Category Archives: mixtape

Mixtape: Jazz for riding a bicycle

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mixtape: jazz for riding a bicycleIt’s finally bicycle weather! Woohoo! Today’s mixtape celebrate’s that fact. It’s a fun, funky, swinging mix for riding your bicycle around on a sunny day. Alright, I’m going to keep this short so we can get out and ride!! Stick it in your ear-holes!

1. The Trolley Song – Betty Carter
2. Nice Work If You Can Get It – Chris Connor
3. Gentleman Friend – The George Shearing Quintet & Nancy Wilson
4. Among Friends – Art Pepper
5. Broadway – Greta Matassa
6. I Get A Kick Out Of You – Jamie Cullum
7. Play It, Momma – Dave Douglas
8. Samba De Orfeu – Champian Fulton
9. What Is So – Rachel Therrien

♫ 8tracks

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Mixtape: Life’s Mysteries

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Mixtape: Life's Mysteries

Life is funny and sad and mysterious and full of intense and beautiful and weird situations isn’t it? This collection of songs covers a broad range of topics from aging and darkness, life and love, to that green colour that happens when children paint a yellow sun in a blue sky. But together they are perfect for staring up at the night sky and contemplating your mortality as a tiny being riding a giant rock through the universe.

1. How I knew Her – Nataly Dawn
2. Full Circle – Youn Sun Nah
3. Light (A.K.A. Dark) – Christine Fagan
4. Kind Folk – Kenny Wheeler, Lee Konitz, Dave Holland, Bill Frisell
5. Manhattan In The Rain – Norma Winstone
6. Green Edge Sky, Green Edge Sun – Mark Kieswetter/Ross MacIntyre
7. Landslide – Stacey Kent
8. Anthem – Laila Biali
9. Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

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Mixtape: Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring

Spring has sprung! Well, it has in my heart anyway. This is a happy, bouncy mix to say goodbye to winter and hello to spring! There may be one melancholy sigh at the end…

1. If I Were a Bell – Carmen McRae
2. Happy Talk – Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderley
3. Up Jumped Spring – Abbey Lincoln
4. Bye Bye Blackbird – Hellen Merrill
5. cake tray – Megan Jerome
6. People Will Say We’re In Love – Sophie Milman
7. You’re Getting To Be A Habit – Champian Fulton
8. Can’t Buy Me Love – Nancy King with Steve Christofferson
9. Two Kites – Norma Winstone
10. Spring Can Really Hang You Up… – Gordon Webster

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: Road Trip + Canadian Music Week

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Mixtape: Road TripIt’s road trip time! On Tuesday I’m packing my car and heading down to Toronto for Canadian Music Week so I made this groovy r&b mix to make that journey zip by. If you find yourself in Toronto on March 19th, please come check out my showcase at The Courthouse (57 Adelaide Street East) at 7pm. There’s more info here.

This mix features my childhood favourites of r&b and hip hop like Lauryn Hill, James Brown, and Earth, Wind & Fire as well as some new names thrown in for good measure!

1. Got to Get You into My Life – Earth, Wind & Fire
2. Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
3. Massive Stride – Kristin Fung
4. Radio Song – Esperanza Spalding
5. Tightrope (feat. Big Boi) – Janelle Monáe
6. Fever – James Brown
7. Golden – Jill Scott
8. Without U (feat. Colin Munroe) – Black Milk
9. Watermelon Man – Herbie Hancock

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: Lazy Sunday Mornings

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012-sundaymorningsThings have been pretty crazy around here. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about *cough* CBC Searchlight Competition *cough*. I have been pushing myself really hard to keep up with a daily blogging schedule, to answer all my emails promptly, to teach all of my students, AND do a daily vocal practice. It’s crazy. I definitely need a mixtape of music for a lazy Sunday morning to remind me to slooooow down. This mix is designed to gently coax you out of bed like the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Maybe just five more minutes, ok?

1. Tout Doucement – Blossom Dearie
2. If I Were a Bell – Carmen McRae
3. Exactly Like You – Champian Fulton
4. I’m a Shy Guy – Steve Berndt / Brian Browne
5. Sweet Lorraine – Ernie Andrews
6. Mack the Knife – Barney Kessel with Shelly Manne and Ray Brown
7. I Like Men – Carol Welsman
8. Let’s Try This Again – Sara Gazarek
9. Happy Go Lucky Local (a.k.a. Night Train) – Oscar Peterson
10. Sleep In Late – Molly Johnson

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: Songs for Separated Lovers

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Since tomorrow is Valentine’s day I decided to create a mixtape for an often overlooked bunch. This mix isn’t for the gooey lovers exchanging gifts, nor for the begrudged single people. This mix is for those separated from their special someone. Whether separated by distance or circumstance, being apart from the one you love is never easy. These songs may not make the pain go away but you can take comfort in the fact that someone, somewhere, knows how you feel.

1. Too Late Now – Roberta Gambarini
2. My Foolish Heart – Bill Evans
3. Little Girl Blue – Kate Davis
4. Where Are You? – Houston Person with Bill Charlap
5. Travelin’ Light – Shirley Horn
6. I’ll Be Seeing You – Brad Mehldau
7. Just Say The Word – Renée Yoxon & Mark Ferguson
8. Skylark / You Don’t Know What Love Is – Mark Murphy
9. Busy Being Blue – Peter Eldridge

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: I Love The 90s

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Ah the 90s… a decade I remember fondly for it’s wacky family sitcoms, light denim, and scrunchies. As for music I was deep into Backstreet Boys, Spice Girls, and Merril Bainbridge (I can’t lie). Lately though I’ve been digging into vocal jazz music that was released during my formative years so this week’s mixtape features some of my favourite tunes that were released in the 90s. This is by no means a comprehensive list, and I mostly stuck to straight ahead jazz. I think you’ll like it, enjoy!

1. Robbins Nest – Carol Sloane
2. What A Little Moonlight Can Do – Tony Bennett
3. Anthropology – Kitty Margolis
4. Get Out Of Town – Holly Cole
5. ‘Tis Autumn – Nnenna Freelon
6. Honeysuckle Rose – Eva Cassidy
7. Up Jumped Spring – Abbey Lincoln
8. The Look of Love – Shirley Horn
9. Spain – Bobby McFerrin & Chick Corea

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: Cloudy Winter Afternoon

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This mix is for those cloudy winter afternoons when you just don’t feel like leaving the house. Maybe you just want to sit around knitting and staring listlessly out the window. I understand you and I put this together for those day. It’s mellow, melancholy, and wistful.

1. Whiteout – Andrea Simms-Karp
2. White Keys – Chilly Gonzales
3. Secret Love – Nancy King & Glen Moore
4. Hearing Your Voice – Melissa Stylianou
5. Canyon – Megan Jerome
6. Sleep Away – Nicky Shrire
7. Gatekeeper – Feist
8. Lullaby For Ghosts – Musk Ox
9. Jolene – Susanna And The Magical Orchestra

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: What’s Cookin’ Good Lookin’?

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New mixtape! If your New Year’s resolution was to cook more meals at home with your honey, then this is the mix for you. It’s full of latin jazz, funky grooves, and Brazilian rhythms and it features Antonio Carlos Jobim, Esperanza Spalding, and Elis Regina. The full playlist is below. Enjoy!

1. No More Blues – Roberta Gambarini
2. Señor Blues – Giacomo Gates
3. Love For Sale – Elizabeth Shepherd
4. Quien Sera (Sway) – Arielle Dombasle
5. Águas de Março – Antônio Carlos Jobim & Elis Regina
6. O Pato (The Duck) – Émilie-Claire Barlow
7. So Danço Samba (I Only Dance Samba) – Stan Getz/João Gilberto
8. Life On Mars? – Seu Jorge
9. I Know You Know – Esperanza Spalding

♫ 8tracks

Mixtape: It’s That Time of Year

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Now that it’s mid-December, the holidays are in full swing and if you’re in up north then it’s probably starting to get pretty frosty and white. I get a little bit cranky when it starts to get cold so it’s helpful for me to remember the positive things about this time of year. 1. eggnog, 2. fireplace fires, 3. wool sweaters, 4. snuggling. I feel better already. I think I’m going to combine all those things with this wintery mixtape:

1. Oh Tannenbaum – Vince Guaraldi Trio
2. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? – Harry Connick, Jr.
3. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm – Cecile Mclorin Salvant and the Jean-François Bonnel Paris Quintet
4. Winter Wonderland – Roy Hargrove & Shirley Horn
5. Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Dave Brubeck
6. Snowbound – Nancy King with Steve Christofferson
7. Let it Snow – Betty Carter & Roy Hargrove
8. Christmas in Antarctica – Tena Palmer with John Geggie
9. First Snow – Dave Holland
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Pt. 1 – Carla Bley, Steve Swallow & The Partyka Brass Quintet

♫ 8tracks