I'm not a big Barbra Streisand fan. Most of her recordings lean heavy into the faux emotion of Broadway and cabaret with little or no swing or soul. But when Streisand aces a song, the sound of her voice is so instrumental, like a viola or cello, that the notes land on your heart. It can't be helped. For me, she has always been much more impressive visually than on vinyl.
So imagine my surprise when I came across a TV special of Streisand in Central Park in 1967 that I'm about to show you. She was all of 25 years old at the time, a superstar and the envy of her generation, before rock and soul stars came to dominate the musical landscape and shoved soundtrack pop out of the way.
As I recall, the park then wasn't the sterling, cultivated work of natural beauty it is today. As I remember it back then, the flora wasn't well attended to and the look and feel were a bit shaggy and coarse. Of course, Central Park's condition would really take a dive in the 1970s, during New York's fiscal crisis. So in retrospect, 1967 wasn't so bad.
Streisand's concert took place on the evening of Saturday, June 17, 1967 and was broadcast on CBS in 1968. The concert recording would become the basis of her first live album. An estimated 150,000 people crowded onto the Great Lawn and were in awe when they weren't applauding and screaming. She sang 28 songs for 2 1/2 hours, backed by an orchestra directed by Mort Lindsey. Many songs were edited or dropped for the TV special. [Photo above of Barbra Streisand courtesy of YouTube]
Her first dress was by Irene Sharaff, who designed the costumes for Broadway's Funny Girl. She copied an original burgundy Mariano Fortuny in Streisand's collection but in pink. Fortuny lived in Venice in the early 1900s. The second gown, in red, was by Donald Brooks. [Photo above of Barbra Streisand courtesy of YouTube]
But the evening wasn't without drama. Streisand ran into an awful problem: She forgot the words to When the Sun Comes Out, the final song before a brief intermission.
"There were no teleprompters to rescue me back then," she writes in her new memoir, My Name Is Barbra (Viking). "I went blank, and I was not charming or funny about it. It was my worst nightmare come true, and it was happening in front of 150,000 people. It really threw me ... I felt an absolute lack of control ... and it was terrifying. I didn’t perform in a live concert setting again for 27 years.
The TV special edited out When the Sun Comes Out. Watching her in action, she's clearly nervous when not singing, resulting in runaway narcissism, painfully unfunny and long-winded remarks and gleefully being full of herself. Yet Streisand the singer in 1967 was an artistic marvel—her poise, her maturity and her self confidence, which was rare for female artists at that level then.
The Central Park gig was also one of the first large outdoor concerts headlined by a single artist who had to hold the attention of a massive audience, and she managed to do it all with her voice, despite every performer's most feared moment on stage—when your memory fails you. Watch and see what you think:
Here'sBarbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park...
For more on the concert and a full playlist of songs, go here.
Once again, it's that time of year to induct a new entry into the JazzWax Vintage Holiday Album Hall of Fame. This year marks the Hall's 16th season and one of JazzWax's oldest annual traditions.
This year's inductee is Merry From Lena, by Lena Horne. Released by United Artists in 1966, the album was produced by Ray Ellis (Billie Holiday's Lady in Satin) and orchestrated and conducted by Jack Parnell. The vocalist was in fine, swinging form.
Now meet the rest of the JazzWax Vintage Holiday Album Hall of Fame, in order of their induction year. Assembled and shuffled in Apple Music, they make a standout compilation playlist. Most albums are also available on streaming platforms or at YouTube...
2015—Two albums with the same title: Bobby Timmons' Holiday Soul and Don Patterson's Holiday Soul. Both trio albums were recorded for Prestige in Nov. 1964—the former on the 24th and the latter on the 25th.
Here are albums that have already been inducted into the JazzWax Holiday Album Hall of Fame... - See more at: http://www.jazzwax.com/2012/11/duke-pearson-merry-ole-soul.html#sthash.V0RZmXiQ.dpuf
Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed Canadian comedian Katherine Ryan for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Katherine's new stand-up special, Missus, is airing on Veeps, a new streaming platform. [Photo above of Katherine Ryan courtesy of Katherine Ryan via Instagram]
Here are my opening column paragraphs, in Katherine's voice...
My parents took me to my first day in kindergarten when I was 4 but dropped me at a French-speaking school. I don’t have many memories of that age, but I recall thinking it was a prank.
Listening to the teachers and other students converse, I assumed everyone in the world spoke French except for my family and the people we knew.
The school was strict, and teachers insisted we address them only in French. Otherwise, they wouldn’t answer us. The first time I asked to use the bathroom in English, they just let me wet myself. I learned French fast.
Hurry up, buy your paperback copies of Anatomy of 55 More Songs, which is really Anatomy of 58 More Songs because I added three to last year's hardback just for you. You can buy the paperback for yourself or for someone else and click send as a gift. An easy way to give a holiday present. Who doesn't love the dramatic stories behind iconic hit songs? To buy, visit the site of your favorite bookseller or go here.
What I'm watching now. Here what I streamed last week and really enjoyed (I spare you the junk). Past recommendations appear in the list below the new entries:
Veronica Mars (2004 to 2019)—I'll watch anything with Kristen Bell. This series, which ran from 2004 to 2019, focuses on Veronica, the daughter of an amicable private investigator. Veronica is in high school and quite the sleuth herself. Nonstop fun, and Bell's acting gift is a joy to watch. (Hulu) [Photo above of Kristen Bell in Veronica Mars courtesy of UPN]
The Comeback (2005 and 2014)—If you want to see how great an actress Lisa Kudrow (Friends) is, watch this. The mockumentary series is about a B-list actress who agrees to be the subject of a a reality show as she tries to land a part in a sitcom. Kudrow aces this. You'll find yourself feeling deliciously uncomfortable and simultaneously sorry for her character and appalled by what she has to go through, which is the point. At the same time, you get enormous insight into how TV shows are made and what actors have to deal with in terms of readings, egos, self-doubt, ageism and rejection. Kudrow is so good here that you forget she's playing a part. (Max)
Past recommendations...
TV series
The Crown, Season 6—(2023; the final season's first four episodes are up now; the final six will go up December 14. (Netflix)
Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix)
1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
Yellowstone—(2018-present/Paramount Network)
Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
Pieces of Her—(2022/Netflix)
Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
Films
The Night Agent (2023/Netflix)
Last Seen Alive(2020/Netflix)
The Ballad of Lefty Brown—(2017Netflix)
Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)
The Mule—(2018/Netflix)
The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
MI-5—(2015/Max)
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
Nobody—(2021/Prime)
Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2018/Prime)
Armageddon Time—(2022/Prime)
Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs—(2018/Netflix)
The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
The Accountant—(2016/Hulu)
The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
Documentaries
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
The Legend of Bop City is a documentary written and directed by Carol P. Chamberland and released in 1998. Bop City, also known as Jimbo’s Bop City, was a vital San Francisco jazz club that operated from 1949 to 1965. The club was in the back room of a Victorian house at 1690 Post Street and was known for its late-night jam sessions. The Legend of Bop City is scarce, and few have seen all of it. Last night, Bill Kirchner sent along a clip from the film that he found on YouTube. [Photo above of Jimbo's Bop City by Phil Palmer]
Go here or watch below by clicking on "Watch on YouTube"...
The Greatness of Joe Mooney. Two of my very favorite albums are The Greatness of Joe Mooney (1964) and The Happiness of Joe Mooney (1965). Both were arranged by Mundell Lowe and both were issued by Columbia. Mooney was a blind lounge organist and accordionist and singer who began performing in the 1940s. Here'sthe first track on The Greatness of Joe Mooney. Ignore the cover on the YouTube clip. The person who put this up mixed up Mooney's two Columbia albums...
Oscar Peterson. Kelly Peterson, Oscar Peterson's widow, is president and general manager of Regal Recordings and the producer of Two Lions Records and the Oscar Peterson International Jazz Festival. How did Oscar and Kelly meet? Ernestine Scalfani, author of Balls: How to Keep Your Relationship Alive When You Live With a Sports-Obsessed Guy (here), shared a touching piece via the following link here. [Photo above of Kelly and Oscar Peterson, courtesy of Kelly Peterson]
Deadline music. This past week I was cranking out WSJ columns and essays in advance of the holidays. To create a calm zone, here's what I had on in the background. It actually popped on by accident and I let it play for an hour or so. Thought you'd want it, too, even though you'll eventually realize it's just varying renditions of Jingle Bells. The holiday version of "white noise." [Sleigh Ride painting above by Linda Mears]
Jerome Sabbagh—Vintage (Sunnyside).Born in Paris in 1973, Jerome Sabbagh is a saxophonist who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. His new album, Vintage, is a collection of originals and jazz standards. Jerome's tone on tenor and soprano saxophones is assertive and tender, drawing you in. Piano legend Kenny Barron must have heard the same qualities and more, since he's on the keyboard, with bassist Joe Martin and drummer Jonathan Blake. Best of all, Jerome gave Barron plenty of solo space, making this album particularly special. The tracks are Jerome's Vintage, Tadd Dameron's On a Misty Night, Billy Strayhorn's A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing, Jerome's Elson's Energy and Slay the Giant, and Thelonious Monk's We See and Ask Me Now. Jerome brings sensitivity and intelligence to his playing and composing, and with Barron, Vintage has enormous maturity and grace. Spring for the vinyl if you can. Jerome is an audiophile, and meticulously oversaw the mastering and production. For more on Jerome, go here. You'll find Vintage (Sunnyside) on CD and download here and vinyl here.
Jazz Nativity. This year, Kindred Spirits & Aunahil is producing Bending Towards the Light—A Jazz Nativity in New York on December 18 at 8 p.m. The performance stars Chris Brubeck, Maurice Chestnut and Bobby Sanabria as the Three Kings. You can view the performance two different ways:
Live at St. Paul and St. Andrew – United Methodist Church, at 263 W 86th St in Manhattan.
Live-streaming from home.
Original music was written by Anne Phillips and is combined with well-known carols. The performance is directed by Beth Ann Kennedy. For tickets and information, go here.
Bill Crow. Legendary bassist Bill Crow (above) writes for Allegro, the e-newsletter published by the American Federation of Musicians Local 802. His columns are a must-read. You'll find this month's column and plenty more in the archives here.
Donald Byrd radio. WKCR-FM in New York will feature a 24-hour tribute to trumpeter Donald Byrd on December 9 (ET). Listen from anywhere in the world by going here.
Jean Knight (1943-2023). In tribute to the late R&B singer, here'sMr. Big Stuff, her biggest hit in 1971...
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of 55 More Songs," "Anatomy of a Song," "Rock Concert: An Oral History" and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards.
