AccuRadio Song Of The Day-David Hazeltine

Artist:David Hazeltine

Song:My Ship

Album:For All We Know

Jazz pianist David Hazeltine has been performing in New York City clubs since 1993. He has recorded for jazz labels since 1995 and he also tours. He has never recorded for one of the big jazz labels so he's gone under the radar. He usually performs and records with a trio. He was born Oct. 27, 1958 in Milwaukee. He began studying piano at age nine. And by age 13 he was playing local clubs. After studying at the Wisconsin College Conservatory of Music, he started playing midwest clubs and was the house pianist at the Milwaukee Jazz Gallery. He played with visiting jazz musicians. After Hazeltine played with Chet Baker, Baker told him to move to New York which he did in 1981. He returned to Milwaukee to be chairman of Wisconsin College Conservatory of Music's jazz department from 1985-92. Then he returned to New York. Hazeltine first recorded in 1993. He has recorded for jazz labels like the Dutch label Criss Cross, Sharp Nine Records and the Japanese label Venus Records. My Ship is from the 2014 album For All We Know on Smoke Sessions. Musicians are Seamus Blake on tenor sax, David Williams on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums. All three are veteran sidemen. Hazeltine wrote most of the songs. But My Ship was written by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin for the 1941 Broadway musical Lady in the Dark. It did not appear in the 1944 film version but was in the 1954 TV production. It was first recorded by jazz singer Ernestine Anderson in 1958. Plenty of jazz singers have recorded it. The most significant recent recording was on the 2002 album Directions in Music: Live at Massey Hall by Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker and Roy Hargrove. My guess is that's where Hazeltine heard it. I don't think it's been recorded enough to be a jazz standard. This album is available on CD. Hazeltine's latest recording as a leader was in 2022. He is currently on a European tour. He will return to New York in May. Here's David Hazeltine with Aldo Zunino on bass and Bernd Reiter on drums performing My Ship in Cologne, Germany Mar. 2, 2023.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Alice Deejay

Artist:Alice Deejay

Song:Better Off Alone

Album:Housemix 2000

The Dutch EDM group Alice Deejay has had success mostly in European dance clubs. But the 1998 single Better Off Alone was a top five hit in England and a top 30 hit in the US. The guys behind Alice Deejay are Wessel van Diepen AKA DJ Delmundo and Dennis van den Dresschen. These two were also behind Vengaboys. Jurgen Rijkers and the duo known as Dash Berlin (Sebastian Molijn and Eelke Kalberg) also worked on this. They are all Dutch DJs. The singer is Judith Pronk. van Diepen and van den Dresschen first had success with the 1991 L.A. Style single James Brown Is Dead. This was followed by Nakatomi, Alice Deejay and Vengaboys. The pattern on this kind of music is it's designed to be played in dance clubs. Sometimes that turns into chart success but not usually. That's why these guys come up with new names all the time. They can sell it as new and fresh to club DJs. When I heard Alice Deejay, I thought it sounded like Vengaboys. It turns out it's by the same guys. Better Off Alone started out as a 1997 instrumental by Jurgen Rijkers AKA DJ Jurgen. Then they brought in Judith Pronk to sing the vocal. There's nothing to the song. It's one line repeated and a refrain. And Judith wasn't a singer. She was a makeup artist which is how they knew her. The original instrumental was written by Rijkers and released on his own label Violent Music. When the decision was made to add a vocal, Rijkers disagreed and wasn't involved. But he let them use the song. That's when Alice Deejay was formed. After the vocal was added, clubs went crazy over it and then it became a hit across Europe. It reached #2 on the British Singles chart. Then when it started getting played in US clubs, Republic Records wanted Alice Deejay to record an album. The single reached #3 on the US dance chart and #27 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a bigger hit than the chart position which frequently happens with club hits. Alice Deejay released the 2000 album Who Needs Guitars Anyway? but it didn't sell and it's not available anyway. You can get Better Off Alone on this various artists budget comp. This was Alice Deejay's only album. The guys reunited in 2014 with a different singer and they toured. Judith Pronk performed as Alice Deejay twice in 2021. She is now a photographer. So Alice Deejay was supposed to be a one shot deal. van Diepen and van Driesschen went on to have success with Vengaboys. They continue to produce music. Here's the video for Better Off Alone by Alice Deejay. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Odetta

Artist:Odetta

Song:He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

Album:Best of the Vanguard Years

Odetta Holmes was a big part of the 60s folk music boom. She was called The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement. Among her biggest fans were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. Though she never had a hit single, her 60s albums on Vanguard and RCA were very consistent sellers. She was born Dec. 31, 1930 in Birmingham, AL. Her father died when she was young. And she moved to Los Angeles with her mother in 1937. One of Odetta's teachers told her mother that she has a good voice and maybe should study music. She started studying at age 13. And after graduating from high school, she studied music at Los Angeles City College. She worked as a maid to pay for that. Odetta's mom was hoping she could be a big opera star like Marian Anderson. Odetta had her doubts so in 1944, she took a job at the Hollywood Turnabout Puppet Theatre. So I guess Odetta was thinking she might make it on Broadway. She joined the national touring company of the musical Finian's Rainbow in 1949. While on tour, she got into folk music in San Francisco. She started performing at local clubs like the hungry i. She formed a duo with Larry Mohr and they recorded a 1954 album at San Francisco's Tin Angel nightclub. They performed mostly traditional folk songs. Odetta went solo after that and signed with Vanguard Records in 1959. Vanguard was a folk music specialty label at the time. Harry Belafonte heard Odetta and they appeared in a 1959 TV special. Plus he got her a record deal on RCA. So he really helped her and in 1961, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called her The Queen of American Folk Music. And she appeared at the 1964 Washington Civil Rights march. Odetta recorded the traditional spiritual He's Got the World in His Hands on the 1962 album Odetta at Town Hall. She performed a mix of folk, blues and spirituals accompanied by jazz bassist Bill Lee. That's right. He's Spike Lee's father. Lee was mainly a session musician. He worked with other folk music artists like Bob Dylan and Judy Collins. This comp is a good intro to Odetta's Vanguard recordings. I may look at her RCA recordings in the future. When folk music was replaced by psychedelia in the late 60s, she didn't adjust her style and stopped recording. She still toured and appeared on TV. But with the end of folk music, Odetta immediately became a nostalgia act. She continued to tour until 2008 and died on Dec. 2, 2008 at age 77. Here's Odetta performing He's Got the Whole World in His Hands in Germany 1993. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Saigon Kick

Artist:Saigon Kick

Song:Love Is on the Way

Album:The Lizard

The 1992 single Love Is on the Way was a top 20 hit. It was the only chart single for the hard rock band Saigon Kick. So it is a one hit wonder. They were formed in 1988 in Coral Springs, FL. The band leader is Jason Bieler. He was lead guitarist, one of two lead singers, wrote most of the songs and produced. The other members were the other lead singer Matt Kramer, bassist Tom Defile and drummer Phil Varone. The band name came from a discussion about late 80s Vietnam War films and they wanted an edgy name. After playing the local club scene, Saigon Kick signed with Third Stone Records with Atlantic distribution. Third Stone was owned by actor Michael Douglas and record producer Richard Rudolph. Saigon Kick released their 1991 self titled debut album produced by veteran hard rock producer Michael Wegener. Bieler wrote most of the songs. Kramer wrote a couple. Saigon Kick toured to support it but it didn't sell. When Saigon Kick went to Sweden to record The Lizard, Bieler convinced the label to let him produce. The end result was a more diverse album. Love Is on the Way was the lead single and it reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold. The album was also certified Gold. It's available as a budget CD. So Saigon Kick had success. Shouldn't they be happy? Apparently not. Love Is on the Way is an acoustic song commonly known as a Power Ballad. The band was unhappy that they softened their hard rock sound to achieve commercial success. The most notable example of a heavily criticized Power Ballad is Aerosmith's 1973 single Dream On. So there were problems in Saigon Kick. Tom Defile was replaced by Chris McLennon in 1992. They returned to Sweden to record the 1993 album Water. Matt Kramer was upset about the band's direction and there were financial disputes. This is why some bands split the royalties evenly. He returned to Florida during recording and was not replaced. Bieler took over as lead singer. Atlantic released Saigon Kick after the 1993 album Water didn't sell. Bieler is the only original member remaining. They recorded for the Japanese label Pony Canyon as Saigon Kick had success in Japan. They last recorded in 1999. The original members of Saigon Kick reunited for a tour in 2012. Bieler still leads a version of the band. They will tour in the spring. Here's the video for Love Is on the Way by Saigon Kick. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Livingston Taylor

Artist:Livingston Taylor

Song:I Will Be in Love with You

Album:The Middle Years (1978-1996)

Of course most music fans are familiar with singer songwriter James Taylor. But you may not be familiar with his siblings as James was the only one to have wide success. Livingston Taylor probably came the closest in the 70s. But I always thought he sounded too much like James to be successful. And there are other factors. Livingston Taylor was born Nov. 21, 1950 in Boston. He is the fourth of the five Taylor siblings in this order: Alex, James, Kate, Livingston and Hugh. His father was a physician and a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His mom studied music at Berklee in Boston. Mom led family sing a longs and even had the kids form a band. This was mostly steeped in folk music like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. She encouraged them to write by holding up a can of vegetables and telling them to write a song about it. When Alex started earning money by performing at parties, Livingston got serious about music. Livingston started performing locally in Chapel Hill in a folk music trio. They were a cover band. He started writing songs in high school. Then manager Manny Greenhill got Livingston a gig at a Worcester, MA. YMCA. That led to shows at Boston University and on one of those shows, he opened for Joni Mitchell. He was spotted by producer Jon Landau (Bruce Springsteen) and he got Livingston a record deal at Phil Walden's new label Capricorn Records. He recorded three albums for Capricorn and Landau produced the first two Livingston Taylor (1970) and  Liv (1971). By this time, James Taylor was already successful. There's nothing wrong with Livingston Taylor's music but he sounds too much like his brother. And James was on the much larger Warner Bros. Records. Livingston left Capricorn for Epic and released the 1978 album 3-Way Mirror. The lead single I Will Still Be in Love With You reached #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would turn out to be the highest chart placing of his career. He's done well on the Adult Contemporary chart and that's where he has been aiming his music since the late 70s. Livingston wrote all the songs o n the album. Nick DeCaro produced. He's an Easy Listening recording artist and he produced The Sandpipers and Chris Montez when he worked for A&M in the 60s. Livingston Taylor continues to record. This comp of original recordings is on his own label. He also teaches at Berklee in Boston. So Livingston Taylor has had a long career. But he was never a top star. He's done OK. Here's Livingston Taylor performing I Will Still Be in Love with You with the BBC Concert Orchestra June 2025. I think this is from his latest album.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Shaggy

Artist:Shaggy f/RikRok

Song:It Wasn't Me

Album:Hotshot

Lightning struck twice for Dancehall Reggae artist Orville "Shaggy" Burrell when It Wasn't Me and Angel topped the charts in the fall of 2000. He has had little success since then. He was born Oct. 22, 1968 in Kingston, Jamaica. He moved to New York City with his mom at age 18. The Shaggy nickname is from the Scooby-Doo TV show. He was in the US Marine Corps from 1988-92. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. He worked on his music in his free time. The most important contact he made during this period was with radio DJ and recording engineer Shaun Pizzonia. A cover of the ska classic Oh Carolina topped the British charts and it appeared in the 1993 film Silver. It got him a deal with Virgin Records. The 1995 single Boombastic which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was a hit everywhere else. He released two albums for Virgin. But Shaggy's second album was unsuccessful so they decided to release him. He signed with MCA and hit a home run with the 2000 album Hotshot. It Wasn't Me was the lead single and it topped the charts everywhere. It was followed by the single Angel which also topped the charts. Both were released in the fall of 2000. The singer on It Wasn't Me was Jamaican Ricardo "RikRok" Ducent. He was a background singer. The song is about a guy (RikRok) who was caught cheating and he goes to Shaggy for advice. He told him to tell her "It Wasn't Me". The humor sold the song. The record was produced by the same Shaun Pizzonia that Shaggy met while he was in the USMC. Shaggy based the song on an Eddie Murphy routine from the 1987 TV special Raw. The main sample was the War song Smile Happy. Pizzonia also produced the single Angel. He produced half the album. Hotshot is available as a budget CD. After the 2002 album Lucky Day was a disappointment, MCA dumped Shaggy to Geffen for the 2005 album Clothes Drop. I guess they wanted him to leave which he did. Since then he has recorded mostly for his own label. His latest album was released in 2022. Here's the video for It Wasn't Me by Shaggy featuring RikRok.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-William Tyler

Artist:William Tyler

Song:Gone Clear

Album:Modern Country

William Tyler is an acoustic guitarist who is a favorite of guitar geeks. These are guys who are more interested in guitar technique than the music. It's not commercial music but it's a great cottage industry. He was born Dec. 25, 1979 in Nashville. His father Dan Tyler leads the bands Lambchop and Silver Jews. But he has had success writing the 1982 #1 country hit Bobby Sue by The Oak Ridge Boys. Tyler started out as a member of his dad's bands Lambchop and Silver Jews. He recorded with the band Paper Hats. Then he released his 2010 debut solo album Behold the Spirit on the indie label Tompkins Square. The album got the attention of the larger indie label Merge Records. The 2016 album Modern Country was his second album for Merge. The album was critically acclaimed. But like I said, it's not commercial music. Tyler wrote all the songs and plays guitar. Brad Cook produced and played synthesizer. Other musicians are Phil Cook on keyboards, Luke Schneider on pedal steel guitar, Darin Gray on bass and Glenn Kotche on drums. These guys are all Nashville session musicians. Tyler left Merge in 2020. His latest album was released last year on the indie label Psychic Hotline. As I said, Tyler's music will be of interest to guitar geeks. Here's William Tyler performing Gone Clear at Studio Songgi in Seoul, South Korea.