In The Wall Street Journal last week, I interviewed actor-comedian David Alan Grier for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). David appeared in the 1984 film version of A Solder's Story and the 2020 Broadway revival of A Soldier's Play. He also starred on TV's In Living Color in the early 1990s and currently co-stars in the Netflix sitcom Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! His father was William H. Grier, co-author of the 1968 bestseller Black Rage: Two Black Psychiatrists Reveal the Full Dimensions of the Inner Conflicts and the Desperation of Black Life in the United States (go here). [Photo above of David Alan Grier, left, and Jamie Foxx, courtesy of Netflix]
Up for two awards. Nominees for the annual awards handed out by the Jazz Journalists Association were announced this week. I'm among the six writers nominated for this year's Lifetime Achievement Award, the winner to be announced in May. JazzWax also is a nominee for the JJA's Blog of the Year. I'm honored and humbled. For more information, go here.
SiriusXM. This Wednesday, April 21, I'll be on Feedback (Channel 106) with Nik and Lori to talk about Al Stewart's 1976 hit Year of the Cat. Be there at 9 a.m. (ET). Don't miss it. The show will be fun as I break down this yacht-rock classic and spin my Hot 10 related songs.
Ronnie Scott. Soon after my post on the documentary, Ronnie's, last week, it was pulled down. I reached out to the director-writer Oliver Murray, thinking he had uploaded the film on YouTube. In fact, he hadn't, and his representative in the U.S. had pulled it down. My apologies to Oliver and JazzWax readers. Here's what he said regarding the documentary:
Hi Marc, That’s OK. We have someone stateside watching for uploads because a distributor bought the rights to a cinema release and is waiting for theaters to open. Currently, it's available to stream on the BBC and also through Hotdocs in Canada. U.S. fans will have to wait a few months for Greenwich Entertainment to announce a date. I’ll make sure they alert you to their plans. If you're in Canada, go here.
Bob Porter, a record producer whose name appears on a long list of superb soul-jazz albums in the 1960s and '70s and who went on to become a leading blues and R&B DJ on WBGO starting in 1981, died on April 10. He was 80. [Photo above of Bob Porter by Jim Eigo]
Bob was a great friend of JazzWax, emailing often to commend, amend or debate positions in my posts. He produced many great albums on the Prestige label, including those by Charles Earland, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Jimmy McGriff, Pat Martino, Hank Crawford, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Leon Spencer Jr. and dozens of others. Many developed the 1970s soul-jazz feel with organ trio and horns. In fact, among my first jazz albums at the dawn of the '70s—Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons's You Talk That Talk and Leon Spencer Jr.'s Louisiana Slim—were produced by Bob. My posts on Bob are here and here. Bob will always be in my thoughts. I'll miss those "Portergrams."
Dance Along With Basie. Last week, following my post on Count Basie's Dance Along With Basie (1959), I received an email from Hans Doerrscheidt, who pointed out that while Thad Jones arranged much of the album, Frank Foster was responsible for Secret Love, Misty and Back to the Apple. I've fixed the original post. Thanks, Hans! [Photo above of Frank Foster, left, with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis in 1957 by Chuck Stewart]
Bill Evans in Rochester, N.Y. In the wake of my post on the Bill Evans Trio's performance at the Eastman Theatre in Rochester, N.Y. on April 12m 1977, I received the following from Brett Gold...
Marc, a belated thanks for your Bill Evans post. I was a student at the University of Rochester at the time and regularly went to jazz concerts at the Eastman Theatre. I'm surprised I didn't remember the concert, but apparently I had a conflict that night, an orchestra rehearsal, so couldn’t make it. The title of the TV show "At the Top" refers to an occasional PBS show that was taped at a high-end restaurant near Eastman called Top of the Plaza, which regularly featured jazz groups. I went to a couple of shows there during my time in Rochester. I think I saw Maynard Ferguson’s band and Bill Watrous’s Manhattan Wildlife Refuge. Top of the Plaza was located on the top floor of Midtown Plaza (photo above), which apparently was the second indoor mall in the U.S. and the first in a downtown area. It has since been partially torn down and repurposed as condos. For more information on Midtown Plaza and Top of the Plaza, go here, here and here.
And here’s a PBS show from 1973 that was actually taped at Top of the Plaza, featuring the Buddy Rich big band. The only non-Rich band member I recognize is the second alto, a very young Ray Ricker, who was a long-time saxophone professor at Eastman and is now retired...
Baden Powell. Last week, Paris photographer Gilles D'Elia sent along the following video of Brazilian guitarist-singer and songwriter Baden Powell...
CD you should know about:
David Thompson—Waiting (DBT). You may recognize Dave's name from the Soundcloud clips I include in my weekend posts from time to time featuring Dave playing piano in the style of Bill Evans. Dave's new solo album features 14 tracks—three originals and many songs that Evans recorded, including the original ballad Laurie that Evans wrote for his romantic companion, Laurie Verchomin. As Dave writes in his liner notes: "Bill Evans's music continues to be a great source of inspiration to me, and a singular source of remarkable beauty in my life unlike any other." To listen to audio clips and buy, go here.
Antonio Carlos Jobim. Jazz saxophonist, arranger, composer and New School educator Bill Kirchner (above) has been busy. Now into his third semester of online teaching via Zoom, Bill and his jazz ensemble recorded Jobim's If You Never Come to Me. Bill says it was accomplished by layering a track at a time through a software program called Soundtrap. The quartet was truly global—the trombonist was in Israel; the guitarist in Seattle; the bassist in Austin, Texas; and the drummer in New York. The musicians: Dor Asaf (tb), Ravi Sharma (g), Daniel Foose (b) and Zan Babar (d).
To listen to the audio track, go here.
Benny Golson radio. On Sunday, April 18, from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET), "Symphony Sid" Gribetz on WKCR-FM in New York will present a five-hour radio broadcast celebrating the career of composer and tenor saxophonist Benny Golson on “Jazz Profiles.” To listen from anywhere in the world, go here. [Photo above of Benny Golson courtesy of Benny Golson]
And congrats to Sid. He has been nominated for the JJA's Marian McPartland-Willis Conover Award for Career Excellence in Broadcasting. Fingers crossed.
Charles Mingus radio. The bass player's birthday broadcast will be held on WKCR-FM on Thursday, April 22, when Mingus's recorded music will be played on the air for 24 hours. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
Natalia Lafourcade. Take a seat. You're about to fall in love with a voice. Natalia is a Mexican pop-rock and folk singer and songwriter who, since her debut in 2002, has been one of the most successful singers in Latin America. Here are three examples of the 37-year-old's stunning vocals and passion singing romantic boleros [Photo above of Natalia Lafourcade courtesy of LA Phil]:
Here's Natalia with the legendary Cuban singer-dancer Omara Portuondo...
Here's Natalia singing Soledad y El Mar...
And here's Natalia singing Alma Mía, in what I assume is an independent living facility in Mexico...
