Saxophonist Eric Marienthal has some pretty impressive jazz credentials: highest proficiency rating from Berklee College of Music, and started his career playing with Al Hirt and Chick Corea. He’s recorded on six of Chick Corea’s Elektrik Band albums (two of which won Grammys) and written a number of saxophone and jazz education books for Alfred Publishing. He’s recorded 14 solo albums and has worked with Lee Ritenour, David Benoit, and Jeff Lorber, of whose band he has played.
His most recent album was 2015’s Bridges. The late Chuck Loeb produced the album for him and backed him on guitar. Here’s the lead track from that album, “Westward.”
From the 1998 tribute album Walk Tall: Tribute to Canonball Adderley, here is “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.”
You can hear more of Eric’s music on Spotify and YouTube. His website hasn’t been updated in a couple of years, but he’s pretty active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, though he doesn’t appear to be too active on the latter.
Eric Marienthal, your Two for Tuesday, August 20, 2019.
I knew going into this month that I wanted to do another “Musical Acrostic,” a playlist where the first letters of the song titles spell out a word or phrase. Problem was, I didn’t know what phrase to use, so I looked up the calendar on Wikipedia to see who was born on this day, and it told me that Charles Elmer Hires, who was the person who brought root beer to the masses, was born on this day in 1851.
The birthday boy! (source: Wikipedia, public domain)
So, to honor the occasion, I asked everyone to build a playlist in which the first letters of the songs spell out “ROOT BEER.” Here’s mine; it’s not exactly “boogietastic,” as some of the regular conductors would say, but it’s pleasant listening.
The Marmalade, “Reflections Of My Life” One of those songs I just like. Maybe it’s because The Marmalade are from Scotland, maybe it’s because the first few chords are the same as The Beatles’ “A Day In The Life,” or maybe it’s just a good song.
Steely Dan, “Only A Fool Would Say That” The last song off their initial release, 1972’s Can’t Buy A Thrill. Already you can hear the jazz influences that would become a big part of their music ten years later.
Ringo Starr, “Only You” Ringo covers the classic tune by The Platters and gives it a whole different feel. From 1974’s Goodnight Vienna, it was released as a single and reached #6.
Jerry Orbach, “Try To Remember” I can’t get enough of this. Those of you who only know Jerry as Detective Lenny Briscoe on the long-running Law And Order might not know he was a song-and-dance man, and that he was the first person to sing this in the off-Broadway play The Fantasticks in 1962.
Barbara Lewis, “Baby I’m Yours” A song written by Van McCoy (who later wrote “The Hustle” during the disco days). Barbara Lewis recorded it in 1965 and took it to #11 on the Hot 100 (it reached #1 in Detroit and #4 in Chicago) and #5 on the R&B chart.
Tears For Fears, “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” An international hit, reaching #2 in the UK and Ireland and #1 in the US and Canada in 1985. It’s one of their signature songs, along with “Shout.”
Three Dog Night, “Easy To Be Hard” Reminds me of slow dancing in 7th and 8th grade. From the Broadway musical Hair, it was a #4 on the Hot 100 in 1969.
Rick Derringer and The Edgar Winter Group, “Rock & Roll Hoochie Koo” Derringer, originally with The McCoys and an established performer and producer, replaced Ronnie Montrose in The Edgar Winter Group after their first album, 1972’s They Only Come Out At Night. This is Rick’s composition, which Edgar’s brother Johnny had recorded in 1970.
And that’s Monday’s Music Moves Me for August 19, 2019.
Monday’s Music Moves Me is sponsored by X-Mas Dolly, Callie, Cathy, Alana, and Stacy, so be sure and visit them, where you can also find the Linky for the other participants.
This edition of The Week That Was is brought to you by Sandy’s restaurants. Sandy’s puts the fun into eating out!
Sandy’s was a restaurant chain in the Midwest that was started by four guys who operated a McDonalds in Urbana, Illinois (only the third McDonalds outside California) and had built restaurants in Decatur and Peoria when they were informed that those weren’t included in the Central Illinois territory, and that they would have to pay more to McDonalds. So they decided to brand the restaurants “Sandy’s” and soon there were Sandy’s all around the Midwest. It was later bought out by Hardee’s.
So, today, Jim wants “a song that features another group or artist in it.” I found one that mentions a whole boatload of musicians and one or two groups: “Creeque Alley” by The Mamas & The Papas. It was written by John and Michelle Phillips. It’s an autobiography of their early days in LA and mentions a number of other musicians, including John Sebastian and Zal Yanofsky of The Lovin’ Spoonful, Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, Barry McGuire of The New Christy Minstrels (who also composed and sang “Eve of Destruction”), and a couple of groups, The Mugwumps (of which the other members of the M&P, “Mama” Cass Elliott and Denny Doherty, were members) and The Lovin’ Spoonful. “Michi” is, of course, Michelle Phillips. Anyway, here’s the song…
John and Michi were gettin’ kind of itchy
Just to leave the folk music behind
Zal and Denny workin’ for a penny
Tryin’ to get a fish on the line
In a coffee house Sebastian sat
And after every number they’d pass the hat
McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin’ higher
In L.A., you know where that’s at
And no one’s gettin’ fat except Mama Cass
Zally said “Denny, you know there aren’t many”
“Who can sing a song the way that you do, let’s go south”
Denny said “Zally, golly, don’t you think that I wish”
“I could play guitar like you”
Zal, Denny and Sebastian sat (at the Night Owl)
And after every number they’d pass the hat
McGuinn and McGuire still a-gettin higher
In L.A., you know where that’s at
And no one’s gettin’ fat except Mama Cass
When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore
But she changed her mind one day
Standin’ on the turnpike, thumb out to hitchhike
“Take me to New York right away”
When Denny met Cass he gave her love bumps
Called John and Zal and that was the Mugwumps
McGuinn and McGuire couldn’t get no higher
But that’s what they were aimin’ at
And no one’s gettin’ fat except Mama Cass
Mugwumps, high jumps, low slumps, big bumps
Don’t you work as hard as you play
Make up, break up, everything is shake up
Guess it had to be that way
Sebastian and Zal formed the Spoonful
Michelle, John, and Denny gettin’ very tuneful
McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin’ fire
In L.A., you know where that’s at
And everybody’s gettin’ fat except Mama Cass
Di-di-di-dit dit dit di-di-di-dit, who-o-oa
Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can’t be trusted
And Mitchy wants to go to the sea
Cass can’t make it, she says we’ll have to fake it
We knew she’d come eventually
Greasin’ on American Express cards
It’s low rent, but keeping out the heat’s hard
Duffy’s good vibrations and our imaginations
Can’t go on indefinitely
And California dreamin’ is becomin’ a reality
