On the Main Line: Paolo Conte and "Chiamami Adesso"

I don't mean to rain on the St. Patrick's Day parade with an Italian artist, but if I am to keep to randomness, well, sometimes it will indulge me and other times not. Today, it gave me an Italian tune.

Paolo Conte, who we've highlighted before, was born in Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy, and he began his music career as a vibraphone player traveling in local and touring bands. He started writing songs early on in his career with his brother Giorgio but eventually began writing on his own. His star rose in the 60s and 70s as he was the main creative songwriter behind hits of other well-known Italian artists. His solo career commenced in 1974. His songs are known for being evocative of colorful and dreamy Italian and Mediterranean sounds. His music is often jazzy, reminiscent of South America and French singers, and filled with a wistful melancholy. His music has also been used in many movies. This song, Chiamami Adesso, can be found on his 2003 album Reveries.The song is an appeal for an ex-lover to telephone.

Quiet Front: Paolo Conte and "Hemingway"

The random tune for today is called Hemingway, sung by Paolo Conte. Conte was born in Asti in the Piedmont region of Italy, and he began his music career as a vibraphone player traveling in local and touring bands. He started writing songs early on in his career with his brother Giorgio but eventually began writing on his own. His star rose in the 60s and 70s as he was the main creative songwriter behind hits of other well-known Italian artists. His solo career commenced in 1974. His songs are known for being evocative of colorful and dreamy Italian and Mediterranean sounds. His music is often jazzy, reminiscent of South America and French singers, and filled with a wistful melancholy. His music has also been used in many movies. Hemingway can be found on multiple albums, including Conte's 1996 CD Paolo Conte: The Best Of... where I first heard it. The song is a reverie, or reminiscence, of places that Ernest Hemingway referred to or frequented.

Born to Pun: Balkan Beat Box and "9/4 the Ladies"

I am not very good at punning, which is why I like them, bad ones and all. One of my favorite newspaper comics right now is Stephan Pastis' Pearls Before Swine. On Sundays, he often puts together a very elaborate pun which culminates in the next to last panel, and the last panel of the comic usually consists of his cartoon characters heaping verbal or physical on him for the pun (he is often a character in his own strip). He has punned on "Beware of Greeks bearing gifts," "Patience is a virtue," "Don't cry for me, Argentina," and I think my favorite, "O say can you see by the dawn's early light."

Today's song is a small pun. 9/4 the Ladies is by Balkan Beat Box, and this pun refers to the time signature for the piece of music. For those of us who didn't study music, the general rhythm consists of nine beats per bar. The rhythm would go 1-2-3 2-2-3 3-2-3, or something like that. But of course the pun uses the 4 (the indicator that the main length of the note is a quarter note or crotchet) so that it sounds like "Nine For the Ladies." I don't know if there are any other hidden meanings, such as if the song was written on September 4th (9/4). But I appreciate the pun, and putting some lighthearted fun into a song title.

Balkan Beat Box is an Israeli band that is influenced by traditional Jewish, Balkan, Middle Eastern, Gypsy punk and electronic music. They were formed in Brooklyn, New York by Ori Kaplan and Tamir Muskat, who felt that ancient and traditional songs needed an upgrade through an infusion of hip hop in order to make them popular in dance halls and clubs. They really wanted the music that they loved to better reflect their world and the movement toward a global culture. Their artistic influences ranged from Manu Chao and Rachid Taha to Jamaican dub and Boban Marković. Their first album, Balkan Beat Box, focused on Mediterranean sounds but after the addition of Tel Aviv musician Tomer Yosef to the band in 2006 they expanded to include Arabic and Spanish influences in their second album. 9/4 the Ladies can be found on their eponymous first CD, released in 2005.