Saturday nights he would play these great jazz sides from all these wonderful old musicians. This was late Saturday night, like one and two in the morning. He wasn’t a local guy. I’m not sure where his show was located but they picked it up at Middle Tennessee State. Anyway, I remember this guy went through a Dinah Washington phase. For weeks on end his show played nothing but Dinah Washington records, one after another. I remember him saying there were around 500 of her sides that he was going to play, and he did. And what was so amazing about it was the fact that I never got sick of listening. I mean, what’s greater than hearing a blues record by Dinah Washington being played at two in the morning? Nobody does that anymore, do they? Play one song after another by the same artist, especially not in jazz. Is that even legal?

I knew Dinah Washington’s music. When I was in high school, I ordered a copy of “What a Difference a Day Makes” and when I went to the record store to pick it up, the guy working there said, “Who is this record for, you or your parents? Come on, fess up!” Like I’d be embarrassed if he knew it was for me. So, I knew Dinah Washington, but I didn’t really KNOW her until I heard all of those great sides during my sophomore year of college. I don’t remember who the DJ was but I will be forever grateful. Man, did he open my eyes. And ears!

Having said that, listen out for quite a few more DW songs in the upcoming weeks. I don’t know why I didn’t add these songs long ago. I guess at the beginning I was still trying to figure out where Evening Melancholy was going musically, but now I feel that these tunes would fit right in.