Season 367 - A Simple Gift

Season 367. Submission 1. "Constant, Like the Sky" - An nllleonard Original (Copyright Nancy Leonard, 2014)

This song was written by my friend Nancy, who is such a fine singer-songerwriter. Though it was written in 2014, I heard it a few weeks ago for the first time and just fell in love with it. My performance can't compare to her gorgeous original; I've a link to that in the info section of my post to the Tube.

baritone uke for me on this one



 
"Wishing everyone a beautiful day! Oh - you've changed my mind. Unlimited entries every day. The gift that just keeps giving."

Thank you, Linda! It sounds as though its "no holds barred!" Bother, I seem to have misplaced my theremin, and as for my Sousaphone ... well, I might be sitting in it!
 
a song for our host, from her list of fave musical peeps. because seth plays tenor guitar on this, i originally thought i would too, but then i ended up actually bringing it on soprano uke! still, such similar instruments, no? :confused:

seth lakeman, "crimson dawn"

 
bonesigh said:
Will you tell me which song you would like to hear from me?
Click to expand...

Janet, I would very much love to hear you perform your original "Gently" on this Season. It's one of the most beautiful instrumentals on ukulele I've ever heard. But that being said, if you decided to revisit it in any way (a different arrangement, lyrics, a new fish tank ambient effect :) ), I know it would be newly perfect.

Thank you so very much for asking and please know how much your contribution would mean to me! Linda :)
 
I have been thinking about this incredible song for a while.
My friend and fellow musician, Valerio Lepori, asked me if I wanted to sit in with his monster 10pc band and sing a few songs with them.
I immediately said, "YES!" and that I wanted to try this song in particular (even though I had never tried to sing it.)
Now it comes down to learning how to sing this sucker! Seriously, Jackie Wilson could pack more excitement and different vocal timbres into 2 1/2 minutes than anybody I can think of.
I got to play a trio gig with Valerio last Thursday and I told him that we should dedicate the song to Janine Wiget, a mover and shaker in the local dance community and a supporter of live music for dancing.
So, since I had to work on this song this morning, and since I was thinking of this song as a dedication, I will try it here for the Seasons.

It all goes down at the world-famous HELSINKI CLUB in Zürich, Switzerland this Wednesday night! Join us if you can!

 
The first time I paid attention to John Hiatt was after getting the album "Walk On" at a work White Elephant Christmas party. My friend John Vig brought the album, another friend Louise picked it and gave it to me. Now John Hiatt is one of my favorite songwriters, and playing his songs often brings me back to those days. "Cry to Me" is from last year's "Eclipse Sessions" album. As John said in a Rolling Stone article, “Cry to Me” was inspired by “every heartbroke, bedraggled gal [he’s] ever known.”

 
I think I have just found out which song I have to do this week. We are away in the campervan, and walking through a mostly deserted market place we found a busker, playing a clarinet. He asked us if we had any requests - "anything but bloody Stranger On The Shore" were his exact words. And my wife asked for something, her favourite song ever. He played it perfectly. No pressure then...Back home in a couple of days to see if I can do it.
 
Well if the one per day has been lifted allow me to present my wedding song.

Picture two shy people awkwardly slow dancing before breaking out into air guitar and headbanging and you have a perfect summation of my relationship with Louise. All made up on the fly and with very little thought as to how it would work, but turned out great in the end

 
We watched "A Star is Born" for the second time the other night, and our daughter (who hadn't seen it before) recognized and loves this song that Bradley Cooper did, so I learned and recorded it this morning for her. She hasn't heard my version yet, but I'll play it at our next family get together, if anyone asks. I read up on his many months of vocal training for singing these parts in the movie, he really put in a lot of work, and said that he actually lowered his vocal range a full octave. I'd like to do that too, but the other way.

 
Depending on whose version of events you believe this song was inspired by Don McLean so I'm covering a song that was honouring another artist, hopefully that fits the theme.
I've put the chords on screen for a friend, just ignore them if you happen to watch, you guys know full well what I'm playing.
 
This one is for Trent, who requested that I do it a long time ago. I was thinking maybe he just wanted to hear me do a song with a recitation in it, because I tend to stay away from songs like that. But when my wife heard it, she asked if I had written it. When I told her no, she said it sounded like something I would write, so maybe Trent was onto something.

I did call my grandfather Papaw.

 
YorkSteve said:
I think I have just found out which song I have to do this week. We are away in the campervan, and walking through a mostly deserted market place we found a busker, playing a clarinet. He asked us if we had any requests - "anything but bloody Stranger On The Shore" were his exact words. And my wife asked for something, her favourite song ever. He played it perfectly. No pressure then...Back home in a couple of days to see if I can do it.
Click to expand...

Have a wonderful trip, Steve, and I hope to hear that song when/if you've the chance! :)
 
One the biggest strokes of luck I ever had was being born to two fantastic people I am so very proud to call my parents. And another stroke of amazing good fortune was in having three fabulous siblings I am so very proud to call my brothers. And over the years we’ve all in one way or another experienced the ups and downs that the rollercoaster of life has thrown at us. And through all those times the love and the support provided to each of us by mum and dad has been unstinting, unconditional and simply awesome.

Last year my youngest brother Alan had a particularly turbulent time and wrote a lovely, heartfelt thank you poem to our parents for their ongoing help through it all. I always thought it would make a lovely song and this season’s theme provides the perfect opportunity to combine his words with my music as a joint gift from us both to them - so thank you Linda for the encouragement to finally do something! :)

The pictures are all of my amazing parents, some with me and my brothers.

 

Lynda, aka BirdsEyeViewOfMyUke got me started on the seasons and also inspired me to do a lot of homemade songs like this one in which I imagine myself traveling around the world visiting seasonistas, jamming with them and shuttling them around to wherever they might want to go!
 
turtledrum said:
Season 367. Submission 1. "Constant, Like the Sky" - An nllleonard Original (Copyright Nancy Leonard, 2014)

This song was written by my friend Nancy, who is such a fine singer-songerwriter. Though it was written in 2014, I heard it a few weeks ago for the first time and just fell in love with it. My performance can't compare to her gorgeous original; I've a link to that in the info section of my post to the Tube.

baritone uke for me on this one
Click to expand...

Well you certainly brought a wonderful gift here Linda.
It is one of those songs that grabbed me so much I just had to cover it straight away and maybe pass on the gift of Nancy's talent a little further.
Her original is just a delight.
 
Dear Friends,

Our first day of gift giving is drawing to a close for me. I have no words to tell you how very powerful your stories and songs have been.
Thank you all so very, very much.

One more gift to share tonight. I've heard a beautiful recording today of a song Gillian Welch did in honor of Elvis. Oh, the gift of a song.
I hope you'll enjoy it.

Until tomorrow! Linda :)


 
This is for my friend Carroll Sammons, who played this yesterday at the nursing home gig even though he had a hard time remembering it all and his hearing problems made it hard for him to figure it out from listening to an old recording. I've been very fortunate to be able to get to know him in the last few years, and I've tried to learn everything from him that I could. He still plays a mean guitar.

For reference, I used a recording made by Adolph Hofner, a western swing bandleader from the tiny town of Moulton, Texas. He's still a big name around these parts.

Bass & drums was by ChordPulse. Tenor acoustic/electric rhythm ukulele, tenor electric ukulele, and melodica.

 
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