Red Garland's Rojo doesn't exist as a download. It also hasn't been released for streaming at Spotify. Recorded in 1958 and released in 1961, the album made it onto CD 30 years ago but was never remastered and fell through the cracks for some reason as the digital era advanced. Which is a shame, since it's one of my favorite recordings by the pianist, especially on You Better Go Now, which is a masterpiece.
So I decided to treat you to the album today by featuring it here in its entirety, courtesy of YouTube. Sit back, work, lie down, read, exercise—whatever you want to do—and let the album play through. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. The musicians are Red Garland (p) Jamil Nasser (b) Charlie Persip (d) and Ray Barretto (cga).
Peter Bogdanovich's death on January 6, took me back to my interview with the famed director in 2014. Our conversation was for my Wall Street Journal "House Call" column on Peter's home in Bel Air where he had lived with actress Cybill Shepherd (go here). Peter, of course, directed Targets, What's Up Doc?, Paper Moon, The Last Picture Show, Mask,Texasville and other films. My friend, director Raymond De Felitta, put in the ask, thanks to his close friendship with Peter. Raymond directed Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris, City Island, Bottom of the 9th, Booker's Place, Rob the Mob and others. [Photo above of Peter Bogdanovich, courtesy of HBO]
With Peter's passing, I re-listened to the CD Raymond gave me several years ago, Monday Morning Quarterbacks. On the lovely album, Raymond and Peter recorded standards, with Peter singing and Raymond accompanying on piano. The other day, Raymond mentioned in an email that a short film had been made of the recording session and that it had just gone up at YouTube. He sent along a link. [Photo above of Raymond De Felitta, courtesy of Wikipedia]
But before we get there, let me fill you in on the background. Mark Lipsky, CEO and creative director of the Radio Agency, an advertising firm, picks up the story...
In 2002, Tom Hayes [son of the late Harold Hayes, editor of Esquire in its heyday, who hired Peter to write for the magazine], invited me to a party at Raymond De Felitta's apartment in Manhattan. Raymond was celebrating the addition of a baby grand piano to his living room. Tom also invited Peter Bogdanovich. At one point in the evening, Raymond and Peter were sitting at the piano—Raymond playing and Peter crooning a series of jazz standards.
They were wonderful together, and I suggested they record a CD. They laughed and challenged me to secure a studio. If I did, they said, they'd play along. So I did, and they played along. The result was a rare and memorable CD entitled "Monday Morning Quarterbacks." A short film—shot and edited by Tom Hayes—tells the tale. Thanks to Tom, Brian Devine, Raymond and, of course, Peter.
The 18-minute video, entitled Directors Uplugged, not only captures Raymond and Peter recording the album at Gigantic Studio in Tribeca but also features Raymond interviewing Peter plus their banter between takes and during the album's playback. The Dean Martin section is a hoot. Most important, it's perhaps the only video I know of in which Peter parks his signature hangdog expression, loosens up and is, in essence, himself. That's a testament to Raymond's close friendship with him and the fun they had that day.
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed celebrity chef and actress Valerie Bertinelli for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Interestingly, Valerie was painfully shy when little—until she met a classmate in school who was in TV ads. Then she figured that if she was in ads, too, she'd be more popular. The rest fell into place quickly, including TV sitcoms One Day At a Time and Hot in Cleveland, as well as her Emmy-winning show, Valerie's Home Cooking. [Photo above of Valerie Bertinelli, courtesy of IMDB]
Here's a reel of Valerie on different talk shows. Her years in sitcoms pay off as she gives as good as she gets, especially with Craig Ferguson...
Last week's photos. If you purchased my books around the world, send a photo and I'll post over the weekend. Here's the latest group...
In Stockholm, above, Guy Jones received his copy of my new book and immediately sat down to read it in between ski trips with the kids.
In Utrecht, the Netherlands, above, bassist Hans Mantel stopped playing his upright for a moment to show the love with a thumbs up. Writes Louise Alexandra: "While we were chatting about jazz, I mentioned you, and Hans took out your book, showering it with praise."
And I'm also in good company, above, at Dan Podkulski's house in Houston.
Love to Guy, Hans, Louise and Dan. You can join the club here, here and here.
Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Last week, following my post that included trombonist Ira Nepus, I received the following from Kim Paris of the FM Radio Archive:
Marc, thanks for sharing the Basin Street Blues clip from Ira Nepus of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (CHJO). JazzWax readers will enjoy this CHJO performance from the 1991 Monterey Jazz Festival, broadcast on KJAZ shared by Mark Rabin. You'll find it here.
CD you should know about:
Nick Hempton—Slick (Triple Distilled). Whatever you're doing this weekend, grab this album and let it play. Newly released, Slick features Nick on saxophones, Peter Bernstein on guitar, Kyle Koehler on Hammond B3 organ and Fukushi Tainaka on drums. Six of the 10 tracks are by Nick, and the quartet smokes all the way through. Prime inspirations are records by Stanley Turrentine, Lou Donaldson and Jimmy Smith. This quartet bounces on the blues, and Nick and Kyle's interplay on reeds and organ and the exchanges by Peter and Fukushi are terrific. Go here.
In New York next week? Pianist Joe Alterman will be playing at New York's Birdland for five days next week (January 18-22)—his first week-long run at the club. He'll be with his trio—bassist Nathaniel Schroeder and drummer Marlon Patton—and a special guest, tenor saxophonist Houston Person. Two shows nightly at Birdland. For more information, go here and choose your date, time and tickets.
Dick Van Dyke Show doc. Last week, David Van Deusen, editor and publisher of The Walnut Times, the Dick Van Dyke Show newsletter, sent me an email. Last year he completed an authorized, feature-length documentary to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the TV sitcom (1961-1966). The film includes both archival and new interviews with those who were there. By the way, the set you see David standing in at the start of the film was created on his computer in 3D and placed behind him. Of course, it's a perfect recreation of the writer's room on the iconic show.
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Rock Concert: An Oral History" (Grove), "Anatomy of a Song" (Grove) and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards
