JazzWax

Weekend Wax Bits

In this weekend's "Review" section of The Wall Street Journal (or go here), I resolve the age-old question: Why does the James Bond Theme make guys feel more guy-ly? What is it about the song—with its sneaky bass line, machine-gun guitar solo, and swinging brass—that makes it catnip for men of all ages?

To find out, I spoke with two leading psychiatrists, Vic Flick—the guitarist who played the guitar solo—and Jon Burlingame, author of The Music of James Bond (Oxford), due November 1.

I'll have more with Vic and Jon in the weeks ahead, since I have a particular fondness for Bond films and music. 

Route 66. Last week I posted on "Goodnight Sweet Blues," a 1961 episode of TV's Route 66, featuring Ethel Waters, Coleman Hawkins, Jo Jones and Roy Eldridge. A handful of observations:

1. In 1961, to show such natural, loving harmony between blacks and whites on TV must have been a radical concept. One can only imagine the sponsor push-back and audience reaction after the episode aired.

2. Actor George Maharis walks into a club and rudely starts yellling out to Coleman Hawkins while he was playing. A tad odd. Lucky he didn't get a chair broken over his head.

3. Traveling all over the country in just a week to round up jazz musicians in 1961 was indeed costly. The only way to do it was to fly, and jet travel then wasn't cheap. The show must have decided to have the main characters do this rather than locate the players in one city in an effort to attract airline ad dollars.

Curious about the guitarist and trombonist in the episode? Bill Kirchner sent along links to information on Bill Gunn (the actor who played the guitarist) and Juano Hernández (the actor who played the trombonist).

Willis "Gator Tail" Jackson radio. On Sunday, my boy "Symphony" Sid Gribetz presents a five-hour special radio broadcast celebrating saxophonist Willis "Gator Tail" Jackson [pictured above] from 2 to 7p.m. on WKCR in New York. Tune in from anywhere in the world on your computer by going here. Sid's shows are all-reet and complete.

Hal McKusick remembered. On Monday, a memorial will be held for Hal McKusick at 7 p.m. at Saint Peter's Church in New York (619 Lexington Ave. at 54th St.). The saxophonist died in April. There will be performances and speakers.

Happy birthday George Wein! Next Wednesday is Newport Jazz Festival founder George Wein's 87th birthday. If you're in New York on October 10, George will be joining Vince Giordano and Catherine Russell at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College on 68th St. between Park and Lexington Avenues. The concerts starts at 7:15 p.m.

Other members of the band include Randy Sandke (trumpet), John Allred (trombone), Mark Lopeman (reeds), Ken Salvo (guitar/banjo), Mark Shane (piano) and Arnie Kinsella (drums).

Tickets are $35 ($10 for students). For more informaton, call (212) 772-4448 or go here.

Andy Williams (1927-2012), a Midwestern singer with a honey-coated pitch-perfect voice who was dismissed by many urban music listeners as too square but adored by the rest of the country, died September 25. He was 84.

Dashing and mellow, Williams was perfectly cast for television in the 1960s and '70s, using his warm appeal to host variety shows and Christmas specials. Between 1956 and 1976, he had 47 Billboard Hot 100 hits.

Unknown to many people today, Williams was just one of four brothers who could sing equally well—though the others lacked Andy's charisma and quick wit. Here's my favorite clip of the four Williams brothers harmonizing during one of Andy Williams' many holiday TV specials... 

 

Jose Curbelo (1917-2012), a Cuban pianist, bandleader and manager who specialized in the mambo and cha-cha-cha, died on September 21 in Miami. He was 95. When I was a kid growing up in New York, my introduction to Latin music came when I heard Curbelo's Americanized Cha Cha in Blue pouring out of a Latin record store in the Times Square subway station. Fortunately, this gem was up at YouTube...

 

Zoot Fest this year will be held on October 21 from noon until 6 p.m. in the Keystone Room at the University of Pennsylvania in East Stroudsburg, Pa. (click to enlarge poster above).

Zoot Fest honors Zoot Sims and Al Cohn to benefit the Al Cohn Memorial Jazz Collection and COTA CampJazz. Performing guests include Phil Woods, Bob Dorough, Bill Crow, Harry Allen, Dave Liebman, Joe Cohn, Rick Chamberlain, the COTA Festival Orchestra and others.

And by the way, if you dig Al and Zoot, subscribe to The Note edited by Bob Bush. It's a terrific publication. For more information, go here (and scroll down).

Pauly Cohen. As Examiner.com reports, Bret Primack is hard at work taping and editing his documentary on trumpeter Pauly Cohen [pictured above].

Peters Sellers for TWA. JazzWax reader Glenn Boornazian found this early '70s ad for now-defunct  Trans World Airlines. It features English comedian Peter Sellers in character, flying over "Pizza-burgh" to help position the carrier's domestic routes as on par with the sophistication of its European flights...

 

CD discoveries of the week. Bassist Avery Sharpe's Sojourner Truth pays tribute to the African-American abolitionist and woman's rights advocate who escaped slavery and sued a white plantation owner to recover her son. In the spirit of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme and Bobby Hutcherson's Components, Sharpe tells Truth's story through earthy and spiritual jazz. The group's heart is in this one, making this one of the finest jazz albums of the year. Sample The Way Home and NYC 1800s. Jazz at its best—with passion. For more on Avery Sharpe, go here.

Music Inspired by Freedmantown is another rich jazz album with a big personal feel. Drummer Reggie Quinerly pays tribute to the area of Houston known as Freedmantown, where African-Americans freed after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 pooled their resources to build a strong, unified neighborhood. Quinerly wrote many of the album's tracks, but there are other originals here as well as two standards. Sample #2 Xylent Letters and Live From The Last Row.

Bassist Iris Ornig's last album was released in 2009. Now she's out with No Restrictions (Gema), and it's even better than her last one. What makes Iris exceptional, in addition to her strong command of the upright bass, are her original compositions, which make up all but two of the album's tracks. Iris has a special sensitivity and melodic mellowness that just grabs and hugs you. Her selection of musicians here also gives the music enormous lift: guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, trumpeter Michael Rodriguez, pianist Helen Sung and drummer Marcus Gilmore. For more on Iris, go here.

Fans of Stan Kenton will be happy to know that there is a Stan Kenton Alumni Band and that their most recent CD, Have Band Will Travel—Live (Summit) swings like the band of old. Truly. Directed by trumpeter Mike Vax, the band on the album takes on new arrangements by current players, including baritone saxophonist Joel Kaye (The Shadow of Your Smile) and alto saxophonist Kim Richmond (Invitation). And it also dives into its rich book for charts by Lennie Niehaus (Long Ago and Far Away), Johnny Richards (Tonight), Gerry Mulligan (Swing House) and Bob Florence (Our Garden). Artistry in rhythm on the road. For more on the Kenton Alumni Band, go here.

Tenor saxophonist Jacques Schwarz-Bart and his quartet's The Art of Dreaming (Aztec) is deep, thoughtful and moody. Each song's theme has been carefully plotted-out, and instrumental textures and layers are added judiciously. Best of all, the tracks are group originals. Sample Blues Jonjon and Peyoti.

Torben Waldorff extracts an interesting metallic sound from his electric guitar on Wah-Wah (Artist Share). Which means he's likely been doing some smart listening to John Scofield and other '70s masters. Along with keyboardist Gary Versace, bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Jon Wikan, Waldorff works through original compositions that have a mystical, fusion feel. Sample Poolside and Evac. Music that takes you back and propels you forward. You'll find it at iTunes.

I love albums that combine fusion elements with Flora Purim-like vocals. Pianist Julian Shore's Filaments (Tone Rogue) does this neatly. Vocalists Alexa Barchini and Shelly Tzarafi dovetail neatly with Shore and guitars played by Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jeff Miles. Sample Made Very Small and Give. Also, nice work by tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger on the patiently slow Venus.

Blues belter Shemekia Copeland is the daughter of the late Texas blues guitarist Johnny "Clyde" Copeland. On her new album, 33 1/3 (Telarc), Copeland is accompanied by wailing blues guitarist and producer Oliver Wood and pedal steel guitarist Roosevelt Collier. Kennedy Center Honoree guitarist Buddy Guy also joins on a track. The rock-blues guitar suits Copeland, giving her bossy delivery authority. Sample Sam Cooke's Ain't That Good News, Bob Dylan's I'll Be Your Baby Tonight and executive producer John Hahn and Wood's Lemon Pie.

The music of trumpeter/flugelhornist Erik Jekabson's Anti-Mass (Jekab's Music) is a bit more abstract than most of my picks this week, but it packs enormous creative punch. There are modern classical elements here fused with jazz reeds and tight brass—think Freddie Hubbard's Red Clay. But it's the independent mingling of strings with brass that makes this album special. The strings operate on their own terms, weaving in and out with arrangements meant to unite the instruments and at other times set them at odds. Sample Interlude 1 and see what I mean. Or The Cello Player. This is truly magnificent music.

Oddball album cover of the week. Red Norvo may hold the title for most number of oddball album covers. Here, on Red Plays the Blues, the vibist is blue not once but twice—in black-and-white and in color. Looks like they couldn't decide which Red was bluer.

Documentary: Beatles Stories

Seven years ago, Seth Swirsky had a great idea. As I write in today's Wall Street Journal, the songwriter, musician and author decided to make a documentary by doing one simple thing well: Asking people who had interactions with the Beatles to tell him their personal stories.

A self-described Beatlemaniac, Seth went out and bought two video cameras—not knowing a thing about the art of interviewing or how to tape them. Then he set to work, capturing 80 interviews, using 52 in his film—Beatles Stories: A Fab Four Fan's Ultimate Road Trip. [Pictured above: Seth Swirsky and Ringo Starr]

The DVD is out on Tuesday and it's a ton of fun. Each story runs only about a minute and a half and is introduced by a clever title. Best of all, there's a mix of celebrities and ordinary folks. The stars include Brian Wilson, Ben Kingsley, Graham Nash, Art Garfunkel, Henry Winkler and many others to first girlfriends, personal assistants and groupies.

What they all have in common is a breathless sense of disbelief, and each story is better than the one that precedes it. Whether you care for the lads or not, they were larger than life—and the stories both humanize them and offer revealing facts never before captured in print or on film.

JazzWax DVD: Seth Swirsky's Beatles Stories: A Fab Four Fan's Ultimate Road Trip is available here.

JazzWax clip: Here's the trailer for the DVD...

 

Joe Pass: Roy Clark Session (1994)

In 1994, guitarists Joe Pass and Roy Clark got together and recorded an album of Hank Williams songs. They recorded in Hollywood, at Sage & Sound, and the session was produced by Ralph Jungheim, who conceived the idea for the country-jazz date. JazzWax reader and Joe Pass fan Uwe Zänisch of Berlin sent along a wonderful series of clips from the recording session. Other musicians in the studio were John Pisano (rhythm-g) Jim Hughart (b) Colin Bailey (d). This was Pass' last studio recording. He died in May 1994.

Here's Why Don't You Love Me (Like You Used to Do). If you leave the clip on at the end, it will go right into the next one...

Frank Foster: 'Basie Is Our Boss'

In between recording sessions and on days off, Count Basie had no problem with his musicians recording on their own. Basie knew that if he wanted to hang onto the titanium talent he had on board, he'd be well-served to give his men the economic and creative freedom they wanted. Jazz fans are certainly better off for Basie's policy. That's how all of those terrific Frank Wess recordings were possible in the '50s for Savoy and other labels.

Wess' reed-mate Frank Foster also took advantage of Basie's leeway—but not nearly as frequently and mostly as a sideman. One of the small-group albums he recorded as a leader during his years with the Count was Basie Is Our Boss. The album was recorded in February 1963 for Argo during one of Basie's many extended club stays in Chicago and in between the band's Hits of the 50's and 60's and More Hits of the 50's and 60's recording sessions in January and April.

On the Basie Is Our Boss date were Al Aarons (tp), Frank Foster (ts) Eric Dixon (ts,fl), John Young (p), Buddy Catlett (b) and Philip Thomas (d). All were relatively new additions to Basie's band, except Young and Thomas, who were Chicago players. Foster, of course, joined in 1953. Dixon joined Basie in '61 from Quincy Jones' orchestra. Aarons came aboard in '62, and Catlett, another Jones alumni, joined in '60.

One of the many reasons why this album is so special is how Foster's arrangements make so few sound like so many. If you didn't know how many musicians were on the date, you'd swear there were more. Another reason why this album is special is Foster's evolving sound, shifting from big band player to small-group leader. 

There are six tracks—Vested Interest, Why Try to Change Me Now?, May We, Samba Blues, Kelly Blue and I've Got a Lot of Living to Do.

The first track is a blues original by Foster, the second is a standard and a ballad showcase for Foster, the third is a Foster hard-bop blues, Samba Blues is a light latin blues credited to Esmond Edwards—the session supervisor and cover photographer—and Kelly Blue by Wynton Kelly is taken at a jaunty pace. The final track, a standard, is perhaps the oddest on the album. Taken mostly in 6/8 time, it features Foster widening-out in a Wayne Shorter mode.

Interestingly, the arranging here by Foster isn't in the Basie vernacular. Instead, he seemed to be starting to arrange for the strength of a small group and its individual players rather than shrinking a big band into six parts. While his charts make the group seem larger, there's a certain soul here that transcends the formality of Basie's orchestra.  

By December 1965, Foster would be leading a series of excellent soul-funk sessions for Prestige. Basie Is Our Boss was just the warm up.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Frank Foster's Basie Is Our Boss as a Japanese import here.

A big JazzWax thanks to David Langner.

Route 66: 'Goodnight Sweet Blues'

Yesterday, jazz musician, educator and writer Bill Kirchner sent along a YouTube link to a 1961 episode of TV's Route 66 called "Goodnight Sweet Blues." The drama featured Ethel Waters as a dying singer along with Jo Jones (on trumpet), Roy Eldridge (on drums) and Coleman Hawkins in acting roles. The director was Jack Smight, who directed The Sound of Jazz. It was filmed in Pittsburgh.

Confused about the instrument swap between Eldridge and Jones? Jazz editor and critic Dan Morgenstern sent along the following...

"Jo's role—the trumpeter—is the biggest of all the musicians. Jo got it by showing up early and telling the casting director that he could play trumpet, which was somewhat true, since he had rudimentary knowledge from his early vaudeville days and knew how to hold it.

"Roy—who told me all this—was peeved, but of course he was an accomplished drummer. Hawk managed to have most of his speaking lines dropped or minimized to "ahems." As Route 66's two stars set out to round up the musicians to perform with Ethel, Jo is found in jail and Hawk on the bandstand of a club (some great playing, alas, too short).

"Roy clearly was the best actor. Too bad Jo copped that part!"

Heat up that cup of coffee. Here's "Goodnight Sweet Blues"...

 

Cilla Black: 'Is It Love?' (1965)

Back while I was doing research in preparation for my Wall Street Journal interview with Sir George Martin in August, I listened to virtually everything he produced—before, during and after the Beatles. I tend to do enough research to write a book. It's just my way. [Pictured above: Cilla Black with Sir George Martin]

At any rate, while listening to all of Cilla Black's Parlophone recordings, I came across Is It Love?, a beautiful ballad written by Bobby Willis, a British songwriter who became Cilla Black's husband and manager. He died in 1999. Johnny Pearson, who orchestrated, died in 2011.

Is It Love? was released in January 1965 and went to #2 in the U.K. Most important, Black appeared later that year in Ferry Cross the Mersey, a rock-and-roll musical film designed to showcase Brian Epstein's other hit-making acts from Liverpool. Interestingly, the title song by Gerry and the Pacemakers was originally written for the film before being released as a hit single in the U.K. and the U.S.

Here, from the film, is Cilla Black singing (or more likely lip-syncing) Is It Love?—my second favorite single of hers after Alfie. Dig Sir George's touch...

 

And here is the trailer for Ferry Cross the Mersey...

 

Weekend Wax Bits

On Friday, European Union regulators granted approval for Universal Music Group to complete its $1.9 billion acquisition of EMI. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission already gave the deal the nod. But the new deal came at a stiff price for Universal. While the U.S. Federal Trade Commission green-lighted the deal with a no-strings unanimous 5-0 vote, Europe's blessing came with the stipulation that Universal had to sell off many of EMI's best-known labels as well as the global rights (they will retain the Beatles).

Universal agreed to Europe's terms and will sell off a third of EMI's assets, which includes Parlophone (a big deal in Europe), a gaggle of important independent labels, nine national subsidiaries of EMI across Europe and other rights. Universal also has to divest some of its own assets and allow for market controls on its digital music contracts.

How does the new Universal-EMI entity stack up? In a word—big. When the deal closes next week, the company will own a 36% chunk of the world's recorded music pie, followed by Sony (about 22%) and Warner Music Group (15%). And look for Sony to buy Warner, or Warner to buy Concord.

What does this mean? Let me make a few assumptions: When a company spends $1.9 billion, consolidation often follows, which means job losses, surviving employees having to take on more work for the same salaries, and smaller budgets for the back catalogues of genres like jazz. And when corporate belts tighten, jazz matters only when the fewest dollars are needed to get the job done.

Here are my predictions: In the wake of Universal-EMI, look for the CD to disappear completely within the next two years. Look for a rise in the number of downloads, including the launch of retail platforms set up by record companies to pull revenue away from Amazon and iTunes. And look for the quality of remastering to remain stagnant—exactly where it is now—since the development and implementation of new remastering technology requires an investment of capital. Besides, they will argue, it's not like anyone is listening to music on a decent system anyway. [Pictured above: Radar, by Pat Brassington, 2009]

Yes, expect more out-of-print jazz albums to surface as downloads. Expect liner notes to be downloadable as well. The bad news is that prices won't likely come down and the fidelity of albums probably won't improve much either. That's what happens when you spend a ton of dough to own the biggest house on the block. You squeeze every dollar, and there isn't much left over for furniture.

John Coltrane radio. On Sunday, WKCR in New York will present its annual John Coltrane Birthday Broadcast. Tune in at midnight (EDT) on Saturday night and dig 24 hours of 'Trane around the clock. You can listen on your computer from anywhere in the world by going here.
 

Mat Domber (1928-2012), the jovial and maverick founder of the jazz label Arbors Records who recorded who and what he pleased provided he enjoyed what he heard, died on September 19 after a short illness. He was 84. [Pictured above: Mat and Rachel Domber]

I worked on two projects for Mat—liner notes for Carol Sloane's We'll Meet Again and Johnny Mandel's The Man and His Music. In both cases, Mat was easy-going and kind, traits that I'm sure dated back to at least 1989, when he founded the label with his wife and business partner Rachel.

To me, Mat's primary purpose, like most music-business entrepreneurs, was to give artists creative freedom, pay them for their efforts, and become friendly with them. The venture was equal parts business venture and a means of watching the magic of a recording session unfold. And isn't that why we all do what we do—to grow close to the mystery called music and those who can make it?

I still recall a spectacular steak dinner in New York that included Johnny Mandel [pictured] and his wife Martha as well as a handful of others who were associated with the project. Mat, of course, didn't have to invite everyone to the restaurant, but he did. That was his generous way. Surrounding himself this way and watching others enjoy an evening out gave him and Rachel, enormous joy and pleasure.

Mat released more than 300 albums on the Arbors label. For the label's releases, go here. A toast to Mat, who loved recording jazz and loved even more the proximity to musicians that such recordings afforded.

Clark Terry. JazzWax reader Tom Fine sent along a link to a trailer for the following documentary on trumpet great Clark Terry now in the works. If this clip doesn't choke you up, nothing will. I'm not sure when the film is rolling out. If you know, please let me know...

 

Terry Teachout's play, Satchmo at the Waldorf, will be transferring directly from Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven to Philadelphia's Wilma Theater, one of America's top regional companies, where it will open on November 16 and run through December 2. Congrats!

Clifton Anderson is showcased in a new video by Bret Primack. Clifton has a new album out And So We Carry On...

 

Hoagy and Bix. David Brent Johnson, host of Night Lights, a jazz radio show that's broadcast on WFIU weekly from the University of Indiana in Bloomington, just posted an article about Hoagy Carmichael and Bix Beiderbecke’s time together in Bloomington during the spring of 1924. Beiderbecke and the Wolverines were there for a few weeks, playing fraternity dances and gigging around town. You'll find David's article here. The Night Lights home page and schedule can be found here.

Hal McKusick remembered. A memorial will be held for Hal McKusick on October 1 at 7 p.m. at Saint Peter's Church in New York (619 Lexington Ave. at 54th St.). The saxophonist died in April and was a dear friend. A day doesn't pass when I don't think back to the almost weekly conversations I had with Hal about jazz, his career, my work and life in general. There will be performances and speakers.

Raymond De Felitta this week put up a terrific YouTube clip at his blog, Movies Til Dawn. It's the gala in Hollywood for the premiere of Grand Hotel in 1932. What's particularly interesting is how many stars on the red carpet that night were completely forgotten just a few years later. Which probably tells you something about today's stars and where most of them will be in a short period of time. Fame is life's great practical joke. You feel immortal—until people forget why you were famous in the first place.

Edie Adams could do it all back when you had to be extraordinarily talented and flawless to even get near a camera, stage or microphone. JazzWax reader Alan Meeks reminded me of how exceptional Adams was when he sent along the following clip, from the last episode of I Love Lucy (yes, that's Ernie Kovacs, Edie's husband at the time)...

 

CD dicoveries of the week. There are no bad Etta James recordings. Further evidence of this is a new box from Legacy: Etta James, The Complete Private Music Blues, Rock 'n' Soul Albums Collection. The seven-disc set documents her recordings for the Private Music and RCA labels between 1997 and 2006. As James aged, her voice grew warmer and richer, surrounding the sass that made her famous in the early '50s. Sample any of these tracks and hear for yourself how James managed to be well-produced almost right up to her death earlier this year.

Guitarist Ed Cherry has a sound I love. Distinct picking and hard swinging. He's joined on It's All Good (Posi-Tone) by gorgeous organist Pat Bianchi and tasteful drummer Byron Landham. All of which adds up to an organ-trio album that is as pretty as can be. Sample Cherry's own Mogadishu or his Something for Charlie (dig the effortless way in which he slips into Wes Montgomery octaves). Cherry has an enormously promising future ahead of him. I would just advise that he keep this group together as long as possible. They're absolute magic together.

Pianist Roberto Magris hails from Trieste, Italy, and has a powerful keyboard technique. On Aliens in a Bebop Planet (JMood), a two-CD set recorded last year in Kansas City, Roberto delivers a fascinating range of moods and inventive originals. Restless and eager to run, Roberto takes on a few standards, including Fats Navarro's Nostalgia (with a funky shuffle beat), The Gypsy as a soft samba, and John Coltrane's Giant Steps as a stride ballad. These two discs are loaded with surprises, and no two tracks are alike. Best of all, Roberto never over-plays. One of my favorite piano albums of the year. I wish you could hear samples. You'll have to take my word for it.   

Oddball album cover of the week. Back before the web and the lightbulb, houses were spaced hundreds of miles apart. For recreation, an entire family would come together and entertain themselves with a line dance—from kids all the way up to the grandparents. Then Lawrence Welk came along and everything changed.

JazzClip: Buddy Collette

Buddy Collette could play just about every reed and woodwind instrument proficiently. As a result, the West Coast musician was called often by studio contractors and session leaders for pop and jazz recordings. But Buddy's ability transcended technique. His sound was full, seductive and brimming with energy.

Buddy also was a major civil rights figure, which made his inclusion in the recording studios in the '50s and '60s all the more exceptional. Buddy was responsible for helping to merge the black and white musicians' union locals in Los Angeles in 1953—a full year before Brown v. Board of Education. It takes enormous courage to take on the hand that feeds you, especially in a city that at the time was racially polarized. In addition to being a superlative musician, Buddy got along swell with everyone, which aided his cause. More on Buddy in my 2010 interview here. [Pictured above: Harpist Corky Hale with Buddy Collette]

All of which brings us to the debut of a YouTube video posted yesterday by JazzWax reader Jimi Mentis in Athens, Greece. Here's Buddy on KPBS-TV, San Diego, in 1991. The group featured Buddy Collette on flute, tenor sax and clarinet; Larry Nash on piano, Richard Reid on bass and Mel Lee on drums...

 

Wall Street Journal alert!

In today's Wall Street Journal, my interview with Diana Krall on her new album, Glad Rag Doll (Verve), set for release on Oct. 2.

Fab 50's Vocalist: Vicky Lane

By now I'm sure you know I dig obscure, dynamic female jazz vocalists who recorded in the 1950s. In the past, I've raved about Betty Bennett, Doris Drew, Jane Fielding, Marcy Lutes, Mavis Rivers, Peggy Connelly, Thelma Gracen and Toni Harper. And for your convenience, they're all linked to my posts down the right-hand side, under "Fab '50s Vocalists." Today I want to introduce you to Vicky Lane's I Swing for You (RCA).

The album was recorded in Hollywood in 1959. What makes it extra special is that the combo was arranged and conducted by Pete Candoli. The personnel included Candoli on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar, Johnny Williams and Jimmy Rowles on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass with Alvin Stoller, Larry Bunker, Milt Holland, Lou Singer, Ralph Hansell, Johnny Cyr and Gene Estes alternating on drums and a range of percussion instruments, including chimes, xylophone, vibraphone, bongos and tympani.

Born in Ireland (nee Coghlan), Lane was an American actress who was married to Candoli between 1953 and 1958. Her singing voice on this album is deep, melodic, hip and upbeat, akin to Jo Stafford—though Lane's range was a little higher. As Billboard noted in its December 1959 mention of the album, "Watch this girl, she has talent." Oddly, this was the only LP she recorded.

Lane did record two singles with Candoli in 1955 for Sunset Records. The songs were 'S Wonderful backed by I Ain't Got Nothing But the Blues, and Global Blues backed by I Love a Parade. Given the odd titles and range here, these were likely made to serve as demos, and Candoli was able to get her some press. As Billboard noted in December 1955 in a squib...

"Pete Candoli backs up his Mrs. here with some wailin' blues trumpet tones. The lady shows some fine feel for the blues idiom on her first outing on wax."

Thanks to Billboard we also know that Lane signed with RCA in February 1959, after Candoli brought her to the attention of Bob Yorke, head of the label's West Coast operations.

All of the tracks on I Swing for You are brightly arranged in the '50s Hollywood vernacular. The 12 breezy tracks are The Trolley Song, Our Very Own, My Romance, You Hit the Spot, Love Isn't Born (It's Made), My Heart Stood Still, They Say It's Wonderful, The Song Is You, Long Ago and Far Away, I Love You, Right as the Rain and This Heart of Mine.

Attention female vocalists: There are a handful of sleepers here that you may want to explore: Our Very Own, You Hit the Spot, Right as Rain and This Heart of Mine.

Also, a word about Candoli's orchestration. As you listen to the clip below, remember how relatively small this combo is. Amazing what you can do with the right core instrumentenation—trumpet, guitar, vibes and drums). Sounds much larger.

Lane died in August 1983 at the young age of 57. Hopefully Tara Candoli, her daughter with Pete Candoli, will reach out. Vicky Lane was a special vocalist, and perhaps in the weeks ahead I can provide more details about her singing career.

JazzWax tracks: Out of print, this album is selling for over $100 as an LP at eBay but for around $14 on CD here. You also may be able to find it at download sites.

JazzWax clip: Here's Vicky Lane singing You Hit the Spot from I Swing for You. Please note that the model who appears on the album cover used for this clip is not Vicky Lane and that Lane's first name is misspelled there. Dig the smart, tight arrangement by Candoli and Lane's intonation throughout as she surfs the tempo...

 

Complete Works of Pepper Adams

If Gerry Mulligan's mannered, contrapuntal baritone saxophone style can be likened to a badminton player, then Pepper Adams' approach can be compared to a street brawler. Born in Michigan, Adams moved as a child with his family to upstate New York and then to Detroit, where at age 16 he took up the baritone sax. His relocation back to New York in the mid-1950s put him in play on the recording scene, particularly with hard bop players.

Adams had the remarkable ability to blow low with enormous power and swing, becoming a hefty addition to big band reed sections. He also was an equally dominant voice in small groups, adding ferocious excitement and stamina. As a songwriter, Adams was lyrical and prolific, composing 43 pieces. 

We know this because jazz historian and album producer Gary Carner [pictured] has long been diligently obsessed with the Adams legacy. While a graduate English student at the City College of New York in 1984, Carner befriended Adams and spent months interviewing him for a paper and biography. Then Adams grew ill with cancer in 1985. Shortly before Adams died in September 1986, Carner ran into pianist Tommy Flanagan, who was Adams' closest friend.

As Carner relates:

"Flanagan told me that Adams was very frail, lapsing in and out of a coma. But once, when he came to, Pepper tried feebly to nudge with his fingers [my manuscript] in Tommy's direction, as if to draw attention to it and give it weight. Adams wanted this material to survive him after his death, and Flanagan made sure that I was aware of it."

Following Adams' death, Carner focused on preserving Adams' work. Twenty-six years later, Carner has collated Adams' papers, lead sheets, photographs and the remains of his estate, establishing an extensive tribute website (go here) along the way. He also painstakingly has assembled Adams' discography. In the process, Carner has compiled the music to all of Adams' compositions.

In 2006, Carner decided to produce an album of musicians playing Adams' recordings. But what began as a notion to record just one CD blossomed into a much more ambitious project that would wind up capturing all of Adams' works and then some. Carner organized recording dates in Chicago, Brooklyn and Tallahassee, Fla.—hiring session leaders and arrangers, the musicians, the studios and the engineers.

Thank goodness for obsessed micromanagers. Joy Road: The Complete Works of Pepper Adams (Motema) is now available, and the five-CD set is a breathtaking and heartfelt interpretive salute to one of jazz's finest and least-known baritone saxophonists and composers.

The first album—The Jeremy Kahn Quartet, with Gary Smulyan [pictured] on baritone sax, Kahn on piano, Rob Amster on bass and George Fludas on drums.

The second album—The Jeremy Kahn Trio (see above).

The third album—The Kevin Bales Quartet, with Bales on piano, Barry Greene on guitar, Rodney Jordan on bass and Leon Anderson on drums.

The fourth album—The Frank Basile Sextet, with Basile on baritone sax, Joe Magnarelli on trumpet, John Mosca on trombone, Adam Birnbaum on piano, Dennis Irwin on bass and Tim Horner on drums.

The fifth album—Alexis Cole sings the music of Adams. Poet/lyricist Barry Wallenstein wrote words to a range of Adams' originals with the help of pianist Adam Birnbaum and vocalist Cole. The musicians backing Cole are Pat LaBarbera and Eric Alexander on tenor saxes, Jeremy Kahn on piano, Dennis Carroll on bass and George Fludas on drums.

So how are the tracks without a baritone saxophone in the lineup? Gorgeous. The interpretations seize on Adams' impatience and drive, creating the sensation that he's present but sitting-out after his solo. What's more, showcasing a baritone sax throughout might have been a bit much, resulting in a wax museum replication. And because the baritone sax is absent on two of the instrumental albums, you actually get to hear the intricacy, grace and strength of Adams' writing.

On each of the tracks, there's Adams' bebop burn and sighing tension that were his compositional fingerprints. Adams was a player of enormous depth and intensity. Through Carner, we also learn he was a kind and gentle soul—despite the tiger-like attack of his blowing.

JazzWax tracks: You have a few choices with Joy Road: The Complete Works of Pepper Adams. Motema wisely offers all five CDs together as a download, several of the individual albums separately, and a single album sampler. For the complete set, go here. You can buy Vols. 1, 2 and 4 separately here, here and here. I Carry Your Heart: Alexis Cole Sings Pepper Adams (Vol. 5) can be found here. For the Joy Road sampler, featuring selections from all five albums, go here.

JazzWax note: Groups and artists who participated in the Joy Road Pepper Adams Project will be touring. For more information, go here.

JazzWax clip: Here's Pepper Adams in London in 1981 playing Bossa Nouveau...