Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I had the pleasure of interviewing Robert Wagner, a TV hero of my 1960s youth (go here). I loved watching RJ in It Takes a Thief, the adventure series (1968-70) about a professional cat burglar. We talked about his Detroit childhood, his wealthy father and their running battles over his acting career. I also had a chance to chat briefly with RJ's wife, Jill St. John (Diamonds Are Forever). Hey someone has to do it! Of course, RJ also was in TV's Hart to Hart and the Austin Powers comedy film series as No. 2. Here's Dave Grusin's theme for It Takes a Thief...
Julian Moore in London snapped the photo above of Anatomy of a Song on sale at London's Hatchards, a bookshop on Piccadilly that was founded in 1797, five years after George Washington's re-election, and the oldest bookseller in Britain. Hail Britannia!
Fran DeFeo of Fran DeFeo PR snapped the above photo at the entrance to Levin & Company book store in Healdsburg, Calif.
And Brett Gold took the one above at Barnes & Nobles on the Third St. Promenade in Santa Monica, Calif. Thanks one and all for sending the photos along!
To buy Anatomy of a Song in the U.S. at Amazon, go here; in the U.K. go here; and in Canada go here.
Max Roach radio. On Monday, Jan. 9, at 11:59 p.m. (EST), WKCR-FM in New York will begin its 24-hour "Max Roach Birthday Broadcast," playing the music of the drummer all the way through Tuesday. You can listen to the show from anywhere in the world on your computer by going here.
Margy Bloom, ever the design romantic, is always on the prowl in Los Angeles for forgotten parts of town that transport you back to another era. At the intersection of Anaheim St. and Gaffey St., in an area near the ocean south of LAX that's fairly barren except for underground oil wells, her eye caught this short Moderne bridge that either was built in 1945 or sits at one-nine-four-five—the street address. Either way, nifty. To get you in the mood, here's Jerry Goldsmith's Chinatown (1974) love theme...
Bret Primack sent along this one of Jerry Lewis miming to Count Basie's Cute, arranged by Neal Hefti, in Cinderfella (1960)...
Jim Eigo of Jazz Promo Services sent along the following clip, which he received from drummer Adam Nussbaum. The clip features the ever-cool Shelly Manne backing the Jackson 5 at the 1974 Grammy Awards as they sing-announce the nominees...
Aurin Primack sent along the photo above, taken c. 1955 at Birdland in New York. From left, Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington and perhaps Bob Garrity a DJ with WINS radio who had a late-night show from the club.
Sonny Rollins revised his statement about The Sonny Rollins Trio & Horace Silver Quintet: Zurich 1959, the Swiss Radio Days Jazz Series album I posted about back in early December (here):
"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 notifying the artists involved, is unfair. Although this may be a 'legal' release according to Swiss law, it remains, in my view, 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."
Scott Wenzel of Mosaic Records sent along a video clip of Sammy Price and his septet in 1959 playing One O'Clock Jump. The video features Doc Cheatham (tp), Eddie Barefield (as), Elmer Crumley and J.C. Higgimbotham (tb), Sammy Price (p)m Jimmy Lewis (b) and J.C. Heard (d)...
What the heck. Here's Sugar Pie DeSanto in England in 1964 singing Baby What You Want Me to Do...
Oddball album cover of the week.
If there were bows playing single notes on these fiddles, we could call them drones. Instead, it looks as if they became wet and someone hung them out to dry on fishing line. Or it's the attack of the killer Strads. Either way, Zach's strings are even more "sensational" than he thought.
