JazzWax

Count Basie: 'Live in Berlin' (1968)

On tour in Europe in 1968, Count Basie and His Orchestra performed in Berlin, where the concert was taped for TV broadcast. The personnel featured Gene Goe, Sonny Cohn, Oscar Brashear and Al Aarons (tp);  Grover Mitchell, Richard Boone, Bill Hughes and Steve Galloway (tb); Marshal Royal (as,cl); Bobby Plater (as,fl); Eric Dixon and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (ts); Charlie Fowlkes (bs); Count Basie (p); Freddie Green (g); Norman Keenan (b); Harold Jones (d) and Marlena Shaw (voc). [Photo above of Count Basie]

Heck of a theater, right? It's the Philharmonie Berlin.

The tracks: 

• All Of Me
• Hittin' Twelve
• Blues For Ilean
• Bill Bailey
• On a Clear Day
• Cherokee
• Good Time Blues
• A Night In Tunisia
• Muddy Waters Blues
• Whirly Bird
• Lonely Street
• The Magic Flea
• One O'Clock Jump 

Here's the concert broadcast on German TV. It went up on YouTube just a few months ago...

Larry, Dan and Annie

In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm writer Larry Charles for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Larry also directed Borat, Brüno and The Dictator, all starring writer Sacha Baron Cohen. Larry just published a memoir, Comedy Samurai: Forty Years of Blood, Guts, and Laughter. [Photo above of Larry Charles courtesy of Netflix]

Here's Larry talking about writing for Seinfeld...

What I'm Watching

New and watched this past week...

• Leanne—(sitcom/July 31/Netflix)
• The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox—(series/August/Disney+)

Worthwhile stuff that started or will start soon...

• Words of War (film/theaters)
• FUBAR 2 (series/Netflix)
• The Better Sister (Prime)
• Deep Cover (Prime film)
• The Gilded Age—Season 3 (starts June 22/HBO)
• Sovereign (July 11/film/theaters)
• Leanne—(July 31/Netflix)

My favorite streaming series, ranked...

1. Babylon Berlin
2. Adolescence
3. Sovereign
4. My Brilliant Friend
5. Good American Family
6. Killing Eve
7. The Crown
8. Mad Men
9. The Americans
10. Younger
11. Fleabag
12. Band of Brothers
13. The Sopranos
14. Enlightened
15. Friday Night Lights
16. Justified
17. The Promised Life
18. Feud: Bette and Joan
19. The Old Man
20. Downton Abbey
21. The Blacklist
22. Goliath
23. Julia
24. The Gentlemen
25. Turn: Washington's Spies
26. Unbelievable
27. Landman
28. Voiceless (Bella da morire)(2020/MHz)
29. Black Doves
30. Web Therapy

Archive: Recommended series, films and documentaries...

TV series

• The Affair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
• Alaska Daily—(2022/Prime)
• The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
• Anatomy of a Scandal—(2022/Netflix)
• Apples Never Fall—2024/Peacock)
• Babylon Berlin (2017-2024/MHz via Prime Video)
• Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix) 
• The Bay (2019-current/BritBox)
• Black Doves (2024/Netflix)
• The Blacklist (2013-2023/Netflix)
• Belgravia—(2020/Prime Video)
• The Bletchley Circle (2012/Britbox)
• Blue Lights—(2023/BritBox)
• Bosch—(2014-2021/Prime)
• Bosch: Legacy—(2022-current/Prime)
• The Crown—(2016-2023/Netflix)
• Cherif—(2013-2019/Prime)
• Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
• The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
• Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
• The Dropout (2022/Hulu)
• Elizabeth 1 (2005/Max)
• Emily in Paris—(2020-present/Netflix)
• Enlightened—(2011-2013/Max)
• Feud (S1): Bette and Joan—(2017/Hulu)
• Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans—(2024/FX, with streaming on Hulu)
• Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
• Friday Night Lights (2006-2011/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)
• Il Commissario Manara (Inspector Manara) (2009-2011/MHz)
• 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)
• Lioness—(2023-current/Paramount+)
• Loudermilk—(2017-2020/Netflix)
• MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
• Mobland—(2025/Paramount+)
• Monsieur Spade—(2024/AMC)
• Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Parts 1 and 2—(2023/Lifetime)
• My Brilliant Friend—(2018-current/Max)
• The Night Agent—(2023-present/Netflix)
• 1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
• 1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
• The Old Man—(2022/Hulu)
• On Call—2025/Amazon Prime)
• Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
• Protection—(2024/S1/BritBox)
• The Perfect Couple—(2024/Netflix)
• Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
• The Promised Life—(2018/MHz via Prime Video)
• Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
• Ripley—(2024/Netflix)
• Scott & Bailey (2011-2016/Prime)
• The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
• 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)
• Web Therapy—(2011-2015/Fandango)
• Wilder—(2017-current)
• WPC 56—(2013-2015/Britbox)
• Yellowstone—(2018-present/Paramount Network)
• Younger—(2015-2021K/Netflix)

Films

• Anna (2019/Tubi)
• 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) 
• The Bricklayer—(2024/Netflix)
• The Commuter (2018/Netflix)
• The Dig—(2021/Netflix)
• Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
• Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
• Enrico Piaggio - Un Sogno Italiano (An Italian Dream) (2019/MHz)
• The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
• The Great Lillian Hall—(2024/Max)
• The Family Man—(2000/Netflix)
• Fury—(2014/Netflix)
• God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
• Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
• I Used to Be Funny (2023/Netflix)
• Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012/Paramount+) 
• Just My Luck (2006/Paramount+)
• Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
• Killers of the Flower Moon—(2023/Apple+)
• La Palma (2024/Netflix)
• Life or Something Like It—(2002/Netflix)
• Knight and Day—(2010/Roku)
• Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
• Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
• The Little Things—(2021/Netflix)
• Lonely Planet—(2024)/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)
• 99 Homes—(2014/Roku)
• Nobody—(2021/Prime)
• Nobody Wants This—(2024/Netflix)
• Ordinary Angels—(2024/assorted platforms)
• The Pledge—(2011/Peacock)
• Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
• The Queen—(2006/Paramount+)
• The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
• Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
• Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
• Ruthless—(2023/Hulu)
• The Secret: Dare to Dream—(2020/Netflix).
• Sicario (2015/Netflix)
• Self Reliance—(2023/Hulu)
• Seraphim Falls—(2006/Netflix)
• Some Girl(s)—(2013/Amazon Prime)
• Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
• Spy(ies)—(2009/Prime)
• The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
• Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
• The Two Popes—(2019/Netflix)
• Up in the Air—(2009/Max)
• Woman in Gold—(2015/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)
• The Only Girl in the Orchestra—(2023/Netflix)
• The Stones and Brian Jones—(2023/Hulu)
• Suzi Q: Suzi Quatro—(2019/Prime)
• The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
• 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here)

Bill Mays. The pianist Bill Mays (above) has been busy doing outreach programs with students, most recently as scholar-in-residence at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla. Here's Bill's "brief history of jazz piano”...

And, Bill's most recent album is Autumn Serenade here.

RIP Dan Podkulski, who for the past five years diligently and graciously proofed JazzWax the day of my post along with others to catch typos, died on June 14 at age 67. A former chemical engineer at Exxon Mobile Chemical Co., Dan loved flying, and when he wasn't up in the air, he and his wife, Michelle, loved music—either at concert venues or aboard cruises. The cause of death was not disclosed. [Photo above of Dan Podkulski]

Dan's chatty emails each day were often about how much he loved Michelle or they detailed their upcoming travels or bemoaned the rough Houston weather—the scorching heat in summer and the heavy rains in the fall and spring.

I'm writing JazzWax now for nearly 18 years and have made hundreds of friends over email. As time goes by, these friends suddenly pass on, and I receive an email from a spouse letting me know the sad news. Last week, there was Dan's email, and when I opened it expecting to find a few catches and a note, it was Michelle, letting me know the sad news. I was floored. For Michelle, "It's the worst day of my life."  

My deepest condolences to Michelle and Dan's family. He was such a sweet, kind and loyal guy for whom music meant everything.

Music of Note.

Terry Waldo—Treasury Vol. 2 (Turtle Bay). I last wrote about pianist Terry Waldo in 2021, when I posted an interview with him (here). Now, the protégé of the late Eubie Blake, and master of 1920s and '30s ragtime and jazz, is out with a new album of speakeasy music. He's joined by the Gotham City Band and Veronica Swift with terrific authenticity. A glorious resurfacing of jazz-age songs, with Terry keeping intoxicating time. You'll find the album on most streaming platforms or here.

Here's Get Out and Under the Moon (1928)...

Camila Meza—Portal (GroundUp). Chilean jazz guitarist, singer and songwriter Camila Meza is out with a captivating new album of originals. She blends a potent mix of stacked vocals and joyous energy with Chilean folk touches and a Pat Metheny-like sense of musical elation and adventure. It's unlike anything you've heard and tremendously exciting. She's backed by Shai Maestro (keyboards), Ofri Nehemya (drums and percussion) and Margaret Davis (harp). You'll find it on major streaming platforms and here.

Here's Utopia...

Free radio concert music. Kim Paris of the FM Radio Archive sent along the following links to free listens related to recent JazzWax posts [photo above of Kirk Lightsey]: 

Gerry Mulligan—the archive has a 1972 concert with Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond; one on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz in 1987; and a 2008 Jazz Profiles episode with Nancy Wilson. Go here and listen.

The Beach Boys—are featured in a 1993 concert at the Paramount Center in Peekskill, N.Y., on their "Boxed Set Tour" to promote Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys five-CD set. Go here and listen. 

Kirk Lightsey—played with Dexter Gordon & Friends at the Keystone Korner in San Francisco on New Year's Eve 1990, in a concert broadcast on NPR radio. Thanks to Mark Rubin. Go here and listen.

Larry Carlton—was at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Festival in Spain in 2017, broadcast on La 2 TV. Go here and listen.

Pat Metheny—has three broadcasts on FMRA with the Pat Metheny Group, recorded from 1978 to 1982. Go here and listen.

Bill Evans—is featured in two broadcast recordings on FM Radio Archive, one with his trio on RSR in Switzerland in 1975, and the other with Tony Bennett on a 1976 CBC-Canada broadcast. Go here and listen.

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross radio. On Sunday, WKCR-FM's Sid Gribetz will feature the recordings of the vocalese trio for five hours on Jazz Profiles, from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET). Listen from anywhere in the world by going here.

And finally, here's Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, joined by vocalist Joe Williams and Count Basie (with Tony Bennett in the background), on Playboy's Penthouse in 1959...

Backgrounder: Tina Brooks - 'True Blue' (1960)

No other category of artist in American history had to fight harder to have his or her creativity recognized than top jazz musicians. This war was waged on three fronts—with themselves, with the culture and with their record label. If any one of these three battles was lost, the other two often collapsed as well.

In the 1940s and '50s, the battle with one's self meant steering clear of drug addiction. The battle with the culture was the struggle to be accepted by an ever-shrinking audience while maintaining an aura of cool and detachment. And the third, the battle to be recorded and promoted often was determined by a range of factors: the label's existing pipeline, how much of the artist's work as a sideman was already on the market, the ability to tour aggressively to promote a new record, and the artist's need for cash advances against recordings of future albums.

Few gifted jazz artists lost this three-pronged battle faster and harder than Tina Brooks. Between 1958 and 1961, the tenor saxophonist recorded four albums as a leader, for Blue Note, but only one was released during his lifetime—True Blue. The others languished on the shelf at Blue Note, where they were discovered in the 1980s by re-issue producer Michael Cuscuna and released. [Photo above of Tina Brooks by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]

The reasons why the other three weren't released vary. My guess is Blue Note didn't want to flood the market with his recordings for fear his output could cannibalize the recordings of Hank Mobley, Blue Note's star saxophonist. In addition, Brooks may have pushed to record the others early because he needed the cash. In effect, this was an advance in trade for albums to be released at Blue Note's discretion. As the youth culture and pop rock and soul surged starting in the early 1960s, Blue Note began to face financial difficulties and reduce its number of releases.

This brings us back to the first battle mentioned. Brooks fell into heroin use around the time he was recording and his dependency continued despite his deteriorating health. Brooks didn't record again after 1961, and he died in 1974 at age 42. As you'll hear on this album masterpiece, his addiction and slide into the abyss was a terrible loss for jazz. If not for the late Michael Cuscuna, we likely wouldn't have heard Brooks's other works until well into the 2000s.

The tracks (all compositions by Tina Brooks except the last):

• Good Old Soul
• Up Tight's Creek
• Theme for Doris
• True Blue
• Miss Hazel
• Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You (Jack Segal, Marvin Fisher) 

Personnel:

Tina Brooks (ts), Freddie Hubbard (tp), Duke Jordan (p), Sam Jones (b) and Art Taylor (d)

Here's the A side of True Blue...

And here's the B side...

Other ad-free Backgrounders in my series:

• Sammy Davis Jr. Sings and Laurindo Almeida Plays, go here.
• Paul Quinichette: Moods, go here.
• Jimmy Forrest: Forrest Fire!, go here.
• Brazilian Jazz Quartet: Coffee and Jazz, go here.
• Art Blakey!!! Jazz Messengers!!!, go here.
• Sidney Bechet/Martial Solal, go here.
• John Carisi: The New Jazz Sound Of "Show Boat," go here.
• The Marty Paich Quartet, Featuring Art Pepper, go here.
• João Gilberto, 1998, go here.
• Bobby Timmons: Soul Time, go here.
• Gerry Mulligan: Jeru, go here.
• Ray Bryant: Alone With the Blues, go here.
• Leon Spencer Jr.: Bad Walking Woman, go here.
• Jimmy McGriff: Step 1, go here.
• Johnny "Hammond" Smith: Breakout, go here.
• Oliver Nelson: Taking Care of Business, go here.
• Quincy Jones: Americans in Paris, go here.
• Sonny Stitt: Tune-Up!, go here.
• Herbie Mann: Yardbird Suite, go here.
• Quincy Jones: Twilight Time, go here.
• Lou Levy Quartet: Jazz in Four Colors, go here.
• Johnny Alf: Rapaz de Bem, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Poppin', go here.
• Barney Kessel: Kessel's Kit, go here.
• Larry Young: Into Somethin', go here.
• Henry Mancini: The Jazz Sound From Peter Gunn, go here.
• Sonny Stitt: Night Crawler, go here.
• Maynard Ferguson: Around the Horn, go here.
• Frank Rosolino: Franky Speaking!, go here.
• Ben Webster: King of the Tenors, go here.
• Kenny Dorham: Una Mas, go here.
• Gigi Gryce: Nica's Tempo, go here.
• Charlie Parker With Strings: The Master Takes, go here.
• The Great Jazz Piano of Phineas Newborn Jr., go here.
• The Complete Chet Baker Sings, go here.
• Shorty Rogers Courts the Count, go here.
• Miles Ahead: Miles Davis +19, go here.
• Kenny Burrell, Jazzmen - Detroit, go here.
• Bill Watrous, In Love Again, go here.
• Gene Ammons, Boss Tenor, go here.
• Roy Eldridge: The Strolling Mr. Eldridge, go here.
• Clifford Brown and Max Roach with Sonny Rollins, go here.
• Fats Navarro: Nostalgia, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quintet, go here.
• Sandy Mosse: Relaxin' With..., go here.
• Maynard Ferguson: A Message From Newport, go here.
• Jimmy Raney: Two Jims and Zoot, go here.
• Zoot Sims Plays 4 Altos, go here.
• Jimmy Forrest: Out of the Forrest, go here.
• Jazz Studio 2, From Hollywood, go here.
• Billy Taylor: My Fair Lady Loves Jazz, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Soul Station, go here.
• Sylvia Telles, Lúcio Alves and Roberto Menescal: Bossa Session, go here.
• Horace Silver: The Horace Silver Trio, go here.
• Walter Davis: Davis Cup, go here.
• Wynton Kelly: Kelly at Midnite, go here.
• Jack Sheldon: Jack's Groove, go here.
• Herbie Nichols: Complete Masters, go here.
• Hank Mobley: Hank Mobley Quartet, go here.
• Mundell Lowe: Satan in High Heels, go here.
• Hal McKusick and Art Farmer: Quintet Sessions, go here.
• Os Poligonais: Os Poligonais, go here.
• Buddy Fite: Tasty, go here.
• Al Sears: Swing's the Thing, go here.
• A.K. Salim: Complete Savoy Recordings, go here.
• Rosinha de Valença, go here.
• Remo Rau, Evening at Cafe Africana, go here.
• Georgie Auld, Plays the Winners, go here.
• Complete Oscar Pettiford Orchestra, go here.
• East Coast - West Coast Scene, go here.
• O'Donel Levy: Black Velvet, go here.
• Sonny Rollins: Alfie, go here.
• Music to Listen to Barney Kessel By, go here.
• Complete Grant Green and Sonny Clark Quartets, go here.
• Marge Dodson: A Lovely Way to Live, go here.
• Sal Salvador: Colors in Sound, go here.
• Sam Lazar: Playback, go here.
• Joe Puma: East Coast Jazz/3, go here.