In 1959, trumpeter Chet Baker was in Europe touring and recording. An addict since the early 1950s, Baker found scoring drugs abroad relatively easy. But when his connections in Italy dried up, he began visiting doctors, complaining of headaches and leaving with charitable prescriptions. From May through July 1960, Baker filled 23 prescriptions for Palfium—a narcotic three times more powerful than morphine but shorter-lasting—from a single doctor in Lucca, to be dosed through a syringe.
In the summer of '60, Baker overdosed and was detained in Lucca along with the doctors who had been supplying his habit. In April 1961, Baker was convicted and sentenced to 16 months in prison but released in December. He found studio and film work in Italy and remained there until 1964, when he was busted in Germany and deported.
During his time in Italy, Baker made a surrealist film in 1963 directed by Italian filmmaker Enzo Nasso. The short movie was called Tromba Fredda (Cold Trumpet). While the film is a bit heady and stale by today's standards, we do get to see a disheveled, demon-riddled Baker performing a role and to hear his original pained score...
Jazz was in a strange place in the 1980s. I remember being fresh out of college and working my first job in New York. There were plenty of clubs in town, but other than the big ones where legends performed, the scene was fairly run down and mighty thin on young people in the audience. The excitement of fusion in the 1970s had led to synthpop and funk in the '80s, and the action was all on MTV and at arena concerts. Smaller pop acts commanded big fees and full houses at clubs in Greenwich Village, but acoustic jazz musicians trying to earn a living had it rough, and recording opportunities were drying up fast for them as larger labels had trouble with sales. [Photo above of the late pianist Hod O'Brien with his wife, singer Stephanie Nakasian]
Many American jazz musicians headed off to Europe, where they were adored at the dozens of clubs located in large cities and smaller towns. Europe still had sophisticated taste then and hadn't experienced the youth-culture overhaul of the States. Over there, radio was tightly regulated and didn't play as big a role in shaping the culture. In Europe, American jazz musicians found a sanctuary and compatriots. A number of artists had moved there in the '70s and established beachheads while those who still lived in the U.S. found plenty of touring opportunities there with solid local sidemen.
Two American musicians who found themselves in Europe in 1986 were pianist Hod O'Brien and tenor saxophonist Sal Nistico (photo above, by Joe Knaepen). Backed by Harry Emmery on bass and John Engels on drums, O'Brien and Nistico appeared at the Porgy & Bess Club in Terneuzen, the Netherlands on Dec. 13, 1986. Fortunately, Joop van der Leij was there as well. Joop has always been a big Hod O'Brien fan and a gifted recording engineer. Over the years, he taped virtually everything O'Brien recorded in Europe between 1984 and 2015, with O'Brien's permission, of course, and gratitude. He also prepared a complete O'Brien discography. O'Brien died in November 2016.
Last week, O'Brien's wife, singer Stephanie Nakasian, sent along Hod O'Brien Meets Sal Nistico: Live From the Netherlands, recorded by Joop at that Netherlands club. The album features seven tracks—Quasimodo, But Beautiful, Airegin, Indian Summer, Minority, My Old Flame and I'll Remember April. Nistico had mellowed a bit by 1986 but he still had a sharp bite in his attack and was fleet in technique. The big surprise though is O'Brien.
On this album, O'Brien (above) exceeds even himself, providing us with exceptional examples of what made his playing style and solos so exciting. I found I couldn't wait for O'Brien to solo on each track. The sheer beauty and fluidity of his playing is stunning. I'm hard pressed to name another live O'Brien album that exceeds this one. It was a great night for him. As Stephanie said to me last night by email when I told her my thoughts, "That's what Hod said when he heard the tape. He said, 'I think its some of my best playing. I wish we could release this.' So we did."
Jazz has plenty of selfless heroes—those who recorded musicians in their prime, with their permission, so we have evidence of their miraculous talents. Joop is one of those heroes. The same goes for Stephanie for releasing this album and many others by her husband.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Hod O'Brien Meets Sal Nistico: Live From the Netherlands here.
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed singer-guitarist Melissa Etheridge for my "House Call" column (go here). Melissa, who has won an Oscar and a Grammy, started playing professionally at age 12. Her new album, Memphis Rock and Soul is terrific. Here's Melissa singing Respect Yourself from the album...
For my WSJ "Playlist" column, I interviewed Brian Tyree Henry who stars in TV's dramatic comedy series Atlanta (go here). His favorite song is But Not for Me by Chet Baker in 1954 for tragic reasons.
Tony Bennett. Following my post last week on the YouTube clip I found of Tony Bennett singing Pennies From Heaven on the streets of New York at night in 1958 with a pack of kids, director Raymond De Felitta (Movies 'Til Dawn) sent along an email:
"I’m pretty sure that was done on a set and not in the streets. First, it wasn't shot on film; its video, which wouldn't have been flexible enough to shoot an outdoor night exterior with available light. Second, I doubt they would have trusted the elements to do the fire hydrant stunts—those scenes would have to have been controlled by a propman's rigging. Of course, the Esso station is a great touch, and the two moving vehicles help sell it as an exterior, but I'd bet it was done inside on a large NBC sound stage." Wow, they had me fooled. The magic of TV!
Bossa Nova in New York. New York's Birdland will host two bossa nova legends on Feb. 7-11—keyboardist and singer-songwriter Marcos Valle (Summer Samba, The Face I Love and so many more) and guitarist and singer-songwriter Celso Fonseca (Slow Motion Bossa Nova and others). Produced by Pat Philips, the showcase brings to New York the authentic sound of the legendary music by the artists who play it best. Also joining the legendary pair will be vocalist Patricia Alvi, famed Brazilian drummer Renato Massa, the amazing Itaiguara Brandao on bass and exciting trumpeter Jesse Sadoc, all from Brazil. I'll be there. For more information, go here. And here's a taste of the music you'll experience...
Here's Celso Fonseca singing his Slow Motion Bossa Nova...
Johnny Hartman radio. On Sunday at 9 a.m. (EST), Danny O'Bryan will be airing his 1978 interview with singer Johnny Hartman on his Jazz Insights radio show on WFPK in Louisville, Ky. Tune in from anywhere in the world on your computer by going here.
Roy Eldridge radio. WKCR-FM in New York will be airing its annual "Roy Eldridge Birthday Broadcast" on Monday Jan. 30, celebrating the career of the legendary jazz trumpeter. The show will play Eldridge's music for 24 hours, starting Sunday night at 11:59 PM (EST) and continuing all day and night on Monday. You can tune in from anywhere in the world on your computer by going here.
Maynard Ferguson. Saxophonist Bill Kirchner sent along a link to a super Maynard Ferguson discography. Go here.
What the heck:Here's the late Mary Tyler Moore singing One for My Baby...
Oddball album cover of the week.
I'm unclear why a woman being kissed would be delighted to see a lens in her face, but there you have it. As imagined, this album of early '50s movie themes is pretty dreary...
By 1966, work slowed considerably for bassist and leader Charles Mingus. He hadn't recorded a studio album since 1963 (Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus, Mingus for Impulse), and live dates in 1965 were largely in Europe. Unable to pay the rent on his loft on Manhattan's Great Jones St. in 1966, he was evicted that November along with his furnishings, music and bass and arrested after the police found hypodermic needles and a rifle in the loft. After his arrest, Mingus was able to convince the police that the needles were for vitamin C injections and that the rifle was properly licensed. The apartment Mingus subleased was supposed to be a music school he planned to start, but never did.
During this period, Thomas Reichman filmed a documentary of Mingus expounding on a range of socio-political topics of the day and captured Mingus being evicted and arrested. We see what happens when a brilliant jazz artist tries to make sense of his times just as he's losing his currency and status. In the years that followed, Mingus would tour relentlessly to earn a living but wouldn't record in the studio again until 1971 (Let My Children Hear Music for Columbia).
Reichman's documentary, Charles Mingus 1968, was released in May of that year. It recently went up at YouTube and is a fascinating time capsule. Reichman died at age 30 in 1975 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Here is the documentary, with cameos by Sue Mingus (above), Mingus's daughter Caroline, drummer Dannie Richmond, saxophonist Charles McPherson, and pianist Walter Bishop Jr. The footage of Mingus performing was filmed at Lennie's on the Turnpike in Peabody, Mass. Sue and Charles Mingus met in 1964 and would be "married" in 1966 by Allen Ginsberg and then officially married in 1975. Caroline was Mingus's daughter with his wife, Judy.
The reason most jazz orchestras steer clear of the James Bond catalog is fear of ridicule. Bond music is deceptively difficult. To be convincing, the feel has to be sultry while the attack must be elephantine and brassy. Anything short of these qualities in the music's scope and sound will come off as lightweight and silly. So last week, when I saw the album Nobody Does It Better: The CCM Jazz Orchestra as James Bond (Summit), I had two simultaneous reactions—skepticism and pity. Yet another orchestra landing in 007's trap. [Photo above of Scott Belck, director of the CCM Jazz Orchestra]
Imagine my surprise when I put on the CD and found myself captivated by the music. The arrangements are inventive and take liberties, but they blissfully meet all of my Bond criteria. Mind you, I'm no Bond piker. I have upward of 60 Bond-related albums, including the soundtracks, contemporary interpretations, big-band and small-group jazz covers, Latin approaches and the instrumentals by the U.K.'s Roland Shaw. I like my Bond music big, sassy, swinging and menacing. Mission accomplished here.
CCM stands for the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music. CCM is directed by Scott Belck, who for this project contacted Sex Mob's slide trumpeter, composer and arranger Steven Bernstein (above) to collaborate on a Bond orchestral album based on Sex Mob's Sex Mob Does Bond from 2001. Belck wanted to super-size Sex Mob's small-band arrangements. In effect, the new album is a big-band treatment of the Sex Mob album, excluding Sex Mob's Teasing the Korean, 007, Oddjob's Pressing Engagement, Bond Back in Action and Over and Out, with the addition here of You Only Live Twice and Thunderball. The latter two were arranged by CCM baritone saxophonist Joe Duran. [Photo above of Steven Bernstein]
Bernstein's slide-trumpet playing throughout is gloriously ruminative and daring. The songs on the new CCM album are Dr. Yes (a Bernstein original); This Never Happened to the Other Feller from On Her Majesty's Secret Service;Battle at Piz Gloria from the same soundtrack; Bond With Bongos from From Russia With Love; Dawn Raid on Fort Knox from Goldfinger;Nobody Does It Better from The Spy Who Loved Me;You Only Live Twice and Thunderball.
Now, of course, I'm on a Bond jag and probably will be all day as I write.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Nobody Does It Better: The CCM Jazz Orchestra as James Bond (Summit) here.
JazzWax clip: Here's You Only Live Twice, with solos by tenor saxophonist Josh Kline and guitarist Joe Wittman...
Whenever I put on a Warne Marsh recording, I don't think of him as a jazz musician. Rather, I imagine the tenor saxophonist as an architect and that I'm looking at his designs rather than listening to musical notes. It's hard to explain. For me, when Marsh plays, I hear a firm grasp on geometric structure. There's a bold cubist feel to his improvisation that builds. Which is why I love looking at architecture when I listen to him.
One of Marsh's finest recordings from the 1970s is Warne Marsh: The Unissued 1975 Copenhagen Studio Recordings. Recorded on Dec. 28, 1975 and released in 2014, the album features Warne Marsh (ts), Dave Cliff (g), Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (b) and Alan Levitt (d). The 11 tracks were recorded at a Copenhagen studio for the Storyville label. The tracks include mostly standards—After You've Gone, The Song Is You, It's You Or No One, God Bless the Child, The Way You Look Tonight, Without a Song, You Don't Know What Love Is and Be My Love. The exceptions are Blues in G Flat and Lennie-Bird.
All are great modernist architectural works. As you listen to the track below from the album, here are great buildings from the period to view—but do so emotionally. Let the beauty of the shapes and design enter your consciousness:
Minoru Yamasaki's Twin Towers in New York (1973)...
Henry Cobb's John Hancock Tower in Boston (1976)...
Richard Meier's Douglas House in Harbor Springs, Mich. (1973)...
Philip Johnson and John Burgee's Penzoil Place in Houston (1975)...
Roche-Dinkeloo's U. N. Plaza in New York (1975)...
Hugh Stubbins' Citicorp Center in New York (1978) [Photo by Marc Myers]...
As you look at these buildings and listen to Marsh develop his solos, imagine he's creating lengthy, seamless geometric statements that rely more on volume and total impact from every angle than mere bursts of songbook interpretation and excitement. Once you feel the parallel, you'll understand the connection I feel between the geometric lightness of Marsh's dry, cool jazz and modern architecture's sculptural simplicity from roughly the same period.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Warne Marsh: The Unissued 1975 Copenhagen Studio Recordings (Storyville) here.
On Sunday, June 29, 1958, Tony Bennett appeared on NBC's Steve Allen Show to sing two songs. The first, Young and Warm and Wonderful, had been released weeks earlier by Tony on Columbia and reached #23 on the Billboard pop chart.
The second song is the one of much greater interest. Buried at 1:50 on the following video clip, Tony sings (or lip syncs to his own voice recorded in the studio) Pennies from Heaven out on the street with "neighborhood kids"...
Bob Waldman sent along the link several weeks ago and we tried to figure out where exactly the endearing clip was filmed. On the show, they try to make it seem as if the filming was done right outside the stage door of the theater where the Steve Allen Show was broadcast. But that's impossible.
As Bob noted, the old Colonial Theater was at 1887 Broadway, at W. 62nd St. As any sharp-eyed New York knows, the street shown isn't Broadway (the one in the clip is a one-way street), and it's way too wide to be 62nd St. or any other one-way cross street. The only business in the clip that's completely evident is an Esso gas station. I tried to see if the New York City maps that Esso printed in the 1950s featured the locations of its stations, but they didn't bother to do that then.
Also clear is that there doesn't appear to be residences on either side of the street, which tells me it was filmed on the West Side in the high 50s or low 60s, a commercial area where many TV film sound stages were located. Since you can't see illuminated skyscrapers in the background of the clip, I'm also assuming Tony and the kids moved from north to south or from west to east, since north and west would be the darkest backdrops. And since there were so many kids used as bystander extras, it's doubtful the clip was filmed late at, say, 3 a.m.
If someone out there has a Manhattan Yellow Pages from the 1950s, please look up where Esso Stations were located on the Upper West Side. I'll take a wild guess that this was filmed on Amsterdam Ave. in the low 60s, which had begun to be cleared out by 1958 to make way for the development of Lincoln Center.
As for the children, they're clearly ringers, since they move and perform like Broadway show kids. I did reach out to Tony, but he couldn't recall exactly where Pennies From Heaven was filmed, only that the music back then was a blast: "It was a great era because everyone was performing very intelligent, well-written songs. Steve Allen always had us do the best American music on his shows."
In 1972, guitarist Dennis Coffey had a hit with the funk-soul instrumental Scorpio, which reached #6 on the Billboard pop chart. He had been there many times before as a member of Motown's Funk Brothers house band. That's Coffey's wah-wah guitar on the Temptations' Cloud Nine, Ball of Confusion and Psychedelic Shack. Coffey also can be heard on Diana Ross & the Supremes' Someday We'll Be Together and Freda Payne's Band of Gold as well as many other soul-funk hits.
In addition to his sterling career as a soul sideman, Coffey had a dynamic album career between 1969 and 2011, including one of the finest scores for a blaxploitation film—Black Belt Jones (1974). His funk-soul studio albums have been delightfully inventive and complex, particularly his provocative instrumental covers of It's Your Thang, Get Back, Whole Lotta Love, Never Can Say Goodbye and Fame. His Garden of the Moon from Evolution (1971) is a fascinating rock-funk work; Finger Lickin' Good (1976), released in the middle of the disco era, includes punchy dance tracks; and Back Home (1977) is a clever mix of dance, funk and soul.
Now, thanks to Resonance Records and producer Zev Feldman (and co-producer Kevin Goins), Coffey's discography starts in 1968 instead of '69. The newly released Dennis Coffey: Hot Coffey in the D features seven previously unreleased tracks that were recorded in 1968. Surprisingly, they showcase Coffey's acid rock-jazz side that I never knew existed.
In '68, when Coffey and his band appeared at Morey Baker's Showplace Lounge in Detroit (Coffey's hometown), the trio featured Coffey (g), Lyman Woodard (organ) and Melvin Davis (d). Coffey recorded his group's performance but wasn't able to stir label interest in the material. So he kept the reels on the shelf until recently, when record producer Goins hipped Zev to Coffey's desire to release it.
On the album, we hear Coffey's fuzz and wah-wah guitar on a range of rock-funk originals as well as covers of By the Time I Get to Phoenix, The Look of Love and Herbie Hancock's Maiden Voyage. There are quite a few surprises here. For one, the fidelity is studio quality, which is amazing given the live venue. Second, Coffey, who was a seasoned studio musician at the time, outshines many of his rock-guitar contemporaries. And third, other than Sly and the Family Stone, I'm hard-pressed to think of another rock-funk band at this point in time let alone a trio. While the organ and drums give the music a soulful feel, Coffey's guitar is pure rock. Clearly, Coffey was way ahead of his time here. Glorious music from a gifted artist who has flown below the radar of most music fans. But now that you know about him, you're in for a treat as you explore his discography. Just be sure to start at the beginning—Hot Coffey in the D.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Dennis Coffey: Hot Coffey in the D (Resonance) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Coffey's take on Milton Middlebrook and Jo Armstead's Casanova (Your Playing Days Are Over), which was first released by Ruby Andrews in 1967...
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin on her unusual childhood and what she's doing now to deal with her disappointing performance at the Rio Summer Olympic Games last year (go here).
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed London-based fragrance entrepreneur Jo Malone on her favorite song—Miley Cyrus's The Climb, from the movie Hannah Montana (go here). Jo went through tough times when she sold her Jo Malone fragrance line to Estée Lauder, including cancer. Jo now heads up the fragrance company Jo Loves.
Clark Terry. Saxophonist Bill Kirchner sent along a fabulous video of the Clark Terry Big BAD Band last week with Horace Parlan on piano. The personnel: Clark Terry (tp, flug); Stan Shafran, Vince DiMartino, Oscar Gamby and Richard Williams (tp); Sonny Costanza, Richard Boone and Jimmy Wilkins (tb); Jack Jeffers (bass tb; tuba) Chris Woods, Arnie Lawrence, Jimmy Heath, Ernie Wilkins NS Bobby Johanson (saxes, woodwinds); Horace Parlan (p); Eddie Jones (b) and Grady Tate (drums). Here's the video...
Martin Luther King Jr. Following my post last week on jazz tributes to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., Fran Morris Rosman of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation reminded me of Ella's It's Up to Me and You. Ella wrote the words and music, and it was released by Capitol as a single in 1968. Ella hits some unusual high notes, particularly at the end. Here's the single...
Mitch Seidman sent along Herbie Hancock's I Have a Dream, from Hancock's album The Prisoner (1969)...
And Bill Kirchner recommended Dizzy Gillespie's Brother K,from The Source (1973)...
Don and Hank. Pianist Joe Alterman sent along a photo that Sandie Wilson (wife of the late pianist Jack Wilson) took a few years ago of late pianists Don Friedman (left) and Hank Jones. Read my review of Joe's new album here.
Teddy Reig. Ed Etkins found the caricature above of Roulette producer Teddy Reig in the Maynard Ferguson archives at the University of North Texas, where the Ferguson and Stan Kenton libraries are housed. Apparently it was listed as #200 in the band's book of arrangements. Ed notes: "I have made nine trips to the University of North Texas, mostly to document the Ferguson collection and to create scores, provide missing parts and identify untitled manuscripts. Back in the day no one would have attached any historical significance to Ferguson's music, and judging by the condition of most of it, his charts were sadly neglected. Kenton had a librarian, and his library shows far more care with careful repairs to manuscripts going back to the 49's."
What the heck. Here's Maynard Ferguson in December 1958 playing Bill Holman's arrangement of Don'cha Go 'Way Mad from Ferguson's Swingin' My Way Through College. The band: Maynard Ferguson (tp,v-tb); Bill Chase, Larry Moser and Jerry Tyree (tp); Slide Hampton and Don Sebesky (tb,arr); Jimmy Ford (as); Carmen Leggio and Willie Maiden (ts); John Lanni (bar); Bob Dogan (p); Jimmy Rowser (b) and Frankie Dunlop (d)...
This 10-inch LP from the early 1950s was fairly typical of Pennsylvania's Essex Records. The label featured mostly syrupy mood music while its covers displayed female models in various states of ecstasy. The covers were an attempt to make the music seem irresistible to bachelors fresh from the liquor store searching record stores for relaxing first-date music. Or promising female buyers an exotic break from the drudge of housecleaning and brats who won't shut up. Here's a sample from the album...
By 1946, African-American casts were making musical films geared for theater distribution nationwide, not just movie houses in African-American communities. In 1947, one independent production company, Herald Pictures, hired Arthur Leonard to direct an hour-long film called Boy! What a Girl!, starring bassist Slam Stewart, drummer Big Sid Catlett, the Brown Dots vocal group and others. The film was shot at New York's Fox Movietone Studio on 10th Ave. and 54th St.
At some point, Gene Krupa dropped by the set to visit friend and drummer Catlett, and Leonard coaxed him into appearing in the movie. The film also featured Tim Moore, a vaudeville comedian who dressed in drag, and it included the song Satchel Mouth Baby performed by pianist Mary Lou Williams and Betti Mays singing Crazy Riffin' by Walter Gil Fuller. Catlett and Krupa solo on Fuller's song. Based on the credits, it looks like all the artists in the film were managed by Billy Shaw, who in the pre-TV age clearly was seeking wider visibility for his clients.
Here's an abreviated version of Boy! What a Girl!...
Here's the complete film with the Mary Lou Williams scene and longer drum solos by Catlett and Krupa...
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of 55 More Songs," "Anatomy of a Song," "Rock Concert: An Oral History" and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards.
