Friends’ Music At Summer Sessions

by Brendan Glynn
Brooklyn Meeting

Brendan asked Friends at Summer Sessions 2024 for their favorite songs. This article is the result. A playlist of the recommended songs, titled “Songs From Friends at Summer Sessions 2024,” is available online via Spotify.

 

Quakers at Summer Sessions have a diverse relationship to music that mirrors our diversity. We come from so many places so the music we love is just as varied.

 

Mabel Kidiga energized our Café Night talent show and recommends the music of Munishi from Tanzania. She also likes John Prine’s “Fish and Whistle.” The sadly missed Mr. Prine’s “Hello In There” is also on our Quaker playlist, selected by Polly Duke of Westbury.

 

Though Shana Robinson of FGC hails from Minnesota, she hips us to Philadelphia’s Japanese Breakfast —try “Boyish” or “Be Sweet.”

 

We are grateful to Emma Condori Mamani for educating us about the harmful effects of climate change in Bolivia and what Quakers are doing to combat these effects. Listen to the music of Los Kjarkas to transform yourself to Bolivia (‘Munasquechay” features some beautiful folk flute).

 

Angela Hopkins was blessed to have known Duke Ellington personally through her mother who toured with him. She listens to the music of Jean-Luc Ponty, an underappreciated French jazz violin master.

 

Multi-talented King Downing from AFSC was in a group, Xavier, who had an early 80’s hit “Work That Sucker To Death” featuring Bootsy Collins and George Clinton. Check it out on YouTube. 

 

Morgan Adcock of Albany had the amazing experience of seeing the Beatles live at the Cow Palace in San Francisco and at Shea Stadium in NYC. She said the songs were hard to hear because of all the screaming fans except during “Yesterday,” which had not yet been released. Friends’ favorite Beatles songs were “Let It Be,” “Yellow Submarine,” and “Here Comes The Sun.” Other Fab Four choices were “Strawberry Fields” (Marty Glazer); “Fixing A Hole” (Jordan Valdina); “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” (Deb Dickinson); “A Day In The Life” (Margaret Lew); and “I Am The Walrus,” (Fred Dettmer).

 

Nina Simone and Pete Seeger finished ahead of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift in our unscientific poll. nova sturrup chose Ms. Simone’s “Young Gifted and Black” and Avery J picked her “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” Deb Wood’s favorite Pete Seeger song is “Get Up and Go” and JC Calderon of Cornwall Meeting loves Pete’s “Quite Early Morning.”

 

Bill Staine’s “River” is an all-time favorite wherever we gather. Some other folkish recommendations are Carrie Newcomer’s “Gathering of Spirits” from Bridget Bower, The Crane Wives “The Moon Will Sing” from Sarena Acheson, Alan Doyle’s “So Let’s Go” from Elise Bacon, Joni Mitchell’s record Ladies Of The Canyon from Diane Keefe, Kimya Dawson’s “Loose Lips” from Marty Glazer, and Joan Baez’s “Speaking of Dreams” from Samie Bartul of Cornwall MM.

 

Some favorite Gospel choices include Reverend Timothy White’s “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” a recommendation from Barbrah Bleecker of Montclair; CC Winans (try her “Goodness of God”) from Gloria Thompson, and Pentatonix (particularly their  “Amazing Grace”) from Richard Yudkiss.

 

Classical composers mentioned were Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Schubert, Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” Mozart’s “Requiem,” and Bach’s “Brandenburg Concertos.”

 

Young Friends give us some insight into music we might not be familiar with. Emmalise Almonte likes R&B artist Rodwave. Maryam Shenouda recommends Avicii’s “The Nights.” Jasper Bacon enjoys Metallica’s “The Unforgiven.” Miriam Eustache from Friends Academy chose Lana Del Rey’s “White Mustang” and The Smiths “This Night Has Opened My Eyes.”

 

A few last picks for your playlist:

Peggy Gou — “It Goes Like Nanana” (Columbine Loza)

 

Estopa — try “Ya No Me Acuerdo” on YouTube (Nyeri Otero Flanagan of QUNO)

 

Claude Bolling/Jean Pierre Rampal — “Suite For Flute and Jazz Piano” (Jeffrey Menoher)

 

John Legend —“Wild” (Judy Meikle)

 

Belle and Sebastian — “If You’re Feeling Sinister” (Sean Jacke)

 

Mitski — “Washing Machine Heart” (Taylor Valdina)

 

Dave Brubeck —“Take Five” (full version) (Steve Mohlke) 

 

Chappell Roan — “Good Luck, Babe!” (Beth Kelly)

 

The Rascals album Peaceful World (Fred Dettmer)

 

Stray Kids (K pop) —“Chk Chk Boom” (Cathy Ramey)

 

The Shins — “Know Your Onion” (Sarah Way)

 

Finally, special thanks to John Scardina for leading our nightly singing on the porch, and accompanying JYM’s s’mores bonfire on Tuesday night. See you next year!