Rumi's 'All Is He' by Poetry for Heart

 It is the turn of Timeless Music and Talks for a music video in a language other than Indian. The search led to a beautiful video rendition of a poem by the Sufi mystic Rumi. Titled 'All is He' (2026), it's a translation from Persian, and the music and video have been produced with AI by Poetry for Heart (YouTube channel).

Jalal al-Din Rumi lived in Greater Iran during the 13th century CE. His poems have admirers in many parts of the world and have been translated into many languages. The idea "All is He" was already expressed as 'Sarvam Brahman' in an Upanishad of ancient India. The Upanishads are part of the ancient body of teachings called Vedanta. According to mainstream history, the Upanishads belong to 200 to 800 BCE. Ref: Wikipedia For non-monetary, non-profit, cultural and educational purposes.

Click the link to watch the music video: https://youtu.be/09cQBZgqKLg?si=9yhz8wW5ghKJ-JNy

'Smile' by Nat King Cole

A standard symphony orchestra typically consists of about 80 to 100 musicians, but jazz bands comprise a much smaller number of about 3 to 25 musicians. But in its potential for making high music, jazz is no less than orchestral music. “Europe gave us classical music, and jazz is America’s classical music”, said Esperanza Emily Spalding, an American jazz musician, singer, songwriter, and composer who won four Grammy Awards, while performing a jazz concert for a then U.S President, years ago.

The origin of 'Smile', a jazz standard song, is the 1936 movie Modern Times, produced, written, and directed by Charlie Chaplin (Charles Chaplin), who also acted as its protagonist. The film won many awards and honours and is considered one of the greatest films ever. Chaplin had a climactic musical piece for the film composed (without voice, as it was the last of the silent movies) which is the basis of 'Smile'. Later, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons wrote the lyrics, based on the film and titled it, in 1954. Nat King Cole recorded the song, perhaps its best-ever rendition, the same year. It illustrates how great singers perceive the true inspiration behind the lyrics and by their rendition lift the listener's consciousness to the higher level. Subsequently there have been over 50 covers of 'Smile' by other artists. 'Smile' was also used at the beginning of the 1975 movie 'Smile', a film that satirises small-town America. Nathaniel Adams Coles (Nat King Cole, 1916-1965), the smooth baritone voice of the song, began his career as a jazz pianist in the late 1930s, when he formed the King Cole Trio, which became the top-selling group in the 1940s. Starting in 1950, he transitioned to become a solo singer billed as Nat King Cole. Despite achieving mainstream success, Cole faced intense racial discrimination during his career. While not a major, vocal public figure in the civil rights movement, Cole regularly performed for civil rights organisations. From 1956 to 1957, Cole hosted The Nat King Cole Show, which became the first nationally broadcast television show hosted by a Black American. Highlighting the universality of the song, 'Timeless Music and Talks' has compiled a video of smiling faces — children, youth, middle-aged and seniors — from around the world. This video is without the usual subtitles as the lyrical lines aren't many, and they are easy to understand. Hope you enjoyed the charm and universal appeal of 'Smile'.

For non-profit cultural and educational purposes.

Click to watch the video: https://youtu.be/xCpnTg-vfqE?si=UjUuJwZgzWslFbhR

Hero by Mariah Carey

"Mariah Carey is the best-selling female artist of all time with more than 200 million albums sold to date and 19 Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles (18 self-penned), more than any solo artist in history. Mariah is a singer/songwriter/producer recognized with multiple Grammy Awards, numerous American Music Awards, Billboard's 'Artist of the Decade' Award, the World Music Award for 'World's Best Selling Female Artist of the Millennium' and BMI's 'Icon Award' for her outstanding achievements in songwriting, to name a few – with her distinct five-octave vocal range, prolific songwriting, and producing talent, Mariah is truly the template of the modern pop performance. " (Excerpt from the description on Maria Carey's YouTube channel.) 

Mariah's "Hero" is regarded as one of her most inspirational songs. The core message: the hero is not someone to be found outside but within oneself. He is neither a world-saving superman nor a genius who builds a business empire like Steve Jobs or destroys a world-threatening evil project like James Bond. Heroism is in everyone who finds the inner strength to keep moving towards the realisation of one's dream, feeling also the presence of the Divine. Love is also not to be found outside but by searching within. The spirit of the song is to emphasise a soul-centric inner life to transform the external life. 

Interestingly, the concept of transformation of life by the discovery and influence of the soul within a human being is an essential aspect of Sri Aurobindo's (1872-1950, India) vision of human evolution. The Mother (1876-1973, born in Paris, France), who created Sri Aurobindo Ashram and founded Auroville in India, while encouraging the publication of a book titled "On the Way to Supermanhood" written by an Ashram inmate, Satprem, observed in 1971: "I personally have the feeling there is a close and invisible connection between America’s aspiration, as it is now, and the book." Mariah Carey's song of 1993 might be inspired by that aspiration. 

Released on 19th October 1993, "Hero" was a creation of Mariah Carey and record producer Walter Afanasieff and was part of their album "Music Box". The song was a global success, reaching the top five in Canada, France, Ireland, New Zealand and Norway, the top ten in Australia and the United Kingdom, and number one in America. 

The "Hero" video posted on "Timeless Music and Talks" now is Mariah Carey's rendition on 29 September 1993, in the year of its release. However, perhaps the best Mariah Carey rendition of "Hero" is the one posted on her channel 15 years ago. It's stunning to see the vast improvement in the singer's presentation of the song – theme articulation, smoothness of singing and hold over the audience – compared to the launch year renditions. This is the link to that: https://youtu.be/0IA3ZvCkRkQ?si=6ZdO3_L8XlkWvz3w 

The lyrics of the song are displayed on the video as subtitles so that the wider audience can understand and appreciate it better.

Click the link to watch the music video: https://youtu.be/sa7YbaXKZng

Jazz: What a Wonderful World by Angie Fisher

  A standard symphony orchestra typically consists of about 80 to 100 musicians, but jazz bands comprise a much smaller number of about 3 to 25 musicians. In its potential for making excellent music, jazz is no less than orchestral music. Esperanza Emily Spalding, an American jazz musician, singer, songwriter, and composer who has won four Grammy Awards, said while performing a jazz concert song some years ago, “Europe gave us classical music, and jazz is America’s classical music”.

'What a Wonderful World', is considered a jazz standard, and was written by George David Weiss and Bob Thiele. It was first recorded live by the legendary singer Louis Armstrong in 1959 and then, in 1967, recorded in a studio and released. Louis passed away in 1971, and the recording received wider attention when it was used in an American war comedy film, ‘Good Morning, Vietnam’ in 1988. The song was then re-released.

It's a lovely song on the simple joys of life and has been covered by many singers over the past decades. I find Angie Fisher's the best for many reasons, not least of which are its simple presentation and heartfelt expressions. Besides, a female singer rendering the blooming of a rose, a rainbow, and children growing seems more apt, and the fact that she is a Black singer reminds us that jazz originated from the urban culture of American Black musicians but has transcended race and become a part of the American culture.

Ref: Wikipedia

Click this link to watch (3 min : 05 sec):  'What a Wonderful World' by Angie Fisher

The world is not an unfortunate accident, it is a marvel which moves towards its expression. - The Mother

(Excerpt: 27 November 1971, Words of the Mother - I, CWM Vol 13, Pg 15)

'You Raise Me Up' by Emma Kok

'Secret Garden' is an Irish-Norwegian band specialised in new instrumental music, led by the duo consisting of Irish violinist and singer Fionnuala Sherry and Norwegian composer, arranger, and pianist Rolf Løvland. Over 25 years, they have sold millions of albums worldwide, many of which went platinum in numerous countries.

Secret Garden's most famous song, "You Raise Me Up", originally performed by Johnny Logan and Brian Kennedy, has been recorded by more than a hundred other artists, most notably American singer Josh Groban in 2003 and Irish group Westlife in 2005. 'You Raise Me Up' appeals to most people as a "message of hope, strength, and overcoming". For those who believe in the Divine, it is an adoration and gratitude for Him.

This is a rendering of 'You Raise Me Up' by Emma Kok, a sixteen-year-old Dutch singer, performing with the Royal Military Band at the Battle of the Grebbeberg concert in the Netherlands in May 2024. Her soaring voice stirs the souls of the listeners.

[The above text includes excerpts from Wikipedia]

'You Raise Me Up' by Emma Kok, subtitled (3 min:53 sec)

A classic Jazz standard: On the sunny side of the street

 Where the winter is quite cold people seek fireside and sunlight to warm themselves. On the streets many would naturally prefer to saunter in the sun but some may still walk in the shade. 

'On the sunny side of the street' is one of the widely known and performed song from the genre Jazz Standard. Written by American lyricist Dorothy Fields and composed by Jimmy McHugh in 1930 (some authors say that Fats Waller was the composer, but he sold the rights to the song), it was introduced in the Broadway musical 'Lew Leslie's International Revue' the same year.

Unlike Western classical music written for and played by symphony orchestras, Jazz bands comprise a much smaller number of musicians and singers but in the potential for making really good music Jazz is no less than orchestral music. Esperanza Emily Spalding, an American jazz musician, singer, songwriter, and composer and who won four Grammy Awards said at a performance of the song some years ago, “Europe gave us classical music and Jazz is America’s classical music”.

 Interestingly, it is a music video by an European musical band Lag Jazz (Milano, Italy, 2017) that looks the best among the many renditions of 'On the sunny side of the street' available on YouTube. Released in black & white with the performers in vintage costumes using a classic microphone on a worn out stage floor, the video is evocative of the mid-twentieth century jazz bands. (There were reportedly numerous all-female jazz bands during the 1940s replacing men who left for World War II.) The singers’ sweet demeanour and graceful moves in harmony with the sunny theme of the song have been well filmed. 

(Compilation includes information from Wikipedia) 

Lyrics have been added as subtitles. Click on the link below to watch (3 min: 44 sec):

https://youtu.be/lCzQEWzH80s