Elvis Costello decided to go out of his way last week to trash his own new box set. The set in question is The Return of the Spectacular Spinning Songbook, which will be released on Dec. 6 and is selling in the U.S. for $262.52. It's sort of an odd set, since there is only one CD, one DVD and one 10-inch LP plus a book and poster. It clearly is geared toward Costello enthusiasts and was recorded over two nights earlier this year at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
Instead of buying his box, Costello has urged fans to use their dough to buy Satchmo: Ambassador of Jazz, which is out on the same label—Universal. Writing on his website, Costello told fans: “There was a time when the release of a new title by your favourite record artist was a cause for excitement and rejoicing but sadly no more. Unfortunately, we at www.elviscostello.com find ourselves unable to recommend this lovely item to you as the price appears to be either a misprint or a satire.”
Costello also likened the price to an “elaborate hoax” and said fans should wait until the New Year, when the items from his set will be on sale separately at a more affordable price.
He's right—the pricing seems ridiculously way off for what the consumer is receiving. But I'm also puzzled how one CD, one DVD and one vinyl disc wind up broken down into smaller sell-able packages in 2012.
Actually, the purchase may not be an either-or prospect. American shoppers directed to the Pops set may actually spend their dollars on Armstrong rather than Costello, not both. That's because the four-CD Armstrong box ($56.47)—a distillation of the 10-CD box released over the summer—isn't due until January 10.
Mark Murphy radio—today! Fans of Mark Murphy, the vocalese master, will be gratified to know that my boy "Symphony" Sid Gribetz is hosting a five-hour Jazz Profiles on WKCR-FM today, from 2 to 7 p.m. (EST). You can access the show on your computer from anywhere in the world by going to www.WKCR.org.
Ray Charles. You probably know Mike Post best for writing the theme to Law & Order and other well-known TV crime-courtroom dramas. Way back when, he was a rock-soul arranger. He spoke on-camera with Bret Primack and told a fabulous story about working with Ray Charles...
What is the Wrecking Crew, Alex? Drummer Hal Blaine was a question on Jeopardy last week. In fact, the entire Wrecking Crew was a category on the game show...
CD discoveries of the week. Singer Brad McNett and guitarist Jake Reichbart's Please Come Home for Christmas is a sweet little holiday album. This is bare bones stuff—just the two of them—with Reichbart even doubling as engineer. But it's a pure, tasteful effort, with just the right amount of feeling and sentiment. Dig The Christmas Song, Winter Wonderland and It's the Most Wonderful Time of Year. What's particularly addictive are Brad's endearing vocals and Reichbart's chord voicings. More on Brad here and Reichbart here. You'll find this one here.
Michael Campagna's Moments (Challenge) features nine originals, each of which dances beautifully with rich instrumental harmonies and melodic hooks. Saxophonist and flutist Campagna has even been so bold as to include a harp played by Brandee Younger, who brings angelic lyricism to four of the tracks. Also on this CD are trumpeter/flugelhornist Michael Rodriguez, pianist Robert Rodriguez, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Eric Doob. Sample Journeys, Bridges and Songs for Monica. This is a pretty, pretty album. More on Campagna at his site. You'll find this one at iTunes and Amazon.
When folk-blues guitarist Cary Morin digs into Steely Dan's Black Friday with an acoustic guitar on Sing It Louder (Music Maker), you know the rest of his album has to be slamming. And it is. Morin pulls off song after song beautifully, and his voice and guitar are as honest as they come. There are touches of Jose Feliciano and Levon Helm of The Band here. Check out Together, This Train and Rounders. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something about this album that awakens your conscience. More on Cary Morin at his site along with a video clip. You'll find this one at Amazon.
Oddball album cover of the week. As promised a few months ago when I last featured singer Julie London in this space, here's another one of her hipster bombshell covers. For whatever reason, Liberty Records back in that late '50s routinely cast London as loose in what can only be called a marketing strategy to position her as a singing seductress, pinup model or worse. Except in this case, it seems the art director dispensed with the suggestive poses and outfits, cutting right to the chase. For her part, London seems bored to tears.
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A few very minor clarifications. The ten-CD SATCHMO box set is indeed available in the United States: check out the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, New York or contact them at http://www.louisarmstronghouse.org. And my explanation of Mr. Costello's motives may be simplistic, but here it is: 1) he was annoyed by his record company's attempt to make more money off his fans than he thought was appropriate, and 2) he loves Louis Armstrong. The first suggests he is an ethical man; the second says he has taste and the courage of his convictions. It also takes a well-grounded sense of humor to tell someone not to buy your "product." That he's gotten a great deal of publicity for his act I wouldn't deny, but he deserves it.
A simple but crucial clarification will easily make clear the point that E. Costello is having with the price tag of his release: the box set has only one [and it's a 10" EP]. So, it's One CD with songs recorded on May 11th/12th, 2011 performances at the Wiltern in Los Angeles; One DVD of the performance of the May 12th; One 10" EP that features four songs only available in this set; One 40 pages hardcover book; One 20" X 30" concert tour poster (ugly poster btw!); One limited edition postcard signed by E. Costello. All of this in a box, edited in 1500 copies & numbered. To clarify further, it's not "3 disks + one vinyl" as reported on various printed or online publications. That said, I think he's absolutely right about the price (let's not forget the initial list price of $339.98!! + s/h) and we should consider his statement as sincere, realistic and surely coming from an "ethical man".
Listened to all five hours of the Mark Murphy Jazz Profiles program. It boggles the mind how his career crossed genres such as pop, swing, fusion, straight-ahead/bebop, acid jazz and, compared to the Tony Bennetts and Frank Sinatras of the world, avant-garde. Mark even recorded country and r&b sides that were not included yesterday. Yet no matter what the styles, he nailed the songs while maintaining a jazz sensibility, always willing to take risks and pushing himself to the limits of expressiveness.
Why was it an "oddball" move "to position [Julie London] as a singing seductress, pinup model or worse"? Given the way London sang and looked, what could have been more natural? And why "or worse"? Eeesh. Aren't we being more than a little retroactively PC here?
Yes, as we know from the famously down-to-earth tape of London rehearsing/recording, she was a very down-to-earth person. And she also was a very talented actress (e.g. see her opposite Robert Mitchum in Robert Parrish's excellent western "The Wonderful Country"). But I would bet that she was fairly comfortable with and/or amused by her image and considered it be an unavoidable part of what life had dealt her. A somewhat analogous case might be Angie Dickinson. Would one have wanted London or Dickinson to be (would they have wanted to be?), say, Jill Clayburgh? (And I certainly liked Clayburgh for what SHE was.)
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Marc Myers writes frequently on music and the arts for the Wall Street Journal. He is author of "Why Jazz Happened" (University of California Press). In 2012, JazzWax was named the Jazz Journalists Association's "Blog of the Year."
A few very minor clarifications. The ten-CD SATCHMO box set is indeed available in the United States: check out the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, New York or contact them at http://www.louisarmstronghouse.org. And my explanation of Mr. Costello's motives may be simplistic, but here it is: 1) he was annoyed by his record company's attempt to make more money off his fans than he thought was appropriate, and 2) he loves Louis Armstrong. The first suggests he is an ethical man; the second says he has taste and the courage of his convictions. It also takes a well-grounded sense of humor to tell someone not to buy your "product." That he's gotten a great deal of publicity for his act I wouldn't deny, but he deserves it.
Posted by: Michael Steinman | December 04, 2011 at 07:22 AM
Mark Murphy is the vocalese master, not the greatest male jazz vocalist? Learn something every day. Keep singing, Mark.
Posted by: Kent England | December 04, 2011 at 12:35 PM
A simple but crucial clarification will easily make clear the point that E. Costello is having with the price tag of his release: the box set has only one [and it's a 10" EP]. So, it's One CD with songs recorded on May 11th/12th, 2011 performances at the Wiltern in Los Angeles; One DVD of the performance of the May 12th; One 10" EP that features four songs only available in this set; One 40 pages hardcover book; One 20" X 30" concert tour poster (ugly poster btw!); One limited edition postcard signed by E. Costello. All of this in a box, edited in 1500 copies & numbered. To clarify further, it's not "3 disks + one vinyl" as reported on various printed or online publications. That said, I think he's absolutely right about the price (let's not forget the initial list price of $339.98!! + s/h) and we should consider his statement as sincere, realistic and surely coming from an "ethical man".
Posted by: Elegendre.wordpress.com | December 04, 2011 at 03:55 PM
Listened to all five hours of the Mark Murphy Jazz Profiles program. It boggles the mind how his career crossed genres such as pop, swing, fusion, straight-ahead/bebop, acid jazz and, compared to the Tony Bennetts and Frank Sinatras of the world, avant-garde. Mark even recorded country and r&b sides that were not included yesterday. Yet no matter what the styles, he nailed the songs while maintaining a jazz sensibility, always willing to take risks and pushing himself to the limits of expressiveness.
Posted by: Cha Cha | December 05, 2011 at 10:22 AM
Why was it an "oddball" move "to position [Julie London] as a singing seductress, pinup model or worse"? Given the way London sang and looked, what could have been more natural? And why "or worse"? Eeesh. Aren't we being more than a little retroactively PC here?
Yes, as we know from the famously down-to-earth tape of London rehearsing/recording, she was a very down-to-earth person. And she also was a very talented actress (e.g. see her opposite Robert Mitchum in Robert Parrish's excellent western "The Wonderful Country"). But I would bet that she was fairly comfortable with and/or amused by her image and considered it be an unavoidable part of what life had dealt her. A somewhat analogous case might be Angie Dickinson. Would one have wanted London or Dickinson to be (would they have wanted to be?), say, Jill Clayburgh? (And I certainly liked Clayburgh for what SHE was.)
Posted by: Larry Kart | December 05, 2011 at 01:45 PM