Sammy Davis Jr. was easily America's greatest and most versatile entertainer in the TV era. And the swinging-est. In the 1960s and '70s, as his style of pop faded, he sang one theme for a TV sitcom—Chico and the Man—and covered a bunch of others on a couple of albums. One of those LPs was The Song and Dance Man, in 1976. It's surprising more TV shows didn't ask him to sing their themes. His approach always seemed to add cool and soul. Here are nine of them:
My Mother the Car (1965)—The sitcom's theme was written by Ralph Carmichael and Paul Hampton. Sammy covered it in 1965. Go here...
Hawaii 5-0 (1968)—The Hawaii 5-0 theme for the detective series was an instrumental rock piece written by Morton Stevens. Sammy covered it in 1976, with lyrics by Hermine Hilton. Go here...
Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)—The sitcom's theme, Love Is All Around, was written by Sonny Curtis. Sammy covered it in 1976. A great, empathetic rendition. Go here...
All in the Famiiy (1971)—The fabled sitcom opened with Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton singing Those Were the Days, written by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse (pianist Roger Kellaway wrote and played the show's closing instrumental theme). Sammy covered the opening theme in 1976, with a disco arrangement. (He also appeared on the show in a much-touted episode, "Sammy's Visit.") Go here...
Kojak (1973)—Written by Bill Dyer and Billy Goldenberg, We'll Make It This Time became the first instrumental theme to the Kojak detective series. Lyrics were added later. Sammy covered the theme in 1976. Go here...
Chico and the Man (1974)—This sitcom's theme was written by José Feliciano and was sung by Sammy. He appeared on the show as a guest star. Go here...
Baretta (1975)—Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow was written by Morgan Ames and Dave Grusin and recorded by several artists. The rendition by Rhythm Heritage, a disco-funk band, was selected as the theme for the detective series Baretta, in 1975. Sammy covered it in 1976. Go here...
The Jeffersons (1975)—The theme was written by Ja'Net DuBois and Jeff Barry (Be My Baby) and sung by DuBois backed by a gospel choir. Sammy covered it in 1976. Go here...
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976)—Premiere Occasion, used as the faux soap opera's theme, was written in 1965 by British composer Robert Charles Kingston as "library music"—music that could be leased by TV shows. Sammy covered it in 1976. Go here...
Bonus:Here's Sammy live, singing Chico and the Man...
In 2018, before Samara Joy became the three-time Grammy-winning superstar jazz vocalist she is today, she sent me a Facebook message. She was studying at SUNY Purchase back then and wanted to reach Ronnell Bright, Sarah Vaughan's exquisite piano accompanist in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I had tracked him down and interviewed him for JazzWax in 2008. [Photo above of Samara Joy by AB+DM]
Unfortunately, I wasn't opening Facebook messages at the time and didn't discover it until I did start reading them in 2024. Ronnell had been ill for a number of years before his death in 2021 and had stopped playing piano entirely earlier. Our JazzWax conversations took place between 2008 and 2016. In 2019 Samara won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition while at SUNY Purchase.
When I finally saw Samara's message this year when she sent me another, we corresponded. Of course, if her message had arrived between 2008 and 2016, I would have loved to have put them together. She was just coming up during those years. Samara has a deep passion for Vaughan, and you can hear it in her voice, which is all her own. I last posted about Samara in 2022 (here).
Now she's out with a new album, Portrait (Verve). What's most exciting about Sarama's voice is her spectacular range. She has Sassy's deep notes and can soar up to a high note and hold it for an eternity. Co-produced by Samara and multi-Grammy winner Brian Lynch, the album features an interesting mix of song choices that compels Samara to stretch. And stretch she does.
Included are three smartly-arranged jazz-pop standards (You Stepped Out of a Dream, No More Blues and Day by Day) and a couple of jazz works. But the high points for me are the penetrating ballads she had a hand in writing—lyrics to Charles Mingus's Reincarnation of a Lovebird, lyrics to Barry Harris's Now and Then (In Remembrance Of…), and music (with Kendric McCallister) and lyrics for Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True.
On each song, Samara brings a fresh take with nuances and hard-hitting vocalizing. She has a dreamy voice that takes you back to the jazz greats of the 1950s. But if one song on the album sums up her brilliance, I'd have to go with Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True. Wow!
The tracks:
You Stepped Out of a Dream (Nacio Herb Brown and Gus Kahn)
Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Charles Mingus/music and Samara Joy/lyrics)
Autumn Nocturne (Joe Myrow/music) and Kim Gannon/lyrics)
Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True (Samara Joy and Kendric McCallister)
A Fool In Love (Is Called A Clown) (Donavan Austin)
No More Blues (Antonio Carlos Jobim/music and Jon Hendricks/lyrics)
Now and Then (In Remembrance Of…) ( Barry Harris/music and Samara Joy/lyrics)
Day By Day (Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston/music and Sammy Cahn/lyrics
The players:
Samara Joy - vocals
Jason Charos - trumpet, flugelhorn
David Mason - alto saxophone, flute
Kendric McCallister - tenor saxophone
Donavan Austin - trombone
Connor Rohrer - piano
Felix Moseholm - bass
Evan Sherman - drums
The arrangers:
Jason Charos (You Stepped Out Of A Dream, No More Blues)
Kendric McCallister (Reincarnation Of A Lovebird, Autumn Nocturne, Now And Then)
David Mason (Dreams Come True, Day By Day)
Evan Sherman (Peace Of Mind)
Donavan Austin (A Fool In Love)
Special praise for Maureen Sickler, who recorded the album at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. The sound is terrific!
JazzWax tracks:You'll find Samara Joy's Portrait (Verve) here (to buy) and here (to listen).
This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress Anna Kendrick for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Anna stars in and directs one of the year's most interesting and chilling films, Woman of the Hour. Based on a true story, Anna uses a serial-killer thriller to explore the loathsome way in which our culture treated women in the 1970s. TV's The Dating Game was just the tip of the misogynist iceberg. But the film isn't a polemic. It sizzles from start to finish with suspense in Los Angeles of the late 1970s. [Above, Anna Kendrick on the cover of Flare magazine]
The Blacklist (2013-2023)—Still plowing through 10 seasons of this spy-thriller series. James Spader is fantastic as the man who knows where the bad guys are. (Netflix)
Some Girl(s) (2013)—If you enjoyed Nobody Wants This, with Adam Brody and Kristen Bell (which I just learned will have a Season 2), you'll love Some Girl(s). It also starred Adam and Kristen. Except this time, Adam plays a guy engaged to be married who travels the country visiting his exes to apologize for breaking up with them. Kristen is one of those exes. A fascinating film directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer and written by Neil LaBute that grows more intense as it progresses.
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans—(2024/FX, with streaming on Hulu)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
The Gentlemen—(2024/Netflix)
Godless—(2017/Netflix)
Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
The Gilded Age—(current/Max)
High Water—(2022/Netflix)
Homeland—(2011-2020/Showtime)
Jane Eyre—(2006/Britbox)
Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
Killing Eve—(2018-2022/Netflix)
Life & Beth—(Seasons 1& 2, 2022-present/Hulu)
Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
Loudermilk—(2017-2020/Netflix)
MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
Monsieur Spade—(2024/AMC)
Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Parts 1 and 2—(2023/Lifetime)
My Brilliant Friend—(2018-current)
1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
Pieces of Her—(2022/Netflix)
Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
Ripley—(2024/Netflix)
Scott & Bailey (2011-2016/Prime)
Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
Under the Banner of Heave—(2022/Hulu)
Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
Voiceless (Bella da morire—(2020/MHz)
The Watcher—(2022/Netflix)
The Way Home—(2023-current/Peacock)
Who Is Erin Carter—(2023/Netflix)
The Woman in the Wall—(2024/Showtime)
The Veil—(2024/Hulu-FX)
Wilder—(2017-current)
WPC 56—(2013-2015/Britbox)
Yellowstone—(2018-present/Paramount Network)
Films
The Accountant—(2016/Hulu)
American Gangster—(2007/Max)
Armageddon Time—(2022/Prime)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs—(2018/Netflix)
The Ballad of Lefty Brown—(2017/Netflix)
Blackout (2022/Netflix)
TheBricklayer—(2024/Netflix)
The Commuter (2018/Netflix)
The Dig—(2021/Netflix)
Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
Fury—(2014/Netflix)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012/Paramount+)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
Knight and Day—(2010/Roku)
Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
The Little Things—(2021/Netflix)
Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
Manchester by the Sea—(2016/Prime Video)
MI-5—(2015/Max)
The Mule—(2018/Netflix)
The Night Agent—(2023/Netflix)
Nobody—(2021/Prime)
Nobody Wants This—(2024/Netflix)
Ordinary Angels—(2024)
Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
Ruthless—(2023/Hulu)
The Secret: Dare to Dream—(2020/Netflix)
Self Reliance—(2023/Hulu)
Seraphim Falls—(2006/Netflix)
Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
The Two Popes—(2019/Netflix)
Up in the Air—(2009/Max)
Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)
Documentaries
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
The Beach Boys—(2024/Disney)
Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
Cunk on Earth—(2022/Netflix)
Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing—(2023/Paramount+)
Facing Nolan—(2022/Netflix)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
Jane Fonda in Five Acts—(2024/Max)
Kate Hepburn: Call Me Kate—(2023/Netflix)
Suzi Q: Suzi Quatro—(2019/Prime)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here
Chuck Israels on J.J. Johnson. Following my post on John Fedchock's new album honoring trombonist J.J. Johnson (above), I heard from Chuck Israels, bassist in the second Bill Evans Trio:
Hi Marc. I’m so glad you included "Lovely" from "J.J.'s Broadway," with pianist Hank Jones and Walter Perkins. I'm on half the album's tracks. I remember the session better than most because of the remarkable sound of those five wonderful trombonists. We recorded at Phil Ramone's A&R Studios on 48th St. in New York. The sound was so glorious in the room—overwhelmingly rich, resonant and meticulously in tune. You heard it and felt the force of the air movement. It was glorious.
As good as the recording sounds, it pales in comparison with what I was hearing. Phil Ramone used a plate reverb—some kind of metal plate he hung in the stairwell of the building designed to enrich the recorded sound. But it didn’t. It took what was lusciously warm and thick, removed some of the visceral impact, and made the sound more metallic and slightly harsher. It still sounds good—just not as great as what I heard on the date—a sound I try to remember often.
I recall hearing that processed sound on the playbacks in the studio and was disappointed at the time. But Phil was an acknowledged expert engineer, and no one else seemed disturbed. Maybe nothing could have captured on tape what I was hearing live.
As I recall, everything was done in one or two takes—high-level sight-reading and playing. I could have basked in that sound for much longer. The players were so good, and J.J. was exceptional—as a player and as an arranger. What a gift to have been asked to participate in the music's recording. In an era when it seemed normal to be making fine jazz recordings, this one stood out.
More on J.J. Johnson, from Brett Gold...
Hi Marc. Thanks for highlighting John Fedchock's new album, which I wasn't aware of. As you must know, the cover is a salute to J.J.'s album "Proof Positive," for Impulse, which I bought in 1969 with some of my bar mitzvah money. I had to think long and hard about whether to spend that extra dollar Impulse albums cost at the time. Back then, mono albums were $2.99 and non-Impulse stereo albums were $3.99.
"Minor Blues" from the album was the first J.J. solo I transcribed, although I never was able to play the double-time section, which convinced me that being a professional trombonist was not in my future. That day, I believe I also bought the Debut recording of "Four Trombones," with J.J., Kai Winding, Bennie Green and Willie Dennis, which, to my surprise, was manufactured on translucent blue vinyl. I'll download the Fedchock album today.
Diego Rivera—Ofrenda (Posi-Tone). One of the hottest sleeper saxophonists around today is Diego Rivera. On his new album, he plays a bossy tenor and an empathetic soprano. He's backed by trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston. Born in Ann Arbor, Mich., Diego flavors his jazz compositions with a dash of Latin, and the result is captivating. He is currently Director of Jazz Studies at the Butler School of Music, University of Texas at Austin. His new album is terrific all the way through, and his original compositions have enormous energy and heat—on the uptempo numbers and the ballads. To listen and buy, go here.
Kiki Valera—Vacilón Santiaguero (Circle S). Son cubano is one of the most popular music styles in Cuba. Son is both a genre and a dance that dates back more than 100 years. It's an instrumentally textured style wrapped around short, hypnotic riffs and shout-like vocals. If you want to hear son in its purest form, check out Kiki Valera's new album. It's so floral and woody, with energy and passion. I love this album because it's authentic, precious and uplifting as it churns and churns and churns. To listen and play, go here.
The Joymakers—Down Where the Bluebonnets Grow (Turtle Bay). I love these albums of authentic 1920s music by contemporary groups. One is hard-pressed to imagine musicians today playing this rollicking stuff. Even more mind-blowing is that musicians of this caliber have not only found each other but are able to flawlessly manage the fast tempos and intricate contrapuntal arrangements. But they do and they can. This album smacks of cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, gin joints, flappers and the rest of the culture after World War I and before the Great Depression. One song after the next pulls you back to a time when jazz was a collective enterprise and instruments cried, wailed and taunted—all in the same song. Your legs will be moving back and forth to the music. Listen and buy here.
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.
