Commentary
1. Divino
DIVINO: A celebration of music in life.
[Easy Street – track 4. Kaleidoscope – track 12.]
Commentary:
The song was inspired by a Portuguese music critic who was praising the performance of a female singer. I applied a loose translation, expanded it, and the song was born.
From the chorus: Diva do jazz cantando Oh, DIVINO! Gosto dela muito. DIVINO!
Rough translation: Singer does jazz concert divinely. With gusto I like her very much.
Deep translation: “Diva” is technically a female singer but since I also have a verse about a male, I will use the non-gender-related ‘singer.” “do jazz,” but like a Spanish ‘j’ I pronounce “jazz” as ‘yahz’ so life is like doing jazz—both require technical skill, inspiration and improvisation to be done with confidence and great contentment. “Cantando” like a divinely inspired concert, we sing in the natural world in which we find ourselves when we are in contentment. “Divino,” divinely, god-like in a creation sense, with deep spirit. “Gosto,” with great gusto and passion I sing about the wonderful people who have music in their lives and who bring peace, contentment, art, creation and beauty into the world; “dela muito,” … I listen… I join in…I like it very much.
Verse 1 is my daughter—and all the daughters of the world—singing the “sacred song” that arises from a profound spirit, that transcends words, and that dances with the wind. Verse 2 is my mother—and every matriarch through Mother Nature—who lets music arise from everything ‘good’ in the world and can understand an interpret: “the melody of life.” Verse 3 is my son—THE son—searching, pursuing, dreaming…on a native American Indian-style spirit quest… and with the great ‘gong,’ when you explore your dreams with passion, you discover … yourself!
chords Divino jj version 4 Intro: Esus E E/F# E/B
A
Sing out sing out … lovin’ itt
F#m
Ring out ring out … never quit
D E
Sing out … O! Divino,
A C#m
1.Outside my window / my daughter strolls along
2.Outside my window / mamama works the soil
G D
Silver bracelets on her wrist / humming a haunting song
Flower bed blue, yellow , red ./ and greens the lawn
A C#m
Homesteadechoes / her enchanting voice resounds
A humm of contentment / the song begins to rise
G D
Headphones off she sings out soft / her sacred song
Trees and streams and flowers sing / her melody of life
A C#m G D
Diva do jazz cantando Oh, DIVINO! Oh … divino
Gosto dela ♪muito Oh, DIVINO! Oh
A C#m
Outside my window the tall grasses sing best
G D
Bobcat, Trout, dear and bear / on spirit quest
A sweet son’s life song / sun singing cross the sky
D Dmaj7 Dgliss
flute and drum, dance and song / a dream catchers’ life….a dream catchers’ life
=Chineese GONG= downbeat
A C#m G D
Diva do jazz cantando Oh, DIVINO! Oh … divino
Gosto dela ♪muito Oh, DIVINO! Oh
A
Sing out sing out … lovin’ itt
F#m
Ring out ring out … never quit
D retardando Esus E E/F# E/B A <cymb>
Sing out … O! Di vin o, O!
2. Fireball!
The stage of Life provides us all a carnivalesque experience. Music is lively and exciting under the big top.
In the first verse, the characters’ names are inspired by my friend and drummer and his wife. Partying without a net is symbolic of playing music with a strong structure but no defined limits. Improvisational freedom brings music to great heights at the risk of crashing. Like a shot of Fireball, the whiskey, music can set a burning passion to life. Verse 2 explores the human relationship where opposites attract. The drug reference was unintentional but embraced and the sexual double entendre was purposeful.
The bridge’s 3rd line was originally written “we’re going to Wilby’s blues bash” but was changed in the studio when half of the band THIS PINE BOX came in to help with the vocals. The line was meant to say “We’ll party with This Pine Box” but was recorded as “We’ll hand up (as in high five) with This Pine Box.”
The LIVE version of the song has two additional verses.
LYRICS for the studio version can be found on UltimateGuitar.com
https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/jersey-joe/fireball-chords-3370880
3. Sweet N’Orleans [a.k.a. “Sweet New Orleans”]
After a stop at Café du Monde, head down to Bourbon Street for the party.
Kick off your shoes; outrun snakes and leapin’ lizards!
Here is a traditional-style Dixieland Jazz song. I received tremendous suppoet in the studio on this one. Listen closely at the start and you can hear the banjo and piano work of Joe Tellmann. Then the traditional sound kicks in. Dan Nicora does an outstanding job on intertwining the clarinet and saxophone parts. The fabulous Bill Dixon covers both the trumpet and the slide trombone. These 3 fine musicians and their outstanding 6 musical tracks really bring the song to life. (NOTE: some musical services can not deal with the apostrophed “N’Orleans” so this song can often be found as “Sweet New Orleans” in a title search.)
LYRICS and chords for the studio version can be found on UltimateGuitar.com
https://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/tab/misc-your-songs/jersey-joe-sweet-new-orleans-chords-3569759