You’ve got to be quick or September blasts by before you know it – and then one of the best months of the year is suddenly gone.

In that fashion, I had a few days off and suddenly realized that, as I write this, it’s already September 16 – more than halfway through this glorious Gateway Month to Autumn.

I hope you are treating your ears well this month and, pursuant thereof, here are some sorcerers’ songs about September. Enjoy!

“Once Upon a Time” by Frank Sinatra – this is from September of My Years - one of the best concept albums ever made. Any tune from this record works for the mood and, in a most literal sense, either the title track or "September Song" might be more appropriate. But the album is a metaphor for enterting the twilight of one's life - perfect for an Aging Rock Dude! - and this particular tune is melancholy in the best sense of the word.

“September” by Andy Timmons – Proud to say Andrew is a good pal; he wrote and recorded this tune as a wedding song for friends. It works beautifully as designed and I’m sure the nuptials were delighted. But in the bigger picture of September as a motif, Andy truly nails it. The shift from delicate acoustic melody to the emotional electric section - with such beautiful lines and That Timmons Tone - is a treasure.

“September” by David Sylvian – this is an elegant tone poem in which the former Japan frontman captures a slice of dawning fall (and romance) in just over one-minute. Incredible how Sylvian rejects what, in most composers, would be the urge to expand. It's perfect in its concise glory.

“Colors/Dance” by George Winston – when he released the Autumn album in 1980, it was on vinyl. Side One was “September” and the tunes on the second side were designated “October.” “Colors/Dance” kicks off the September section in a two-part suite that captures the essence of the seasonal transition that, as you listen, the leaves outside your window fuse from green to orange.

And what could be more perfect to close than “September Fifteenth” by Lyle Mays and Pat Metheny from their immortal As Falls Wichita So Falls Wichita Falls album? The entire record is a glorious autumnal soundtrack, but this song, dedicated to the late, great Bill Evans, is a wonderfully constructed and performed piece that shifts moods in lulling, poignant elegance.