covering the mouse

Toyland - Gloria Parker

2010-03-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

We've all done it at one point in our lives. Running our finger around the rim of a crystal glass in order to make that annoying high pitch ring. You know what I'm talking about. Well, that isn't just immature restaurant behaviour, people can actually make music doing that, and it actually sounds good too!

Our last stop on Unconventional Instrument Week is the glass harp, also known as singing glasses, a series of crystal glasses all lined up and filled with different amounts of water. The amount of water dictates the pitch of the ring. Less water means a lower pitch and more water means a higher pitch.

The creation of the glass harp dates back to 1741 by Richard Pockrich. He was the first in a long line of glass harp virtuosos over the past 300 years.

More recently GLORIA PARKER, a musical virtuoso, has mastered the glass harp which was taught to her by her grandfather. Parker has mastered eight different instruments, her most famous being the marimba (singing glasses are a close second). In the 80s, she released A TOAST TO CHRISTMAS which features many different Christmas songs, lovingly played on the glass harp. This is where you will find her cover of Toyland from the operetta Babes in Toyland that was later made into a Disney movie in 1961.

Parker's amazing abilities don't stop with her instruments. She is an expert songwriter, bandleader, conductor, actress and author! Wow!

Here is an interesting Disney connection for you: Under the pen name Patricia Smith, Gloria Parker wrote a song called Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus (The Super Song) in 1951, thirteen years before the release of Mary Poppins! The song was recorded by Alan Holmes and his Orchestra and was released on Columbia records.

Parker filed a lawsuit after the release of Mary Poppins claiming copyright infringement. I'm no lawyer, but it looks pretty clear to me who copied whom. But the Disney lawyers won claiming that versions of that word existed before 1949. Really? Can anyone show me an example of this?

When You Wish Upon a Star - Gheorghe Zamfir

2010-03-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

Continuing Unconventional Instrument Week, today's featured instrument is the pan flute, also known as the pan pipes. And who better to feature playing the fan flute than the undisputed "Master of the Pan Flute", GHEORGHE ZAMFIR.

The pan flute is a series of tubes, usually bamboo, of different length. The tubes are closed at one end and are played by blowing air over the open hole. The different lengths of tubing determine the note. The pan flute is a very old instrument, dating back as early as Ancient Greece. In fact, the instrument is called a pan flute because it was often played by the Greek god, Pan.

Zamfir first started playing the pan flute at the age of 14 in his home country of Romania. He was brought to America in 1972 when a Romanian folk music historian heard him playing. Since then, he has had a remarkable career recording and performing a variety of different genres, all incorporating his instrument. In addition to his over 200 albums, Zamfir has also been featured on the soundtracks to many popular movies, including Kill Bill, The Karate Kid and Once Upon a Time in America.

This version of When You Wish Upon a Star can be found on a few different albums, including THE FEELING OF CHRISTMAS.

You've Got a Friend in Me - Music Box Collection

2010-03-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Jamie from Fong Songs with another Disney cover to share with you. The wikipedia article on music boxes explains "that the tone of a musical box is unlike that of any musical instrument," which works perfectly for Unconventional Instrument Week. I chose this music box cover of You've Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story as recorded by MUSIC BOX COLLECTION, though I'm not sure whether that's one artist per se or some company that churns them out along the lines of those Rock-a-Bye Baby compilations. Apparently in Japan, cover albums in the music box or "orgel" style are their very own popular (or at least prolific) subgenre of music. This cover comes from the descriptively named HOSHINI NEGAIWO ITSUKA OUJISAMAGA ORGEL COLLECTION. The same people even put out music box cover albums of songs from Hayao Miyazaki films.

The music box as a genre somewhat fascinates and baffles me. As I understand it, one doesn't exactly "play" the music box as an instrument since in its most basic form it consists of a prefabricated metal disc or cylinder with bumps that "pluck" the notes of a sort of metal comb as they rotate. So I imagine the arrangement of such a song would be quite the involved and complex process unless they have some sort of automated process that facilitates the conversion of written music to mechanical discs. The abundance of music box recordings seems to suggest as much, though I couldn't really satisfy my curiosity regarding modern day music box recording techniques despite some obsessive googling and I suspect its less complicated than I'm making it out to be. Though I do find this particular recording quite charming, perhaps such covers are more mechanical than artistic in nature. I mean, this isn't even the only music box cover of You've Got a Friend in Me I have in my collection!

A Spoonful of Sugar - Trinidad and Tobago Showboat Orchestra

2010-03-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

All of the week we are listening to covers that use instruments that are not often found in popular music. This is Unconventional Instrument Week. Today's unconventional instrument is one that is actually pretty conventional in Trinidad and Tobago, in fact it is their national instrument! I'm talking about the steelpan.

The steelpan is also known as the steel drum, referring to the fact that the original steelpans were made out of steel oil drums used for shipping large quantities of oil. The instrument is actually called a steelPAN as it does not fall into the drum/percussion family of instruments.

Each steelpan can carry a different tone depending on its size. The larger and longer the barrel, the lower the tone. Different notes can be played on one steelpan depending on where on the playing surface the mallets strike.

Although they are not often heard in popular music, steelpans are used on occasion, the first instance being Carrie Anne by the Hollies in 1967. Steelbands have grown significantly in number since the formation of the first steelbands in the late 30s, and now there is even the World Steelband Music Festival that has been held in Trinidad every year since 1964, the largest steelband gathering in the world!

Take a listen to the excellent steelband style of the TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO SHOWBOAT ORCHESTRA as they play Mary Poppins' A Spoonful of Sugar, which can be found on BEAUTY AND THE BEAT: FAVORITE DISNEY TUNES IN STEELBAND STYLE.

Go the Distance - Kinjo Gakuin University Handbell Choir

2010-03-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

This week is Unconventional Instrument Week at Covering the Mouse and we will be listening to Disney covers that are done on instruments that aren't normally heard in popular music. Today's cover is Go the Distance by the KINJO GAKUIN UNIVERSITY HANDBELL CHOIR from Nagoya, Japan.

In a handbell choir, every musician is responsible for one or two English Handbells. Each handbell is a different size which allows it to carry a different note of the chromatic scale. The musician's job is to carefully pay attention to the music and ring the bell every time it is time to play their note. Sound simple? Not quite. Timing is everything and the entire choir has to be perfectly in synch otherwise it may throw off their fellow ringers. Two or more handbells can be rung at the same time to make a chord, and tapping it on the table or clapping it with your hand can produce other sounds for percussive effect.

If you are in the right circles, handbell choirs are quite popular. There are scores of them throughout the world and many competitions and seminars revolving around them.

If you have never seen a handbell choir in action, this version of Go the Distance may not seem like a big deal. So I have included the following youtube video for you to see. The song being performed is the classic jazz standard Sing, Sing, Sing.

If you want to hear more Disney songs rung by a handbell choir, check out DISNEY HANDBELL FANTASY or if you would like to try being a part of a handbell choir, check out Wii Music. There are some great mini-games in which you play a role as a musician in a handbell choir, using the remote and nunchuck as handbells. It isn't as easy as you think!

Very Good Advice - Robert Smith

2010-03-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

As they do with most of their blockbuster movies, Disney has released an album of "music inspired by the film" to coincide with today's release of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. ALMOST ALICE features many artists that have brought their interpretations of Wonderland to song. The album has quite a range of artists, from Avril Lavigne to Wolfmother to the Plain White T's.

All the songs on the album are originals, except for this cover of Very Good Advice by ROBERT SMITH. I can't think of anyone better to be associated with a Tim Burton film than Robert Smith. As the lead singer of the Cure, Smith help define the goth movement in the 80s that seems to go hand in hind with Tim Burton today.

Musically, this cover is a bit more chipper than the sorrowful original, but still manages to bring across the point of the song. Smith creates an atmosphere that only he could do, perfect for this album and perfect for a Tim Burton movie.

Gott Deine Kinder - The Kelly Family

2010-03-04T09:55:00.000-08:00

In 1966, Daniel and Barbara Kelly moved from the United States to Spain and started singing at local parties and events. Little did they know that this life change would be the birth of the singing group known as THE KELLY FAMILY!

The singing group is made up of Daniel and Barbara and their children of which they have twelve. They landed a record contract in 1977 and their first hit came in 1980 with the song Who'll Come With Me (David's Song) which was #1 in the Netherlands and Belgium and was in the top 20 in Germany.

Their 1994 album OVER THE HUMP sold more than 3.5 million copies in Germany alone, making it the biggest selling pop album in German history! So when Disney was looking for a European act to record a pop version of God Help the Outcasts to be released with The Hunchback of Notre Dame, they went to the famous Kelly Family.

They recorded a German version (Gott Deine Kinder) and a Spanish verison (Que Dios Ayude) and released them as a two-song single called DER GLOCKNER VON NOTRE DAME (That's German for Hunchback of Notre Dame)

Part of Your World - Nick Pitera

2010-03-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

NICK PITERA may not be a name you recognize, but chances are you have seen one of his YouTube videos which have spread across the internet over the past few years.

He began in 2007 simply recording videos of himself singing for the purpose of entering contests. One of the earliest contests he entered was the Give Us Your Voice Contest which, if won, would allow the winner to sit in on the cast recording of Broadway's The Little Mermaid. Pitera didn't win, but his videos started to get noticed, by Ellen DeGeneres in particular who loves bringing in stars of youtube videos to her show.

What makes Nick Pitera so unique is his incredible vocal range. Not only is he amazing in his normal register, but he has amazing control over his upper register. When you listen to this song, you may swear you are actually listening to a girl! Stranger still is this cover of Pitera singing both Aladdin AND Jasmine's parts in A Whole New World.

When Pitera isn't singing, his is a 3D modeling artist for Pixar!

A Whole New World - Gollbetty

2010-03-02T16:41:00.000-08:00

GOLLBETTY'S punk/ska version of A Whole New World may be the complete opposite of the original love ballad from Aladdin, but there is something strangely compelling about it.

The seven-piece ska band from Nagoya, Japan has been perfecting their sound since 2004 and have released four albums and two DVDs as well as appearing on a bunch of compilation albums, like last year's DISNEY ROCKS!

I have many covers of this song, but never have I heard it so loud, so fast, so different. Lyrically, if you take the romance out of the song and view it as a bunch of friends on a road trip off to discover 'a whole new world', it kind of actually makes sense. I commend Gollbetty for pulling this off in a way that is unique and fun to listen to.

Not in Nottingham - Music Aeroplane

2010-03-01T09:17:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite Disney songs is the heartfelt ballad Not in Nottingham from Robin Hood. It is such a touching, poignant scene and Roger Miller's soothing vocals and fancy guitar work brings it home for me.

I don't know what it is about this song but not many people cover it. A few covers I have are by indie acoustic acts, which is perfect for them due to the acoustic nature of Roger Miller's music.

MUSIC AEROPLANE is the one-man act of David Rabideau from Missouri. His version of Not in Nottingham is short and sweet with a nice echo solo between himself and his guitar. It falls apart a bit at the end, but it is a nice version, none the less. He has made this track a free download at last.fm.

I've Got No Strings - The Andrews Sisters with the Glenn Miller Orchestra

2010-02-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

There are a lot of great arrangements of this song, but I think this one, by the ANDREWS SISTERS and the GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA. I am a big fan of the Andrews Sisters having been first exposed to them through the work they did for Walt Disney (Make Mine Music's Johnny Fedora & Alice Blue Bonnet and Melody Time's Little Toot). They have recorded their own versions of many Disney songs, but I've Got No Strings may be one of their earliest.

This live recording was part of the THE CHESTERFIELD BROADCASTS, which were broadcast in New York between December 1939 and March 1940 at the time of the New York World's Fair. At that time the Glenn Miller Orchestra was the #1 swing band in the country and the Andrews Sisters were the #1 vocal group thanks to their beautiful voices and intricate harmonies.

At the beginning of this track, an announcer introduces the song, saying "There's a new hit in town, Walt Disney's Pinocchio!"

Pinocchio was not considered a success when it was first released. It only bought it half of what it cost to make the film ($2.2M) and the oncoming WWII hindered the film's revenue for the next few years. It wasn't until the film was released over seas after the war, and the reissue of the film in the US in 1945 that it started gaining more momentum. But basing a film's success based on box office numbers is not often a fair representation of the movie. Pinocchio remains to be one of Disney's finest works, a true masterpiece and a high standard for every animated movie that followed.

Little Wooden Head - Bill Frisell with Wayne Horvitz

2010-02-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

One song from Pinocchio that is often forgotten is Little Wooden Head. It is the music box song that Geppetto sings as he dances around with Pinocchio, who has not yet come to life.

To make the song even more forgettable, the version that you hear on the official Pinocchio soundtrack doesn't contain the vocal track, sung by the voice of Geppetto, Christian Rub. When listening to the soundtrack, Little Wooden Head blends right in with the rest of the score.

Well, a few people over the years haven't forgotten about this song and have recorded their own versions of it. Included in that very short list are BILL FRISELL and WAYNE HORVITZ who collaborated on the 1988 album, STAY AWAKE: VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS OF MUSIC FROM VINTAGE DISNEY FILMS.

Bill Frisell, guitar virtuoso and music composer who is one of the leading jazz guitarists of the past twenty years, provides some fancy guitar work and plucks out the melody on the banjo, and Wayne Horvitz, accomplished keyboardist and renowned record producer, backs it up with unique synthesizer sounds and pads.

The song seems to go in a different direction right at the very end, but then fades out. I would have liked to hear where they were planning on going.

When You Wish Upon a Star - Frances Langford

2010-02-24T11:59:00.000-08:00

Note from Kurtis: I was unable to get my hands on a full version of this song in time for this post. Please listen to this sample clip and check back for updates. If you have this track, please email me at the email address to the right.

Hello Covering the Mouse readers! I'm Tony your guest blogger and I'll be taking you through today's installment. I recently discovered Covering the Mouse while performing my daily "Disney web wanderings." I instantly liked the site because it was unique and involved two of my favorite topics - Disney and music (especially cover versions).

I've chosen this version of When You Wish Upon a Star (as you may know originally used in Disney's Pinocchio) for today February 24, because it was on this day in 1940 that Frances Langford recorded her version of it.

Langford (born April 4, 1913) was an American singer, actress and entertainer known for her performances on radio, the big screen, and television. Her early days on radio (in her home state of Florida) led to singer-bandleader Rudy Vallee asking her to be a part of his enormously popular national radio show. Appearances on Vallee's show led to her first major film - the 1935 Every Night at Eight. It was in that feature she introduced what became her signature song – I'm in the Mood for Love. (She went on to make more than 30 pictures over the next 20 years.)

During World War II Langford became wildly popular when she joined Bob Hope, Jerry Colonna, and other celebrities on countless U.S.O. tours throughout Europe, North Africa, and the South Pacific to boost wartime morale. (Ironically Hope and Colonna would have a "Disney connection" as well. Hope helped host Disney World's TV debut and comedian Colonna provided the voice of the March Hare in Alice in Wonderland.)

Langford was also one of the first artists to sign with Decca Records (a British record label which first established a U.S. counterpart in 1934). Among her many recordings was When You Wish Upon a Star, performed with the Harry Sosnik Orchestra. She literally recorded the song (on this day in Los Angeles) just weeks after the debut of Disney's Pinocchio, possibly making it the very first non-Disney version and the first version to be sung by a female. Written by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline, the tune was first sung by Cliff Edwards (the voice of Jiminy Cricket) in the animated Pinocchio. What's interesting to note is that Langford's rendition features the short 6-bar introduction (not always included in later versions by other artists). The track's old-fashioned warm arrangement and intimate performance make it sound as if it could have been used in an early Disney production. (Since 1940, When You Wish Upon a Star has become an icon of The Walt Disney Company and as your know from reading Covering the Mouse – has been re-recorded dozens of times.)

Langford's career later included Disney's 1948 animated feature Melody Time. Made up of several sequences set to popular music, she sang the title tune to the Once Upon a Wintertime segment.

A lover of boating and fishing, she and her husband built a Polynesian-themed restaurant and marina in Florida called Outrigger Resort (today operated as the Dolphin Bar & Shrimp House). Frances Langford passed in 2005 at the age of 92, but her rendition of When You Wish Upon a Star will live on at Covering the Mouse.

A big thank you to Kurt for letting me sit in! When you get a chance, please visit my site This Day in Disney History.

Give a Little Whistle - Tōru Hidaka (Beat Crusaders)

2010-02-23T08:08:00.000-08:00

Even though we celebrated the 70th anniversary of Pinocchio a few weeks ago, the film was premiered only in California. It was on this day that Pinocchio saw its wide release in the United States and for the rest of this week we will be featuring the classic songs from the movie that everyone loves so very, very much.

Today's cover of Give a Little Whistle is a really fun version by TŌRU HIDAKA and his band BEAT CRUSADERS.

Beat Crusaders, or BECR as they are often known, are a very versatile rock band from Japan whose styles range from power pop to punk rock. You can here a bit of the pop sound that they display as they play with the melody and chords of the Jiminy Cricket tune. It is unique and makes you want to get up and dance! This is just one of the many excellent tracks found on the Japanese exclusive MOSH PIT ON DISNEY from 2004.

Any time this band makes any live appearances, whether on stage or television, they always cover their faces with drawings of their own faces that they have printed out on a dot-matrix printer. Head over to their website to check that out!

The Work Song - Take 6

2010-02-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

I was going to post this track on Friday, but never got a chance to, so here it is today!

This version of The Work Song from Cinderella is one of the two covers I have of this song. It can be found on THE MUSIC OF DISNEY'S CINDERELLA which was released back in 1995.

The song features a pretty impressive a cappella arrangement by TAKE 6, a gospel sextet from Alabama that was popular, especially in the religious market, in the 80s and 90s. The group has won numerous awards, including 10 Grammys, and are still active to this day!

Another Disney connection: Founding member Claude McKnight is the older brother of R&B musician Brian McKnight who recorded the song Remember the Magic for Walt Disney World's 25th Anniversary.

A Dream is a Wish - Michelle Shocked

2010-02-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

All this week (except Wednesday) we have been celebrating the 60th anniversary of Cinderella. I have chosen to post a cover of a different song from Cinderella each day. Today I am posting the most famous of all the songs from the film, A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes has become one of Disney's most well known songs, possibly second to When You Wish Upon a Star. Lyrically, these two songs are very similar, both reflecting the philosophy that Walt Disney injected in everything he did.

The song has been covered in a variety of different styles, like pop, big band, mo-town, jazz, and also folk, as you can hear in today's cover by MICHELLE SHOCKED

You can find this song on her 2005 Disney tribute album, GOT NO STRINGS.

Chim Chim Cher-ee - Famille Grendy

2010-02-17T08:57:00.000-08:00

Hey, folks! Boyhowdy from all-folk, all-covers blog Cover Lay Down here; it's been a while, but it's very good to be back. And I'm especially pleased to be here today, as, conveniently, this amazing take on everyone's favorite faux-Cockney Disney cover had just fallen into my lap when Kurtis contacted me about the possibility of guest-posting.

In keeping with the international flavor of the ongoing Olympic Games, this cover is about as international as it gets: an American film classic about British characters covered by French vintage-slash-punk band FAMILLE GRENDY, who put down the electric guitars here to strip the tune down into a lovely gypsy-acoustic waltz, complete with tinkly xylophone, plucked guitar, and ukulele. In a tip o' the hat to a few other international sources, I found it on my favorite new Spanish coverblog, Torre De Canciones; another, much more raucous cover of the song, Chim Chim Cher-ee, was just recently posted here by a Canadian, Jamie of Fong Songs.

I'd say more about Famille Grendy, who come across like a ragtag traveling circus troupe from the early 1900s in their press pictures, but their entire website is in French. Apparently, according to both the occasional audible meow and the grainy, sepia-toned video which accompanies the song, the Mary Poppins cover was recorded for their cat, as part of their Acoustic Live in the Attic series. Their debut album ANY OLD HOW, released in October of 2008, is much more Punk than this, but that's not a bad thing, either.

So This is Love - Sara Gazarek

2010-02-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

Since this week is the 60th anniversary of Cinderella, I thought I would continue the celebration with more songs from the classic film. This beautiful jazz version of So This is Love is by SARA GAZAREK.

Gazarek is a jazz vocalist from Seattle and, boy, does she have an amazing voice. Her voice has brought her numerous awards and accolades over the past decade and she if she keeps this up, she will become a modern jazz great. Her first album, YOURS, was released in 2005 and topped the Billboard and iTunes Jazz Charts!

So This is Love can be found on her second release, LIVE AT THE JAZZ BAKERY, from 2006. It blows my mind to hear her scatting along with pianist Josh Nelson during the solo. To have that much vocal control is amazing. I love it.

I think the thing that appeals to me the most about Sara and her band, is that they really stress learning about jazz at a young age. As they tour across the country, the set up free clinics at local high schools and colleges to teach young people about everything from jazz basics to the music business. It is great to see them take such an interest in what they do! See if they are playing and teaching in a town near you by going to their website.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo - Bing Crosby

2010-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 60th anniversary of Disney's Cinderella, the first fully-length feature since Bambi in 1942. All throughout WWII, Walt released a series of compilation films (Melody Time, Saludos Amigos, etc.) that were made on a much cheaper budget. Cinderella saw the return of the magical fairy tale storytelling that Disney had established for himself in the early 40s.

Rather than having in-house songwriters for this film, Walt turned to Tin Pan Alley to write some songs for him. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo came out of Tin Pan Alley and went on to be a big hit.

Around the time of Cinderella's release, many people recorded their own versions of this song, including BING CROSBY, who had previously worked for Disney as the narrator of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow segment of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Bing Crosby recorded the song with the Vic Schoen Orchestra and Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires on January 3, 1950, a over month before the release of the film. The B-side of this record was Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy.

There are lots of Disney connections here! The Jud Conlon Chorus sang the opening number for Cinderella as well as other Disney classics through the 50s, like Second Star to the Right and Alice in Wonderland. And Jud Conlon's Rhythmaires sang many songs for Disney, including the Donald Duck theme song! The fact that they were backing Bing makes me think that Disney had asked Bing to record this song as a tie-in for the movie. After all, there weren't many people more well known than Bing Crosby at that time.

This song can be found on the album GOOD & RARE which came out a few years ago.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - Kimberly Locke

2010-02-12T08:28:00.000-08:00

KIMBERLY LOCKE was part of American Idol season two. You remember, the one with Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard? Kimberly Locke came in third place. But under the tutelage of Randy Jackson, Locke has had a pretty good career as an R&B singer.

While many of her singles place in the top 10 on the US Adult Contemporary charts, it is her Christmas music that has been her greatest success. Her cover of Up on the Housetop broke records for how fast it moved up the charts in 2005. She did it again in 2006 with her version of Jingle Bells and then a third time in 2007 with Frosty the Snowman! Realizing her knack for Christmas songs, she recorded a full album of Christmas tunes in 2007.

But that's not all she's done. Locke has worked extra hard to make sure her career didn't stop after Americal Idol, and she has done an amazing job. Multiple albums, a modeling career, television appearances and tons of charity work! In 2005, she recorded A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes for DISNEYMANIA 3. The cover is nothing really special, but it does show off her voice, which is what got her to where she is in the first place.

Your Heart Will Lead You Home - Matt Land

2010-02-11T08:25:00.000-08:00

Today marks two special Winnie the Pooh anniversaries. First, it's the fifth anniversary of Pooh's Heffalump Movie which was released in 2005. Second, today is the tenth anniversary of The Tigger Movie, the first theatrical Pooh sequel movie from 2000!

There are a few important milestones associated with The Tigger Movie. Thoughout the late 80s and all of the 90s, Paul Winchell, the original voice of Tigger, was sharing the role with Jim Cummings. They would alternate episodes in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and in Seasons for Giving Winchell provided Tigger's voice while Cummings provided Tigger's singing voice. The Tigger Movie is Cumming's first work as the official voice of Tigger. (Cummings had already been the official voice of Winnie the Pooh since 1988).

Also, The Tigger Movie sees the return of the Sherman Brothers who had not worked for Disney in 28 years! The Sherman Brothers wrote all of the music for the original Pooh movies in the 60s, including The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers, which serves as the basis of this movie.

The Shermans co-wrote Your Heart Will Lead You Home with Kenny Loggins which is played over the credits of the movie. It is a fantastic song and one that I hope will become a modern Disney classic, like I'll Try and When She Loved Me.

This song was covered in 2001 by eurobeat artist MATT LAND and can be found on EUROBEAT DISNEY PRESENTS WINNIE THE POOH. As far as eurobeat covers go, this one is pretty good. The quality of the song shines through all the electronic noises.

Chim Chim Cher-ee - The Clumsy Lovers

2010-02-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! Jamie here again from Fong Songs with a very special Disney cover post for you today. You may not have realized it before but both Kurtis and I live in Vancouver (I'm a transplanted Albertan). Of course, our fair city is playing host to the 2010 Winter Olympics, which kicks off on Friday! With that in mind, I tasked myself with somehow finding a Disney cover song that's by a Canadian band and ties in with the Olympic festivities.

Chim chiminey
Chim chiminey
Chim chim cher-ee
A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be
THE CLUMSY LOVERS are a folk group based in Coquitlam (a city that's part of the Greater Vancouver Region) who covered the classic Chim Chim Cher-ee from Mary Poppins on their 2001 release STILL CLUMSY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS. Of course, the song is about the good fortune of chimney sweepers, but for our sake let's pretend that extends to the sweepers of curling, Canada's other favourite ice sport besides hockey.

Curling has only been an official Olympic event since 1998 in Nagano where Canada's Women's team led by skip Sandra Schmirler took home the gold medal while our Men's team won the silver. At Salt Lake City, our Women's team won the bronze and the Men's won silver. Then in Turin, the Women's got another bronze while the Men finally swept their way to gold. With medals in each Olympic curling event to date, expectations are naturally high for our curling teams to do well on home ice. This year's men's team will be skipped by Kevin Martin leading an all-Albertan squad and Cheryl Bernard will skip a similarly all-Albertan team. Woo, Alberta pride!

Good luck will rub off when
I shake hands with you
Or blow them some kisses since that's lucky too! Good luck to our Canuck curlers and other athletes! Let's sweep up some golds on the podium. By the way, The Clumsy Lovers themselves will be playing a free all-ages Olympic show at Robson Square on February 25, 10-10:30pm.

Give a Little Whistle - Glenn Miller and His Orchestra feat. Marion Hutton

2010-02-09T08:17:00.000-08:00

Today is the 70th anniversary of Pinocchio! It is really amazing how old this movie is, especially since it looks so good every time I watch it. I recently bought the Platinum Edition DVD and the picture quality is so clean, it really lets the incredible animation shine through. I encourage everyone to watch it today!

When Pinocchio was released in theatres, some of the songs, including Give a Little Whistle and When You Wish Upon a Star, became hit singles. Disney allowed these songs to be arranged by the various jazz and dance bands of the day which would help promote his movie.

GLENN MILLER recorded Give a Little Whistle on January 15th 1940, a month before the release of the film, and when it was released it went on to become a hit record. However, it didn't do nearly as well as Glenn Miller's In the Mood and A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square which also came out in 1940.

Singing on the recording is MARION HUTTON who was discovered by Miller at the age of seventeen and sang with his orchestra from 1938 to 1942.

This cover of Give a Little Whistle can be found on a variety of Glenn Miller CDs, including PLATINUM GLENN MILLER.

Main Street Electrical Parade - →Pia-no-jaC←

2010-02-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

→PIA-NO-JAC← is a Japanese musical duo who blends classical and jazz piano music with their unique style, which they call "Hybrid Instrumental". In 2005, Hayato Tatsunari and Tadahiro Moritomi formed →Pia-no-jaC← and have released four albums featuring the piano and the cajón.

I'm going to assume you all know what the piano is, but what about the cajón? A cajón is a box made out of thin plywood that you sit on and slap with your hands. Th instrument was created in the early 19th century and many groups use it today. It is especially popular in African and Spanish music. →Pia-no-jaC← got their name by taking the names of their instruments and squishing them together.

If you listen to any of their music, it is easy to see why they picked the Baroque Hoedown from the Main Street Electrical Parade as their song choice for DISNEY ROCKS, an exclusive Japanese cover album released in early 2009. The arrangement is brilliant and Hayato's piano playing is inspirational (to me anyway). I hope you enjoy it.

The Second Star to the Right - James Taylor

2010-02-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

It was on this day 57 years ago that Walt Disney's animated classic Peter Pan was introduced to the world. Peter Pan was one of Walt's favourite stories and he tried hard to obtain the legal rights to turn J.M. Barrie's play into an animated film. This was hard to do as Barrie had made the Great Ormond Street Hospital, a children's hospital in London, the sole copyright holder so that they could benefit from any royalties from his play.

Disney was able to make arrangements with the hospital in 1939 to make the film, but the project was put on hold due to World War II.

JAMES TAYLOR brings us a delightful version of The Second Star to the Right which can be found on the Disney tribute album, STAY AWAKE, from 1988.