Pour Down Like Silver

July 2, 2025 | 185 words | Music

This gem of a record by Richard and Linda Thompson came out in 1975 and I happened to listen to it again on the train this morning.  It is a bit on the slow and deliberate side, so it’s the kind of thing you need to be in the mood for.  

But if you are, the music and lyrics are an intoxicating mix of the British troubadour-balladeer tradition the Thompsons were famous for, and the Sufi mysticism they were both into at the time.   These songs find a solid groove that Richard knows how to stay with.  He has a knack for embellishing the end of a line ever so gently with his guitar or mandolin.  

And Linda’s voice is achingly beautiful, the perfect embodiment of these tunes.  The last track on the record, “Dimming of the Day,” has been covered by many other singers over the years, but nobody has been able to touch Linda Thompson’s rendition.  

Listening to these songs again this morning reminded of all the people I used to know fifty years ago.  And of the person I used to be.

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

La Boheme

May 26, 2025 | 280 words | Opera

Even though opera is an acquired taste and does not have mass appeal, it can be appreciated in small doses by the uninitiated, as when we encounter a snippet of a haunting aria sprinkled into a favorite movie or streaming series, to underscore the feeling of a particular scene.  And that’s a start.

If you ever find yourself tempted to dip a toe in the water and attend a live performance, the classic La Boheme by Puccini would be a good place to start.  And seeing it at the Metropolitan Opera House in the Lincoln Center complex in New York City, one of the world’s premier opera houses, is also a magnificent place to be initiated into the art form.

Here is my report from the balcony of a recent matinee performance:  The music and singing are heart-wrenchingly beautiful (of course) and the story is easy to follow.  But even more important for the novice, there are subtitles on the back of the seat in front of you, making it possible to actually make sense of what is happening on stage.  

There are also several breaks in the action to allow for changes in the incredibly elaborate stage sets.  These breaks, along with one formal intermission, provides an important breather for those of us who lack opera-like endurance going in, and could be put off by the prospect of a three-hour show.

My apologies to the true opera lover who may stumble upon this modest little commentary, and is already enthralled by every aspect of seeing opera live.  I am speaking to my fellow ‘great unwashed,’ and trying to prompt them to consider attending a performance for the first time.

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

Joaquina Kalukango

May 24, 2025 | 246 words | Song

Have you ever been moved to tears by a vocalist?  If you’re lucky, it happens on a regular basis.  Which would make the question: when was the last time?

The modern miracle of recorded music makes it possible to hear a favorite singer on demand.  Or bump into a favorite song on an arbitrary basis via the radio or a streaming service.  But nothing beats encountering a performer live.  A televised concert can do the trick.  But in-person is even better.

Best of all is an up-close, in-person experience in a small, intimate venue.  I was able to catch a Tony Award winner by the name of Joaquina Kalukango is just such a cabaret setting last night, and for a little over an hour she sung my life with her words.

She opened with rousing version of Gershwin’s “Get Happy,” followed that with a beautiful take on Paul McCartney’s “Black Bird,” and went on to cover the likes of Joni Mitchell, Michael Jackson, Roberta Flack, Whitney Huston, and Gloria Gayner.

It’s not fair to pick out a single moment for special comment, because the entire show was filled with such moments.  But when Ms. Kalukango broke out into her solo rendition of “No One Is Alone” from Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods – a score I was completely unfamiliar with before last night – and emoted the lines “sometimes fathers make mistakes, sometimes mothers make mistakes,” I was shuddering and shaking and crying full out.  

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

In Praise of Musical Embellishments

Sept 5, 2024  |  176 words  |  Music  

A good song needs good bones: a pretty melody and a poetic lyric.  After that it only takes a talented vocalist to bring those good bones to life.  Think of “Moon River,” a 1961 composition by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and first sung by Andy Williams.  Or “A Case of You,” written and performed by Joni Mitchell in 1971.

But many a good song has benefited from just the right type of instrumental highlighting.  I often wonder, is that the songwriter who adds these flourishes?  Or is it someone working in the recording studio behind the scenes, largely unknown to the listening audience?

Carole King and Gerry Goffin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” was written for Aretha Franklin in 1967, and Aretha’s rendition is amazing.  But my question is:  Whose decision was it to add those lovely strings behind her vocal?  And those ecstatic horns?

Who was the musical genius who decided on using a penny whistle and a bassoon on Smokey Robinson’s happy/sad masterpiece, “Tears of a Clown,” in 1967?

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com

The Music of Bruce Springsteen

August 10, 2023  |  31 words  |  Music

When it comes to the music of Bruce Springsteen, I really miss the contribution of keyboardist David Sancious, who left the band to pursue his own thing a long time ago.

Robert J. Cavanaugh, Jr.

www.robertjcavanaughjr.com

bobcavjr@gmail.com