“Chances Are.” Composed by Robert Allen and Al Stillman. Sung by Johnny Mathis. Recorded in Columbia 30th Street Studio, where Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue was also recorded.1957. I was three years old when the Mathis single was released, and I can remember hearing it throughout my childhood. Music is a magical combination of sounds that form images, shapes perceptions, and triggers emotions woven into every era’s zeitgeist. We are the stuff of our memories as much as we are creatures of the moment. So, chances are, your chances are pretty good that there are strong musical memories inside of you. But where do these come from? “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” (18th century French folk song,) or “Trinkle, Tinkle” (Thelonious Monk, 1952,) it’s more than likely that you heard the former when you were a kid. I didn’t get around to hearing the Monk tune until I was a freshman/sophomore in high school […]

November 2024 Issue