NYT Crossword 04/23/17 (Sunday)

Cruciverbalist: Olivia Mitra Framke

Editor: Will Shortz

Solving time: 37:26

Theme Title: A Century Of Song

A tribute to Ella Fitzgerald (One of my favorite singers!) born on April 25, 1817.

Words I hadn’t known until now:

ACETAL -  "Perfumer's liquid"
MOTETS - "Sacred choral works"
SATAY - "Skewered Asian dish"
CHAR - "Arctic food fish"

Trivia I didn’t know:

AMALFI - "______ Coast, scenic area near Capri"
SHEREE - "'Dallas' actress ______ J. Wilson" (If the clue was "North," I would've nailed it)
CABERNET - "Popular pairing with steak au poivre" (Not a gourmet)
ETSEQ - "And the following: Abbr."
SIC - "'___ parvis magna' ('Greatness from small beginnings"' Lat.)"
SPITZ - "Dog whose tail curls over the back"
ORSER - "Skating champ Brian"
RIEN - "Edith Piaf's 'Non, Je Ne Regrette ____'"
SIA - "One-named signer with the 2016 #1 hit 'Cheap Thrills'"
GOSPELS -  "Biblical quartet" (There are four of them?)
NENA - "Singer with the 1984 hit '99 Luftballoons'"
ZTILES -  "Tough draws in the game Bananagrams" (Never played the game)

Junk answers:

FFF - "Extremely loud in music"
ISH - "Suffix with sleep or hawk"
SRS - "H.S. big shots"
BFFS - "Close buds"

Clever clues:

HEIR - "One in line?"
OTOOLE - "Good name for an Irish carpenter?"