Summer is moving right along, and it’s time for a new, bluesy installment of Acoustic Blend. This month’s episode is somewhat inspired by the upcoming Star City Jazz & Blues Festival, scheduled for Saturday, July 23rd in downtown Lafayette. It also features some of my favorite vocalists, including Eva Cassidy, Frank Sinatra, and Norah Jones.
You’ll probably be able to see the smile on my face as I introduce Sinatra, because Ol’ Blue Eyes reminds me of my grandmother. She loved to sing and was over the moon when I started writing and recording my own music. One of my favorite memories is the two of us singing “You Make Me Feel So Young” (thanks to my Aunt Bethany for the video) and “Come Fly With Me” at Thanksgiving karaoke a number of years back.
Also of note this hour is local artist Brent Laidler, who you just might catch performing in a couple weeks at the aforementioned Star City Jazz & Blues fest. You’ll hear a couple tracks from his 2017 album No Matter Where Noir, and if you are intrigued, then you should definitely go check out his brand new album Wouldn’t Be Here Without You.
As we wind down the hour, we’ll pause for a moment to breathe with a little something different (another theme for this show) — beat poet Bob Kaufman’s poem “Believe, Believe,” followed by an energetic track from Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. It’s right after the poem and has a big intro, so you can’t say I didn’t warn you!
Acoustic Blend airs Saturday, July 9 at 8pm EDT on WBAA AM 920 in Lafayette / West Lafayette, and streaming live on wbaa.org. You can view the full playlist below. ‘Til next month!