Dance (Juba)

Welcome to another week of social distancing! Here on Tea with Liya, I'm playing a song that will hopefully brighten your day. "Juba Dance", composed by R. Nathaniel Dett, was based on an African American dance from the 1800s. Even while these slaves were in forced working conditions, they were still able to keep up the joy by singing and dancing. Hopefully you'll take some inspiration during the times of COVID!


Listen to the song here
(Can't see an audio player? It might not work if you're viewing this in an email client. If you are on teawithliya.blogspot.ca, you may need to try a different browser.)

Come Thou Fount

On this Wednesday that leaves us right in the middle of April, I'm here to play another hymn called "Come Thou Fount." This song got me thinking about looking for good news even when we're surrounded by reports of Corona. I hope you enjoy listening!


Listen to the song here
(Can't see an audio player? It might not work if you're viewing this in an email client. If you are on teawithliya.blogspot.ca, you may need to try a different browser.)

Don't Get Around Much Anymore

Today on Tea with Liya, I'm playing a jazz standard called "Don't Get Around Much Anymore." Believe it or not, I wasn't thinking about coronavirus lockdowns when I picked this song - I didn't consider that until later. If you're stuck inside looking for something to do, I'm glad you took the time to listen to this song. Keep filling your teacup with music!


Listen to the song here
(Can't see an audio player? It might not work if you're viewing this in an email client. If you are on teawithliya.blogspot.ca, you may need to try a different browser.)

Be Thou My Vision

This week on Tea with Liya, I'm playing a classic hymn called "Be Thou My Vision." If you haven't been hearing this in a church for 50 years, you might not have imagined that this song has existed for several centuries. Age doesn't make it any less valuable, though - here I am playing it in 2020! 


Listen to the song here
(Can't see an audio player? It might not work if you're viewing this in an email client. If you are on teawithliya.blogspot.ca, you may need to try a different browser.)

Count Two

While listening to the radio, I heard this jazz piece, composed by pianist Oliver Jones, called "Count Two." I soon decided to learn it, and I've now uploaded it to Tea with Liya. Here, you can find out about some other things you can count! I hope you like this song!


Listen to the song here
(Can't see an audio player? It might not work if you're viewing this in an email client. If you are on teawithliya.blogspot.ca, you may need to try a different browser.)

River Flows in You

If any of you know of a contemporary pianist who calls himself Yiruma, then you probably discovered his music through this song. Likely his most popular composition, "River Flows in You" has been played by both professionals and piano students. When I first heard an actual performance of this piece, it didn't sound like what I had first imagined, but maybe I was confusing it with another song that had "river" in its title. Anyways, enough of Liya's Reminiscent Thoughts on Music. It's time for you to Listen to the song here!

(Can't see an audio player? It might not work if you're viewing this in an email client. If you are on teawithliya.blogspot.ca, you may need to try a different browser.)

Pineapple Rag

Welcome back to Tea with Liya! On this cold February morning, I took a little time to think about the coming summer. A great song that references this hot and bright season would be Scott Joplin's "Pineapple Rag." I hope you enjoy listening to this bouncy song. Can sound waves make you feel warmer?

Listen to the song here
(Can't see an audio player? It might not work if you're viewing this in an email client. If you are on teawithliya.blogspot.ca, you may need to try a different browser.)