The countdown continues. Only a week and a day until Nov. 1, when my new book, Anatomy of a Song, is published by Grove Press. I did several major print interviews this past week (I'll alert you when they appear), and I'll have a huge media announcement in this space next weekend.
To order Anatomy of a Song in the U.S., go here; in the U.K. go here; and in Canada go here.
If you're going to be in New York on Nov. 16, come by Barnes & Noble on 82nd St and Broadway on the Upper West Side at 7 p.m. I'll be there to talk about my book and the rock and R&B stars I interviewed. Speaking of rock stars, keyboardist Rob Hyman (right), co-writer with Cyndi Lauper of Time After Time and co-founder of Philadelphia band the Hooters, will be interviewing me. Then I'll turn the tables on Rob and ask about the writing and recording of that marvelous #1 hit in 1984 at the dawn of the MTV era. Don't be shy. Come up after to say hi to Rob and me. I'll be lingering to sign books purchased that evening. For more information, go here.
Here's the fabulous video of Time After Time, with Rob on keyboards...
If you live in Toronto, on Nov. 18 I'll be giving an hour-long talk on the book at the radio studios of JAZZ.FM91, Canada's leading jazz station. I'll be sharing what it's like to interview Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder (above), Keith Richards, Elvis Costello and many others. For tickets and more information, go here. Earlier in the day, I'll be interviewed on the CBC by host Tom Power.
In The Wall Street Journal this past week, I interviewed Guy Fieri of TV's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on growing up in Northern California, how his hair wound up that special shade of platinum and how his parents came through for him just when everything seemed out of his reach. And you won't believe his kitchen (go here). [Photo of Guy Fieri in the patio kitchen of his Santa Rosa, Calif., home by Jason Henry for The Wall Street Journal]
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed Kristin Chenoweth on Don Henley's The Heart of the Matter and why it once made her cry (go here).
Jazz ahoy! Late last month, Entertainment Cruise Productions, Don Was of Blue Note Records and Steven Bensusan of the Blue Note Jazz Club announced a five-year partnership for jazz cruises. ECP's Contemporary Jazz Cruise will now be known as Blue Note at Sea, with seven Blue Note artists among those performing on the venture's maiden voyage in February (pictured, the Celebrity Summit).
The Blue Note artists booked for the upcoming Blue Note at Sea cruise are Marcus Miller (musical director,) Terence Blanchard, the Robert Glasper Trio, Gregory Porter, Dianne Reeves and Chucho Valdes. They will join a larger roster of performing artists on the ship.
The first Blue Note at Sea will sail Feb. 4 to Feb. 11, 2017, departing from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and traveling to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti on the Celebrity Summit. For more information or to book a cabin, go here or call (888) 852-9987.
Mike Cuozzo. In Sept. 2014, I posted on the late saxophonist Mike Cuozzo and included his son's recollections. The post was entitled "Mike Cuozzo Was My Dad," and ever since I've remained in contact with Michael Cuozzo Jr. Last week, he sent me the following email:
"Dear Marc, I wanted to say hello and to let you know that a friend from town who wanted to drop something off at my home for my wife Googled our name and up came with the JazzWax post, 'Mike Cuozzo was my Dad.' She read the article and found it quite fascinating. She later phoned my wife to inform her about this 'find' and said she had no idea my dad had been a successful, well-known musician.
She was surprised that during the many occasions we have been together for dinners, I had never spoken about or bragged about dad. I credit my dad for this. As I wrote in the article that you were kind enough to post, dad wasn't full of himself and was very quiet about the things he had accomplished. The great lesson he taught me by example. So I guess part of him is still inside me and still making an impression on people when I least expect it. Our friend is now eager to receive and listen to copies of dad's albums. Thanks again for everything—long live JazzWax!"
Dustin and the VW. Los Angeles fashion copywriter Margy Bloom sent along a fab 1966 ad for VW, starring actor Dustin Hoffman...
The jazz life. What is life like for a young jazz musician today? Don't flinch. It's not that bad. Gotham Creative Group has launched Working Musician, a seven-part weekly documentary series that shows what emerging New York City jazz artists go through trying to develop their art and make a name for themselves.
Created by Joe Rubenstein, Working Musician features many talented musicians but focuses on Alex LoRe, a struggling saxophonist/composer who faces difficulties that many young musicians deal with in the city. To watch episode #1, go here. For more information about the documentary series, go here.
The sound of Savory. JazzWax reader Carl Woideck, author of Charlie Parker and His Muisc and other books, hosts a weekly online jazz radio show called The Soul of Jazz, which airs Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 10 p.m. (PCT). You can hear the KLCC.org show from anywhere in the world on your computer by going here. You also can listen to the show via the KLCC app found at the iTunes store. This coming Wednesday (Oct. 26), Carl will feature previously unreleased live performances of Coleman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald and Lionel Hampton from the 1930s and '40s, as recorded by the prolific sound engineer Bill Savory (pictured at top, in the 1950s). Included in the show will be a nearly double-length version of Body and Soul by Hawkins. To learn what Carl has brewing each week, visit the Facebook page where he announces the upcoming theme here.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Director Raymond de Felitta found a delightful blooper reel for the 1948 comedy classic at YouTube. To read Raymond's insights on the reel from the director's viewpoint, go here. Here's the reel...
What the heck. Here's the Music Machine's 1966 cover of Neil Diamond's Cherry, Cherry...
Oddball album cover of the week.
I came across this one while researching Earl Bostic's discography for a post this past week. First, I'm not sure what a rocket-powered spy plane on the cover has to do with Bostic or the music, other than his playing was out of this world. Second, I'm not sure where exactly this plane is heading. If the captain is off to the moon, he may want to look out his left window.
