What?
Well, my suitemates and I live adjacent to the loading zone for our dorm’s dining hall… Lucky us. After a few weeks of hearing the strangest things coming through the window, I finally decided to take inventory. From garbage trucks to drunk frat boys, Room 305 hears it all! In particular, there’s often jazz music that plays from the radio of an unknown Cal Dining worker’s car around 2 o’clock every day. Thanks to my living situation over the last three months, I don’t have any greater appreciation for the loud beeping sounds that garbage trucks incessantly make (at 7 AM every morning); I do have greater respect for jazz.
“Snug as a Bug in a Rug (Remastered 2015)” by Artie Shaw
This song is a fun one. It was a little tricky to find online because I only heard the lyrics and could remember the melody, but I found it! Likewise, it has been difficult to find much information about the song itself… Shaw, however, has often been regarded as “one of jazz’s finest clarinettists.” He was primarily a clarinettist in the 20th century but also dabbled in composing, acting, and writing. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2004.
“The Coffee Song” by Frank Sinatra
This song is another fun one. Old or young, everybody knows (or should know) Frank Sinatra! Artie Shaw was cool and all during the 20th century, but Frank Sinatra? Sinatra was one of the most popular and influential musicians throughout the 20th century. In addition to singing, Sinatra was also an actor and producer. “The Coffee Song,” first recorded in 1946, was about Brazil’s coffee surplus and has appeared in several covers and forms of media. “Our Love is Here to Stay” by George Gershwin
Fun fact: George Gershwin and Frank Sinatra both passed away in the same hospital! Okay, so maybe that’s not so fun… Nevertheless, like Sinatra, Gershwin was also an American musician during the 20th century––known for his piano-playing and the use of his music in several TV scores. He also helped to write many operas with his older brother Ira, such as Porgy and Bess. “Our Love is Here to Stay” is a popular song and “jazz standard” that was first composed by Gershwin and has been re-recorded by many other musicians since.
