Quick Hits: From Jazz to Hip-Hop With Camille Harris, Father Goose

Jazz is making a comeback. Jazz fans may object to that wording and declare “jazz doesn’t NEED to make a comeback, it’s doing fine!” But they wouldn’t argue that more jazz appreciation wouldn’t be a bad thing. To wit, a resurgence of jazz-infused children’s music, including defending Grammy winner Lucy Kalantari. Now Brooklyn’s own Camille Harris resumes her so-called silly jazz contributions with her fourth CD, Baby On The Subway.

A veteran of musical theater and stand-up comedy, Camille uses her quirky sense of humor and unique toolbox to bang new life into such chestnuts as “Muffin Man,” “Old MacDonald,” and “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” The CD opens with “Jiggly Wiggly,” featuring a strong Latin accent and a trumpet solo by Wayne Tucker. The title track (see video below) brings to vivid life how cute infants unite everyone across a swath of cultural differences. Driving through Long Island, both my kids fell into a familiar, friendly singalong for “Wheels on the Bus” (how can you not?). I dared them to attempt Camille’s “The Backwards Alphabet” and won that bet.

Camille uses her jazz to demonstrate that children’s music has many forms. You don’t need to walk a thin line between folk and funk. There are a bunch of other options, some right in your own backyard. Camille represents the growing number of independent-thinking, diverse, and reflective performers finding ways to introduce contemporary, classic genres to young audiences.

Baby On the Subway is available on September 13 from Camille Harris’s website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the video for the title track, “Baby on the Subway”:

Father Goose returns with a new five-song EP, I Can Make It, filled with hip-hop powerful pop tunes. Goose and crew drop the following songs – “I Wanna Dance With U,” “Kidzzz (Want To Be Free),” “By The Beach,” and the title track. Goose keeps the house party moving, through his force of nature personality, charisma, and natural ability to lead kids through dancing and call-and-response songs.

The Goose Trotters (an ever-expanding assemblage of East Coast performers) includes Vic Rosario, Danni Ai, Delilah Lady Delish Tollinchi, Steve A. Williams, and too many more to list here. But they all come together to provide solid beats and sound messages.

Grab I Can Make It from the Goose Hut or Bandcamp.