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Weekend Audition: ZZZ...

Please resist dozing off here, zzz.... Zanzibar, Zanes, and Zumanity are some of my favorite "Z" things.... 

This may seem a little zany but no one ever asked you as a kid, are you learning your "XYZ's"?  So, it's high time for some lowdown on the unsung caboose of the alphabet, with a youthful flair to boot.

Back in 1984, Rolling Stone named "The Del Fuegos" the year's Best New Band. Founder Dan ZANES still likes to write folksy family tunes. A new album in that vein, Little Nut Tree, by his current band, "Dan Zanes and Friends," features guest artists Sharon Jones, Joan Osborne, and others. You'll hear those songs on KUNC in coming days. 

Another Dan Zanes' creation, 2000's Rocket Ship Beach was called "cool" by The New York Times Magazine. But the title track from Zanes' Grammy-winning kids' release, Catch That Train!, might make you wiggle and grin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HSKjr4IEIM 

The name ZUMANITY draws from "zoo" and "human." This "human zoo" theme is a part of Cirque du Soleil's arsenal. Out of their entourage comes this balletic couple with a seemless sensuality and amazing acrobatics; is there an invisible trapeze here? They defy gravity. 

Let's revel in svelte bodies, blue lights, and Latin romance. Don't try this at home; it gives new meaning to "a pain in the neck." Get ready to be impressed. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=cWIhXzZT8dE&vq=largeS 

Actor, producer, rapper, and new father -- Jay-Z has won a mere thirteen! Grammy Awards, with over 50 million albums sold. To broaden our tastes a bit, here's a sample of this remarkable artist. Kudos to our exhausted video editor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O3USgkwiJA 

Thanks for indulging me with this fleeting "Z" fetish. Where's ZZZorro when you need him in our YouTube age?

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