AccuRadio Song Of The Day-MoKenStef

Artist:MoKenStef

Song:He's Mine

Album:Azz Izz

The 1995 single He's Mine was a top ten hit for the R&B girl group MoKenStef. It turned out to be their only chart single as they only recorded one album. So MoKenStef is officially a one hit wonder. MoKenStef is from Los Angeles. Kenya Hadley and Stefanie Sinclair were cheerleaders at Morningside High School in Inglewood. They were also dancers and they needed a third member for their hip hop dance crew. Monifa Bethune Auditioned successfully. They started dancing on stage and in music videos by rappers AMG and Big Daddy Kane. They wanted to try singing and they discovered that Monifa is a really good singer. One day they visited AMG at the office of Outburst Records. Outburst owners Greg Jesse and Anthony Lewis were listening in the next room. And when Monifa started singing, that got their attention and got the girls a record deal. They decided to call themselves MoKenStef which is a blend of their names. It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. After success with the rapper Domino, Outburst got a distribution deal with DefJam. The album Azz Izz was released in 1995 and the single He's Mine reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B Singles chart. The main feature of the song was Monifa's lead vocal. It doesn't look like the rest of the album was as good as He's Mine as follow up singles did poorly. MoKenStef wrote most of the songs with producer Marquis "Hami" Dair. He had previously worked with Klymaxx leader Joyce Irby. He's Mine sampled Prince and Roger Troutman so they got a songwriting credit. This album is available as a digital download. By the end of 1995, Outburst closed and DefJam wasn't going to sign MoKenStef to a new contract. They tried to release a few more things but nothing worked and MoKenStef split up in 2000. It looks like they all retired from the music business. They reunited in 2014 and they still have an Instagram page. I'm surprised Monifa didn't try to get a solo record deal because she has a great voice. Here's the video for He's Mine by MoKenStef. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Kevin Spacey

Artist:Kevin Spacey

Song:Beyond the Sea

Album:Beyond the Sea: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Though he is now a Hollywood outcast due to 2017 sexual assault allegations, Kevin Spacey was a big star before that. Probably his most audacious achievement was writing, producing and starring in the 2004 Bobby Darin biopic Beyond the Sea. He also did his own singing. A Bobby Darin biopic had been in development hell since 1986. So getting it done was Spacey's big achievement. He was born Kevin Spacey Fowler July 26, 1959 in East Orange, NJ. but he grew up in Southern California. His father was a neo Nazi who was abusive to Spacey and his brother. Spacey kept a low profile to avoid beatings. At Chatsworth High School, Spacey starred in a production of The Sound of Music with Mare Winningham. They were named co-valedictorians. After trying standup comedy, Spacey moved to New York to attend Juilliard's drama school. After two years, he decided to try Broadway. He appeared in the 1986 production of Long Day's Journey into Night Starring Jack Lemmon who became Spacey's mentor. After appearing in a couple of Mike Nichols films Heartbeat (1986) and Working Girl (1988), he appeared on several TV shows, most notably as arms dealer Mel Profitt in the 1988 series Wiseguy. Then Spacey won a Tony for the 1991 production of Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers. That got him larger roles in films like David Mamet's 1992 film adaptation of his play Glengarry Glen Ross. But the film that made Spacey a movie star was as Verbal Kint in Bryan Singer's 1995 film The Usual Suspects. Spacey won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. That was when Spacey went after the role of Bobby Darin. Barry Levinson was the first to take a crack at Darin in 1986. Levinson was supposed to direct. Warner Bros. optioned the Bobby Darin book Dream Lovers. James Toback was brought in to write the script and Levinson was still supposed to direct. That's when Spacey offered to play Darin. Levinson thought he was too old and planned to cast Johnny Depp. Levinson decided to pass on the film in favor of Liberty Heights (1999). Then Dick Clark Productions announced they were producing with Dodd Darin and producer Arthur Friedman and that they were working on the film. Spacey acquired the rights from Warners. And ultimately he rewrote the original Lewis Colick script himself. Spacey's decision to do his own singing was controversial because he wasn't a singer though he had sung on stage. He did train with Roger Kellaway who had worked with Darin. Not surprisingly, Beyond the Sea got mixed reviews and was a box office bomb. I'm sure even now, Spacey considers Beyond the Sea his greatest achievement. The soundtrack album was produced by Phil Ramone. It has all of Spacey's performances and is available on CD. Spacey continued to appear in films like Horrible Bosses and TV shows like House of Cards. Then Spacey was accused of sexual assault in 2017. This killed his career because he's still in exile and appears in European productions. But remember Spacey denied everything and was never convicted of a crime. I doubt he can revive his career. But Beyond the Sea is probably worth a look. Here's the video for Beyond the Sea by Kevin Spacey. 

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Craig Mack

Artist:Craig Mack

Song:Flava in Ya Ear

Album:FHM Presents...Bar Culture 2

Rapper Craig Mack scored a top ten hit with his 1994 single Flava in Ya Ear. Another one of his songs charted so technically he is not a one hit wonder. Also, it was the very first hit single on Bad Boy Records. He was born May 10, 1970 in Brooklyn, NY. But he grew up in the Long Island town of Brentwood. He started rapping as a teen as MC EZ and released the single Get Retarded in 1988. Then he started touring with hip hop group EPMD. After they split up, Mack met Sean "Puffy" Combs who was just starting Bad Boy Records. Combs liked Mack enough to sign him to a record deal. Mack recorded Flava in Ya Ear. The song really became popular because of the remix featuring Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes. Combs also appeared and the singing is by Keisha Spivey of the girl group Total. The single reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single was produced by Osten "Easy Mo Bee" Harvey. He had already worked with Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac. Osten produced half of the album Project: Funk Da World and Mack wrote and produced the other half. The album was certified Gold. You can get Flava in Ya Ear on this 2CD various artists comp. Mack was supposed to record a second album Operation: Get Down in 1995. Mack wasn't happy that he didn't get more promotional support from Bad Boy. Combs froze Mack's contract so he couldn't sign with Death Row Records like he wanted. The album was released by Scotti Brothers in 1997. Not surprisingly, the album didn't sell and Mack's career was basically over. In 2012, Mack joined the Overcomer Ministry in South Carolina. He released a 2017 album on his own label. Mack had HIV/AIDS and refused treatment. He died on Mar. 12, 2018 at age 47. Here's the video for Flavor in Ya Ear by Craig Mack.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Chicago

Artist:Chicago

Song:If You Leave Me Now

Album:The Very Best of Chicago: Only the Beginning

The 1976 single If You Leave Me Now was the first #1 hit for the band Chicago. Their biggest hit before that was the 1973 single Saturday in the Park. Most of Chicago were studying jazz at DePaul University. So they wanted to be a jazz rock band similar to Blood, Sweat & Tears (BS&T). But like BS&T, Chicago was starting to fade in the mid 70s. Chicago started to fade too and they decided to soften their sound. By that time, they had released eight albums since 1969. And all of them were 2LP sets. They were so tired that Chicago IX was a greatest hits album. The singers for Chicago were Terry Kath, Robert Lamm and Peter Cetera. Cetera turned out to be the key guy as he wrote and sang If You Leave Me Now. It topped the charts in 1976. It was a much softer pop sound than Chicago had previously done. Kath played the guitar solo. The album Chicago X was certified 2XPlatinum. If You Leave Me Now won two Grammys. Chicago had never won a Grammy. So though fans of the original Chicago may not have liked the change, lots of folks really liked it and the success continued until Cetera was replaced by Bill Champlin in 1985. After that, Chicago wasn't as successful but Cetera had a significant solo career. The other significant events were the 1978 death of Terry Kath and the split with producer James William Guercio. Kath was replaced by Donnie Dacus who was in the musical Hair. Guercio quit the music business and became a full time rancher. After that, Chicago worked with producers like Phil Ramone and Tom Dowd. And they moved from Columbia to Warner Bros. in 1982. This 2CD comp covers the Columbia years. As I said, Chicago wasn't as successful after Cetera left. But they're still around. Original members Robert Lamm, James Pankow and Lee Loughnane are still there. But now they are a nostalgia act. There is even a documentary about Chicago's Longevity. Chicago's latest album was released in 2022 on BMG. Here's Chicago performing If You Leave Me Now on the German TV show Disco 1976.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Lori Bell

Artist:Lori Bell

Song:Alibi

Album:The Music of Djavan

Lori Bell is a jazz flutist who is mostly an educator. So she doesn't record frequently. But this 2009 tribute to the Brazilian musician Djavan features Tamir Handleman who was unknown back then. So I think his fans will be interested in this album. Lori was born Apr. 15, 1958 in Brooklyn, NY. Her father was jazz trumpeter Norman Bell who was in the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. When Lori was ten years old, Her family moved to San Diego. She studied flute with Frederick Baker, Damian Bursill-Hall and others. She first recorded with veteran pianist Dave MacKay on the 1983 album Love Will Win on Discovery Records. Andy Simpkins was the bassist. The album was praised by legendary jazz critic Leonard Feather and was nominated for a Best New Artist Grammy. They recorded a follow up album Take Me to Brazil in 1989. After recording a couple of albums for the jazz label Beeswax, Lori released the 2009 album The Music of Djavan which is a tribute to the Brazilian musician Djavan. It's on Resonance Records which is owned by the non profit Rising Stars Jazz Foundation. This album features pianist Tamir Handelman. He recorded his own album for Resonance in 2010 and has appeared on plenty of sessions. The other musicians are David Enos on bass and Enzo Todesco on drums. Enos has played with Arturo Sandoval and Alphonse Mouzon. Todesco played with Warren Hill and James Ingram. This album is available on CD. Lori has since recorded for her own label, most recently in 2017. For the most part she has concentrated on teaching at San Diego State University. I don't think she tours much anymore. Here's Lori Bell with Tamir Handelman, David Enos and Enzo Todesco performing Alibi 2010.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Melvin Crispell III

Artist:Melvin Crispell III

Song:Wonderful Is Your Name

Album:I've Got a Testimony

Melvin Crispell III is a second generation gospel artist who won season nine of BET's Sunday Best. This is the gospel version of American Idol. Kirk Franklin produces the show and the winner is supposed to get a record deal with Franklin's record label Fo' Yo' Soul. Crispell signed with Sony's gospel label RCA Inspiration and the 2020 single Wonderful Is Your Name topped the Gospel charts. He was born June 19, 1997 in Charlotte, NC. Not surprisingly, his parents were gospel artists. His father Melvin Crispell was a keyboardist and songwriter. He wrote the song Wonderful Is Your Name for Hezekiah Walker. His mother Tunesha Crispell sang with Walker. Both his parents died while he was a teenager. After his mom died of cancer in 2016, Crispell signed with Sony's gospel label RCA Inspiration. After the 2019 EP Prologue III was released, the 2020 album I've Got a Testimony was released. The single Wonderful Is Your Name topped the Gospel chart and the album reached #5 on Billboard's Top Gospel Albums chart. He was nominated for four Grammy awards, six Stellar awards and four Dove awards. And he performed on the Stellar broadcast and the Super Bowl Gospel Celebration. The main producers on the album are Aaron Lindsay and Myron Butler. Both are veteran gospel music producers. This album is available as a digital download. Crispell released his 2023 album No Failure on his own label with Provident distribution. He was Grammy nominated for that too. Gospel music fans should enjoy Crispell's music. Here's the video for Wonderful Is Your Name by Melvin Crispell III.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-The Fuzz

Artist:The Fuzz

Song:I Love You for All Seasons

Album:Art Laboe's Dedicated to You Vol, 2

The 1971 single I Love You for All Seasons was a top ten R&B hit and it reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the only big hit for the R&B girl group The Fuzz. It is perceived as a one hit wonder. But a couple of their other songs charted so they aren't technically a one hit wonder. But it is a lost soul classic that I think most will enjoy. The Fuzz were from Washington, DC led by lead singer Sheila Young. She also wrote all the songs. The other two members were Val Williams and Barbara Gilliam. They were called The Passionettes when they released the 1970 single Sister Watch Yourself on Universal's UNI label. The group name was changed to The Fuzz and they signed with Calla Records. Calla was owned by Nate McCalla. He was a bodyguard for notorious mobster and Roulette Records owner Morris Levy. Among the acts on Calla were J.J. Jackson (But It's Alright), Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams and The Emotions. By the time The Fuzz signed in 1970, Calla was owned by Roulette. McCalla was murdered mobster style in 1978. Supposedly, Levy ordered the hit. After I Love You for All Seasons reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on the R&B Singles chart, The Fuzz got to record an album. Sheila Young wrote most of the songs including I Love You for All Seasons. The album was produced by Washington DJ Carroll "Mr.C" Hynson and arranged by Joe Tate of Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. A couple of their other singles charted but it wasn't enough and The Fuzz split up. You can get I Love You for All Seasons on this various artists comp from Los Angeles DJ Art Laboe's Original Sound. This song has been sampled by hip hop guys including Brand Nubian and Dr. Dre. Here's a video for I Love You for All Seasons by The Fuzz.

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Daniel Barenboim and Guests

Artist:Daniel Barenboim and Guests

Song:Take the A Train

Album:Tribute to Ellington

Daniel Barenboim is a renowned classical pianist and has been around for decades. This 1999 album appears to be his only attempt to play jazz. His discography is massive. And I even used AI. But this appears to be Barenboim's only attempt to play jazz. There are some guest jazz musicians. But the album doesn't really take off which is why I'm not a fan of this kind of crossover. And I don't think record companies like it either. Barenboim was born Nov. 15, 1942 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His father taught him to play piano. Barenboim's family moved to Israel in 1952. After he married British cellist Jacqueline Du Pre in 1967, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, retired from music in 1973 and died in 1987. He remarried in 1988. Barenboim started to get critical acclaim in the 50s. The turning point was when he was named director of the Chicago Symphony in 1989. He had recorded for different labels. But he had been with Deutsche Grammophon since 1973. He left in 1991 to record for Teldec. This was a lesser known German label that by the 90s was owned by Warner Bros. The idea to record an Ellington album came up after Barenboim had recorded a tango album. But he wasn't sure if he could do it. So Cliff Colnot of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago was brought in to write the arrangements. They brought in guests like singer Dianne Reeves and clarinetist Don Byron. But most of the musicians were from the Chicago Symphony. And those guys know how to play notes. But playing jazz is not just notes. And as you will see in the video, Barenboim can't play jazz. This album is available as a budget CD. At the time, Barenboim told the Los Angeles Times that he would like to play jazz again. But he hasn't. And no one else had tried to do it either. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma plays all kinds of music but not necessarily jazz. There's no audience for classical musicians playing jazz. And I would expect record companies would discourage musicians from trying it. Here's Daniel Barenboim performing Take the A Train as part of an EPK for the album.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Simple E

Artist:Simple E

Song:Play My Funk

Album:Colouz of Sound

Play My Funk was a song that made the R&B charts after it appeared in the 1993 film Sugar Hill. Then Erica "Simple E" Williams got to make an album. And that's it. Erica was born in New Jersey and grew up in Texas. She studied psychology at Texas Southern University while working as an MC. Then she moved to Los Angeles and was spotted by D'Wayne Wiggins of Tony! Toni! Tone!. The 1993 film Sugar Hill was produced by 20th Century Fox and they wanted a soundtrack album for it. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard composed the score. Play My funk was the first single from the album. It reached #55 on the R&B Singles chart. It was enough that Fox let Erica record an album. It was released on Fox Records with RCA distribution. The album was written and produced by Wiggins. Erica co-wrote some songs including Play My Funk. She got positive reviews for her mix of singing and rapping. The album didn't sell but it is available on CD. The soundtrack for Sugar Hill is out of print. Erica never recorded another album but she did appear on a few, most notably Cherokee's 1999 album I Love You...Me. That was Erica's final appearance. I presume she now has a family. Some hip hop fans believe Erica should have been bigger. Maybe if she had been on a hip hop label. But Fox Records was never going to be able to promote her properly. Here's the video for Play My Funk by Simple E. Thanks to the Queen of Bars Instagram page for Erica' bio info. 

AccuRadio Song Of the Day-Euge Groove

Artist:Euge Groove

Song:Get Em Goin'

Album:Just Feels Right

Tenor saxophonist Euge Groove has been a staple of Smooth Jazz for over twenty years when he was on top of the Jazz charts. He still records and tours but he doesn't record for a major label anymore. He was born Steven Eugene Grove Nov. 27, 1962 in Hagerstown, MD. He was given the nickname Euge Groove by European fans. Grove played piano as a child and then switched to sax. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Music in 1984. He played sessions in Miami and most notably on the Freestyle girl group Expose's 1987 #1 hit Seasons Change. Then Grove moved to Los Angeles and replaced Richard Elliot in Tower of Power. After four years, he got into session work. His most notable sax solo was in Richard Marx' 1991 top 20 hit Keep Coming Back. That's when he started calling himself Euge Groove. He sent demos to record companies and signed with Warner Bros. He was touring with Tina Turner at the time. He recorded two albums for Warners. They did OK on the jazz charts. But Grove thought he would be better off on a jazz label. So he signed with Narada Jazz. They were a subsidiary of the New Age label Narada. Grove recorded three albums for Narada and they did very well on the jazz charts. Get Em Goin' is from the 2005 album Just Feels Right. Grove wrote and produced everything with guitarist Paul Brown. On Get Em Goin', Grove plays sax and electric piano. Other musicians are Tony Maiden on guitar, Roberto Vally on bass, Michael White on drums and Lenny Castro on percussion. The album reached #3 on the Jazz chart. The problem was Narada was sold to Virgin/EMI in 1997 and they sold them to Universal in 2006. But you can get this album as a digital download. Grove has recorded for Shanachie since 2009. They are only a distributor so Grove has to promote himself. But he owns the recordings. His latest album The Phoenix was released July 2026. As with all his albums, Grove wrote and produced with Paul Brown. Grove is always on tour. He will be at the Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival in Avalon, CA. tomorrow followed by other dates. Here's Euge Groove performing Get Em Goin in Chicago. The musicians are not identified but I presume that Paul Brown played the guitar solo.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Billy Preston

Artist:Billy Preston

Song:Nothing from Nothing

Album:Ultimate Collection

These days Billy Preston is probably best remembered for playing keyboards on Beatles albums in the late 60s. But he went on to have success in the mid 70s. The 1974 single Nothing from Nothing was one of his two #1 hits. He was born Sept. 2, 1946 in Houston but he grew up in Los Angeles with his mom. He was a self taught child prodigy who played organ with gospel singer Mahalia Jackson at age ten. Then he appeared on Nat King Cole's TV show singing Blueberry Hill with Cole. Then he appeared in the 1958 W.C. Handy biopic St. Louis Blues playing a young W.C. Handy. Preston joined Little Richard's band in 1962. And while touring Europe, he met The Beatles in Hamburg, Germany. He released his 1963 debut album 16 Yr. Old Soul on Sam Cooke's SAR label. Preston signed with Vee Jay for the 1965 album The Most Exciting Organ Ever and performed on the TV show Shindig!. Preston joined Ray Charles' band in 1967. Musicians were asking him to play on their records. But the big one was The Beatles. Preston played on the Get Back sessions. He was known as The Fifth Beatle. Preston appeared in the film Let It Be. I recommend watching the 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back which features the concert on the roof of the Apple Records building. This was The Beatles' final concert. Preston plays electric piano. That documentary can be streamed on Disney+. Preston signed with Apple and released the 1969 album That's the Way God Planned It. The single That's the Way God Planned It was a hit in England. George Harrison produced that album and Preston toured with Harrison after The Beatles split up. Preston signed with A&M Records in 1971 and that's when he had his greatest success. The 1972 instrumental Outa-Space reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Then he topped the charts with the 1973 single Will It Go Round in Circles. And he topped the charts again with the 1974 single Nothing from Nothing. And that was the peak of Preston's career. Nothing from Nothing is from Preston's 1974 album The Kids & Me. Preston produced and played keyboards. He wrote most of the songs with longtime songwriting partner Bruce Fisher. They wrote plenty of songs together. You can get all of Preston's hits on this Hip-O budget comp. Preston also played on The Rolling Stones albums and toured with them. Preston left A&M and signed with Motown in 1979. He also recorded for Word's CCM label Myrrh. He scored a 1979 top five hit with the single With You I'm Born Again featuring  Syreeta. He recorded for Motown until 1984. By the 80s, Preston was addicted to cocaine and alcohol. After leaving Motown, he played sessions with Luther Vandross and others. He went to jail for cocaine possession and insurance fraud. After leaving jail, Preston's health deteriorated until he died on June 6, 2006 at age 59. Here's Billy Preston and an all star band performing Nothing from Nothing in a 1975 episode of The Midnight Special. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Gene Pitney

Artist:Gene Pitney

Song:Only Love Can Break a Heart

Album:Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart: The Collection

Gene Pitney was one of the top singers of the early 60s. He had several top ten hits. The 1962 single Only Love Can Break a Heart was his biggest hit. He also wrote songs. He was born Feb. 17, 1940 in Hartford, CT. and he grew up in Rockville, CT. He listened to doo wop and R&B singer Clyde McPhatter was a big influence. He had a band in high school and he recorded a couple of singles for Decca and recorded as Billy Bryan. After releasing the 1960 single I'll Find You on the Festival label in 1960, he signed with songwriter Aaron Schroeder's new label Musicor. Schroeder had written several Elvis Presley hits including Elvis' biggest hit It's Now or Never. Then Pitney had a little luck when he sang the theme for the 1961 film Town Without Pity and it reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was nominated for an Oscar and Pitney sang it on the broadcast. That was followed by Pitney's first top five hit (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance and that was followed by Only Love Can Break a Heart. That song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The #1 song at the time was He's a Rebel by The Crystals. Guess what? Pitney wrote that song. The album Only Love Can Break a Heart was produced by Schroeder and his frequent partner Wally Gold. Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote Only Love Can Break a Heart and (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance and Bacharach arranged and conducted. Those two singles turned out to be Pitney's biggest hits. Musicor was sold to Gusto Records and they license Pitney's music to oldies labels. This 2CD comp is on the British label Music Club and is available as a budget CD. Pitney was actually more popular in England than the US. Like many singers of that era, Pitney career was derailed by Beatlemania. After a couple more hits, Pitney turned to the country market and recorded with George Jones. By the 70s, he was touring mostly in England, Europe and Australia. Pitney topped the British charts in 1989 when he recorded his 1967 single Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart with Soft Cell lead singer Marc Almond. Pitney was inducted into The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Pitney was on tour in Cardiff, Wales when he died in his hotel room from a heart attack on Apr. 5, 2006 at age 66. Here's Gene Pitney performing Only Love Can Break a Heart. This is the only live footage I could find of Pitney performing this song. And yes, he is lip syncing but he would have lip synced anyway.  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bill Frisell

Artist:Bill Frisell

Song:Moon River

Album:When You Wish Upon a Star

I have written about jazz guitarist Bill Frisell before. But he's so versatile and records so many different kinds of music, he's kind of hard to classify. This recording of Henry Mancini's Moon River is from the 2016 album When You Wish Upon a Star. It's an album of movie themes. Frisell studied with Jim Hall at Berklee in Boston. Hall is probably his main influence and Frisell has mostly stuck with acoustic guitar. Frisell's big break came in 1982 when Pat Metheny was unable to make a recording session and he recommended Frisell to drummer Paul Motian. Frisell became ECM Records' in house guitarist through the 80s and recorded three albums for ECM. He also worked a lot with John Zorn in his band Naked City and also Paul Motian and Joe Lovano. Then Frisell signed with Warner's Nonesuch label in 1989 and recorded for them for twenty years. And that is when most jazz fans got to hear Frisell on albums like Have a Little Faith (1992) and This Land (1994). Since leaving Nonesuch in 2009, Frisell has recorded for Savoy, OKeh and he currently records for Blue Note. He first recorded Moon River on the 2001 album Bill Frisell with Dave Holland and Elvin Jones. That album is out of print. But when I saw that Frisell recorded an album of movie themes and that was more interesting anyway. Of course Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer wrote Moon River for the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's. Star Audrey Hepburn sang it in the film and it won a Best Original Song Oscar. Andy Williams performed it on the Oscar broadcast. It's generally considered to be his signature song though it was never released as a single. The album When You Wish Upon a Star is on OKeh and was produced by Lee Townsend who was recommended by Charlie Haden's daughter Petra Haden who sings on this album. Other musicians are Eyvind King on viola, Thomas Morgan on bass and Rudy Royston on drums. Morgan and Royston have toured with Frisell. I know there are jazz fans who like jazz versions of movie themes so this would be of interest to them. As I said, Frisell currently records for Blue Note and he released an album in Feb. 2026. He will appear at Birdland in New York with Ron Carter in October. Then he will tour Europe. Here's Bill Frisell with Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston performing Moon River at the 2025 Jarasum Jazz Festival in South Korea. 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Richard Elliot

Artist:Richard Elliot

Song:When a Man Loves a Woman

Album:The Best of Richard Elliot

Saxophonist Richard Elliot was a member of Tower of Power in the 80s. Since leaving the band, he has had a lot of success in the Smooth Jazz market. Elliot recorded for Blue Note in the 90s. This 1989 cover of the Percy Sledge classic When a Man Loves a Woman is one of his most popular recordings. he was born Jan. 16, 1960 in Glasgow, Scotland but his family moved to Los Angeles when he was three. He played clarinet as a child and switched to saxophone as a teen. Elliot was a fan of Motown and Philadelphia International. So he moved to Detroit in 1972 and toured with Natalie Cole and The Pointer Sisters. Elliot returned to Los Angeles and while touring with Melissa Manchester, he also played in the fusion band Kittyhawk led by guitarist Daniel Bortz. Elliot played lyricon and saxophone. After Kittyhawk released two albums on EMI America, Elliot left to join Tower of Power in 1982. He also worked with Yellowjackets, recorded his first solo album in 1984 and played sessions. The 1989 album Take to the Skies was one of three albums that Elliot recorded for Intima Records which was owned by Enigma Records with Capitol distribution. After Elliot had success with his recording of When a Man Loves a Woman, he signed with Capitol owned Blue Note Records. Elliot wrote and produced most of the songs. Musicians were Alan Hinds on guitar, Naoki Yanai on bass and Bob Harsen on drums and percussion. I think this was his band at the time. Elliot played keyboards and sax. Bobby Caldwell and Marilyn Scott were special guests. You can get When a Man Loves a Woman on this budget comp. Elliot recorded for Blue Note until 2001. He currently records for Shanachie meaning he owns the recordings. Shanachie is strictly a distributor. Elliot's latest album was released in 2024. Like many Smooth Jazz artists, Elliot is always touring and he does a lot of Smooth Jazz Cruises. Here's Richard Elliot performing When a Man Loves a Woman on the German TV show Ohne Filter. There's a video for When a Man Loves a Woman but Elliot barely appears in it. So I prefer this.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Marcin Wacilewski Trio

Artist:Marcin Wasilewski Trio

Song:Cinema Paradiso

Album:January

Polish jazz pianist Marcin Wasilewski is a protege of Polish jazz trumpeter Tomasz Stanko. So not surprisingly, Wasilewski's music is similar to Stanko's and he also records for ECM Records. So if you like minimalist jazz, this could be for you. I find it to be a little too minimalist. But that seems to be true of ECM's music in general. ECM owner Manfred Eicher likes this style so it's not changing. Wasilewski was born Nov. 11, 1975 in Slawno, Poland. He started playing piano at age seven and studied classical music in high school. But he got into jazz and at age 13 formed the Simple Acoustic Trio with friends Slawomir Kurkicwicz on bass and Michal Miskiewicz on drums. These three have played together ever since and they are still together. After self releasing a couple of albums, Stanko hired them to tour and record. After recording three albums with Stanko, Wasilewski signed with ECM and released the 2005 album Trio. This cover of Ennio Morricone's theme from the film Cinema Paradiso is from the 2008 album January. Wasilewski wrote half of the ten songs. The covers are not standards and includes a cover of Prince's Diamonds and Pearls. This album is available as a digital download. As I said, this trio is still together. Their last two albums have been with tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano. Lovano has recorded for ECM since 2019. The album Homage was released last year. They are currently touring at home and in other European countries. They toured the US in 2024. Obviously, they are a much bigger deal in Poland. Here's the Marcin Wasilewski Trio performing Cinema Paradiso. 

  

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Canton Jones

Artist:Canton Jones

Song:Be Healed

Album:Dominionaire

Canton Jones is a gospel artist who writes and produces on his own label. He sometimes raps and his songs can be controversial as he sometimes covers social issues. He was born Jan. 9, 1977 in Deerfield Beach, FL. which is near Miami. As a child, he sang in his father's vocal group. And by age 16, he was writing and producing for others. Jones attended Morehouse College in Atlanta where he joined the Morehouse Glee Club. They sang for celebrities, at the 1996 Olympic Games and held the first ever gospel concert at The Pentagon. Jones' girlfriend at the time who became his wife took him to World Changers Church International led by televangelist Creflo Dollar. Jones says that in his three years there, he grew as a Christian and rededicated his life to Christ. He started his own label CAJO International and released the 2002 album 20 Years, 3 Months and 12 Days followed by the 2004 album The Password. He also appeared on rapper Lil iROCC Williams 2004 album The Sequel and performed the song You and Me on the various artists comp Holy Hip-Hop: Taking the Gospel to the Streets. He was in the World Changers Church choir and a youth pastor signed him to the church's record label Arrow Records with EMI Gospel distribution. After three albums for Arrow, Jones returned to his own label and released the 2011 album Dominionaire. As with all his albums, Jones writes and produces everything. Special guests include Dietrick Haddon. This 2CD album is available on CD. He followed this with a live album and DVD. Jones continues to record and perform. His latest album The Promise Notes (Love Stories from the Word) was released earlier this year. Here's Canton Jones performing Be Healed from the Dominionaire DVD.

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Bill Evans

Artist:Bill Evans

Song:Emily

Album:Quiet Now: Never Let Me Go

This is part of My Jazz for Beginners series complete with an affordable comp and a performance video. A while back, I wrote about pianist Bill Evans' Riverside albums. He recorded for Riverside from 1957-62 and recorded for Verve until 1969. Riverside was having financial problems and declared bankruptcy in 1964. At the time, Evans was not in good condition. The 1961 death of bassist Scott LaFaro put Evans in a tailspin and his heroin addiction got worse. His girlfriend Elaine Schultz was also an addict. They moved to his parents house in Florida and both kicked the habit. So now he's looking for a new label. Norman Granz sold Verve to MGM in 1960. The man in charge at Verve was Creed Taylor. There's no question that Taylor is a more commercial producer than Riverside's Orrin Keepnews. But Evans had to record somewhere and Verve was better than most other options. After Evans appeared on the 1962 album Empathy with Monty Budwig on bass and Shelly Manne on drums, Evans signed with Verve. His first album for Verve was the 1963 album Conversations with Myself. This is solo piano with overdubs. I know that will drive some jazz fans crazy. But the album was very successful and it won a Grammy. With that success, it's not surprising that Taylor wanted to do a sequel. That was the 1967 album Further Conversations with Myself. As with the first album, this is solo piano with overdubs. Helen Keane produced. She produced many jazz artists. Emily was the most popular song from this album as it wasn't a well known song. Johnny Mercer and Johnny Mandel wrote Emily for the 1964 film The Americanization of Emily but it wasn't used in the film. Frank Sinatra and Jack Jones recorded the song. Then Evans recorded it and so did Paul Desmond in 1969. Both performed Emily for many years. You can get Emily on this comp which is available as a digital download. The most significant event for Evans was when he met bassist Eddie Gomez in 1966. Drummer Marty Morell joined in 1968. They were together until 1975. So I might look at that trio in the future. Here's Bill Evans with Eddie Gomez and Marty Morell performing Emily.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Frank Sinatra Count Basie

Artist:Frank Sinatra Count Basie

Song:The Best Is Yet to Come

Album:The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings

It's likely that if Frank Sinatra had stayed with Capitol Records, he would have never recorded with Count Basie's band. He recorded two studio albums with Basie and The Best Is Yet to Come is probably Sinatra's best known recording from those two albums. The song was a regular part of Sinatra's repertoire despite not being released as a single. Sinatra was feuding with Capitol Records VP Alan Livingston over creative control. He tried to buy Verve Records from Norman Granz. But they couldn't work out a deal and Granz sold Verve to MGM. So he started Reprise Records in 1961. He ran the company himself at first. But most of the artists signed to Reprise were nostalgia acts and didn't sell. So Sinatra sold Reprise to Warner Bros. in 1963 and Mo Ostin made the label successful by signing contemporary artists. Sinatra still recorded for Reprise and he continued to have commercial success until his first retirement. Creative control was the main reason Sinatra started Reprise in the first place. So he got to do what he wanted. And what he really wanted to do was record with jazz bandleader Count Basie and his orchestra. The album Sinatra-Basie: A Historical Musical First was released in 1962. Neal Hefti was Basie's arranger at the time. The songs are mostly standards including a couple that Sinatra had previously recorded. The Best Is Yet to Come is from the 1964 album It Might As Well Be Swing. This is generally considered to be the better album of the two mostly because Quincy Jones was brought in to write the arrangements. This was the first time Jones had worked with Sinatra. Sinatra and Basie did some shows together and a live album was released in 1965. The Best Is Yet to Come was written by jazz pianist and composer Cy Coleman and his longtime partner Carolyn Leigh for Tony Bennett's 1962 album I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Others to record the song were Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and Blossom Dearie. Sinatra continued to perform The Best Is Yet to Come and and it was the last song in his final performance on Feb. 25, 1995 at the Palm Desert Marriott Ballroom. It was also etched on Sinatra's original tombstone though that was changed a few years ago. Both Sinatra Basie albums were released on one CD and that is available as a digital download. Here's Frank Sinatra performing The Best Is Yet to Come on the CBS TV special The Milestone Birthday Special. This was filmed at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sinatra's birthday Dec. 12, 1979.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Ralph Alessi

Artist:Ralph Alessi

Song:Chuck Barris

Album: Baida

Jazz trumpeter Ralph Alessi straddles the line between progressive jazz and avant garde. He currently records for ECM Records. The 2013 album Baida is probably his best known album. He is also a very busy sideman and an educator. He was born Mar. 5, 1963 in San Francisco. His parents met as performers at the Metropolitan Opera. His father Joseph Alessi Sr. was principal trumpet for 15 years. His mother Maria Leone sang in the chorus. His brother Joseph Alessi plays trombone in the New York Philharmonic. The Alessi brothers took trumpet lessons as children. As a teen, Ralph Alessi played with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Opera. He attended the California Institute of the Arts where he studied with legendary bassist Charlie Haden. Alessi earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jazz trumpet and a Master of Fine Arts in bass. He played with Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and saxophonist Bill Perkins and pianist Ralph Strazzeri. Alessi moved to New York City in 1990. He recorded as a sideman with avant garde saxophonist Steve Coleman. After releasing a 1999 album on his own label, he released three albums on Ravi Coltrane's RKM label. The two became friends in school. Alessi also recorded for the European labels CAM Jazz and Clean Feed. Meanwhile, Alessi founded The School for Improvisational Music in Brooklyn and has taught at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. Alessi signed with ECM for the 2013 album Baida. ECM owner Manfred Eicher produced the album. Musicians are Jason Moran on piano, Drew Gress on bass and Nasheet Watts on drums. Supposedly, Alessi named the song Chuck Barris after The Gong Show host because Barris wrote in his autobiography that he was a secret CIA operative. So the title is a joke. This album is available as a digital download. Alessi left ECM for a while. But he returns to the label with the 2026 album A Sun That Never Sets featuring his brother Joseph Alessi on trombone. Alessi is not touring right now. He was on tour earlier this year. I am sure he will tour in 2027. Here's Ralph Alessi with Gary Versace on piano, Drew Gress on bass and Nasheet Watts on drums performing Chuck Barris in Muri, Switzerland Mar. 20, 2016.

 

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Oscar Peterson

Artist:Oscar Peterson

Song:Sweet Georgia Brown

Album:Genesis

Most jazz fans are familiar with pianist Oscar Peterson's recordings on Norman Granz' labels Verve and Pablo. But you may not be familiar with Peterson's recordings before he signed with Verve. This recording of Sweet Georgia Brown was released in 1949 on RCA. Fortunately, these early recordings are easy to find and cheap too. As most folks know, Peterson was born and raised in Montreal. He was classically trained but Peterson loved jazz and boogie woogie. And if you've ever watched Peterson play, no one can keep up with him. He was known as The Brown Bomber of Boogie Woogie. He practiced four to six hours a day. So he wasn't messing around. His big break came when he won a 1940 national music competition organized by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He dropped out of high school and played in a band with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. He had a weekly radio show and performed in local hotels. RCA Records' Canadian office heard Peterson and offered to record him. So he recorded for RCA from 1945-49. This recording of Sweet Georgia Brown was released on a 78rpm disc in 1949. Musicians are Austin Roberts on bass an Clarence Jones on drums. Sweet Georgia Brown is a jazz standard written by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard and Kenneth Casey. Bernie was the first to record it. But Bing Crosby was the first to score a hit with the song in 1932. But Sweet Georgia Brown really became popular when Brother Bones and His Shadows recorded it in 1949. That's Brother Bones AKA Freeman Davis doing the whistling. This recording was adopted by the basketball team The Harlem Globetrotters as their theme. Sweet Georgia Brown became a jazz standard played by many jazz musicians. You can get Peterson's 1949 recording on this 4CD comp from the British label Proper Records. All of Peterson's early recordings are here. And it's available at a budget price. Norman Granz was in a cab on the way to the Montreal airport and heard Peterson on the radio. Granz told the cab driver to take him to the club. Granz brought Peterson to New York to appear on Jazz at the Philharmonic. And the rest is history. Granz became Peterson's manager and Peterson recorded for Granz' labels Verve and Pablo for most of his career. Here's Oscar Peterson with Ray Brown and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass performing Sweet Georgia Brown at the 1974 Montreux Jazz Festival. I think this is a changing of the guard with NHOP taking over from Brown. NHOP played with Peterson for the next decade.