A little over a year ago, I wrote the theme music for Cincinnati Edition, a local talk show on WVXU, Cincinnati’s NPR affiliate. Here’s what it sounded like:
Now, I know what you’re thinking: it’s perfect. It’s got a gripping intro, a hummable tune, and what’s more, it totally flatters that half-jazz, NPR style. Plus, the performances are excellent.
What then, was I to do when the radio station asked me a couple weeks ago to reboot it for their new host/format? How was I to improve on perfection?
Basically I just turned a bunch of really excellent musicians loose on it. Here’s what we came up with:
Now that’s sure to get those Cincinnatians up out of their chairs at 1:00 pm on weekday afternoons!
Nice work x2.
I rarely hear WBUR’s syndicated “On Point” from beginning to end, but the purely percussion opening of their theme song is used throughout the hour as bumper music. It’s this song, but from my recollection, you never get as far as the mellow guitars in the bumper music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7kCIX2KiS4
Sometimes I don’t particularly notice it, but other times it strikes me as quite un-NPR and a little threatening, kind of like the pure-percussion ending of L’histoire du soldat.
Downright terrifying.
Really does hit that half-jazz groove! Your composition teachers are surely proud!