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TV's I've Got a Secret—with Steve Allen as host—aired from 1964 to 1973. In October 1965, the show's three saxophonists—Hal McKusick, John Pepper and Alan Ross—who also happened to be members of the CBS Television Orchestra, were subjects of the hush-hush. A special thanks to John Herr and Andre Growald for sending along a link to the clip...
Today marks the 90th anniversary of Dexter Gordon's birth. To celebrate the great tenor saxophonist, let's head back in time to the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. It's 1962, late at night, and you've just taken a seat after grabbing dinner. And then the show begins. Here's a rare clip I found at YouTube last week (be sure to dig the guy with the pipe). Gordon is joined on stage by baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin and alto saxophonist and flutist Sahib Shihab...
Once upon a time, jazz giants roamed the earth. In the case of the following YouTube clip I found late last week, a group of tenor sax giants were in Cannes, France, for the 1958 jazz festival. Here's Stan Getz, Guy Lafitte, a gum-chewing Barney Wilen (a French musician), Don Byas and Coleman Hawkins—who in my estimation outpointed the bunch...
Dame Shirley Bassey finally invaded America. At last night's 85th Annual Academy Awards ceremony, the 76-year-old, Welsh-born pop singer brought Hollywood's elite to their feet with a rousing and coy performance of Goldfinger—the James Bond movie theme she first recorded in 1964 and made famous in the years that followed.
Though Dame Shirley eventually would record two additional Bond themes—Diamonds are Forever (1971) and Moonraker (1979)—Goldfinger was her only Billboard Hot 100 hit in 1965, with the movie's soundtrack reaching No. 1 in the U.S.
Dame Shirley's limited chart success in the States has always been somewhat surprising when one considers how revered she was and still is in the U.K.—winning superstar status there with dozens of hit singles and albums. But unlike her British peers Petula Clark, Dusty Springfield, Lulu and Sandie Shaw—all of whom had American pop-rock hits in the '60s—Dame Shirley never made the leap. Instead she became known here solely for her Bond themes.
Though Dame Shirley appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in November 1960 and had success at New York and Las Vegas clubs in the early '60s, she was never signed to a major American label and missed out on recording radio singles for the exploding youth market. This absence caused her to skip a crucial generation of U.S. record-buyers, making her known here primarily to movie-goers of a certain age who recalled her Bond themes.
A statuesque pop performer with a husky voice, powerful timbre and sassy persona, Dame Shirley seemed like a natural fit for '60s America. But there was little room at the top for the towering star. The traditional pop, pop-rock and R&B markets were already represented by accomplished American female black artists— Nancy Wilson, Dionne Warwick and Diana Ross, respectively. Dame Shirley preferred to remain in Britain where her status as a commanding entertainer was assured.
But while Dame Shirley did not become a household name on the U.S. pop charts, she firmly established herself as a singing force with her gripping and near-operatic recording of Goldfinger. Part of the song's appeal was the ambiguity of Dame Shirley's delivery. Was she singing from the perspective of Britain's secret agents or on behalf of the villain? Was that fear in her voice or admiration? Was she with the diabolical precious-metal hoarder or against him? You never quite knew whose side she was on.
And then there was the ending, in which Dame Shirley's admonitions were elevated steadily to urgency, capped by a long-held note as the bombastic orchestra pounds away.
When Dame Shirley was originally chosen to sing the Goldfinger theme, she and John Barry—the song's composer, arranger and conductor—were old pals. They had already worked together on big recordings. When Barry first played her a demo of the Goldfinger orchestration, Dame Shirley said she had goose bumps and agreed to sing the lyrics whenever they were finally written, according to The Music of James Bond (Oxford), by Jon Burlingame. [Pictured above: Shirley Bassey and John Barry display gold discs for Goldfinger]
Recorded in London on August 20, 1964, Barry asked for take after take—not because of Dame Shirley's inability to produce a flawless take but because of musician errors and technical difficulties. Throughout the all-night session, she remained a good sport.
According to Burlingame's book, Dame Shirley struggled to sustain the final note at first. The problem was solved, said guitarist Vic Flick, when she removed her bra behind one of the partitions and then turned in the now-famous ending, a story she confirmed for Burlingame. Vic relayed the same story to me when I interviewed him last year for my Wall Street Journal article on the James Bond Theme.
As for that final note, she told Burlingame: "I was holding it and holding it. I was looking at John [Barry] and I was going blue in the face—and he's going, hold it just one more second. When it finished, I nearly passed out."
Last August, when I interviewed Sir George Martin for the Wall Street Journal, I asked him about Goldfinger, which he produced at EMI between sessions for the Beatles, Cilla Black, Billy J. Kramer, Gerry and the Pacemakers and other artists signed to the label:
Marc Myers: The vocal attack you got out of Dame Shirley Bassey remains incredible, especially how she holds the last note.
Sir George Martin: I've had plenty of attacks from Shirley Bassey [laughs]. Before we did Goldfinger we did I Who Have Nothing, which also was dramatic. She still is something. The days of those kinds of singers are gone.
As we saw last night at the Oscars, Dame Shirley is a revelation. Her ability to engage and blow away audiences remains a tribute to her understanding of the Bond oeuvre and the dramatic skill needed to win hearts. As Sir George noted, she remains in a class by herself.
JazzWax clip: Here's Dame Shirley Bassey in 1973 singing Goldfinger...
This Sunday at 5 p.m. (EST) I'll be on the radio with Bob Craig, legendary host of Voices in Jazz on WRTI in Philadelphia. He'll be spinning his favorite '50s vocalist
tracks, and we'll talking about the recordings and how my new book, Why Jazz Happened, relates to the rise of the singer during that decade. You can listen from anywhere in the world on your computer by going here and clicking the "Listen Live Jazz" link at the top.
And then...at 11 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, I will be the on-air guest of Dennis
Owsley, who has produced Jazz Unlimited
for KWMU in St. Louis since 1983. Dennis will be spinning tracks to illustrate the different chapters and turning points in my book. To listen to Dennis's show on your computer from anywhere in the world, go here. To listen at your convenience after Sunday, go here.
Reviews. This past week, Why Jazz Happened was reviewed by three online and print publications:
In the March issue of Jersey Jazz, the journal of the New Jersey Jazz Society, Jim Gerard engaged me with a terrific Q&A. And Joe Lang, the organization's past president, wrote a wonderful review...
"It is not only the perceptive acumen of Myers that sets this volume apart, but also his ability to communicate his information and conclusions in a highly readable manner that makes it hard to put the book down once you commence reading it. This volume was written to be read, not just as a vehicle to put forth some theories about a cultural phenomenon."
To subscribe to Jersey Jazz, which is filled with musician photos, commentary and Q&A interviews with jazz artists, go here.
Over at Popmatters.com (go here), Washington, D.C. writer and teacher Will Layman penned an 1,800-word
review, calling Why Jazz Happened...
"...a different take on jazz history—a refreshing look at the music that argues forcefully that a series of key turns in the music were the result of social factors that had less to do with the artistic vision of 'great men' (or women) than with how connected jazz was to the culture—in business, technology, and otherwise. Like a good journalist, Myers focuses on a clear story, backed up by copious interviews with sources that certainly know what really happened."
And at JazzWeekly.com (go here), George Harris writes...
"Fascinating vignettes of musicians, bands, orchestras and songs abound in this epic feeling work that will keep you thumbing through old recordings to see the logical progression of the sounds of America’s classical music."
Kickerstarter for Chapin. For Stephanie Castillo, the documentary she plans about Thomas Chapin is personal. Chapin—a saxophonist-composer who studied with Jackie McLean and died in 1998 of leukemia at age 40—was her brother-in-law and friend. Stephanie has launched a Kickstarter drive to raise sufficient funds to complete the film. Go here to learn more about Chapin's music and watch Stephanie's video pitch. There are gifts for you at different pledge levels. Remember, with all Kickstarter drives, whatever you pledge will be charged to your card only if the financial target is met by the established deadline. Good luck Stephanie!
Free Art Pepper. Laurie Pepper has generously made yet another previously unreleased track available as a free download. Go here. [Pictured above: Art and Laurie Pepper]
Mark Lopeman. Following my post on saxophonist Mark Lopeman, Philip Andrews in Britain sent along this clip of Lopeman with Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks. Tough setting but swinging sounds...
CD discoveries of the week. Back in 1982, Sweden's Bernt Rosengren recorded an album in Stockholm with his big band and guest artists pianist Horace Parlan and guitarist Doug Raney. Now, Bernt Rosengren Big Band (Caprice) has been remastered for digital release.
Sweden, of course, has always been at the forefront of jazz from the 1930s onward. On this album, you'll hear a dance band/rehearsal band hard at work, and the sax-centric results are as studied as East and West coast bands in the States. Rosengren's arrangements are well-crafted all the way through, particularly on How Deep Is the Ocean. Sample The Humming Bees, Naima and Sad Waltz. Flutist and saxophonist Rosengren had and has a shrewd touch. But be sure to listen for Parlan's extraordinary piano here.
The Relatives were a psychedelic gospel-funk band from Dallas in the '70s
that had some local recording success on 45-rpm. They
disbanded in the
early '80s, and that would have been it for the
Relatives had Heavy Light Records not recently issued a CD compilation
of the group's obscure singles. The newly found fame reunited the group,
and they recently recorded their first album, The Electric
World (Yep Roc). Sample Trouble
in My Way, Your Love Is Real and the Sly Stone-influenced Let Your Light
Shine. In the music business, there are indeed second and even third chances.
Vocalist Emy Tseng has devoted her first CD to the music of Brazilian jazz. On Sonho, rhythms are lightly
shaken and stirred in places with the sound of an electric piano, acoustic guitar and soprano sax. Tseng's voice is as delicate as the breeze. Bossa standards are here in force, joining California Dreaming, I Thought About You and Close Your Eyes. But sample Berimbau, Coração Vagabundo and Se Dependesse De Mim. Brazil over easy.
Ian Carey plays a seductive trumpet and flugelhorn. On Roads & Codes
(Kabocha), the sextet records mostly Carey
originals, which are solid,
artful and always smartly paced, enabling you to hear and feel their lyricism. Dig 6th Ave. Local, Count Up and Andante, for example. Neil Young's theme to Dead Man
is a fabulous wild card, since the film is one of my favorite Westerns.
Proof that the trumpet and flugelhorn don't have to be overheated
blowtorches to be effective.
On Permission (Rinny Zin), singer Molly Holm takes on Charles Mingus's Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Mongo Santamaria and Oscar Brown Jr.'s Afro Blue and Thelonious
Monk's Straight No Chaser as well as a bunch of originals. Holm has a lilting voice and drills deep on each track, leaning hard in all the right places. Each song is given a caring treatment, which pulls you in. Sample Goodbye Pork Pie Hat and her own Secret Words. Lovely unfolding of new and familiar material.
DVD discoveries of the week. Singer-songwriter and decadent camp-rock performer Freddie Mercury of Queen was among the first openly gay arena rockers. On Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (Eagle Vision),
the documentary takes you through Mercury's various television interviews and stage performances (including rock-opera with Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé), providing a fascinating and up-close look at the uninhibited star and flamboyant frontman of arguably the most popular global rock band of the 1980s. Mercury died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991.
Ike & Tina: On the Road 1971-72 (MVD Visual) offers rare home-movies of the lusty-testy duo and members of the road band and singers. Though the concert footage is
at times too distant, the DVD provides a tag-along view at home and at airports and on planes interspersed with performances of key songs. There's no narrative, so this is really for curious fans. Tina Turner's transformation in the film from fish-cooking mom to possessed vixen is startling. Filmed in black-and-white and mono by photographer Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya.
Oddball album cover of the week.
Introduced to the public in April 1964 at the New York World's Fair, the Ford Mustang came in two models—the square-ish four-seater (with bench seat in back) and a fastback two-seater. Interestingly, the latter version (in the cover photo) was manufactured in August '64—the same month that this country-jazz album by Kai Winding was recorded. The days of fast cars for adults, sultry suburbs and a trombonist hanging out near his wheels are long gone.
James Hunter's new album Minute by Minute (Fantasy) is tremendously exciting. If you love R&B riffs and hooks and a raw, soulful voice, this one has it all. As I write at WSJ.com today (go here), Hunter has faced his share of hardship. His soul-survivor instincts owe much to his grandmother's R&B collection, particularly records by Ray Charles. [Photo above of James Hunter by Ruth Ward]
Hunter's voice has the same hurt and sass as Charles and Sam Cooke, and on his new album—produced by Gabriel Roth, co-founder of Daptone Records—he hits the mark on every track. Hunter was discovered by Van Morrison in Wales some years back and then Hunter toured with him.
Says Hunter: "What I learned from Van wasn't songwriting tricks but more of a
performance thing. Van has a way of using the microphone like
an instrument. He has a built-in compressor in his voice—delivering a
consistent level of volume whether he's singing low or letting it all
out."
This is my favorite no-nonsense blue-eyed soul album of the year thus far. It's hip, it snaps and, best of all, it's honest.
JazzWax tracks: On Tuesday, the James Hunter Six's
Minute by Minute (Fantasy) will be available to sample and download. Until then, you can stream the entire album here for free.
As you know, I rarely post about albums in advance (no point torturing you). But I wanted to tell you about this discovery on the same day as my chat with Hunter at WSJ.com. Stick up a Post-it reminder to circle back on Tuesday, when tracks become active here.
JazzWax video: Here's a trailer that bundles track samples from Minute by Minute...
JazzWax clip: Here's James Hunter's So They Say, because I know you want to hear the whole thing after watching the videoclip above...
Singer Nina Simone made quite a fuss over Baltimore (CTI). Recorded in Brussels in January 1978 while Simone was living in Paris, the album was produced by Creed Taylor and has always been a favorite of mine. The soulful, socially conscious singer was given an unusual contemporary background by arranger Dave Matthews. The result was a new lift and feel for the singer—a change-up that warmed her blunt, deep style.
On the title song, Simone is backed by a Jamaican rock-steady beat. Her version of Rich Girl may be the best cover of the Daryl Hall and John Oates song. And certainly the string arrangement on That's All I Want From You is glorious, as is the Jamaican-influenced Balm In Gilead and gospel closer If You Pray Right.
In I Put a Spell on You—Simone's autobiography—she wrote that she didn't particularly enjoy recording Baltimore. And for years, many people have assumed that Simone was unhappy with the results. The truth was a little more complicated.
In 1977, producer Creed Taylor flew from New York to London to see Simone perform. Taken by her show, Creed proposed an album and Simone agreed. The album would be her first since 1974. But when the sessions began, something was amiss. [Photo of Creed Taylor, above right, with Quincy Jones, by Chuck Stewart]
According to Nadine Cohodas's Princess Noire: The Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone, when recording began on January 17, "the compelling performer [Creed] had seen in London had all but vanished." "Nina didn't want to record," [arranger Dave] Matthews remembered in Cohodas's book. "She wanted to hang out. The vibe was very, very uptight. It was tense."
During my 19-part interview series with Creed in 2009, I asked him about the session and the roots of the tension:
JazzWax: What was it like producing Nina Simone's Baltimore in 1978?
Creed Taylor: A pleasure and a pain.
JW: Why?
CT: In this particular case, I flew over with the rhythm section to Brussels to record with Nina there. She was living in Paris at the time because whenever she'd open her door here, the IRS would come in and clean out everything she had.
JW: Where did you stay?
CT: We all stayed at the Brussels Hilton. Every day we took a 20-mile drive to the studio, which was in a converted barn in the countryside. And each day we crossed the Waterloo Bridge [laughs], so help me [laughs].
JW: When did things get tough?
CT: One day Nina’s check didn’t arrive on time in the U.S., and she attempted to throw the TV out the window of the hotel. Nina was a little mercurial.
JW: A CTI check?
CT: Yes.
JW: Did she actually pick up the TV?
CT: Oh yeah. She caused a little damage in the room, which I covered, of course. She was a manic-depressive, which wasn’t a rare thing. At one point during the recording sessions, Nina again became really difficult. So I took her for a walk in this terrace garden right outside the studio.
JW: What did you say?
CT: I said, “Hey Nina, you might not be feeling well but so far you’ve made me dislike what I do more than anything in the world, and what I do is record artists. I don’t like to record when you behave this way.”
JW: What happened?
CT: She came back into the studio and settled down.
JW: Wow, that must have been about as hot as you’ve ever gotten.
CT: I had to do that. I wasn't dealing with a normal situation.
JW: What does being difficult in the studio mean?
CT: She wasn’t cooperating with the guys. She didn't want one musician or another to play in a particular place. She was slowing things down for seemingly no reason.
JW: Ultimately, were you pleased with what was recorded?
CT: Oh yes. As far as I'm concerned, she’s untouchable as Nina Simone, the artist.
JW: When you had gone for a walk with Nina, were you ever afraid she would take a swing at you?
CT: Oh, no. Nothing like that. Nina knew how I felt about her. The beauty of Nina's voice is that you believe what she sang and that she was dead serious about it. That's the kind of person she was.
Nina Simone died in 2003, and today marks what would have been her 80th birthday. Baltimore remains a beautiful album, and I think Simone might have agreed if she could listen to it today.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Nina Simone's Baltimore
(CTI) here as a download or here on the Japanese King label. One of the best retrospective boxes is To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story (Legacy), a three-CD set here. Or for a more comprehensive listen, Nina Simone: The Complete RCA Album Collection (RCA) here.
JazzWax notes: To keep up with Nina Simone birthday commentary on Twitter, search for and follow #HappyBdayNina. All photos above (except Creed Taylor and Quincy Jones) are from the Sony Archives.
JazzWax clip: Here's Nina Simone singing the album's title track...
Over the weekend, trombone legend Curtis Fuller, 78, performed at the Half Note in Greece. Our man in Athens, Jimi Mentis was front row center and captured the hard bop action [photo of Curtis Fuller above with trumpeter Josh Bruneau by Jimi Mentis].
Appearing with Fuller were Josh Bruneau (tp, flh), Ralph Reichert (ts), Rob Bargad (p), Milan Nikolic (b) and Joris Dudli (d).
Here's Star Eyes...
Here's Caravan...
Here's Fuller's Blues...
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Curtis Fuller's most recent
album Down Home (Capri) here.
A JazzWax thanks to Jimi Mentis for documenting the great Curtis Fuller.
Two years ago, saxophonist and clarinetist Mark Lopeman released a beautiful album that completely escaped my radar. I'm just glad I'm catching up to it now. Recorded in June 2011, the album is Nice Work If You Can Get It and features Brandon Lee (tp), Noah Bless (tb), Mark Lopeman (ts,sop,cl), Ted Rosenthal (p), Nicki Parrott (b) and Tim Horner (d).
If you're unfamiliar with Lopeman, I can tell you that every song, every arrangement and every note that comes through your speakers is gorgeous. Talk about a tasteful, swinging group made for each other.
Lopeman grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where his early saxophone teacher gave him books on arranging and improvising. In high school, Lopeman took up the baritone saxophone to win a chair in the Akron Jazz Workshop. He also came in contact with the region's reed players. The list included Joe Lovano, Ernie Krivda, Rich Perry, Ralph Lalama, John Orsini, Rusty Higgins, Sam Riney, Ralph Carney, "Blue" Lou Marini and Mark Vinci. Lopeman met two more locals later—Ken Peplowski and Bill Kirchner.
Then it was on to Kent State, the
Eastman School of Music and Akron University, where Lopeman earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music. After college, he toured with the Glenn Miller Orchestra and Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, worked the Broadway pits, and played tenor with Woody Herman and alto with Buddy Rich, backing Frank Sinatra,
Tony Bennett, Sarah Vaughan and Mel Torme.
Columbia Law School was next—something about a wrongful traffic ticket. After he graduated, he went to work for a small law firm. But arranging jobs kept rolling in, including a call from Gerry Mulligan, who asked him to score his Re-birth of the Cool album in 1991. Lopeman toured with the band for a time. Since the mid-'80s, Lopeman has been a member of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks.
In an age when the best albums feature just a handful of great tracks, Nice Work If You Can Get It is wall-to-wall special and worth every penny.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Mark Lopeman's Nice Work If
You Can Get It here.
JazzWax note: A special thanks to David Langner. You'll find more on Mark Lopeman at his site here.
JazzWax clip: Here's the group playing My Reverie...
Two weeks ago, Jim Fusilli—the Wall Street Journal's rock and pop critic—spent time in Paris interviewing Mali musicians for a brilliant column in the paper last week.
As most people know, Mali's northern region recently was overrun by Islamists associated with al Qaeda. Their first move before the French moved in and chased them into the desert? To ban music. A typical first move by all authoritarian forces claiming to know what's best for the rest.
As Jim noted, the move was an offense to the soul of a nation that thrives on beats, dance, melodies, harmonies and joy. I thought we all should hear what the North African terrorists were trying to eradicate. So I asked Jim to recommend five albums by leading Mali artists that can be downloaded. [Pictured above: Guitarist Ali Farka Touré, who before he died in 2006 exposed international audiences to Mali's music]
Read Jim's column here. Then dig his Mali music picks below, which he said are "for the most part absent of Western influence—even though Sissoko's partner [Vincent Segal] is a French cellist."
Jim's picks...
La Difference by Salif Keita
Moussoulou by Oumou Sangare
Chamber Music by Ballaké Sissoko and Vincent Segal
Aman Iman by Tinariwen
In the Heart of the Moon by Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté
