AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Robert Maxwell, His Harp and Orchestra

Artist:Robert Maxwell, His Harp and Orchestra

Song:Shangri-La

Album:Hard to Find Orchestral Instrumentals

Robert Maxwell was a harpisr who is best known for writing two big hits, Ebb Tide and Shangri-La. He recorded plenty of easy listening albums. But the big surprise was when his 1964 recording of Shangi-La was a top 15 hit. He had one other chart single so he's not even a one hit wonder. But I think it's fair to say that Maxwell didn't depend on chart success anyway. He was born Max Rosen Apr. 19, 1921 in New York City. He started playing the harp as a child. His two brothers play the harp too. Abe Rosen played on Broadway and Myor Rosen was with the New York Philharmonic for thirty years. After Maxwell won a scholarship at Juilliard, he became the youngest member of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington at age 17. During WWII, Maxwell played in the 11th Naval District Coast Guard led by Rudy Vallee. So that got him to play popular music on the harp. So that got him thinking about writing and recording. He didn't have to be part of an orchestra. So for most of the 50s, Maxwell recorded for MGM Records. But the big surprise was when Frank Chacksfield scored a top five hit with his 1953 single of Ebb Tide. Maxwell wrote Shangri-La with violinist Matty Malneck in 1946. Malneck recorded it in 1946 featuring a Maxwell harp solo. The 1957 recording by the vocal group The Five Coins was a top 15 hit. Maxwell signed with Decca and reached #15 with his 1964 single Shangri-La. Jackie Gleason used Shangri-La on his early 60s variety show for his Reginald Van Gleason character. Plus Vic Dana recorded a vocal version. Maxwell's version had a "Space Age" arrangement led by sax and organ solos. So it had a pop music sound as opposed to classical. You can get Shangri-La on this various artists comp from the oldies label Eric Records.Maxwell recorded as Bobby Maxwell for Command/ABC in the 70s. And he continued to appear with orchestras until his death on Feb. 7, 2012 at age 90. Here's a video for Shangri-La by Robert Maxwell, His Harp and Orchestra.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Future Islands

Artist:Future Islands

Song:Seasons (Waiting on You)

Album:Singles

Future Islands is a synth pop band and they have been around for almost twenty years. They are an indie band on an indie label. The 2014 album Singles is their biggest seller to date. Chances are pretty good that if you like synth pop, you should like Future Islands. The band was formed in Greenville, SC in 2006 and moved to Baltimore in 2008. Lead singer Sam Herring and keyboardist Gerrit Weimers were friends growing up in Morehead City, NC. Guitarist William Cashion started hanging out with them. He had already been in a couple of bands. So he thought they would be interested. They called the band Art Lord and the Self-Portraits. They were influenced by art classes they took in school. They recorded four albums and then split up because high school was over and they were going in different directions. Herring, Weimers and Cashion formed a new band Future Islands. They got rid of the art class gimmick. The fourth member of Future Islands was Erick Murillo. He didn't stay long. The drummer for most of their history has been Michael Lowry. They signed with the indie label Thrill Jockey. After three albums, they switched to the indie label 4AD for the 2014 album Singles. The single Seasons was singled out as 2014's best single by the music press including Pitchfork, Spin and NME. So that helped generate sales and Future Islands appeared on Late Show with David Letterman. Seasons became an internet hit before Billboard included online airplay in results. Future Islands writes and produces all the songs. Future Islands is still around. They released their latest album in 2024. They are playing some shows in May. I think if Future Islands was on a major label, they could cross over to pop with a decent promotion budget. But they seem happy with the freedom they have at 4AD who will release a comp CD next month. Here's the video for Seasons (Waiting on You) by Future Islands.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-El Perro Del Mar

Artist:El Perro Del Mar

Song:Party

Album:El Perro Del Mar

Swedish singer songwriter Sarah Assbring records and tours as El Perro Del Mar (The Dog of the Sea). Her albums have sold reasonably well at home. But she will never be a mainstream artist. Her voice has a unique sound so that might attract listeners. She was born Aug. 6, 1977 in Gothenberg, Sweden. Sarah says the name El Perro Del Mar came about while she was on vacation in Spain. She was alone and depressed when a stray dog approached her on the beach and was nice to her and it inspired her to write and record songs as El Perro Del Mar. At first she recorded for the Swedish label Hybris. There was a single followed by a couple of EPs in 2005. After the cute animated video for the song You Gotta Give to Get got some interest in England. Hybris gathered her music on the full length CD Look! It's Perro Del Mar. She signed with the British label Memphis Industries. Dungen and The Go! Team are on that label. She reworked her previous recordings for the 2006 album El Perro Del Mar. It got enough attention in England that The Control Group picked up the album for North American release. Sarah writes, produces and plays all the music herself. She occasionally brings in outside musicians. But she's really a solo artist. El Perro Del Mar was released in 2008 with a bonus track and that is available on CD. Sarah has released six albums, most recently in 2024. She signed with the German label City Slang for Europe but she is still on Memphis Industries in England and The Control Group in America. She last toured to support her 2024 album Anonymous. I understand she is working on a new album. Here's the video for Party by El Perro Del Mar.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Roy Ayers

Artist:Roy Ayers

Song:Everybody Loves the Sunshine

Album:The Best of Roy Ayers

Jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers became a hip hop icon when the 1976 song Everybody Loves the Sunshine was picked up by radio stations and then became the most sampled song in hip hop history despite not being released as a single. I'll get to that last part in a minute. Ayers was born Sept. 10, 1940 in Los Angeles. His father played trombone and his mother played piano. Jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton gave him his first mallets at age five. Ayers lived in South Central Los Angeles and attended Thomas Jefferson High School which was a breeding ground for jazz musicians. He led a high school band where he played steel guitar and piano. After graduating high school, he started playing clubs and released the 1963 album West Coast Vibes on United Artists. He had been playing the vibraphone at home but that was always his preferred instrument. After dropping out of Los Angeles City College, Ayers joined flautist Herbie Mann's band in 1966. And that's how he got a record deal with Mann's label Atlantic Records. He recorded three albums for Atlantic followed by two for Columbia. Then he signed with Polydor Records in 1970. At first, Ayers wanted to record jazz fusion music pioneered by the Miles Davis album Bitches Brew along with Weather Report and Return to Forever. The band was called Roy Ayers Ubiquity. By the mid-70s, Ayers had decided to add funk to his music. This was no doubt influenced by guys like George Clinton. Ayers didn't think he was abandoning jazz. He was just adding funk elements to his music. The high point of this period was when the 1979 album Everybody Loves the Sunshine was a top ten R&B album. The single Don't Stop the Feeling was his highest charting single. Believe it or not, Everybody Loves the Sunshine was never released as a single. Ayers didn't think the song was a potential hit. So it was a big surprise to Ayers and Polydor when radio stations played it. We don't know how big it was because Billboard doesn't keep track of songs that aren't released as singles. The residual effect was when hip hop guys started sampling the song. It's been sampled over 200 times including My Life by Mary J. Blige and Book of Life by Common. Ayers wrote and produced the album. Musicians are Philip Woo on piano, Ronald "Head" Drayton on guitar, Shaun Solomon on bass, Doug Rhodes on drums and Chano O'Ferral on congas. The background vocals are by Deborah "Chicas" Darby. This was Ayers' band at the time and they are in the video clip. This comp covers the Polydor years. Ayers left Polydor in 1982 and mostly recorded for smaller labels and toured until his death on Mar. 4, 2025 at age 85. Here's Roy Ayers performing Everybody Loves the Sunshine on Soul Train 1979. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Malajube

Artist:Malajube

Song:Luna

Album:Labyrinthe

Malajube was an indie rock band very similar to Super Furry Animals except for one thing. They are from Quebec and sing in French. That's probably too much of a barrier for most folks. But they almost broke through in English Canada and internationally. Too bad they aren't around anymore. They could have been the French Coldplay. Malajube lived in Montreal. But they were from the Southwestern Quebec city of Sorel-Tracy, PQ. The band members were Julien Mineau on vocals and guitar, his brother Francis Mineau on drums, Mathieu Cournoyer on bass and Thomas Augustin on keyboards. Julien Mineau wrote the song lyrics. They signed with the local indie label Dare to Care Records and released their 2004 debut album Le Compte complet. The album was produced by Marrtin Delland of The Dears. The album was positively reviewed and well received by Quebec radio stations. Malajube toured Quebec to support it. With the 2006 album Trompe-l'oeil, Malajube was starting to get attention in English Canada and the US. They were nominated for a 2006 Polaris Music Prize and they won three Felix awards in Quebec. Pitchfork positively reviewed the album. They signed a European deal with the German label City Slang. There was always talk about Malajube possibly releasing an English album. That was music industry wishful thinking as Julien Mineau always said that the band had no interest in recording in English. Their albums were released on the indie label Sub Pop and they toured in the US. Luna is from the 2009 album Labyrinthes. By this time, the band was self producing. The album is available as a digital download. Could Malajube make it in English speaking countries? We're never going to know because after the 2011 album La Caverne, Malajube went on hiatus. Part of the problem was Dare to Care was sold. They did a reunion concert in 2015. But Malajube is finished. Francis Mineau released an album in 2013 and has been in the band Axlustade. Julien Mineau released a 2014 album as Fontarable. Thomas Augustin is in the band Penny Diving. They released an album in 2020. Here's the video for Luna by Malajube. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass

Artist:Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass

Song:Take the A Train

Album:Again!

Canadian jazz trombonist Rob McConnell is best known as leader of the big band The Boss Brass. Of course they were famous in Canada. But they toured the world for many years. The cream of the Toronto jazz and studio scene was in The Boss Brass. McConnell was born Feb. 14, 1935 in London, ON. He took up the valve trombone in high school and started playing professionally in the 50s. He studied with Clifford Brown, Canadian jazz bassist Don Thompson, Canadian bandleader Bobby Gimby and trumpeter Maynard Ferguson who is also Canadian. In the 60s, he was in the band Nimmons 'n' Nine led by clarinetist Phil Nimmons. The formation of The Boss Brass in 1968 came out of the Toronto studio scene. There were originally 16 pieces with a horn section but no saxophones and a rhythm section. Saxophones were added in 1970. By 1976, there were 22 members. McConnell conducted the band and also played trombone solos. McConnell first recorded for the Canadian Talent Library (CTL). They were a non profit that were supposed to help radio stations meet CRTC Canadian Content regulations. Peter Appleyard and Moe Koffman recorded for CTL. Though CTL records were available in stores, there was no promotion budget. In the mid-70s, McConnell recorded for United Artists and Attic Records. When McConnell had difficulty signing with a label, The Guess Who producer Jack Richardson started Umbrella Records and produced the 1979 Boss Brass album Again!. Of course McConnell was arranger and conductor and played valve trombone. Other musicians were Ian McDougal, Bob Livingston and Dave McMurdo on trombone, Ron Hughes on bass trombone, Sam Noto, Arnie Chycoski and Erich Traugott on trumpet, Bruce Cassidy and Guido Basso on trumpet and flugelhorn, Rick Wilkins and Eugene Amaro on tenor sax, Moe Koffman and Jerry Toth on alto sax and flute, Gary Morgan on baritone sax, Jimmy Dale on piano, Ed Bickert on guitar, Brad Warnaar and George Stinson on French horn, Don Thompson on bass, Terry Clarke on drums and Marty Morell on percussion. These are all veteran jazz and studio musicians. This album is available on CD. McConnell recorded for a few other labels until he signed with Concord in 1986. He remained with Concord until 1998. McConnell recorded and toured with a stripped down version of The Boss Brass called The Rob McConnell Tentet for the Canadian jazz label Justin Time. It looks like he retired in 2005 and died on May 1, 2010 at age 75. Here's Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass performing Take the A Train at Ontario Place in Toronto 1980. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Glen Hansard

Artist:Glen Hansard

Song:Winning Streak

Album:Didn't He Ramble

Irish singer songwriter Glen Hansard is best known for winning an Oscar for the song Falling Slowly from the 2007 film Once. That was when he was one half of the duo The Swell Season with Marketa Inglova. Since they split up, Hansard has recorded as a solo act and has had success as an album and touring act in Ireland and other European countries. He was born Apr. 27, 1970 in the Dublin suburb of Ballymum, Ireland. Hansard wasn't a very good student. So one of his teachers who knew of his interest in music thought he might be a good musician. So he quit school and busked on the Dublin streets for five years. He formed the band The Frames in 1990 and they had success in Ireland. Hansard appeared as guitarist Outspan Foster in the 1991 film The Commitments. The Frames continued until Hansard formed The Swell Season with Marketa and they starred in the 2007 film Once. He was only supposed to write songs for the film. But the film producers talked Hansard into appearing in the film. The film was a big success and Hansard won an Oscar. But as with The Commitments, Hansard thought the film distracted from his music career. So he ended The Swell Season and started working on a solo album. He signed with the indie label Anti- Records and has released five albums. Winning Streak is from the 2015 album Didn't He Ramble which was Hansard's second album. Hansard wrote all the songs. The album was produced by David Odlum and Thomas Bartlett. Bartlett played piano on the album. Other musicians are Rob Moose on mandolin, Brad Alberta on bass and Ray Rizzo on drums. They all seem to be studio musicians. There are strings and horns on some songs which were arranged by Moose. This album is available on CD. The album won a Best Folk Album Grammy. Hansard's latest album All That Is East Is West of Me Now was released in 2023. Odlum is still his producer. Meanwhile, Hansard had promised Marketa that he would produce another Swell Season album. That album was released in 2025. Hansard has a new album coming on Apr. 24 called Don't Settle. He's just finishing up some US dates and will tour Europe after that. Here's the video for Winning Streak by Glen Hansard.