Curio Cabinet / Song Curio

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

For Totó La Momposina, music isn't just a family tradition—it's how she preserves the many histories of ancient and modern Columbian cultures. One of her signature songs, El Pescador ("The Fisherman"), shows off what she learned as a young musician while traveling from village to village in Colombia, learning songs of the cantadoras, or peasant women singers. In many cases, the women would sing to set the pace of a group task, like making food or cleaning clothes in a river; in turn, the men would play drums from hollowed-out tree trunks. In El Pescador, the results are a display of call-and-response oral traditions and cumbia dances—according to Momposina's website, the latter of which "originated as a courting dance between African men and Indian women at the time when the two communities began to mix." Momposina's dedication to bringing these types of songs to the world stage hasn't just made her a beloved icon of Colombian music, but also an internationally-respected singer who has been sampled by producer Timbaland, and even accompanied Gabriel García Márquez to Sweden in 1982 to perform at his Nobel Prize ceremony. For Totó La Momposina's 78th birthday tomorrow, we're casting our nets, throwing out lines, and enjoying the magic she brings to one of her best-known songs.
 

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Image credit & copyright: Real World Records
 

Pixar's newest animated film, Soul, is really taking the "Jazzing" from the New York clubs into people's homes. To capture the main character Joe Gardner's flair for music, the Pixar team partnered with musician Jon Batiste to create the jazz score for the film. Previously known for his work as the bandleader on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Batiste displays an encyclopedic knowledge of music on tracks like It's Alright. The track begins with Batiste playing jaunty gospel-influenced chords—though after a few verses, he digs into the instrumental solos, letting the jazz substitutions—when a set of notes are transposed onto different chords or melodies for varied effect—flow. Meanwhile the classical-influenced trills and glissandos influence the speed and feel of the piece. It all adds up to a tender performance that is unmistakably Batiste, and a fitting tribute to the rich history of jazz music in America.

[Image description: A still frame from Pixar's animated Soul, Joe Gardner, voiced by Jamie Foxx, wears a top hat, glasses, and trench coat.] Courtesy of Pixar and Disney.
 

Written by: Esther P.

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Mary J. Blige is known for bringing the house down when she sings, so it's no wonder her performance of Mighty River at the 2018 Oscars was a showstopper. Blige arrived onstage solo, using her powerful voice to lead the soulful piano ballad nominated for Best Original Song from the film Mudbound. Mighty River's themes of love overcoming racial boundaries might have been enough reason for Blige to make a memorable appearance at the awards ceremony, but it was far from the only reason she was there; Blige also played the role of Florence Jackson in the film about two World War II veterans—one black and one white—dealing with segregation and PTSD in Mississippi. Blige was nominated for [Best] Actress in a Supporting Role, becoming the first person ever nominated for both Original Song and Supporting Actress in the same year. Those are definitely reasons enough to bring out the gospel-influenced choir and celebrate with a few choruses of Mighty River!

 

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Image credit & copyright: Lainey Gossip
 

The Beach Boys had a famously wholesome vibe, but sometimes the gloves came off! Although 1965's earworm Help Me Rhonda went on to become the Beach Boys' second number-one single, the song got off to a rough start. The band first attempted to record it on January 8, 1965, but an interloper took over during their studio session. Murry Wilson, father of band members Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, and uncle of band member Mike Love, showed up to the session seemingly just to disrupt it. Wilson drunkenly yelled at the band, focusing most of his abuse on his son Brian. Brian began shouting back and Wilson eventually left. The Beach Boys re-recorded the song's vocals the next day, and met on February 24 to re-do the song in its entirety before release. Al Jardine, the Beach Boys' lead guitarist, ended up singing lead vocals for the first time on the released version. The song was certainly worth all the trouble. With its boppy beat and repetitious, easy-to-remember chorus, Help Me Rhonda topped the charts for two weeks, beating out The Beatles' Ticket to Ride for the number one spot. Take that, Dad!
 

Image credit & copyright: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
 

Written by: Maria C.

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Not since Michael Jackson's sequined glove has an item of handy fashion caused such a stir in the music world. Electronic-folk artist Imogen Heap is making (and tracing) waves with her Mi.Mu Gloves. On her 2014 single Me the Machine, the programmable musical gloves allow Heap to use the arm gestures and the motions of her hands to manipulate digital equalizer sliders, drum machine hits, and sampled pitches, to name a few, during live performances. The track ended up becoming a powerful visual demo for Heap, allowing the ethereal and cyborg-like timbres of Me the Machine to play out through verse and chorus-changes. Paired with Heap's project called Mycelia—which aims to be an online tool and research development resource for 21st-century musicians—it isn't hard to see why the English songwriter and audio engineer is one of the most exciting voices in the music industry today. Though we do wonder how long it'll take to get our hands on some Mi.Mu sneakers or sunglasses?
 

Below: Imogen Heap discusses the Mi.Mu Gloves with Dezeen; performing Me the Machine.
 

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Image credit & copyright: Dezeen
 

For bluegrass musicians there are two eras: before and after Tony Rice. The guitarist was known for his contributions to the newgrass genre in the 1970s. Rice, and a crop of new bluegrass enthusiasts, had brought in electric instruments, jazz music influences, and experimental soloing techniques to the traditional acoustic genre. While Rice often proved himself more than capable of whatever musical challenges lay ahead of him, it was his solo work that often shedded a light on his sophisticated musicianship. Take his work on the Norman Blake standard Church Street Blues from his 1983 album of the same name: Rice begins the track with a rich display of crosspicking playing, using a pick to imitate the full sound of fingerstyle guitar. The bright and clear guitar lines contrast with the lyrics about a protagonist falling on hard times in a city, and wishing for a simpler country life. With such empathy in his voice and magic in his fingers, it's no wonder Rice's recent passing has been marked with obituaries in Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times. He left an incomparable legacy of music for fans new and old to dig into in honor of his life and legacy.

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

It might be hard to fathom, but the best-selling soundtrack of all time, The Bodyguard, wasn't even supposed to feature Whitney Houston singing I Will Always Love You. The original musical centerpiece of the film—about Houston's character falling for her bodyguard, played by Kevin Costner—was a cover of What Becomes of the Brokenhearted by Jimmy Ruffin. When the song was featured in Fried Green Tomatoes, released around the same time, that plan had to be scrapped. Costner brought Linda Ronstadt's cover of I Will Always Love You to Houston—a song originally written by country musician Dolly Parton. Houston loved the "can't live with you, can't live without you" theme of the lyrics, and turned it into a tender plea that builds into a showcase for her powerhouse voice. When the soundtrack was released 25 years ago in November 1992, I Will Always Love You hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record 14 weeks; The Bodyguard soundtrack has since sold over 45 million copies worldwide. That's a whole lot of well-deserved love for Whitney's voice!
 

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Image credit & copyright: Warner Bros/Regency/Canal +/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock
 

The Chinese Lunar New Year is upon us. There's no better time to listen to one of our favorite musical collaborations of the past year. On Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn, the titular artists explore a serendipitous meeting of traditional Chinese and Appalachian folk music. On the lead track Water is Wide / Wusuli Boat Song, Wu Fei shows off her skills with the guzheng, a 2,000-year-old stringed instrument. She sings an ancient pastoral tune from the Nanai people of northern China called Wusuli Boat Song. Abigail Washburn joins in with a gentle, rolling clawhammer banjo rhythm, and harmonizes with a version of The Water is Wide. Washburn initially altered the forlorn love lyrics to meet the mother-and-child themes of Wusuli Boat Song when she and Wu discussed lullabies for their young children. What emerges from Water is Wide / Wusuli Boat Song is a piece that highlights the beauty and unique character of both folk music styles—making it the perfect soundtrack for welcoming a new, fortuitous lunar year.
 

Image credit & copyright: Wu Fei / Shervin Lainez
 

Written by: Esther P.
 

Classical composers say "only fools rush in." Okay, maybe not, but that doesn't change the fact that one of Elvis Presley's most famous love songs Can't Help Falling in Love takes its melody from a 200-year-old French song. Plaisir d'amour was written in 1784 by Jean-Paul-Égide Martini, a court musician who entertained the likes of Marie Antoinette and Napoléon. Martini excelled at writing love songs in the ballad form. Lyrics from the song came from a poem penned by Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian. Unlike Elvis' hit, Plaisir laments the loss of love rather than the sublime feelings of staying in love. The swooning melody and triplet rhythm of Martini's original lent itself well to a doo-wop feel when Italian songwriting cousins Hugo & Luigi (Peretti and Creatore, respectively) handed the tune over during Elvis' Blue Hawaii film production. One quirk that remains in the Elvis interpretation is a set of verse lyrics written for a woman to sing ("Shall I stay? / Would it be a sin"). No biggie though, whichever way it's sung, Martini's timeless romantic melody shines through in any language.

 
Below: the Italian tenor Andrea Bocceli sings Plaisir d'amour, and Elvis sings, Can't Help Falling in Love.
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

On this day in 1972, Paul McCartney took a stand. The Beatle, not known for political statements, surprised fans when he and his new band Wings released their debut single, Give Ireland Back to the Irish. The song was a direct response to the events of January 30, 1972, a date that has come to be down as "Bloody Sunday," wherein 26 unarmed citizens were killed while protesting British internment camps in Northern Ireland. In the song, McCartney presents a simple solution: "Make Ireland Irish today." McCartney had Irish ancestry, as did his old bandmate John Lennon, who also released songs in '72 supportive of the movement for Britain to cede control of Northern Ireland. But it was McCartney's song that caused a stir: the BBC, Radio Luxembourg and the Independent Television Authority banned it from airplay. The Troubles have subsided, and Northern Ireland remains a British "country" today, but movements for a "united Ireland" are as strong as ever. Paging Mr. McCartney…  

It's not every day that a 23-year-old jazz saxophonist is lauded for the "Best Jazz Album of 2020" by The New York Times. But then, Immanuel Wilkins is no ordinary jazz musician, and these aren't ordinary times. Wilkins' debut Omega takes inspiration from the past and present, bringing composed jazz structures to Black Lives Matter discourses and the subject of a 1918 racist lynching in Mary Turner—An American Tradition. The track tells the tale of Mary Turner (TW: racism, lynching, and infanticide ahead). At eight months pregnant, a lynch mob in Lowndes County, Georgia captured Turner, stringing her upside down and lighting her on fire. The mob cut open her belly, pulled out her unborn child, and crushed the child to death. Wilkins' composition captures the emotional horror of the scene, starting with a dream-like opening that gives way to a repeating drum figure and rummaging sax solo. Wilkins' playing grows in intensity and mournfulness as the song progresses. About halfway through, a menacing piano enters, giving way to the cacophonous, excruciating end. It's not the easiest piece of music or history to relive, but there's an undeniable way in which Wilkins compels us to keep listening and keep working for a better future.

 
Image credit & copyright: Immanuel Wilkins.
 

Written by: Esther P.
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Political bands didn't get much bigger than Midnight Oil in the '80s. The group honed their rock chops in Australian clubs, attaining global success with songs like Blue Sky Mine before lead singer Peter Garrett began a second career pursuing a role in Parliament. The transition wasn't so far off, as Blue Sky Mine shows off Garrett's relentless energy and fight for the rights of the powerless. The song's urgent guitar and harmonica opener pave the way for Garrett and bandmates' lyrics about blue asbestos miners at Wittenoom, Western Australia. The workers often suffered debilitating illnesses like lung cancer and mesothelioma from breathing in the mineral's dust—and if that wasn't bad enough, living in an exploitive "company town" owned by the Colonial Sugar Company ensured goods prices were high and wages were low enough to prevent any upward social mobility. For Midnight Oil, the subject matter was worthy of solidarity, as Garrett used his platform to launch successful bids for the Australian Senate, where the subject matter that fueled his songs became the inspiration to enact legislation in support of those who are often voiceless in big political battles.
 

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Image credit & copyright: Midnight Oil
 

What do you get for the pianist friend who can play anything? Composer and conductor Thomas Adès took the classical music world by storm last year with the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra he wrote for his friend, pianist Kirill Gerstein. Adès is known for his post-modern pastiches, paying homage to the greats like Mozart and Vivaldi in choosing the classical era concerto form (a work for a soloist and orchestra), but adding his own twists with modern dissonances and abrupt rhythmic changes. To add even more flair to the concerto, Adès seems to quote George Gershwin's I Got Rhythm in the opening to the first movement—no doubt a wink and nod towards Kirill Gerstein, who specializes in performing Gershwin's jazzy-concerto-like work Rhapsody in Blue. But what, if anything does Gerstein have to say about Adès' gifts that are at times nearly impossible to play? Of their previous collaboration The Exterminating Angel, Gerstein remarked: If you practice a lot… it’s almost comfortable.” Even if Adès' Concerto is being hailed as one of the best classical works of the decade, everyone's got their critics/best collaborators!
 

Image credit & copyright: Faber Music
 

Written by: Esther P.

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

"I think it'll probably be another day singing it," Paul McCartney concluded after a ninth take of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The opening track to the band's revered 1967 album of the same name clocked in at just two minutes, but was a challenge to record due to its high-pitched vocal lines. Now, thanks to a 50th-anniversary re-release, Beatles fans get to enjoy the song's many takes, warts and all. Take nine, as you can hear below, doesn't feature the punch of George Harrison's squealy, overdriven lead guitar part, John Lennon's overdubbed backing vocals, or the classic French horn riff expected at 0:35. But it does include a fun, improvised outro, drenched in beautiful guitar feedback. "Gotta be free now," McCartney repeats until the whole thing falls apart and is taken over by studio chatter. You know a song is good when even the outtakes sound like this.  

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Revenge is a dish best served on Mars… or at least that was the case for David Bowie. One of his most endearing tunes, the 1973 hit Life on Mars?, began as something he wrote for crooner Frank Sinatra. Pre-fame Bowie worked for a music publishing company in the late 1960s when he got the opportunity to write English lyrics to the French chanson (song) Comme d’habitude, eventually performed by Frank Sinatra. Bowie's effort would be called Even a Fool Learns to Love. Unfortunately for the Starman, Paul Anka bought the rights and wrote Sinatra's signature song My Way. Not one to be outdone, when Bowie recorded his breakthrough sophomore album Hunky Dory in 1971, he returned to his previous failure, lifting the Life on Mars? descending verse melody directly from i>My Way. In true Bowie fashion he didn't stop there: the song has a completely rewritten bridge which changes keys as it ascends into the big, surreal chorus. The back of the Hunky Dory vinyl even lists a parenthetical note to Life on Mars? as "(Inspired by Frankie)." Remembering David Bowie on the anniversary of his birthday, we're glad he did things his own space oddity-way.
 

Below: the three versions of the chanson: Claude François' Comme d'habitude, Sinatra's My Way, and Bowie's Life on Mars?

Image credit & copyright: David Bowie, WMG
 

Written by: Esther P.

 

A little competition can be a great thing! Despite British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran's laid-back demeanor, it turns out he can be pretty competitive...against himself, anyway. In 2014, Sheeran released Thinking Out Loud, a love song that quickly became a hit. The song was co-written with folk singer Amy Wadge, meaning that Sheeran had to share credit for the career-defining tune. In 2017, Sheeran sought to remedy this by releasing Perfect, a love song he'd written entirely on his own. "I just wanted to beat Thinking Out Loud. I wasn't in any other mind," he said in one interview. Perfect did end up being a smash hit, topping the Billboard Top 100 on this day, in 2018. Sheeran even released two versions of the song, one solo and one as a duet with none other than Beyoncé. Even without all the attention Queen Bey surely brought to the tune, Perfect is a catchy and unique song. Written in three-quarter time, it features straightforward but touching lyrics about getting married and raising a family. Who would have guessed that such a gentle ballad was born of Sheeran's urge to one-up himself!
 

Image credit & copyright: Owen Sweeney/Invision/AP
 

Written by: Maria C.

 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

One of the most divine friendships of the Civil Rights era was that of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson and Martin Luther King, Jr. The two met at the National Baptist Convention in 1953, and soon after, Jackson accompanied King to many of his rallies. Perhaps the most moving story of their friendship came during the '63 March on Washington. That day, Jackson performed an a capella (solo voice) version of the gospel standard I've Been Buked, a song that speaks to the suffering and perseverance of those at the march, and to those who protested the cruelties of segregation. Her solemn and mournful tone set the stage for King's I Have a Dream speech, but that isn't where the story ends. King was said to have made several revisions of his famous oration and didn't necessarily intend on speaking about dreams. As King's speech grew more and more inspiring and he went off-script, Jackson, as a confidant of King's, was heard yelling: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" And the rest, as they say, is history.

 

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Image credit & copyright: Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
 

Laissez les bons temps rouler! During Mardi Gras, Big Chief Romeo Bougere of the 9th Ward Hunters and Big Chief Jermaine Bossier of the 7th Ward Creole Hunters lead their New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian "gangs" in local (play) war games. When the two aren't bedecked in hand-sewn costumes inspired by indigenous regalia, they put their differences aside and come together as the 79rs Gang, a New Orleans duo serving up a hot batch of creole-inspired hip-hop on tracks like 79rs Bout to Blow. Over a bed of syncopated drum machines, African percussion instruments, and a buzzy horn section, Bougere and Bossier trade rhymes about their NOLA pride. The duo began as intense rivals who would challenge each other to sing and rap during the war games. When they realized they both had immense talent and would be better off creating music together, the 79rs Gang was born, proving that if you can't beat 'em, you should definitely join 'em in. Together, they make some of the best new music coming out of New Orleans.

 

Image credit & copyright: Diwang Valdez
 

Written by: Esther P.
 

It's Flashback Friday! Enjoy this favorite from the Curio Cabinet archives.
 

Is there anyone who embodies the romantic spirit of rock 'n' roll like Robert Plant? The former voice of Led Zeppelin has kept himself busy in recent years with his 2017 album Carry Fire. From the sounds of the lead single The May Queen, Plant is drawing from his past to define his future. The song's title character was first referenced in the cryptic lyrics to Stairway to Heaven; in The May Queen, she is the object of his tender tenor's affection. The acoustic instruments provided by the Sensational Space Shifters ebb and flow around Plant's naturalistic lyrics, giving his music the familiar feel of belonging in a medieval fantasy setting somewhere over the hills and far away. Which is perfect for one of the most influential rock vocalists, who was equally inspired by The Lord of the Rings and blues musicians like Memphis Minnie. Even if we never get the Led Zeppelin reunion tour we've always dreamed of, Robert Plant's output is more than enough to keep critics and fans of his fierce singing and folkloric spirit entertained for dancin' days to come.
 

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Image credit & copyright: Robert Plant/Warner Music Group
 

For a band that plays the most danceable rock 'n' roll this side of the Rolling Stones, AC/DC has had some pretty rough years. Singer Brian Johnson stopped touring to prevent additional hearing loss, leaving Axl Rose to front the band's 2016 tour. The following year, Malcolm Young, a founding member and rhythm guitarist passed away after battling dementia. The band seemed to be falling apart, which makes their return with Shot in the Dark a welcomed surprise. A new tune on the recently released album, Power Up finds the original hard rockers slipping into their old blues-based grooves. Singer Brian Johnson is back to form with his raspy delivery, as is lead guitarist Angus Young with his trademark schoolboy outfit and devil-horned guitar. In a year when so much of life has felt upended, the return of AC/DC reminds us rock 'n' roll "ain't noise pollution," it's an ever-refreshing fountain of youth and mischief, especially when an AC/DC hit is pumping through the speakers.

 

Image credit & copyright: Jason Squires / WireImage
 

Written by: Esther P