It starts simply. Two blocked jazz chords with I-V in the bass. And then the vocalist comes in:

“Twenty-four hours can go so fast. You look around, the day has passed…”

This is Leonard Bernstein’s song “Some Other Time” with lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, written for the 1944 musical, On the Town. It’s about three sailors on 24-hour leave in New York City who meet three women before leaving for war. Four characters perform this song (in the stage version), hoping to catch up some other time, but knowing they may never see each other again.

I first heard this song a few weeks ago on Bill McGlaughlin’s weeknight radio show, Exploring Music. We’ve been listening to this show for over 16 years—we have it on while we cook and eat dinner.

A few weeks ago, he did a series called “Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace).” Nestled in the middle of the Wednesday night program, he paired Bernstein’s “Some Other Time” with jazz pianist Bill Evans’ improvised solo piano recording, “Peace Piece.”

I was captivated.

I got up from the dinner table and went to the piano to find the two chords by ear, playing along gently with the recording.

Today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of these two pieces of music—exploring how they’re made, what they have in common, and how hearing them played back to back inspired a listening and improvisation project in my intermediate-level studio class last month.

For show notes + a full transcript, click here.

Resources Mentioned

“Some Other Time” (Bernstein)

Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin

“Peace Piece” (Bill Evans)

The Profound Impact of Peace Piece – Bill Evans Time Remembered Documentary Film

“Flamenco Sketches” (Miles Davis)

“It’s Been a Long, Long Time” (Harry James)

“Put on Your Sunday Clothes” (Wall-E)

“It Only Takes a Moment” (Wall-E)

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