John Musto:  Litany

John Musto: Litany

“Litany”, from John Musto’s masterful set of songs Shadow of the Blues is, in my humble but educated opinion, a perfect song.  I actually find it difficult to describe how I feel about this song—it has a profound effect on me every time I hear it. John, who has been...
Joni Mitchell:  Hejira

Joni Mitchell: Hejira

So, Joni.  Her influence on my life is profound, and when I was asked to share five songs, I knew one would have to be Joni’s. The real challenge again was to choose only one song from her huge catalog. The first of her albums I encountered in my youth was Ladies of...
Annie Ross:  Twisted

Annie Ross: Twisted

After I finally accepted the fact that I had no future as a rock singer, I switched to jazz, which is a bit easier on the voice. I am still very nostalgic for this period of my life. I was like a kid in a candy store and couldn’t get enough of discovering new artists,...
Sting:  Fragile

Sting: Fragile

My parents were professional musicians who kept throwing instruments at me to see which one would stick, so I learned to play multiple instruments but none of them well. Eventually I realized that my true instrument was in my throat, and my teenage rebellion took the...
Leonard Bernstein:  A Julia de Burgos

Leonard Bernstein: A Julia de Burgos

From his 1977 song cycle Songfest, “A Julia de Burgos” uses the text of poet Julia de Burgos. Jack Gottlieb describes the cycle terrifically: Originally commissioned to be a work in celebration of the American Bicentennial Year (1976), Songfest could not...