A few years back I was rambling through the clearance section at Williams & Sonoma and found a Halloween-themed mostly-jazz compilation CD called The Witching Hour. The kitchen store puts out such CDs for theme dinner parties and this one was left over. It turned out to be one of those rare treasure finds.
I don't know much about jazz, but this collection of songs got me more interested. It ranges from slow and sultry to bouncy and quirky:
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – Ella Fitzgerald
Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered – Sarah Vaughan
Devil May Care – Teri Thorton
Ding, Dong! The Witch is Dead – Shorty Rogers
I Put a Spell on You – Nina Simone
Jack, You’re Dead! – Louis Jordan
Jeepers, Creepers – Bing Crosby
Old Devil Moon – Rosemary Clooney
That Old Black Magic – Shirley Horn
Witchcraft – Paula West
I listen to The Witching Hour a lot each October. The music is good, but it also helps signal my brain that the season has arrived. I lived in Savannah, Georgia for a while -- a lovely city, but very little autumn color. Even in North Georgia, sometimes the heat doesn't break until late into the month. My autumn playlist puts me in a fall mood regardless of weather.
Over time I've added more songs. Although the additions aren't jazz, I've tried to embrace the eclectic variety of The Witching Hour. I love using the "shuffle" feature on my iPod and letting the music sort itself out into odd patterns -- torch songs followed by goofy monster dances followed by nostalgic pieces. Like a bulging Treat or Treat bag, it is an enjoyably odd assortment.
Movie and Television Themes:
Addams Family – Vic Mizzy
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Charles Gounod, Funeral March of a Marionette)
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes – John De Bello
Bewitched – Steve Lawrence
The Blob – The Five Blobs
Caspar the Friendly Ghost – Daniel Johnston (remade by Little Richard, 1995)
Dark Shadows – Robert Cobert
Ghost Train (Fried Green Tomatoes) – Thomas Newman
Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr.
Great Pumpkin Waltz (Charlie Brown) -- Vince Guaraldi Trio
Mahna Mahna (Muppet Show) -- Piero Umiliani
Munsters – Jack Marshall
This is Halloween (Nightmare Before Christmas) – Danny Elfman
Twilight Zone – Golden Earring
Weird Science – Oingo Boingo
Humor:
Love Potion #9 – The Clovers
Martian Hop – The Ran-Dells
Monster Mash – Bobby "Boris " Pickett
Purple People Eater – Sheb Wooley
Witch Doctor – Ross Bagdasarian, Sr.
Miscellaneous:
Black Magic Woman – Santana
Dead Man’s Party – Oingo Boingo
Devil in My Car – B52’s
Frankenstein – Edgar Winter Group
Halloween – Siouxsie and the Banshees
Happy Phantom – Tori Amos
Samain Night – Loreena McKennitt
Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell
Thriller – Michael Jackson
Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
Witchy Woman – The Eagles
You Can Do Magic – America
Create your own playlist and enjoy!
(Above: Eli at ten months)
Interested in playlists to amuse kiddos? Click HERE!
Do you particularly love or dislike Halloween? Click HERE for a post about Ray Bradbury's wonderful book The Halloween Tree. This short, lovely book explores the holiday and how/why it developed in various forms around the world.
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