This past Thursday, I was invited by Madison Mills of The New York Times to appear on her Facebook Live video-interview series. We talked about Bob Dylan, who had just been awarded the Nobel Prize, as well as my upcoming book, Anatomy of a Song. My appearance and our talk drew 112,000 views! In case you missed it, here's how it went:
On Nov. 16, I'll be at New York's Barnes & Noble on 82nd St. and Broadway to talk about Anatomy of a Song. Rob Hyman, co-writer with Cyndi Lauper of Time After Time and co-founder of the Hooters band, has graciously agreed to interview me. We'll also talk about the writing and recording of that #1 ballad from 1984.
Then on Nov. 18, I will be in Toronto at the radio studios of JAZZ.FM91, Canada's leading jazz station, to talk about my book with the station's director of community outreach David Wall. I'll be sharing my most personal and touching interview moments with major artists, including Joni Mitchell, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger, Stevie Wonder, Keith Richards, Elvis Costello and many others. For tickets and more information, go here.
And finally, Rebecca Vnuk (above) reviewed Anatomy of a Song for Booklist. Here's a snippet...
[The book] will entice general readers and music lovers alike. In his introduction, Myers calls the book an “oral history jukebox,” and popular-music fans everywhere will want to be ready with a pocketful of dimes.
To support JazzWax, pre-order Anatomy of a Song. In the U.S. go here; in the U.K. go here; and in Canada go here.
This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed star concert pianist Lang Lang on growing up in Shenyang, China, and why he didn't get to see much of his mom for 10 years as a child (go here).
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso on Billy Joel's Vienna and why she had one view of the song a year ago and a different one two months ago (go here).
Shirley Horn. This week, following my post on the late singer-pianist Shirley Horn, I received the following email from reader and legendary producer and friend Tommy LiPuma [photo above of Shirley Horn with Miles Davis]...
"I really enjoyed your post on Shirley. She was absolutely one of a kind. I had the good fortune to work with her twice—once on a soundtrack album I did for the film Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), where she recorded an absolutely stunning performance playing piano with her trio and singing You'd Better Go Now, with an underplayed, gorgeous arrangement by Johnny Mandel. Also Johnny and I did an album with her called You're My Thrill. Among many great performances are three stand-outs: the title track, The Very Thought Of You and All Night Long.
Shirley and I ended up becoming good friends, and I spent several lovely evenings with her cooking for me at her home in Washington D.C. Shirley was a great cook and loved holding court at her home. Her girlfriends would stop by, and we would all sit in her kitchen, eat, drink wine and talk music. We all would then retire to her den, where her prized possession—a six-foot grand piano—filled the room. We'd listen to some music and then she would sit at the piano and play and sing. I must say, it was an experience I’ll never forget."
Donna Lee. Fashion copywriter Margy Bloom sent along the following fabulous YouTube clip of singer Carmen Souza—a jazz singer who was born in Portugal, grew up in Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa and now lives in London. The accordionist is Joao Frade. Here's the clip...
Charlie Rouse radio. "Symphony" Sid Gribetz will host a five-hour broadcast tribute to tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse this Sunday from 2 to 7 p.m. (EDT). You can hear Sid's Jazz Profiles special on Rouse from anywhere in the world on your computer by going here.
Stan Kenton. The Los Angeles Jazz Institute will hold its Stan Kenton Milestones festival Nov. 2-5 at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport), 6101 West Century Blvd. Bands will be performing famed Kenton albums in their entirety. For more information on the bands, albums and schedule, go here.
Trane and the Vice Prez. Following my post on the album Cattin', on which John Coltrane was teamed with Paul Quinichette, reader Tom Fine reminds me that the two were paired a short time later in 1958 the track The Real McCoy from Gene Ammons' album The Big Sound...
Diviera Drive Jazz Festival. Tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart hipped me to a jazz festival he has programmed for next week at New York's Diviera Drive, a new Italian restaurant in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. The restaurant is housed in an old auto-repair garage. The three-day event will feature nine jazz bands ranging from Jimmy Cobb and Harold Mabern to modern performers such as Ari Hoenig. The festival will run from Oct. 20-22, and each event starts at 8 p.m. The Diviera Drive Restaurant is at 131 Berry Street (one block from the Bedford Street Station on the L line). No cover, no minimum; dinner is available. Does get much more New York than this. For information and reservations, go here (click on the first box).
Coleman Hawkins. Reader Joop van der Leij of the Netherlands sent along a clip of tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins with the Ramblers, recorded in 1935 in the Netherlands. The band included Henk Hinrichs, George van Helvoirt (tp) Marcel Thielemans (tb) Wim Poppink (cl,as,bar) Andre van der Ouderaa (cl,ts,vln) Coleman Hawkins (ts) Theo Uden Masman (p,dir) Jac Pet (g) Tony Limbach (b) Kees Kranenburg (d) and Annie de Reuver (vcl)...
What the heck. I was emailing with novelist T.C. Boyle yesterday and he told me about three terrific artists he was listening to. Here's one of them, Fantastic Negrito, performing Honest Man...
Oddball album cover of the week.
Forget about the fact that the heads of the women above seem to be weirdly floating in space. Shouldn't the album's title be "Music to Remember Them?" I suppose that for male consumers in 1955 when this album came out, all those female encounters started to morph together as one. Here's the full album with Bobby Hackett wandering around the strings on cornet...