Hey, this is John Reed aka DJ Yung Tuggboat aka Yung Tuggboat aka Tuggboat aka Tugg. I’m a freshmen here at Whitman and I like to listen to music and I like to talk about it. Welcome to my blog, Tuggboat Art Life, where I will have the opportunity to say whatever I want about whatever music I choose and no one can stop me (except for the editor, I guess, but I’m not really sure how that works yet).

I have, however, restricted myself to only discussing music that did not come out this year or last year or the year before that (the year before that is a gray area). There are plenty of great places online that one can access to discover the hottest new tracks.

My intent for this blog is not only to provide you, the reader, with interesting song/artist/album recommendations, but also to offer a collection of songs that are important to me and that I happen to be listening to from day to day (besides the hottest new tracks).  In this way, I hope you will get to know me a little bit and maybe I’ll even get to know myself a little better.

There will be no theme that ties all of the music I choose together besides the fact that I am listening to it and, most of the time, love it. Also, I will not hesitate to share any personal stories that I associate with a song or album, because often those stories play a big part in why I love a song so much. Welcome to my blog.

I spent way too long trying to decide what song I could start with that would set the tone for the blog this semester. But then it occurred to me that I have no idea where this blog will end up going, so I think it’s best for me to just start with what’s playing on my iPod today.  My song for today is Buona Sera by Louis Prima. Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qr91dJvbqs

I first heard this song on the season premiere of the HBO show Treme (I only watched the first episode, but it seems pretty good) and it’s become a personal favorite since then. This is the kind of song that makes you want to lean back in your chair, stomp your feet, and clap along as loud as you can. The change from the straight-feel tango-like intro section to the swingin’ middle section gets me every time. Not to mention that zesty sax solo, a part of which is just one single note played over and over. It reminds of what I’ve learned about jazz soloing in the past several years: the notes don’t necessarily have to matter as much as the attitude you convey with your instrument. Louis Prima’s band really comes alive on this track and you can tell that everybody is having a good time.

This song is light, romantic, fun, and impossible not to move to. Kind of makes me wish I lived in Italy (until the song ends and I remember that I don’t want to live there at all). Bump this at max volume and hopefully it’ll transport you somewhere warm.

– DJYT

Louis Prima