. But that’s one of the great things about community radio – all of the programs are unique. 

So, please click on this link to show your support for Stranger Songs and CKCU, and help us stay on the air for another year. https://www.canadahelps.org/me/6rEQFU7Z

Bodie Wagner- Halloween

Vintage (Bodie Wagner)

Fourtold- Panther in Michigan

Fourtold (Appleseed)

Fourtold- The Nine Little Goblins

Fourtold (Appleseed)

Erynn Marshall & Carl Jones- Halloween Wedding March

Old Tin (Dittyville Music)

Jack Hardy- The Halloween Parade

The Passing (Prime CD)

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross- Halloween Spooks

The Hottest New Group in Jazz (Columbia/Legacy)

Skinner & T’witch- Halloween

The Fool’s Journey (Skinner & T’witch)

Laurie MacAllister- Are You Happy Now?

The Lies the Poets Tell (Laurie MacAllister)

John & Sheila Ludgate- Halloween Dad

The Kitchen Sessions (John & Sheila Ludgate) 

Loudon Wainwright III- Halloween 2009

10 Songs for the New Depression (Proper)

David Massengill- Come Take a Ride on My Broom

Mogana’s Sleepover and the Witch’s Hand (David Massengill)

David Massengill- The Witch’s Menu

Mogana’s Sleepover and the Witch’s Hand (David Massengill)

Stan Rogers- The Witch of the Westmorland

Between the Breaks…Live! (Fogarty’s Cove/Borealis)

Donovan- Season of the Witch

Donovan’s Greatest Hits (Epic)

Ella Fitzgerald- Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is Dead

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook (Verve)

Rockapella- Zombie Jamboree

Modern A Cappella (Rhino)

Vance Gilbert- Zombie Pattycake

Good Good Man (Disismye Music)

Vance Gilbert- The Day Before November

Good Good Man (Disismye Music)

Cab Calloway- The Ghost of Smokey Joe

St. James Infirmary (CTS)

Ray Bierl- Big Joe and Phantom 309

Any Place I Hang My Hat (Greasy String Productions)

The Balladeers- Tiptoe Through the Ghosties

It’s About Time (The Balladeers)

Count Basie- Trick or Treat

Hall of Fame (Verve)

Next week: Addendums to Past Themes.

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday May 2, 2023: Stompin’ at the Savoy

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesdays from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web. 

This episode of Stranger Songs was recorded and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/60257.html

Theme: Stompin’ at the Savoy.

The Savoy Ballroom in the Harlem section of New York City was a major music venue from 1926 until 1958, and in the liner notes to Savoy by Taj Mahal, Holger Peterson notes that 13 of the 14 songs on the album would likely have been heard at the Savoy during its long run. And that’s what gave me the idea for this theme. All the songs on this show were performed during that period and might well have been heard at the Savoy at some point.

Taj Mahal- Stompin’ at the Savoy

Savoy (Stony Plain)

Ella Fitzgerald with The Chick Webb Orchestra- A-Tisket, A-Tasket

Swingsation (Verve)

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy- Diga Diga Do

Rattle Them Bones (Savoy Jazz)

Howard Armstrong- Lady Be Good

Louie Bluie (Blue Suit)

Samoa Wilson with The Jim Kweskin Band- He Ain’t Got Rhythm

I Just Want to Be Horizontal (Kingswood)

Taj Mahal- Baby Won’t You Please Come Home

Savoy (Stony Plain)

Catherine Russell & Mike Regenstreif (2007)

Catherine Russell- Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby?

Alone Together (Dot Time)

Taj Mahal- Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me

Savoy (Stony Plain)

Barney Bigard & Orchestra- C Jam Blues

The Great Ellington Units (BMG)

Ella Fitzgerald with The Duke Ellington Orchestra- I’m Just a Lucky So-and-So

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (Verve)

Jackie Washington & Mike Regenstreif (2008)

Jackie Washington- Take the “A” Train

Keeping Out of Mischief (Pyramid)

Nina Simone- Mood Indigo

Let It All Out (Liberty)

Taj Mahal- Caldonia

Savoy (Stony Plain)

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown- Salt Pork, West Virginia

Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown Sings Louis Jordan (Black & Blue)

Asleep at the Wheel- Choo Ch’Boogie

Having a Party: Live (Goldenlane)

Louis Jordan- Let the Good Times Roll

Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five (JSP)

Taj Mahal- Sweet Georgia Brown

Savoy (Stony Plain)

Dave Van Ronk- Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You

Hummin’ to Myself (Gazell)

Oscar Brown, Jr.- One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)

The Voice of Cool (Not Now Music)

Count Basie & His Orchestra- Jumpin’ at the Woodside

The Count Basie Story, Vol. 1 (Columbia)

Cab Calloway- Minnie the Moocher

Are You Hep to the Jive? (Columbia/Legacy)

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong- Stompin’ at the Savoy

Ella and Louis Again (Verve)

Next week: Remembering Harry Belafonte (1927-2023).

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif – CKCU – Tuesday February 8, 2022: Boogie Men and Boogie Women

Stranger Songs with Mike Regenstreif finds connections and develops themes in various genres. The show is broadcast on CKCU in Ottawa on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 until 5 pm (Eastern time) and is also available 24/7 for on-demand streaming.

CKCU can be heard live at 93.1 FM in Ottawa and https://www.ckcufm.com/ on the web.

This episode of Stranger Songs was prerecorded at home and can already be streamed on-demand by clicking on “Listen Now” at … https://cod.ckcufm.com/programs/595/55121.html

Theme: Boogie Men and Boogie Women

Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley- Boogie Train
Scrap Metal Blues (Electro-Fi)

Big Joe Turner- Boogie Woogie Country Girl
Flip, Flop and Fly 1951-1955 (Rev-Ola)
Willie Dixon- Big 3 Boogie
The Big Three Trio (Columbia)
Jay McShann- The Fish Fry Boogie
Goin’ to Kansas City (Stony Plain)
Jimmy Rushing- Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong)
Do You Wanna Jump, Children? 1937-1946 (Jasmine)
Louis Jordan- Choo Choo Ch’Boogie
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Years 1955-1958 (Jasmine)

Lawrence Lebo- Cowboy Swinging Boogie Woogie
Don’t Call Her Larry, Volume 3: American Roots (On the Air)
Driftin’ Doug- Alberta Boogie
A Legend in His Grime (Driftin’ Doug)
Brenda Lewis- Cow Cow Boogie
Far & Near (Brenda Lewis)

The Bebop Cowboys- Cadillac Boogie
Some Kind of Fantasy (Bebop Cowboys)

Mike Regenstreif & Jesse Winchester (2006)

Jesse Winchester- Never Forget to Boogie
A Reasonable Amount of Trouble (Appleseed)
The Andrews Sisters- Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
Ultimate Edition (Nostalgic Melody Music Production)
Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer with Bill Kirchen- Guitar Boogie
Voice on the Wind (Rounder)
Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen - The Boogie Man Boogie
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (Wounded Bird)

Stick McGhee- House Warmin’ Boogie
New York Blues and R&B (JSP)
Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee- You Bring Out the Boogie In Me
Sonny & Brownie (A&M)
Lil Hardin Armstrong- Boogie Me
Chicago: The Living Legends (Riverside)
Jesse Fuller- Memphis Boogie
Jazz, Folk Songs, Spirituals & Blues (Good Time Jazz)

Michael Jerome Browne- Boogie Chillen
Double (Borealis)
Susie Arioli Swing Band featuring Jordan Officer- Jordan’s Boogie
Pennies from Heaven (Justin Time)
Little Miss Higgins- Broadcast Boogie
Two Nights in March (L.M.H. Music)
Sue Foley- Boogie Real Low
Pinky’s Blues (Stony Plain)

Cab Calloway- The Calloway Boogie
Are You Hep to the Jive? (Columbia/Legacy)
Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers- Roll the Boogie
Everybody’s Talkin’ ‘Bout Miss Thing (Fat Note)
Brother John Sellers- Dorothea Boogie
Brother John Sellers Sings Blues and Folk Songs (Vanguard)
Big Mama Thornton- Mischievous Boogie
The Story of My Blues: The Complete Singles As and Bs 1951-1961 (Jasmine)

Little Brother Montgomery- Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie
Classic Piano Blues from Smithsonian Folkways (Smithsonian Folkways)

Next week: Part 1 – Remembering Norma Waterson and Tony Barrand; Part 2 – Love Songs

Find me on Facebook. facebook.com/mikeregenstreif

--Mike Regenstreif

Various artists -- Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations

Various Artists
Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations
Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation
Idelsohnsociety.com

(This review is from the September 27, 2010 issue of the Ottawa Jewish Bulletin.)

This fascinating compilation was conceived when members of the Idelsohn Society for Musical Preservation – a group named for Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, the composer of “Hava Negila” – chanced upon a 1958 recording by Johnny Mathis, the African American singer mostly known for his romantic, smooth pop songs, of “Kol Nidre,” the prayer traditionally sung on Erev Yom Kippur.

Singing in the original Aramaic, Mathis, sounds like a veteran cantor on this powerfully stirring interpretation which provides the finale for Black Sabbath: The Secret Musical History of Black-Jewish Relations, an album that explores Jewish music, or music composed by Jews in non-Jewish styles or even by gentiles in Jewish styles (or with Jewish cultural references), and performed by African American artists between the 1930s and 1960s.

That there would be a history of musical interaction between Jews and African Americans is hardly surprising. There are examples that stretch across the entire history of 20th century popular, jazz and folk music.

A few of the 15 tracks included on the CD are well known, some are surprising.

Perhaps the most surprising is the version of “My Yiddishe Momme” by the great jazz singer Billie Holiday that opens the album. On this private recording made at the home of a friend in 1956, and accompanied just by pianist, Holiday strips the song of its usual nostalgic sentimentality instead offering it as a poignant, plaintive lament.

One of the most astounding tracks is Aretha Franklin’s 1966 recording of “Swanee,” a song written by Jewish songwriters George Gershwin and Irving Caeser, and made famous by Al Jolson who sang it in blackface, a performance style abandoned many decades ago in recognition of its inherent racism. Franklin – who was yet to record the soul classics that made her a huge star – turns in a soaring, powerful performance that makes Jolson’s version seem completely irrelevant.

Several numbers are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a tap in your toes. Johnny Hartman’s 1966 version of “That Old Black Magic,” by Jewish composer Harold Arlen, incorporates verses from “Matilda,” the calypso song, and then, more relevantly for this compilation, the Yiddish song “Di Grine Kuzine.” There’s a 1939 version of “Utt Da Zay,” performed by Cab Calloway that Jewish songwriters Irving Mills (Calloway’s manager) and Buck Ram adapted from the traditional Yiddish folksong about a tailor. Calloway, one of the swing era’s great wits, sings the opening verses almost with reverence interspersing them with some scatting that almost sounds like a Chasidic nigun. Soon, though, the band is in full swing mode and his scats let us know that it’s all in fun. And, Slim Gaillard’s 1945 recording of “Dunkin’ Bagel,” is a musical hipster’s guide to such Jewish foods as bagels, matzo balls, gefilte fish, pickled herring, etc.

Fiddler on the Roof provides material for two tracks including a spiritual-sounding instrumental version of “Sabbath Prayer,” recorded in 1964 by jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderley. Later in the CD, the Temptations do a 10-minute, Las Vegas-style medley drawing on many of the musical’s hits.

A most interesting combination of composer, lyricist and performer comes in African American singer Jimmy Scott’s 1969 version of “Exodus.” The music was composed in 1960 as the theme for Exodus, the film based on Leon Uris’ novel about the founding of the State of Israel. The lyrics Scott sings, easily interpreted as being from the perspective of a Jew in his homeland, were written later by American pop singer and religious Christian Pat Boone. Another fascinating combination of song, creators and performer is Lena Horne’s 1963 recording of “Now,” a civil rights song written by Jewish songwriters Adolph Green, Betty Comden and Jule Styne to the melody of “Hava Nagila.”

In a similar theme, “Where Can I Go,” translated by Leo Fuld from a Yiddish song that longs for a Jewish homeland, also became a civil rights anthem in its English-language version. It’s included here with Marlena Shaw’s 1969 recording.

Other highlights include “Sholem,” a wild version of “Hevenu Shalom Aleichem,” recorded in 1959 by Eartha Kitt; the Yiddish love song “Ich Hob Dich Tzufil Lieba,” performed by Alberta Hunter, a 1920s classic blues singer, on a 1982 album at age 87; a 1963 version of the Hebrew folksong, “Eretz Zavat Chalav,” by the great Nina Simone; and collaboration of Jewish singer Libby Holman and African American folk and blues legend Josh White on a 1942 recording of “Baby, Baby,” a variant of the traditional “See See Rider.”

These tracks just begin to illustrate the possibilities inherent in a musical history of black-Jewish relations. Let’s hope this is just the first in a series of volumes.

--Mike Regenstreif