JazzWax

Bob Porter on Soul-Jazz

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when I was in my early teens and just starting to listen to jazz, the soul-jazz albums I dug most were on Prestige and many were produced by Bob Porter (above). These included Leon Spencer Jr.'s Louisiana Slim, Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons' You Talk That Talk and Sonny Stitt and Don Patterson's Tune Up! Over the years, Bob produced nearly 200 albums in all, including reissue sets for Savoy and Atlantic. He also has spent more than 30 years on WBGO-FM in Newark, N.J., hosting Portraits in Blue on Fridays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 7 a.m. (EST); Saturday Morning Function, from 8 to 10 a.m. (EST); and Swing Party on Sundays from 8 to 10 a.m. (EST).

Now Bob has a new book out—Soul Jazz: Jazz in the Black Community, 1945-1975 (Xlibris) (go here). I recently asked Bob to talk about five favorite albums he produced that have great stories attached, including his very first for Prestige. As you'll hear through the accompanying clips, all are monsters:

Charles Kynard—Professor Soul (Prestige, 1968). "This was the first session I produced for Prestige. It was recorded in Los Angeles, before I moved East. I signed organist Charles Kynard, the nephew of Ben Kynard—the composer of Red Top—and did four albums with him. Professor Soul was recorded with his working trio: Cal Green on guitar and Johnny Kirkwood on drums. Charles was an Oscar Peterson-influenced organist I had known since record-company owner/producer Dick Bock brought him to L.A. from Kansas City. On Professor Soul, we recorded a very churchy version of Cristo Redentor—before all the organists began playing the tune. In retrospect, Charles was too good for his time. The organ sound that sold well then was the Jimmy Smith style, and Kynard's was quite different. He used the bass pedals and both hands. Kynard died at age 46 while on a gig playing for Jon Hendricks’ Evolution of the Blues Song." Here's Song of Delilah...

Harold Mabern—Rakin' and Scrapin' (Prestige, 1968). "This album was recorded just before Christmas in 1968. I thought for sure it would be a hit—we had a terrific tune in the title track that had a great groove. Trumpeter Blue Mitchell and tenor saxophonist George Coleman played solid solos. I remember that pianist Mabern wanted another tenor part added, so we overdubbed one. Then we didn’t use it. We put out a single on Rakin’ and Scrapin’, and we promoted the album hard to radio stations, but it didn’t sell. It probably didn’t help that Mabern was without a working band, so touring was out. Mabern was a family guy who didn't like to travel. He preferred staying in New York. In many respects, the album was more a Blue Note-kind of record. But if it had come out five years earlier, I think it would have found an audience. In 1968, most record companies stopped making mono albums, switching to the pricier stereo. By this time, most of Prestige's albums were marketed to African-American audiences, which favored the less-expensive mono releases. Straight-ahead jazz sales really plummeted about this time." Here's Rakin' and Scrapin'...

Houston Person—Goodness! (Prestige, 1969). "Prestige owner Bob Weinstock stayed with Houston Person for six albums before he had a hit with Goodness! Houston was signed by Cal Lampley, who produced his first album. Then Don Schlitten produced his next three LPs. I was next, and my second album with Houston was Goodness! The band we assembled was an interesting mix of players: guitarist Billy Butler and bassist Bob Bushnell were studio pros who had worked together many times while organist Sonny Phillips, drummer Frankie Jones and Buddy Caldwell on congas were Houston’s guys. Sonny brought in a tune entitled Jamilah, which got all the airplay, and the album broke out in Detroit and Philadelphia. Those two markets sold enough to turn the album into a hit LP in 1969. My contribution to Jamilah was to have Caldwell lay out, which turned out to be a good move. Bob Bushnell was a real hero here. Because there was no conga, you get the full impact of his bass line. The album really launched Houston's career. Solly Hartstein, who ran Detroit's Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, flew in to meet Houston on one of my sessions. Soon Houston was a regular in Detroit, Chicago and all the key stops on the jazz trail. This was just before he joined forces with Etta Jones." Here's Jamilah...

Gene Ammons—Brother Jug (Prestige, 1970).
"One day in late 1969, Dan Morgenstern, then editor of Down Beat in Chicago, called Prestige to tell us that Gene Ammons had been released from prison. I had written to Gene while he was away serving out a narcotics charge to keep him up to speed on what Prestige was doing with his album catalog. After Dan called, I flew to Chicago and signed Gene to a new deal and made plans to cut two albums with him. The first album [The Boss Is Back!] would be with old friends, including pianist Junior Mance, bassist Buster Williams and Candido Camero on congas. The second [Brother Jug] would be with my guys—Sonny Phillips, Bob Bushnell and drummer Bernard Purdie. Weinstock wanted a spare rhythm section sound on the second date, so initially there was no guitar. We overdubbed Billy Butler playing some rhythm parts on a couple of tunes, and Gene really dug it. The album had two singles: one was Jungle Strut, where Bushnell stands out, and the second was a great ballad, Didn’t We. At the end of the Didn’t We take, Purdie was so elated that he jumped off his drums and ran across the floor and lifted Gene right off the ground." Here's Jungle Strut...

Hank Crawford/Jimmy McGriff—Steppin' Up (Milestone, 1987). "The Crawford-McGriff band was put together at a lunch in 1985 with Jimmy’s manager, Maxine Harvard, Fantasy Records president Ralph Kaffel and Hank, Jimmy and me. The concept was always small group, with alto saxophonist Hank Crawford the only horn. Hank’s leadership albums tended to feature his arrangements as well as his playing while organist Jimmy McGriff’s albums were looser, more of a blowing session. The small group allowed for special guests. Guitarist George Benson played on two tracks on the first album, Soul Survivors. For the second album, Steppin’ Up, I wanted keyboardist Billy Preston. Almost everyone thought I was nuts. I first had heard Preston when he was a teenage pianist behind blues singer Jimmy Witherspoon and I had known about his gospel playing for many years. Hank and I had talked about doing River’s Invitation. Hank was tight with blues singer Percy Mayfield, the song's composer, and knew exactly the tempo he wanted on the tune. Oddly, on the finished take, we didn’t get the tempo we had talked about but Billy added just the right touch and McGriff has a great solo. It’s my favorite performance of all the ones I did with those guys." Here's River's Invitation...

JazzWax tracks. Bob Porter's new book, Soul Jazz: Jazz in the Black Community, 1945-1975 (Xlibris), can be found here.

Weekend Wax Bits

With only a week to go until Christmas, there's still time to treat yourself or music-loving family members and friends to my new book, Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hit That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop (Grove). You can buy the book here in the U.S., here in the U.K. or here in Canada. No matter what your taste in music, I know you'll love it.

Listen while you read. If you wish to listen to all 45 songs in my book while you read—or just while working at your computer—go to my free Spotify jukebox here.

In The Wall Street Journal this week, my interview with basketball star Larry Bird, who played with the Boston Celtics for 13 seasons (go here). Larry doesn't do many interviews, and this one on his childhood was truly special.

Also in the WSJ, my interview with film legend Tippi Hedren on Les Brown and Doris Day's Sentimental Journey in 1945 and Tippi's first love (go here).

Gals and Pals. Following my post on European vocalese groups, reader David Chilver wrote:

"Since my original email to you about Sweden's Gals and Pals, I did additional research and discovered something that may explain why the group dropped off the radar after the 1960s. It's quite sad. Beppo Grasman (standing half way up the stepladder in the photo above) who also played trumpet with Charlie Parker when he visited Sweden, suffered from serious depression. He committed suicide in December 1969. Ulla Hallin (standing half way up the ladder directly opposite Beppo) was his longtime lover and was so despondent about his death that she took her own life exactly one month later in 1970. So the group lost two of their members, and although replacements were found, they were never quite the same, understandably. What a tragic story and what a sad loss of two talented artists."

Sonny Rollins. In 1986, Robert Mugge directed a documentary film about Sonny Rollins in performance called Saxophone Colossus. You can view it here...

Jan Lundgren. Following my post on Jan's new appointment as artistic director at the Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, reader Ian Mackenzie sent along a link to a concert by Jan in tribute to Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson...

MPS' Black Forest Studios. Last week, reader Enno Roosink sent along a link to information on MPS Records' studios in Germany's Black Forest as well as a trailer on the label and studios...

Stuck for a gift? Check out Bruce Klauber's Jazz Legends site (go here). There you'll find some great DVDs, CDs and mp3 downloads of Swing-era bands. Included is the little-known documentary on Lester Young, Song of the Spirit (here). To search the site for artists who interest you, go here.

Elizabeth Chan—Five Golden Rings (Merry Bright). Elizabeth is so passionate about holiday music and writes some of the best new Christmas songs around. And wow, can she sing. Her new vocal album is fresh, festive and loaded with joy and good cheer (go here). For more on Elizabeth and her past Christmas albums, go here. Trust me, you're going to thank me for turning you on to Liz and new original holiday songs.

The Classic Big Band Christmas Album (Sony Legacy). If you dig Christmas music from the Swing era, this one will keep you warm. Tracks range from Winter Weather by Benny Goodman with Peggy Lee and Winter Wonderland by Sammy Kaye to Woody Herman's Let It Snow, Glenn Miller's Jingle Bells, Les Brown's Christmas Song and What Are You Doing New Year's Eve by Charlie Spivak. You'll find this album as a download or on vinyl here.

What the heck. Here's a 1964 clip of the Superbs from Los Angeles on American Bandstand singing their sole hit Baby Baby All the Time, with Eleanor ‘Punkin’ Green...

Oddball album cover of the week.

Judging by this album cover, cleaning house was a real gas back in the day. Hard to know who the hands belong to on the right serving coffee (clearly not the husband—he's presumably at work) or what exactly is sitting on that second plate. Based on her wired expression, coffee may not be the most ideal beverage.

Video: Count, Duke and Harry

In 1964 and '65, there were a series of telecasts taped in color and black-and-white at Chicago's WGN-TV featuring Swing-era big bands playing short sets for dancers. The TV segments were then broadcast as a series. Here are sterling mini-sets by Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Harry James...

David Allyn: Radio Interview

One of the finest pure-jazz male vocalists in the LP era was David Allyn. He easily was among the hippest uptempo singers and one of the most heartbreaking balladeers. It's hard not to snap your fingers when David launches into swingers on albums or tear up when he works a vulnerable torch song. David started with trombonist Jack Teagarden in 1941, the same year Frank Sinatra was with trombonist Tommy Dorsey, and the two sound remarkably alike in the late '40s. [Photo above of David Allyn by Olivia Myers at Dizzy's Coca-Cola in New York in 2010]

As great as David was, he should have been bigger and better known. Drugs, prison and the same old story created an unfortunate gap in his career, but he didn't let those things stop him. David had a hard time in the service during World War II, and his post-war problem was battle stress and depression. He also was extremely sensitive and passionately in love with beauty. Yet great arrangers such as Johnny Mandel, Bob Florence and Bill Holman were sympathetic and stuck with him, fully understanding the genius of his vocal talents (you can read my multipart JazzWax interview with David starting here).

Allow me to offer up three tracks so you have a baseline sense of what I'm talking about. Here's David singing Long Ago and Far Away, with an orchestra arranged by Johnny Mandel in 1957...

Long Ago and Far Away

Here's David singing Shake Down the Stars with an orchestra arranged by Bill Holman in 1958...

Shake Down the Stars

And here's David singing Love Is a Serious Thing backed by a band arranged by Bob Florence in 1964...

Love Is a Serious Thing

Now that you get the picture, here's a radio interview of David conducted in April 2003 by Jerry Swanberg and Les Block on Jerry's show Big Band Scene that aired on KBEM-FM in Minneapolis...

David Allyn died in November 2012.

JazzWax note: KSAV.org's interviews for its Johnny Mercer special can be found here.

Ella Fitzgerald: Swinging Xmas

Each December, I carefully select a different album for inclusion in my JazzWax Vintage Holiday Album Hall of Fame. I established this humble institution in 2008 largely to steer you to old-fashioned favorites that may be unknown to you or simply forgotten. As you know, I love holiday music, but I'm constantly frustrated by how many works in the genre are weighed down by artless choices. For a holiday album to resonate from start to finish, it has to have smart song arrangements and a warm vocal that's endearing, not sappy. In the spirit of these parameters, my vintage pick this year is Ella Fitzgerald's Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas.

Arranged and conducted by Frank De Vol and recorded for Verve on July 15 and 16, 1960 at New York's Fine Sound studio, the album has it all—charm, nostalgia and Ella's soulful cheer. Unlike many holiday albums, you don't feel compelled to shop when you hear it. You feel like curling up in front of a fireplace with a loved one or opening a book. And you feel as if you're over at Ella's house.

Unfortunately, the personnel in De Vol's band for this session has never been listed. Someone should set aside time and do the research with the union records. There's a lot of great playing here by musicians who have gone unheralded for too long.

Here's Ella's Sleigh Ride, which, to my ear, features J.J. Johnson on the trombone solos. De Vol's spirited arrangement and Ella's honey-rich voice ahead of the beat creates the sensation of childlike impatience and velocity. Meanwhile, the swing here rocks the sleigh...

Now meet the rest of the JazzWax Vintage Holiday Album Hall of Fame family, in order of their induction with links to Amazon...

2015—Two albums with the same name: Bobby Timmons' Holiday Soul and Don Patterson's Holiday Soul. Both trio albums were recorded for Prestige in Nov. 1964—the former on the 24th and the latter on the 25th.

2014—Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Christmas Album (1968).

2013—Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme's That Holiday Feeling! (1964).

Here are albums that have already been inducted into the JazzWax Holiday Album Hall of Fame... - See more at: http://www.jazzwax.com/2012/11/duke-pearson-merry-ole-soul.html#sthash.V0RZmXiQ.dpuf

2012—Duke Pearson: Merry Ole Soul (1969).

2011—Urbie Green: A Cool Yule Tide (1954). Way out of print, I'm afraid, but here's a track...

Winter Wonderland

2010—Eddie Higgins: Christmas Songs (2004).


2009—June Christy: This Time of Year (1961).


2008—Jo Stafford's Happy Holidays: I Love the Winter Weather (1950s).

Bonus: Here's one of my favorite all-time holiday tracks—Jo Stafford's By the Fireside, from her Ski Trails (1956) album with the Starlighters, arranged by husband Paul Weston...

2015—Two albums with the same name: Bobby Timmons' Holiday Soul and Don Patterson's Holiday Soul. Both trio albums were recorded for Prestige in Nov. 1964—the former on the 24th and the latter on the 25th.

2014—Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Christmas Album (1968).

2013—Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme's That Holiday Feeling! (1964).

Here are albums that have already been inducted into the JazzWax Holiday Album Hall of Fame... - See more at: http://www.jazzwax.com/2012/11/duke-pearson-merry-ole-soul.html#sthash.V0RZmXiQ.dpuf

2012—Duke Pearson: Merry Ole Soul (1969).

2011—Urbie Green: A Cool Yule Tide (1954). Way out of print, I'm afraid, but here's a track...

Winter Wonderland

2010—Eddie Higgins: Christmas Songs (2004).


2009—June Christy: This Time of Year (1961).


2008—Jo Stafford's Happy Holidays: I Love the Winter Weather (1950s).

Bonus: Here's one of my favorite all-time holiday tracks—Jo Stafford's By the Fireside, from her Ski Trails (1956) album with the Starlighters, arranged by husband Paul Weston...

French Twist: Art Pepper + 11

Like most Art Pepper fans, I love the alto saxophonist's 1960 album Art Pepper + Eleven, featuring arrangements by Marty Paich. So imagine my surprise when I came across a video on YouTube of French jazz saxophonist Michael Cheret and his band recreating the entire album at a French club a few years ago. Give a listen to this video survey of the songs performed...

I tracked down Mike and we e-chatted about his love for Art Pepper, the + Eleven album and the club gig:

"I started out on alto saxophone and loved the music of Jackie McLean and Art Pepper. My favorite Pepper album was and probably still is Art Pepper + Eleven. After 15 years on alto, I switched to tenor sax, all but giving up on the alto. But at some point a few years ago, I returned to the alto to form an ensemble to play the + Eleven arrangements.

"I bought the only four arrangements that were available online. They were so marvelous that we didn't touch a thing, and we tried to play them as close to the original recording as possible. Then the ensemble's second trumpet, Vincent Stephan, who is a very good arranger, transcribed the remaining eight songs, which was really big work. We went over them for a few corrections. Sometime it's hard to catch precisely what notes were played when listening to a recording.

"The only other change we made was making sure other members of the band would have a chance to solo rather than just me on alto. I had found the group's excellent musicians in and around Lyon, where I live. Once assembled, we had just two rehearsals.

"Unfortunately, we were able to land just three gigs with the Art Pepper + Eleven songbook. I sent our video clip to every jazz festival in France and not one was interested. It's sad, because I think it's amazing music and the group is fantastic. At each of the three concerts, the audiences really loved it. [Photo above of Ivan Baldet, left, and Michael Cheret during an Al Cohn and Zoot Sims tribute concert this year]

"Anyway, hopefully we will have few concerts with this band in 2017 in France. If so, I'll try to record more and send you the results."

Wow, I wish someone in the States would bring this ensemble to New York or Los Angeles. I'd love to hear them at Smalls. What passion and what a glorious sound! Here's the complete Walkin' Shoes...

JazzWax tracks: Here are albums by Michael Cheret. And here's Art Pepper + Eleven.

Holiday Box 'n' Book Gift Guide

Hunting for something to give yourself or your music-loving loved ones for the holidays? Start with my new book, Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop (Grove). To purchase, go here in the U.S., here in the U.K. or here in Canada.

However, if you already have my book or have ordered it, here are my favorite recently released boxed sets, DVDs, Blue-Ray discs, and music books—from jazz to rock:

Classic Savoy Be-Bop Sessions 1945-49 (Mosaic). Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie weren't the only stars of bebop in the 1940s. The flatted-fifth field included Dexter Gordon, Kai Winding, Allen Eager, J.J. Johnson, Stan Getz, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Dorham, Fats Navarro, Ray Brown, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Serge Chaloff, Kenny Hagood, John Lewis, Leo Parker, Tadd Dameron, Howard McGhee, Brew Moore, Milt Jackson and Gil Fuller, to name just a bunch. These artists were among the many masterful musicians who recorded the complex, hip and jumpy music for the Savoy label from 1945 to '49. The box provides the baseline for modern jazz, when individual soloists replaced bands as stars. A major jazz movement captured by Savoy and warmly remastered on 10 CDs with a 34-page 12-inch booklet with photos and essays by Bop Porter and Neil Tesser. Go here.

Motown: The Sound of Young America (Thames & Hudson). If you dig Motown as much as I do, you'll love this 400-page, large-size book. Beautifully organized and written by Adam White with Barney Ales, Berry Gordy's right-hand man and a highly informed insider, the book is jammed with over 1,000 little-known color and black-and-white photos of Motown artists backstage and performing. Perfect for reading and leafing through while listening to any number of Motown box sets. The book puts the label in historical perspective and explains how the music transcended hits and became the melodic mesh that helped unite the youth culture in the 1960s as the civil rights movement made critical inroads. Go here.

Elvis Presley: The Album Collection (Sony Legacy). This 60-CD set covers Elvis Presley's entire album career, featuring 57 of his LPs in original-cover slip sleeves from 1956 to 1977, plus three new discs of rarities over the three decades. The box comes with a 300-page illustrated hardcover book by Presley scholar John Jackson, discographies and recording session dates, locations and personnel. A full examination of the pop-rock star who owned the 1950s, returned in the 1960s and invented Las Vegas at the dawn of the 1970s as the King of Candlepower. Go here.

Morris Levy: Godfather of the Music Business (University Press of Mississippi). This much-needed biography by Richard Carlin covers the life of this scheming promoter and producer who popped up repeatedly in post-war music history and often in the strangest places. Levy co-founded New York's Birdland jazz club in 1949 and then appeared in the thick of R&B and rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, weaseling the publishing rights to hundreds of songs while adding his name and pseudonyms to writing credits on songs that weren't his to skim royalties. He also was involved with the payola scandals of the decade. By the late 1950s, Levy founded Roulette, which recorded some of Count Basie's and Maynard Ferguson's finest recordings. Levy, however, also used the label as a front for organized crime's infiltration into the record business, a relationship that continued into the 1970s and '80s. Prior to being sentenced to prison after a federal sting operation, Levy died in 1990 at 62. If you want to know what killed jazz in the early '60s, don't blame the Beatles. Start with Levy and the mob Go here.

The Band: The Last Waltz 40th Anniversary (Rhino). On Thanksgiving Day in 1976, The Band held its farewell concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco before breaking up. Performers included Bob Dylan, Paul Butterfield, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr, Dr. John, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, the Staple Singers and Eric Clapton. The concert was captured by director Martin Scorsese and released in 1978 as The Last Waltz. The new deluxe set includes four CDs of music with outtakes, and a Blue-Ray version of the documentary. (Go here).

David Bowie: Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) (Rhino/Parlophone). Last year, Rhino/Parlophone released David Bowie: Five Years (1960-1973), a superbly remastered 10-CD box of Bowie's albums featuring studio albums (from Space Oddity to Pinups), with two live albums, a remix of Ziggy Stardust and two CDs of assorted tracks. Now comes a 12-CD followup—David Bowie: Who Can I Be Now. It includes Diamond Dogs, David Live, a remix of David Live, The Gouster, Young Americans, Station to Station, a remix of Station to Station, a live Station to Station concert at New York's Nassau Coliseum in 1976, and a CD with a collection of tracks. The liners include essays from producer Tony Visconti and Harry Maslin as well as original interviews from the era. (Go here). 

The TAMI Show and the Big T.N.T. Show (Shout Factory). In the early 1960s, before multi-city sports-arena tours and rock festivals, executive producer Henry Saperstein cashed in on the teen craze by staging and taping a revue-style concert and then distributing it on film at movie theaters nationwide. It was a brilliant concept that paved the way for TV specials, pay per view, video on demand, and streaming. Two Saperstein movie-theater events were The TAMI Show, taped in October 1964 in Los Angeles and released in December, and The Big T.N.T. Show, a sequel also taped in Los Angeles in 1965 and shown in '66. Both are now united on a Blu-Ray disc featuring interviews with select artists who performed (Go here—Blu-Ray only).

Rahsaan Roland Kirk: The Case of the Three-Sided Dream (Arthaus). Director Adam Kahan's documentary of the blind jazz woodwind dynamo shows off the many sides of the artist. Now on DVD and Blue-Ray, the documentary features live concert footage, archival footage from the 1960s and 1970s and interviews with Kirk’s collaborators. Also featured are clips from Super 8 home-movie footage given to Kahan by Kirk's wife, Dorthaan. (Go here).

Lou Reed: The RCA & Arista Album Collection (Sony Legacy). Reed, who died in 2013, recorded with the Velvet Underground in the late 1960s. But he also had a game-changing solo career starting in the early '70s. Much of the music on these studio and live works was arguably more fascinating than his earlier proto-punk recordings. This new 17-CD set includes LPs, from Lou Reed (Apri 1972) to Mistrial (June 1986). The box was supervised by Reed and was his last project before he died. (Go here—CD, download and vinyl)

Weekend Wax Bits

My new book, Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changed Rock, R&B and Pop, continues to be a strong seller, holding the #2 positions in several music categories at Amazon. This past week, I taped One-on-One with Steve Adubato for NJTV and was interviewed by 15 radio stations around the country. An mp3 of my MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) interview with Kerri Miller on Dec. 6 can be downloaded here (search for my name) while my Wisconsin Public Radio interview with Kathleen Dunn can be heard here.

The book is a perfect holiday gift and there's still plenty of time to buy one or more copies. To purchase, go here in the U.S., here in the U.K. or here in Canada. Thank you one and all for your support.

Want to listen to all the songs in Anatomy of a Song while you're reading the book's chapters? You can! I've put together all 45 songs in a free Spotify jukebox (go here).

In the Wall Street Journal this week, my "House Call" interview with The Daily Show's Trevor Noah (go here) on growing up in apartheid South Africa and why he says he was "born a crime" and had to avoid his parents in public.

Also in the WSJ, my "Playlist" chat with novelist T.C. Boyle on the Blues Project’s Who Do You Love? T.C. was actually at New York's Cafe au Go Go in November 1965 when the band's album, Live at the Cafe Au Go Go, was recorded (go here).

David Bowie. Remember the print of David Bowie I held up several weeks ago in Toronto as famed rock photographer John Rowlands held up my book? Well, John's iconic image of The Archer just went up on the front of the Port Authority Terminal in New York on 8th Ave. and 42nd St. as part of new Twitter Billboard campaign (above). The image is 100 times larger than the print and captures Bowie onstage at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto during his 1976 Station to Station tour. The Twitter campaign highlights the most "talked about" people of 2016. For more on John, go here and here.

Sonny Rollins. Following my post on a new Sonny Rollins Trio/Horace Silver Quintet CD recorded in Zurich in 1959 last week, Sonny had this to say:

While this recording is indeed legal under Swiss law, to release a broadcast such as this after the 50-year copyright period has expired, without any payment or even notification to the artists involved, is unfair. Although this may be a "legal" release according to Swiss law, it remains, in my view, illegal and completely unauthorized. I never entered into any agreement at any time with these people or with anyone for a recording to be made of our performance or for it to be released.

Bud Powell x 2. Director Raymond De Felitta sent along a link to this stunning Bud Powell clip...

I'll sweeten the Powell post with this one from 1960 with bassist Charles Mingus, Eric Dolphy on alto sax, Ted Curson on trumpet, Booker Ervin on tenor sax, Bud Powell on piano and Dannie Richmond on drums...

Bobby Scott fans should know that his early piano trio recordings for Bethlehem, Savoy and ABC-Paramount are available on Bobby Scott Trio: Early Sessions1954-55 (Fresh Sound) here.

The Edsel Show that aired on CBS in October 1957 featured Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Rosemary Clooney. This clip comes courtesy of Margy Bloom. While a tad stiff around the edges, largely a result of the year and the sponsor, there's loads of Pops, solid Clooney and fresh Frank... 

Nutty Squirrels. Brett Gold sent along this clip of the Nutty Squirrels (Don Elliott's vocal and technological wizardry) in the late 1950s singing Salt Peanuts. The YouTube page features a solid history of the concept and execution...

Nina Simone. Jim Eigo of Jazz Promotion Services sent along a link to a site with color images by David Hollander of singer Nina Simone during her studio recording of Nina Simone Sings the Blues, released in 1967. Go here.

Jan Lundgren has been named artistic director of the famed Jazzhus Montmartre club in Copenhagen. For more on the appointment of the famed Swedish jazz pianist, check out Jan's fan site hosted by Guy Jones here. Jazz musicians looking for club bookings can reach out to Jan at [email protected].

Leslie Pintchik. Pianist Leslie Pintchik appeared at Kitano in New York last week and received a lovely review by Allen Morrison for Down Beat's website. To read, go here.


Mono to stereo. A new site, monotoSTEREO.info, provides a collection of resources for people interested in up-mixing older mono source material to stereo through audio spectral editing, sound source separation, and related processes. Obviously, the site isn't for the average JazzWax reader, but I know that a good number of you are rather sophisticated when it comes to audio and particular about your fidelity. Go here.

What the heck. Here's Redbone in 1974 on Midnight Special singing their #5 Billboard pop hit Come and Get Your Love...

Oddball album cover of the week.

Dr. Benjamin Spock's The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care was first published in 1946. In 1958, at the tail end of Rosemary Clooney's contract with Columbia, she recorded a 7-inch EP for the label produced by Gerber Baby Food. Clooney read a poem on the first side and sang go-to-sleep music on the flip. Despite the odd cover—you don't expect to see Clooney's name on a vinyl child-owner's manual—the record was actually quite wonderful...

Count Basie: Europe, 1972 + '76

In 1972 and '76, the Count Basie Orchestra was touring in Europe. Two concerts were filmed, possibly for TV, and are up as one at YouTube. The first took place in Copenhagen. As best I can tell, the band in 1972 featured Paul Cohen, Sonny Cohn, George Minger and Waymon Reed (tp); Al Grey, Mel Wanzo, Bill Hughes and John Watson, Sr. (tb); Eric Dixon (fl,ts); Curtis Peagler and Bobby Plater (as); Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (ts); John C. Williams (bar); Count Basie (p); Freddie Green (g); Norman Keenan (b); Harold Jones (d) and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and Joe Williams (v).

The band in the second half was recorded at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen in 1976 and seems to have featured Sonny Cohn, George "Pete" Minger, Bobby Mitchell, Jack Feyerman (tp); John Thomas (tp,flhrn); Al Grey, Curtis Fuller, Mel Wanzo (tb) Bill Hughes (b-tb); Bobby Plater (as,cl); Danny Turner (as); Jimmy Forrest (ts); Eric Dixon (ts,fl-1); Charlie Fowlkes (bar); Count Basie (p); Freddie Green (g); John Duke (b) and Butch Miles (d). Dig the spectacular tenor sax solo by Jimmy Forrest!

Get that hot cocoa ready. Here's more than two hours of the Count Basie Orchestra in Copenhagen in 1972 and 1976...

Euro Jazz Vocal Groups

Most jazz fans are familiar with leading American jazz vocal groups of the late 1950s and early '60s. These hip harmony-rich ensembles included the Four Freshmen, the Hi-Lo's, Lambert Hendricks and Ross, the Axidentals, the Pat Moran Quartet, the John Lasalle Quartet, the Metronomes and so many others. But did you know there were vocalese groups in France, Britain and Sweden during this period as well?

Here's France's Les Double Six de Paris singing Boplicity and Rat Race...

Here's Britain's Mike Sammes Singers singing Pick Yourself Up...

Here's Sweden's Gals and Pals in 1964 singing Varför ska jag va med?, a vocalese rendition of Oliver Nelson's Miss Fine, with Frank Foster's Shiny Stockings worked in...

And as a bonus, here's Gals and Pals singing Água de Beber...

A special thanks to David Chilver.