Quick Hits: Shimmies and Pronouns

Growing up, I had a friend who was described as "fussy" by other parents. He just couldn't seem to concentrate or sit still. Reflecting back, it's highly likely he had undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The condition is now more understood and children (and adults) are afforded proper medical care and treatment, which has removed much of the stigma from ADHD.

Musician Jazzy Ash (Ashli St. Armant) confronted her ADHD diagnosis head-on with compassion and honestly. For Mental Health Awareness Month (and also for her birthday this week), she has delivered "The Shimmies," a brand new song that shines a spotlight on ADHD. Creativity and music are a potent combination and Ashli strives to let children know that it's okay to get up and move around when your brain get fired up from an intoxicating blend of sound and lyrics.

You can listen to "The Shimmies" on Jazzy Ash's website, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.

I loved Looney Tunes when I was a kid. Who didn't love Bug Bunny and Daffy Duck feuding, especially when Elmer Fudd was added to the mix. In fact, one of the funniest arguments they ever had revolved around Daffy constantly telling Elmer to "Shoot me now!" in the classic, "Rabbit Seasoning." At one point, Daffy slows things down and says "Pronoun trouble," leading of course to another slapstick blast of buckshot in the face (I wonder if the cartoon is even online with all the violence. Here is a clip). Again Again addresses the subject of modern self-identification with their new song, "Pronoun Party," from their upcoming CD, YOUR VOICE IS MAGIC. "Pronoun Party" addresses gender expansive usage through a woke blast of knowledge directly into your kids' brains. 

You can find music from Again Again at their website, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. 

Here is the video:

 

Sing Along With Jazzy Ash and Pointed Man Band

Sometimes there's a song in your heart (or head) and the music fights its way out up your esophagus and out of your mouth. That's the concept behind Jazzy Ash (Los Angelino Ashli St. Armant)'s new track, “Everybody Gotta Sing.” After spending her upbringing in New Orleans, Ash (along with her band, the Leaping Lizards) have cultivated a throwback swing sound that gets kids and parents alike on their feet and harmonizing like they just can't stop. It doesn't matter if you can play an instrument or the method you use to share your inner music, Ash emphasizes. With temperatures going higher and the end of the school year getting closer, kids are gonna need an anthem and Ash is prepared to make them dance for it.

You can hear "Everybody Gotta Sing" at Jazzy Ash's website, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Origami is the art of folding paper and transforming it into different things (such as a dog or even Yoda). As children get older, reaching milestones transforms them into the adults they will one day become. As Pointed Man Band (Dan Elliott) explains in his new song, "Origami," it's the responsibility of parents to correctly fold and shape our kids in the right way:

With two hands and a small piece of paper
I've got the world to create with just some folds and maneuvers
A little time, a little space
A little thought and some features
A library book on how to craft these delicate creatures

With its lively piano, organ, and horn section, "Origami" reminds kids that everybody has the right and obligation to make their mark in the world. That optimism puts the "point" in "Pointed Man Band."

You can find "Origami" on Pointed Man Band's website, Bandcamp (below), Amazon, or Apple Music. 

Holiday Quick Hits: Jazzy Ash, Itty Bitty Beats, Genevieve Goings

It's November and that means it's time for the annual cavalcade of holiday songs. First up this season is Jazzy Ash (Ashli St. Armant) with two tracks. Ashli's favorite Kringling jingle is "Zat You, Santa Claus," known for many versions including the incomparable Louis Armstrong. 

Raised in New Orleans where she absorbed the musical milieu of the bayou, the Los Angeles queer mom of two has also released a new track, "Fly Through the Sky." Inspired by Ella Fitzgerald and the classic instrumental music of Disney musical movies, it's a big band flashback to another time. 

Find both songs on Jazzy Ash's website, Apple Music, and Spotify.

Lucy Hiku and Jenny Payne, otherwise known as New Zealand's Itty Bitty Beats, have also dropped three disparate Christmas tunes. We're more than 60 years from the heyday of the Andrews Sisters, but the Beats pursue boogie woogie harmonies on "Rockin’ Rollin’ Reindeer." 'Their "Ring the Bells" could have been an outtake from a Rankin-Bass holiday special, celebrating that 'tis much bell-ringing, such as church bells and sleigh bells, at this time of year. Their winter lullaby "Little Snowflake" can be sung to to the tune of "Frère Jacques" and features vocals from Jenny’s son, Lachie.

All three songs will be available on the Itty Bitty Beats' website, Spotify, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Pretty soon it's going to be time to stop referring to Genevieve Goings as "formerly from Disney's Choo Choo Soul." She adds to his resumé of solo music with her new holiday-themed EP, VERY MERRY, from 8 Lb Gorilla Records. Perfect for decorating the tree, making cookies, or burning off that frenetic energy on Christmas Eve, the five songs give an overview of family and fun during the winter season. Standouts include "Crazy for Christmas Lady" and "Sweeter Than a Candy Cane" (which refers to "your love is...").

Find VERY MERRY on Genevieve Goings' website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Lucy Kalantari Jazzed For A New Kids' World

Well, our troops are home from Afghanistan after 20 years. So much for an attempt at nation building in somebody else's country. Speaking of nation building, that's the focus of Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats' new EP, WHAT KIND OF WORLD (from 8 Pound Gorilla Records).

After winning two (yes, two) Grammy awards, Kalantari is flexing her lyrical muscle. There's no filler among the five tracks on WHAT KIND OF WORLD and plenty of guest stars to move the band's messages. The first track, "Friendship Party," features Jazzy Ash and Joelle Lurie (JoJo and the Pinecones) and touts the pre- and post-pandemic fun in seeing (and being with) friends. COVID has affected all of us and the Jazz Cats were not exempted. Trombone player Ron Wilkins suffered the virus, but required a tracheotomy and spent a month in a coma. "Round and Round" celebrates the flexibility and courage it takes for get through a crisis, individually and collectively.

The title track, “What Kind of World?” is a  power ballad about – wait for it – international building. SaulPaul guests on vocals with a kindie choir including Little Miss Ann, Flor Bromley, Joanie Leeds, Julie Be, Snooknuk, Sonia de los Santos, and Lachi, an electronic music star and disability advocate. Wait, there's more – a string section composed of Elena Moon Park, son Darius, Erich Schoen Rene, Charisa the ViolinDiva, and Paul Laraia:

What kind of world do you wanna see?

What kind of world do you want it to be?

Ask yourself these questions from time to time.

Check in and see what you find.

Kalantari is in the forefront of the evolution of children's music, as the kindie movement of the past two years has reached maturity. Some artists are satisfied to produce lullabies, holiday songs, and other comfortable material. But there are societal customs to confront and stereotypes to challenge. On the EP closer, "Art," the Jazz Cats acknowledge that human life if fleeting but the art we leave behind can affect generations of listeners. Kalantari is utilizing her music to help children envision a better world. That's something we can all get jazzed about.

WHAT KIND OF WORLD? is available from Lucy Kalantari's website, Amazon, Spotify, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the band's song, "Friendship Party," featuring Jazzy Ash and Joelle Lurie:

Quick Hits: Jazz Cats Get Friendly, Levy Loves Magic

Friendship is more powerful than a pandemic. That's never been as true as on "Friendship Party," the new video from Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats' upcoming EP, WHAT KIND OF WORLD? (from kids label Eight Pound Gorilla Records). The Grammy Award-winning band's trombone player Ron Wilkins survived a bout of COVID last year, yet he sounds as fit and feisty as ever on the EP (review to follow in September). "Friendship Party" cuts between black-and-white instrument playing and colorful street scenes. The buoyant lyrics feature 1940s harmonies from Lucy and fellow jazz enthusiasts Jazzy Ash and Joelle Lurie (of JoJo and the Pinecones). For kids who might be confused about what kind of dance moves should accompany this type of American music, the accompanying video (shot in Brooklyn) showcases swing dancers and choreography that they can easily follow and teach to their friends and family. Here is the brand swinging new video from Lucy Kalantari and the Jazz Cats:

Alison Faith Levy is back on the children's music scene after taking a well-deserved hiatus (and I'm not talking the enforced coronavirus isolation break that we all endured). With filmmaker Danny Plotnick, Levy has released a video for the title track of her upcoming CD, YOU ARE MAGIC. The theme of the concept album is how our own individual creative energy and momentum draws from – and is reflective of – the universe that surrounds us. The song nicely tracks how actions can have positive consequences:

Can you care for the earth and things that grow?
Just plant some seeds in nice straight rows
See you did it, there’s nothing to it
You are magic, and you can do it!

YOU ARE MAGIC is currently available for pre-order on Bandcamp. In the meantime, you can watch the video for "You Are Magic" from Alison Faith Levy:

Jazzy Ash Puts Her Good Foot Forward

Making a strong first impression is super important. With a a new generation of listeners coming fast and furious every few years in the field of children's music, Jazzy Ash (Ashli St. Armant) used her pandemic time to build GOOD FOOT, a six-song EP that introduces audiences to her influences – the Black American music sound of the 1950s and 1960s. 

The renaissance of kids' jazz continues unabated, from the 2019 Grammy win of Lucy Kalantari to present day. Ashli has chosen to revisit the classic jump rope song, "Teddy Bear" and uses a soul/funk beat on the mask-friendly "Be Outside" (see the video below). Who knew that walking your dog during coronavirus could inspire such an upbeat number? In fact, the song reached Number 1 on SiriusXM's Kids Place Live's "13 Under 13" over the summer. Ashli delves into the early rock roots of Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley on the title track and executes a James Brown rave on "The Sauce." Guest performer Amelia Robinson (Mil's Trills) complement Ashli's vocals on "Seize the Day" and life partner Pam Rocker duets on the '60s harmony echo "Honey."

After spending much of her youth in New Orleans, Ashli decamped in Los Angeles, where she founded Leaping Lizards Music, a music and theater education program for TK-12 students. Her touring band, Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards, produced five albums and looks forward to returning to the road in 2021. The band is joined on GOOD FOOT by esteemed musicians Phil Glenn (Show Ponies, Psychic Temple), Danny Frankel (Fiona Apple, Lou Reed, Brian Eno), and Davin Givhan (Lauryn Hill, Psychic Temple). An authentic sound was almost guaranteed, as the EP was recorded at LA's EastWest Studios, which has produced more Grammy Award-winning albums than any other studio in the world, including Frank Sinatra and Marvin Gaye.

The playing field will be leveled for all performers in 2021 once vaccines and science coax us into the open from our sheltering pods. With GOOD FOOT, Jazzy Ash accomplished her task – a shiny first impression, clearing herself a prime landing space in our funky new world.

GOOD FOOT is available from Jazzy Ash's website, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.

Here is the video for "Be Outside":

Quick Hits: 123 Andrés Hits the Beach, BeatBuds Hit Minds

The upcoming 123 Andrés' album, HOLA AMIGOS, has generated its second pre-release video for the song, "Beach." An enhanced lyric video, the song features performers Jazzy Ash and Aaron Nigel Smith (who has his own new album coming later this month).

Late August is considered the dog days of summer – with sheltering, homeschooling, cancelled camps, and a general lack of traditional seasonal pleasures, Andres, Christina, and friends attempt to inject some normality and implanted memories of the regular pleasures of the season. You can watch the recently-released video here:

The pandemic continues to bring out more artists with more socially conscious material. The BeatBuds are the latest to join the trend, with their new song, "I Have A Voice." The song drops on Friday, August 21. With Election Day coming in less than three months, now is the time to gently (or at least not that heavy-handedly) introduce the concepts of good citizenship, expressing your opinion, and that voting is a right, not a privilege. 

Similar to the Okee Dokee Brothers, Buds Jonny Jonah and Matty Shapiro tout a friendship that dates back to practically infancy (six years of age). They have decades of experience supporting and opening for mainstream groups, including The Killers, Imagine Dragons, Jet, Motley Crue, and Fallout Boy. In fact, their press sheet reads like a who's who of modern mid-venue rockers. 

The BeatBuds merged their talents in 2012 to create children's music and lay claim to more than 6,000 performances. They happily promote their connect to Scooter Braun (don't mention that name to Taylor Swift), who is helping to plot their ascension into the first tier of children's musicians. A Nickelodeon animated preschool series is in the works, with a post-pandemic 2021 debut pencilled in.

The BeatBuds conducted a series of livestreaming concerts that ended in June. Here's "Sunday Funday," a 45-minute performance:

Quick Hits: Debut Videos from Jazzy Ash; Mayers Family Does Star Wars

Jazzy Ash (Ashli St. Armant) returns with the classic "Teddy Bear, Turn Around" with a New Orleans take and plenty of socially distanced participation. "The most resilient thing about Black Americans is our ability to find joy in the midst of darkness," Ashli said. "Here’s a new song and video I made with my community. I hope you enjoy it, and maybe give yourself permission to dance.”

A New Orleans native (with a father from Trinidad), Ashli embodies the melting pot that became NOLA's signature sound. Now residing in Los Angeles with her family, she is expanding on her mission to build the footprint of jazz for children.

Ashli is using her time at home during COVID sheltering to record a series of songs and producing videos to accompany them. "Teddy Bear" joins "All The Pretty Little Horses," "Hide and Seek," and "Leap Frog." Click through this video and you'll find a host of others when you visit her YouTube channel.



Don't you wish your family included a professional video editor? Filmmaker Matt Mayers (whose wife handles PR for many of the children's music artists I've covered lo these many years) has shot a series of Star Wars-inspired shorts featuring his daughters, Hannah and Norah. Over the past few years, the elder Norah has been visited by aliens, chased by zombies, on the run from Freddy Kruger, and gained super powers. Last Halloween, she and her neighborhood friends were taunted by a creepy clown. In any case, here's "Attack of the Hannahs" and keep using the Force, Mayers family.

Attack of the Hannahs | A Mayers Family Film from Matt Mayers on Vimeo.

Do the Five With Brady Rymer; Flor Bromley Celebrates Fiesta

Rules, rules, rules. That's all kids face with sheltering in place and homeschooling. Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could have now crafted a song to help make following health rules a bit more entertaining for kids. The "Do the Five" campaign inspired both his tune and video (featuring his daughter, Daisy). Follow these five important health tips and learn the dance at the same time:

1. (Hands) Wash them often
2. (Elbow) Cough into it
3. (Face) Don't touch it
4. (Space) Keep safe distance
5. (Home) Stay if you can



Diverse Latin American influences permeate Flor Bromley's newest offering, FlESTA GLOBAL. You will become familiar with Peruvian marinera, Mexican son jarocho, Brazilian batacuda, and Colombian cumbia. Just when you think you know a song like "La Bamba," Flor and collaborator Claudia Vega deliver a rousing new version.

Flor stresses bilingual fun as she tours through South America to discover where these rhythms were born, accompanied by her band, Sinuhé Padilla, George Sáenz, and Raphael Torn. Flor already released a "bonus" single of the song "Superhero" in English, but the CD contains the Peruvian version that she would have sung in her native country.

Flor performs bilingual shows throughout the tristate area (with her sidekick Kitty). Her agreeable style and infectious attitude shine on tracks like the pro-immigration "We Came to America," the Dixieland swing track "Balloon Party" with Jazzy Ash, and the Columbian ode to friendship, "Lalalalalá" with 123 Andres. Come for the celebration, stick around and possibly learn about world culture.

FIESTA GLOBAL will be released on April 24 on Apple Music and Amazon.

Quick Hits: New Koo Koo Kanga Roo Video, Jazzy Ash Mystery Book

The dynamic duo known as Koo Koo Kanga Roo continue to make catchy, amusing pop songs for children. Their latest video rocks and raps to the chorus of "It's too hot" for "Hot Sauce." You can grab a look and listen right here:

Family musician Ashli St. Armant (also known as Jazzy Ash) has released an Audible original in the style of a Nancy Drew book – "Viva Durant and the Secret of the Silver Buttons" is told through the eyes of brave young black girl (enthusiastically narrated by Bahni Turpin). The book is free for Audible members through December 1. You can grab a sample of the book here. Or watch the trailer below:

Red Yarn Raises the Roof On A New Barn

Children's music has acts that stress danceable tunes. It also has groups that want to rock and roll. But there's only one kids' performer who wants to party like it's 1925 – that would be Red Yarn (Andy Furgeson). Andy takes the wholesome, fulsome sound of the pre-Great Depression Dust Bowl and brings it back to three-dimensional, full-color life, as on his fifth CD, RED YARN'S OLD BARN. And hey, his videos have puppets, too.

Conceived post-Trump 2016 Election Night, Andy dreamed of "a barn with doors open wide" for all to enter. Over the next 18 months he built that barn, with assistance from producer Dean Jones (you know that guy) and engineer Adam Selzer. OLD BARN features Andy's mix of repurposed traditional songs with a batch of new numbers that snugly fit into his previously-released milieu.

Red Yarn delivers an appealing "corncob and critters" sound, this time married to the concept of a hootenanny at the local farm. It helps that, to most children without a discerning ear, Andy's vocals come with a sui generis lack of regional accent. Adults with a lack of empathy for this kind of material may start to meander after "Old Barn," "Barn Dance," "Barn Fire," and finally "To Raise a Barn."

Andy covers "Sally Ann," an Appalachian folk song captured by Alan Lomax, dedicating it to his new baby daughter. "Barn Dance" is an updated version of an 1880's cowboy dance also memorialized by Lomax. Jazzy Ash drops by to duet on a lively rendition of Ella Jenkins' "Did You Feed My Cow?"

I've alternately been asked by people "What's the point of children's music?" and "What children's music do you point to?" Red Yarn provides an affirmative, living answer to both questions. Andy exhibits the concept that if you play music from previous generations as if it's brand new, children will never, ever realize it's "old." Nonwithstanding its title, RED YARN'S OLD BARN proves the hills, valleys, ranches, and farms are still alive.

RED YARN'S OLD BARN is available April 27 from Red Yarn's website, Amazon, iTunes, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp.

Here is the video for the CD's title track:

Matt's Playlist - Saturday, November 4, 2017

Sunday Morning – Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights
Time to Make the Donuts – Recess Monkey
Everybody Loves My Baby – Jazzy Ash
Cloud Skateboard – Mo Phillips
Sleeping Dogs – Randy Kaplan

Quick Hits: Summertime Video Cavalcade

What's better on a sweltering summer afternoon than watching a bevy of videos with your kids? Here's a new kindie crop of just-released singles to promote new and upcoming releases.

Morgan Taylor's Gustafer Yellowgold returns in September with a new CD/DVD, BRIGHTER SIDE (pre-order here). The first single, "Hot Nights," is the sizzling saga of life on the Sun.




Singer Jess Penner is releasing her first children's EP, IMAGINATION, on August 11. The EP is a short collection of her childhood favorites and a few originals. Here is the video for the title track:




Jason Didner and the Jungle Gym Jam have made a video to accompany their song, "Pandagarten." Go to their website to download three tracks for free.


Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards recently released SWING SET. Here is the video for the song, "Eh La Bas":


Lisa Loeb is still releasing singles from last year's children's CD, FEEL WHAT U FEEL. Here's the video for the song, "The Sky is Always Blue":

Jazzy Ash Gets Kids In the Swing Of Things

When you boil it down to the essential elements, children's music is all about discovery. The first songs that every child hears, they think are just being created for them, until they hear the music being performed by others. A standard like "Happy Birthday" is interpreted as a family heirloom until they realize that everybody knows it.

The next stage of children's music is rediscovery. That happens when kids are introduced to the same songs as performed by different, diverse performers. I've always contended that parents do their kids no favors by being snarky and only playing "adult" or "pop" music for their tots. Most of it is age-inappropriate. But also, what are the odds that other children even know what they're singing? And once they get to school age, that kind of parenting is going to be stigmatized by more conventional thinking. 

Okay, I could go on another 20 paragraphs by I've digressed far enough. Part of the concept of reinterpretation occurs when musicians go back to their roots and dredge the past for classics and forgotten tunes. Jazzy Ash (and the Leaping Lizards) have done just that with her latest collection, SWING SET. Fourteen songs are gathered, from the well-known "Down By the Riverside" and "She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain" to little-known "Little Sally Walker" and "Eh La Bas."

SWING SET accomplishes for the New Orleans sound what Dan Zanes did nearly two decades ago when he inadvertently inaugurated the kindie movement. Putamayo has released similar collections, but one must be familiar with their organization (or their SiriusXM KidsPlace Live show). Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards resurrect the purely American brassy NOLA beat, which draws clear lines to blues, jazz, rap, and country.

A fully-rounded children's education presents many forms of music and lets them decide what they like. As a result, I have a six-year-old who requests The Offspring and a 16-year-old who cycled through Dave Matthews and Pearl Jam. SWING SET gives children and families an opportunity to learn about the rich history of NOLA music and culture and opens the door to a different perspective from another time and place. 

SWING SET is available July 21 from Jazzy Ash's website, Amazon, iTunes, and CDBABY.

Here is a video of Ash and friends recording an impromptu version of "Li'l Liza Jane" in a vintage recording booth:

Jazzy Ash Swings By With Hambone (video)

America is a melting pot. Independence Day constantly reminds us that this country, in its current form, was incorporated on the backs of immigrants. Peoples many nations brought their cultures, recipes, and musical tastes and mixed them into a jambalaya that stews to this day. Pun intended.

Jazzy Ash and Uncle Devin

New Orleans native Jazzy Ash is a living and breathing example of that mix – with a mom from NOLA and a father from Trinidad. Her upcoming CD, SWING SET, features reinterpretations of chestnuts from the American pantheon. But in the meantime, she has released a video previewing "Hambone," one of the 14 tracks.

Originally known as Juba (from Haiti), hambone is an American style of dance that involves stomping as well as slapping and patting the arms, legs, chest, and cheeks. With an assist from drumming pro Uncle Devin and stompin' Sarah Reich, Jazzy Ash demonstrates (briskly) what hambone is all about.

Since Jazzy Ash is mostly known for dixieland and NOLA rhythms, "Hambone" is a change of pace. And certainly not indicative of the rest of SWING SET (review to follow next week), which features the entire ensemble known as the Leaping Lizards. But it's part of Jazzy's further exploration of the soupçon that makes up the American experience, which should be an essential part of any children's musical education.

All the Jazz That Fits With Jojo & the Pinecones

Jazz hands everybody! Or rather, how about a hand for jazz? There seems to be a mini-comeback of the genre inside the venue of children's music. Between Lucy Kalantari, Jazzy Ash, Lori Henriques, and now JoJo and the Pinecones, there's a whole spectrum to educate your kids. I was fortunate enough to see the group perform at Hootenanny earlier this month (with Lucy, Jazzy, as well as Tim Kubart).

Joelle Lurie and musical partner Benjamin Gallina (whose website is a mnemonic for "brangelina") crafted their new CD, NIGHT & DAY, as part of their residency at Lincoln Center Education. The album is a amalgam of new and reinvigorated standards such as the title track and "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'." For anyone who watched Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, the piano break in "Dream A Little Dream of Me" will remind you of the late Johnny Costa.

There are so many recordings of "I Can See Clearly Now" that it's pointless to make comparisons. But JoJo and company strive to make it downbeat and upbeat at the same time. You won't forget it's an album for your kids with such selections as "I Spy" and the cheery "Breakfast for Dinner," which is a rap short of being a Mista Cookie Jar song. Pizza for breakfast? Somebody is gonna give the tots some intriguing ideas.

NIGHT & DAY is designed in two sets, "Night" and "Day," with seven lighter, playful tracks that segue into seven to wind down from the hustle and bustle of school, homework, and chores. JoJo & The Pinecones take their childhood experiences and memories and run them through a tapestry of American Jazz stylings. Just when you think jazz is exclusionary, for a certain class of people, or just too cool for your tastes, along comes the closing track, "Farewell and Goodnight," a Smashing Pumpkins tune transformed from grinding guitars into a bluesy, horn-filled lullaby. Good night indeed. But not farewell.

NIGHT & DAY is available from JoJo & The Pinecones' website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Here is the video for their song, "Breakfast for Dinner":

KB Whirly Goes Camping

Hey an actual children's music album with an appearance from Dean Jones that is not produced by Dean Jones! Rather, KB Whirly (frontman for the Whirlygigs) has enlisted Patrick Hanlin (backbeat for Josh and the Jamtones) to helm the production of his new collection, CAMP SONGS VOLUME 1. In concert Whirly is a one-man band. But it takes a village (picture teepees) to build a better trek to camp.

There's a lot to say about the classic kid's camp experience and music is an integral part of it, from morning "Reveille" to "Taps" before bedtime. I spent a summer at Camp Cejwin in Port Jervis (which closed in the 1990s) and another at the NJ Y Camps. Neither was my thing, but I did enjoy the escape into music – a commonality where I could excel among the more athletically-minded. In fact, if not for one stomach-grumbling unauthorized lunch break, I would have been a featured extra in that summer's production of "Guys and Dolls." But the very temperamental drama coach wanted to send a clear message to a roomful of 13-year-olds.

Mr. Whirly turns "The Littlest Worm" into a Spike Jones romp, duets with Jazzy Ash on "Hole In My Bucket," and uses a kid's chorus on the chestnut "Say Say My Playmate." No camp compilation gets a gold star without Allan Sherman's "Hello Muddah," wisely included here. There are five original tunes such as the tongue-twisting "Peter Pipers Pickled Palace" and "Not Goin Swimmin." I sympathize with the latter, as the Cejwin lake was miserably cold the first week but if I was not "with the group," I was banished to my bunk. I guess the counselors figured out of sight, out of trouble (for them).

I always say my kids are the best arbiters of what gets played in our house, once it's been sampled at dinner time. Matt (5) decided "The Bumblebee Song" was his favorite and began crafting new verses. Camp season will soon be upon us and KB Whirly's CAMP SONGS VOLUME 1 is a nifty throwback reminder of bygone (and evergreen) camp traditions. I recall name labels in my underwear, pre-address postcards to mail to my relatives, and 10 cent comic books that I could quickly trade with my campmates. And now I've got a ready-made soundtrack.

CAMP SONGS VOLUME 1 is available on June 17 from KB Whirly's website, Amazon, and iTunes.

Here is the video for "Dessert Song in Skowheegan":

Dessert Song in Skowheegan from KB Whirly on Vimeo.

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, July 23, 2015

Ahava – Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights
Firefly – Jazzy Ash
I'm Not the Sharpest Tool – Dean Jones
Mama Don't Allow – In The Nick Of Time
Runaway  – Ed Sheeran
This Little Light Of Mine – Eric Herman And The Invisible Band
Together We Can Fly – Danny Weinkauf

Ben's Playlist - Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Dad Is Takin' a Nap – Keith Munslow
Grizzly Bear – Red Yarn
Ice Skates – Jazzy Ash
Let The Records Play – Pearl Jam
Look, Think, Guess, Know – Tom Chapin
Poofy – Ratboy Jr.
Raise Your Hand – The Not-Its!

Ben's Playlist - Tuesday, July 21, 2015

All Around the Kitchen – Andy Z
All the Pretty Horses – Cat Doorman
Heebie Jeebies  – Jazzy Ash
Odd Socks – Dean Jones
The Start of Things – Alison Faith Levy
Sunshine Family (feat. Aaron Nigel Smith) – Mista Cookie Jar & the Chocolate Chips
Yawn – Gustafer Yellowgold
You Can Do This – Hullabaloo