Sunday Wax Bits

Is the future overrated? I actually raise this question as an optimist. In earlier decades, the future was viewed as an exciting and dynamic place. World's Fairs were built on this premise, namely that tomorrow offered much more than today. High-tech advances in the pipeline were going to make our lives easier, freeing us up to have more fun.

Today, a growing number of people are terrified of the future, and it has nothing to do with the aging of the boomer generation. Many people have simply come to the conclusion that the world of tomorrow means less and less of everything, particularly the leisure part.

Which perhaps helps explain why so many people pine for values of yore and times they remember when things were slower and less shocking on a daily basis. Even kids today in their 20s are yearning for the '90s, according to a recent article in the New York Times.

I love the past because American culture decades ago seemed more interesting, digestible and exciting. People like me are often mocked as nostalgiaholics. But as my friends know, I'm not. My feeling  is just that the past is the future when it comes to art and culture. I'm not listening to the same old music over and over again. I'm constantly discovering new older albums and artists from earlier decades. I'm always looking for new older, if that makes sense.

Which brings me to my point: What if in some Twilight Zone twist the past were the future—meaning that we had reached a future tipping point and now are moving culturally backward to where we once were. In this episode, we don't go back to racism, the horrors of World War II or unsafe work conditions. We simply exist in today's world with our computers and iPhones, but the culture morphs back to the good stuff.

You know—people would have manners again, we'd have respect for other people's space, we could understand owner's manuals for things like TV sets, men would hold doors for women, and the sound of jazz would be everywhere. I just hope this cultural past arrives in my lifetime.

Slim Gaillard. JazzWax reader and timepiece writer Eric Wind sent along the following clip of the great Slim Gaillard. Hang in there past the clip's jovial on-screen host...

 

Nelson Riddle. The late arranger's daughter Rosemary Acerra has assembled a new Nelson Riddle Orchestra, which will be playing her father's original arrangements. But first, a few words from Rosemary here...

H2 Big Band. Trumpeter and JazzWax reader Al Hood sent along this clip of the H2 Big Band playing Dave Handon's You're It...

 

Christian Sands. This young pianist was mentored  by the late Dr. Billy Taylor. Here's Bret Primack's clip...

 

Leiber-Ashford radio. Chris "Souls" Cowles at WRTC in Hartford runs one of the best radio tribute shows around. Here's his free, two-hour show from last week. The second half of the first hour is a tribute to the late Jerry Leiber. The start of the second hour is a tribute to Nick Ashford, which includes an interview:

• Hour 1: Go here.
• Hour 2: Go here.

Talk about riding a cymbal. You just know that Art Blakey would have loved the drum kit in this clip. From JazzWax reader and Wrecking Crew drummer Hal Blaine...

 

Melissa Meyer. New works by painter Melissa Meyer will be  on exhibit from September 16 through October 29 at the Lennon, Weinberg Gallery at 514 West Street in New York.

CD discovery of the week. Just when you thought that Libya and Algeria were nothing more than soulless nations spiraling into bedlam, along comes Tinariwen. On Tassili (Anti), this group of musicians from North Africa proves that when all is said and done, what matters most is music. This folk album features gentle beats and rhythms, and lilting vocals, weaving a range of influences together into one penetrating sound. It's fascinating to explore another culture through its music. The message here is clear: the only language that counts is the one everyone can understand. You'll find this one at iTunes and here.

Oddball album cover of the week. Back in the '50s, mating customs were a bit, well, different. Couples who went out on dates in formal attire often kicked back at his place. At which point, the man would stare with razor intensity inches from his date's face. She either succumbed to his Svengali-like desires or she grew uncomfortable, wriggled free and split. In this cover, our hypnotized subject appears to be in a trance—or bewildered and searching for the door.

Comments

[Rab Hines]

Gotta agree with you, Marc; the future ain't what it used to be.

[Chris Galuman]

Great writing Marc! Remember Dave Frishburg's "Dear,Departed Past"?

[SJ]

I don't know if you ever listened to The Three Suns, Marc. My mother (that's it, blame the folks for nostalgia) was a big fan. It was a somewhat odd combination of guitar, accordion and organ. The group did have several big pre-Elvis hits, most notably a version of Twilight Time (which is now unfortunately playing on my mental MP3, and where did that come from). A jazz connection? Bucky Pizzarelli was with the group for a very brief time, disguising himself as Johnny Buck.

[Doug Zielke]

As a fan of "old" (but *real*) jazz I sometimes wish I'd been born a bit earlier...just so I could have sat with the crowd in the Five Spot or the Hillcrest etc.
But hey...we've still got the Vanguard and I'll be there in October!!

[Nick Rossi]

Interesting SJ, I did not know about Bucky and The Three Suns. There is another important jazz connection to the group: Charlie Parker's "Confirmation". According to Phil Schaap, the chord changes of Parker's tune are based on "Twilight Time" which was a hit for The Three Suns in 1944. Schaap addresses this on an episode of 'Bird Flight' which is still archived on his website.

[ScottieJ0e]

TV & movies are helping more and more people feel nostalic - Hopefully the new fall shows Pan Am and the Playboy Club will have great soundtracks. I don't really expect the shows to last too long, but I bet they inspire a few new Mid Century Mods.