On June 20, the U.S. Library of Congress announced that Tony Bennett is the winner of this year's Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Tony will accept the prize in Washington, D.C., in November. Congratulations, Tony! In celebration, I've drilled down deep into the YouTube vaults for rare video clips of the American Songbook singer:
Here's Tony recording The Trolley Song for his Movie Song Album in 1966 (Al Cohn arranged; I can pick out Zoot Sims and Al Cohn in the reed section; that's producer Ernie Altschuler with the cigar and Johnny Mandel conducting)...
Here's Tony in 1971 singing The Trolley Song with the London Philharmonic..
Here's Tony on the Tom Jones Show in 1969 singing If I Ruled the World...
Here's Tony singing The Shadow of Your Smile from his Movie Song Album in 1966...
Here's Tony on the Steve Allen Plymouth Show in 1960. Songs covered are Taking a Chance on Love, Solitude and Sing You Sinners (move the time bar to 3:18)...
And here's Tony singing I Am from the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas on the Nat King Cole Show in 1957...
Geri Allen, a jazz pianist and composer with a deeply personal approach to standards and original works who explored a lyrical and tender side of the avant-garde, died on June 27 of cancer. She was 60. [Photo above courtesy of Geri Allen]
Early in her career in the 1980s, Geri recorded extensively with saxophonist Oliver Lake and with bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Paul Motian. Into the 1990s and beyond, Geri seemed to add more and more earthiness and soul to her explorations than many avant-garde jazz pianists at the time. For Geri, the outer-fringes was less about power playing and speed and more about emotionalism, romanticism and sensitivity. In this regard, there was always a special depth and ethereal quality to her playing, akin to Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock.
Giovanni Russonello has a beautiful obit on Geri in today's New York Times. Go here.
I interviewed Geri for JazzWax in January 2012, a conversation I originally posted in three parts. What I remember from our conversation was how open and transparent she was, unafraid to expose her feelings and reasoning. As with her music, a talk with Geri was an adventure.
In tribute to Geri and so her music won't be forgotten, here are all three parts of my interview combined:
JazzWax: You were born in Pontiac, Mich.? Geri Allen: Yes, and so was my brother, Mount. My mom and her family were from Pontiac. But when I was very young, my parents moved to Detroit, where my dad was a teacher and later an administrator in the Detroit Public Schools.
JW: Growing up in the 1970s, Detroit was a center of soul and dance music. Why did you turn to jazz? GA: I loved all of it. I listened to radio station WJLB and danced to soul, disco—everything. But my heart was in jazz. My father was always a huge jazz fan. When I was growing up, he played records by Charlie Parker, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. The music was always in our home. Just before high school, I made a commitment to myself: I was going to be a jazz pianist.
JW: Did soul and pop leave any impression on you? GA: Oh sure. I heard both forms on the radio and was trying to learn those songs by ear. I realized later that many of the musicians on those recordings were jazz musicians—many of whom later became my mentors.
JW: Did you study piano? GA: Yes I studied with a terrific teacher—Patricia Wilhelm—from the time I was in the 7th grade until college. She was very supportive of my search to become a jazz musician. Though she was a classical teacher and didn’t have a jazz background, she wasn’t afraid of the music and understood its value and importance to me. [Photo above courtesy of Geri Allen]
JW: What did you learn from trumpeter-teacher Marcus Belgrave when you attended Detroit's Cass Technical High School in the 1970s? GA: I was very fortunate. The entire jazz scene in Detroit has been fortunate to have Marcus [pictured] there. He’s still that same person today, striving to give young musicians a shot. He gave me a sense of hope. By believing in my talent, Marcus gave me a certain layer of confidence to pursue jazz as an art and a lifestyle. He also gave many others and me the opportunity to test out our abilities in real time—on stage.
JW: For example? GA: The first time I went to Europe, I went with Marcus, when I was in high school. The trip validated my talent. We went to Amsterdam and played at the Bimhuis Club for three days. When we first went there, it was a small, independent venue that was struggling. It’s where all the new music was happening then. I went back to Bimhuis Club this year [pictured]. Now it’s a first-class, government-sponsored concert hall.
JW: Did Belgrave point you in a specific musical direction? GA: I came away with a greater respect for the whole African-American music continuum. The music of the Supremes and Muddy Waters and the church—it’s all connected and meant to be revered and taken seriously. I also learned that as a pianist, it’s important to be able to play many different things. When I came back home, I played Bar Mitzvahs, Italian weddings—all kinds of events. The ethnic music we played gave me a clear sense of the different cultures.
JW: At the University of Pittsburgh, you earned a masters in ethnomusicology. What is that exactly? GA: Ethnomusicology is the study of how music functions in society and the value placed on music in various cultures around the world. For example, the music of most African societies integrates all of the arts—particularly dance. By doing this, the entire culture is embraced, not just music and musicians. The result is that audiences have a more vivid sense of music’s importance. The cultural embrace of music has been a big part of my reality and my art. [Photo above courtesy of Geri Allen]
JW: Your music tends to be highly textured in this regard. GA: When audiences are really a part of what’s being played and they experience the motion and flow of the moment, the spirit of the music crystallizes in a deep and meaningful way. This is key to the quality of the experience.
JW: Did you make a conscious decision to become an avant-garde pianist? GA: I’ve always felt that having my freedom in music was important. That’s a part of my upbringing. I need to feel I can be versatile, to have the ability to move back and forth between different types of music. I’m attracted to the music of a large variety of great musicians. Then I synthesize all of it in a way that retains my freedom and particular energy as an artist.
JW: Doesn’t avant-garde jazz require a different commitment? GA: Yes. Every music has its own set of idiosyncrasies and audiences are very sophisticated. People coming to experience the music come because they want to participate in the spirit of adventure that improvised music brings. Alice Coltrane said that "music is fundamentally a spiritual language that speaks to the heart and soul." I feel this way as well.
JW: It feels more embracing, actually. GA: How do you mean?
JW: Your music feels as though it’s extending a helping hand to the audience, as if the music is about the community rather than just the technical ability of the performer. Where does this come from? GA: I spend a great deal of time with friends in the visual arts. They would never allow me to pigeonhole what I saw in their paintings, film or sculpture. Some critics might ask them, “What were you trying to convey in this work?” Their answer would be, “Just look at it. What do you feel?” I tend to have the same view about my music. People who come with an open mind will become a part of the experience, informing the moment of improvisation by their willingness to participate. [Album cover artwork by Kabuya Pamela Bowens]
JW: What goes through your mind when you’re performing? GA: When everything is going just right, my mind is clear. I’m not thinking about anything. I’m very alert, and I’m responding to what’s around me. But there’s no thinking. It’s a spiritual flow.
JW: What do you think makes some people uncomfortable about music that's unfamiliar? GA: The music may be more complex and involved than most of the music they're used to hearing. But they know what it's all about. Audiences aren’t always given credit for being emotionally aware of what's going on. I've found that most people are quite capable of internalizing emotions that are stimulated by new music and art, even if it isn't immediately familiar.
JW: This internalizing starts young, doesn’t it? GA: Absolutely. When children have access to music at a young age, they understand the emotional side of music without having to be taught. Children as early as preschool age are exposed to a wide range of creative experiences and fully grasp the excitement and the message of the arts. Through the instant reactions of young children, you sense music’s potential. The excitement that develops early never really leaves us. It’s always there.
JW: Do you find that audiences have a natural, spiritual reaction to your music? GA: Yes. It’s not necessarily about literal comprehension. It’s much deeper. It’s about participating in the experience of what they see or hear. We all have that. The question is how open people are to getting back in touch with it. I think the initial fears people have about music are a result of the misconceptions created by labels.
JW: Which brings us back to our inner child. GA: For young children, exciting music and art gives them a sense of entitlement. When they hear different sounds, the experience connects with their feelings. They’re naturally stimulated. I want people who have access to my music to feel the same way—emotionally. I them also to have a sense of connectedness and entitlement to the shared experience.
JW: Is exposing people to your music becoming harder to do? GA: What do you mean?
JW: Record stores are gone, and radio’s mission no longer seems to be instructive—a knowledgeable DJ turning audiences on to great new, exciting things. GA: Access has indeed changed. But in all fairness, there’s now a whole new world of access on YouTube. You can pull up this amazing body of video. It’s a different level of access today. Technology makes this possible. [Photo of Geri Allen by Dave Kaufman]
JW: Do you feel you are trying to form a bridge between fans of traditional jazz and your lyrical, freer form? GA: That’s interesting. What do you mean by a bridge?
JW: Your music is free in its feel, but to me there’s this tenderness within the excitement. It’s not solely percussive music. It's soulfully dramatic. GA: Much of this has to do with the responses between all of the musicians on stage, and between the musicians and the audience. I react to audiences based on their responses to my music. They feed off each other. Without people in the room, without the connectedness, some musicians don’t find the experience nearly as enjoyable.
JW: For example? GA: When an audience is fully with us, a different kind of projection is created. I’m always trying to express how I feel organically. It’s truthful and honest, and it moves me. I’m always hopeful that audiences will join me that way.
JW: You also incorporate tap dance in your performances. GA: Having dancers in the show is part of the full experience. Maurice Chestnut, for example, is a young dancer and musician, and his dancing adds to the musical experience. To see him helps remind audiences that this music is communal. It is for me. Of course, all musicians have their own way of looking at what’s important and what they want audiences to come away with.
JW: Is there a distinctly female perspective to your music? GA: Not really. Our trio [drummer Terri Lyne Carrington (pictured) and bassist Esperanza Spalding] just finished a wonderful run at the Village Vanguard last week. We’ve been playing as a trio for about a year, and Terri Lyne and Esperanza are two of the greatest musicians I’ve ever played with. It’s a true musical experience and adventure.
JW: How do you mean? GA: To interact the way we do on stage is a wonderful, embracing feeling. It’s fiercely challenging and encourages a fearless exchange of ideas. But each of us acknowledges the roots of the music and has an understanding of the language that allows for the freedom we express. And we’re all looking out for each other.
JW: Carrington’s The Mosaic Project, which was nominated for a Grammy, certainly represents this. GA: Absolutely. The Mosaic Project brings together many female musicians and singers with varied backgrounds and musical styles. As a result, the group encompasses an array of styles. But it’s not a political recording.
JW: Meaning feminist? GA: [Laughs] Although I must admit I feel extremely empowered by the existence of this collective of women artists, I believe Terri Lyne chose these musicians simply because she loved what they were doing as individuals. It’s not a gimmick—some kind of “all female band” for the sake of marketing or something. We’re just musicians she wanted to work with. We’re feeling that totally.
JW: But isn’t there a female perspective that comes through the music as a result? GA: I don’t know if there is. I am looking at these women as inspiring individuals who have come together to create something of beauty, in a spirit of appreciation for each other and our audience. The fact that we're all women is just a beautiful coincidence. Ultimately, it’s about the music, no matter who's up there on stage.
JW: Do you practice? GA: Yes, usually very late at night and into the morning hours. I mostly work to prepare the foundational aspects of my compositions. I do this so I understand the structure and the inner workings of the music. As I practice, I am striving to feel free, and that feeling only comes after a certain amount of foundational study.
JW: Is practicing a chore? GA: Never. When I became a jazz musician, I knew it was for life. I learned quickly that with each new breakthrough, a whole new world of challenges would emerge. So a dedication to life and to art exist in simpatico.
JW: Do you ever sit at the piano and apply your approach to the music heard on the radio as a teen in the '70s? GA: Yes. I find that songs by Motown composers are a great inspiration. Their classic compositions form an exciting platform for improvisation. Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson are two favorite composers, particularly Smokey's Tears of a Clown .
JW: You seem to be most animated when the tempo picks up. Is it thrilling to hear yourself on recordings? GA: Actually, I don’t like listening to myself. It’s very difficult, and I tend to avoid doing so unless I am in the throes of working on a new project. The problem is I hear things I wished I had done differently and want to do them over.
JW: When was the last time you and your mentor and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave played together? GA: In October of 2011. He was brilliant as always. I am so grateful to him for his innovative, speed-of-light artistry and his willingness to slow down so others can commune with him. [Photo above by Scott Soderberg]
JW: What did you think of The Mosaic Project? GA: Terri Lyne Carrington (pictured) is a visionary, a master drummer and one of the most important musicians of our time. Our gig last week at the Village Vanguard with bassist Esperanza Spalding was one of the absolute highlights of my musical journey so far. On The Mosaic Project, Terri brought together an extraordinary group of brilliant musicians to share a moment in time, when people are listening for a sound. Embracing that moment with all of the women on the recording was thrilling.
JW: Your most recent album was A Child Is Born, released last year in advance of the holidays. GA: Yes, Motema Music liked the idea of me playing solo piano backed by four voices and vintage keyboards, including a concert celeste. My father, Mount V. Allen Jr., liked the music on the CD very much and gave it to many of his friends. That meant the world to me.
JW: Are you playing in New York in the coming weeks? GA:Yes, I am looking forward to collaborating with filmmaker and photographer Carrie Mae Weems in preparation for Celebrate Brooklyn on June 15. It will be an evening filled with wonderful visual experiences accompanied by my Timeline group—including tap dancer Maurice Chestnut, bassist Kenny Davis and drummer Kassa Overall. Joining us will be Howard University's Afro-Blue Jazz chorus, which appeared on NBC's The Sing-Off last season. Pianist-composer Patrice Rushen, whom you saw in The Mosaic Project video posted yesterday, and Afro-electronica artist Val Jeanty, also will join us along with Esperanza Spalding and Terri Lyne Carrington.
JW: Are you excited about performing this Saturday night at 92YTribeca? GA: I am. Rachel Chanoff (pictured), 92YTribeca's film curator and the artistic director of Celebrate Brooklyn has created an amazing collaborative opportunity for both Carrie Mae Weems and myself to work together again. We collaborated on on my solo piano recording Flying Toward The Sound in 2010. It is thrilling to continue doing this type of creative work with Carrie. I am also thrilled to be sharing the stage with Jason Moran this Saturday night.
JW: What will you be playing on Saturday at 92YTribeca? GA: [Laughs] If I told you, it would take some of the mystery out of it. Let's just say that I’ll be playing music that will be sharing the space with Carrie Mae Weem's beautiful images.
JazzWax tracks: If you're unfamiliar with Geri Allen, start with Grand River Crossings (here), a beautiful tribute to Motown and the music of her youth in the early 1970.
A week or so ago I posted on Jay Cameron's International Sax Band (1955) and listed more than 20 other albums that feature the reed section in a dominant role. A day later, reader Brett Gold sent along an email asking, "How about Pony's Express by Pony Poindexter?" Why, of course. The album by saxophonist Pony Poindexter was recorded in early 1962, between his dates for Columbia backing singer Jon Hendricks and vocalese group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Recorded for Epic over three recording sessions, Pony's Express was the brainchild of producer Teo Macero, who brought in Gene Kee to arrange. What makes this album so special are the scores and the all-stars featured.
For the first session on February 16, the band featured Pony Poindexter (sop,as), Sonny Red (as), Eric Dolphy (as), Clifford Jordan and Jimmy Heath (ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Gildo Mahones (p), Ron Carter (b) and Elvin Jones (d). The songs on this date were "B" Frequency and Lanyop. [Photo above from the recording session; from left, Teo Macero, Phil Woods, Pony Poindexter and Gene Kee]
The second session held on April 18 featured Pony Poindexter (as,vcl), Phil Woods and Sonny Red (as), Sal Nistico and Clifford Jordan (ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Tommy Flanagan (p), Ron Carter (b) and Charlie Persip (d). The songs recorded were Basin Street Blues, Mickey Mouse March, Skylark and Blue. [Photo above, from left, seated, Pepper Adams, Sal Nistico, Clifford Jordan, Sonny Red, Phil Woods and unknown; standing at the mike, Pony Poindexter; conducting: Gene Kee]
The last session, on May 10, featured Phil Woods and Gene Quill (as), Dexter Gordon and Billy Mitchell (ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Gildo Mahones (p), Bill Yancey (b) and Charlie Persip (d). The songs recorded were Catin' Latin, Pony's Express, Artistry in Rhythm, Salt Peanuts, Struttin' With Some Barbecue and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (which wasn't issued on the album).
Note the absence of trumpets and trombones. The saxes carry the entire load. Also note the mix of great talent on each session and how their sounds worked together. Gene Kee is little known today, but he started out in jazz and wound up arranging for Motown on albums by Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips and many other R&B and soul artists.
As for the writing credits, Poindexter composed Catin' Latin, Pony's Express and Lanyop;Blue was by Jon Hendricks and "B" Frequency was by Teo Macero. The rest are jazz standards.
JazzWax clips: Here'sPony's Express, with Phil Woods and Gene Quill (as), Dexter Gordon and Billy Mitchell (ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Gildo Mahones (p), Bill Yancey (b) and Charlie Persip (d). There's a nifty solo by Quill and Gordon, who tags Have You Met Miss Jones? and turns it inside out...
Here's Pony Poindexter with Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan in 1963. If you want to hear just This Could Be the Start of Something Big, slide the time bar to 12:40...
Here's George Kee conducting the Detroit Jazz Orchestra in 1987...
Dick Hyman is easily one of the most gifted and accomplished living jazz pianists. Dick, who just turned 90, played with both Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie together in 1952 on TV, and he recorded with Lester Young and many other jazz greats. He recorded hundreds of albums on his own and as a sideman, and he knows more songs than any other jazz musician (Marian McPartland's words). What's more, he is a virtuoso in virtually every major jazz piano style dating back to ragtime. [Photo of Dick Hyman, above, courtesy of Dick Hyman]
If you want to hear piano playing that will make your arm hairs stand on end, check out Dick's new release from Arbors Records—Dick Hyman: Solo at the Sacramento Jazz Festivals (1983-1988). Dick writes in his liner notes that the tracks were captured by a cassette tape recorder placed in the piano. The sound is virtually studio quality to my ear.
From the 1983 tracks, Dick's performance of James P. Johnson's (above) Jingles is beyond belief. Even more impressive is his Stella by Starlight, which has now spoiled me for any other version. Pianist Johnny Guarnieri wrote and dedicated Virtuoso Rag to Dick, who calls the song in his liner notes "a good workout." His technique is impossibly marvelous. If you were sentenced to sit in a cell for the next 20 years and your sole task was to learn this song on the piano, you'd be out of luck. Jazz Me Blues, which Bix Beiderbecke made famous in 1927, is another gem.
Or dig how Dick executes Pep (1929) by "Jelly Roll" Morton (above) and "Fats" Waller's Jitterbug Waltz. There will be times you'll think there are two or three pianists playing, but rest assured, it's just Dick. The album ends in 1988 with Dick playing All the Things You Are, alternating between 3/4 and 4/4 time.
Dick is expected to perform at New York's 92Y on July 18. I can't wait. For more information, go here.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Dick Hyman: Solo at the Sacramento Jazz Festivals (1983-1988) from Arbors Records here.
The album also is available at Spotify.
JazzWax clips:Here's Dick with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie playing Hot House in 1952 on the Dumont TV Network with Sandy Block on bass and Charlie Smith on drums. Dick's solo starts at 2:00 in...
And here's Stella by Starlight from his new album. Brace yourself...
Saxophonist Dick Meldonian began his recording career in Charlie Barnet's band in 1950. He then moved on to Stan Kenton at the start of 1952. He remained with Kenton until the mid-1950s, when he left to record on 12-inch LPs with Pat Moran, Sam Most, Erroll Garner, Nat Pierce, Bill Russo, Marion Evans (he's on the Ted McNabb album) among others. Drummer Sonny Igoe began his recording career in 1948 with Buddy Stewart and then worked with Benny Goodman until 1950, when he joined Woody Herman. Igoe remained with Herman until 1953 when he worked wth Charlie Ventura. His mid-decade sideman albums included recordings with Chuck Wayne, Don Elliott, Joe Wilder, Phil Napoleon and others.
What they had in common was huge admiration for trumpeter and reed player Gene Roland, whose arrangements tended to be ferocious swingers. Meldonian first met Roland while in Barnet's band, and Igoe first encountered him while in Herman's band. Those in the know are probably aware that Roland's sax band preceded Herman's "Four Brothers" sound in 1947. Several years before Herman's recording of Four Brothers Roland had assembled a band with four light-playing tenor saxes and a baritone sax. [Photo above of Gene Roland]
In May 1981, Meldonian (above) and Igoe got together to record a big band album featuring Roland's arrangements. The album, Dick Meldonian, Sonny Igoe and Their Big Swing Jazz Band Plays Gene Roland Music, was recorded at Emerson High School in Emerson, N.J., where Igoe lived. The reed-dominant band featured Leo Ball, Spanky Davis, Chris Pasin and Phil Sunkel (tp,flhrn); Gene Hessler, Dale Kirkland and Jim Pugh (tb); Tony Salvatori (b-tb); Eddie Wasserman (as); Dick Meldonian (as,ts,sop); Gerry Cappucio and Gary Keller (ts); Dick Bagni (bar); George Syran (p); Jack Six (b) and Sonny Igoe (d).
As always, Roland's arrangements are top shelf. They have a taut Basie strut and punch to them, with sections making statements and being answered by other band sections. Roland certainly had plenty of practice. He arranged for Kenton steadily in the late 1940s and early '50s before shifting to Herman late in the decade and then worked again for Kenton starting in the early 1960s.
Roland also led a powerhouse New York rehearsal band in 1950 with an incredible personnel (not all at the same session) that became known as The Band That Never Was: Marty Bell, Don Ferrara, Don Joseph, Jon Nielson, Al Porcino, Sonny Rich, Red Rodney and Neil Friez (tp); Frank Orchard (v-tb); Eddie Bert, Porky Cohen, Jimmy Knepper and Paul Selden (tb); Joe Maini, Charlie Parker (as); Al Cohn, Don Lanphere, Tommy Makagon and Zoot Sims (ts); Bob Newman and Marty Flax (bar); Harry Biss (p); Sam Herman (g); Buddy Jones (b); Phil Arabia, Freddie Gruber and Don Manning (d) and Gene Roland (arr., cond).
Many of the Roland arrangements played by the Meldonian-Igoe band one this album in '81 hadn't been recorded before. The songs are When You Done Went, Richard's Almanac, Abscam, Sax Fifth Avenue, Road Stop, Papa Come Home, Blues in One's Flat, Moon Dog and Voice of the Village.
In another age, Play Gene Roland (and the one above) would have led the Meldonian and Igoe band to record Play Ernie Wilkins, Play Bill Holman, Play Neal Hefti, Play Chico O'Farrill and so on. Like the Band That Never Was, this was a killer orchestra that is virtually unknown today.
Dick Meldonian died recently, and for the life of me I have no idea why someone so special as a reed player and bandleader would pass virtually unnoticed. Even crazier is that there's no Wiki entry for him and barely any information about him online.
Sonny Igoe died in 2012 and Gene Roland died in 1982, a year after this album was recorded.
JazzWax tracks:You'll find Dick Meldonian, Sonny Igoe and Their Big Swing Jazz Band Plays Gene Roland Music (Circle) here.
This week in The Wall Street Journal's Mansion section, I interviewed Kirk Douglas, who is 100 years old and the last of the 1940s Hollywood studio stars (go here). The actor, who first appeared in the movies in 1946, overcame childhood poverty in Amsterdam, N.Y., and made it to Hollywood, thanks to talent, friendship and generosity of a young actress and friend named Lauren Bacall. Kirk has a new book out—Kirk and Anne. Though he suffered a stroke in 1996 that slurred his speech, it was still a thrill to hear Kirk get on the phone and say, "Hello, Marc. What can I do for you?" Hey, it's the little things in life. You'll love his answer at the end when I asked him the secret of reaching 100. Here's one of my favorite little-known Kirk Douglas films, Champion (1949)...
Also in the WSJ, my "Anatomy of a Song" column for the Arts & Life section did a drill-downn on the Spinners' I'll Be Around (go here). I interviewed the song's co-writer and producer Thom Bell, lyricist Phil Hurrt and drummer Earl Young. What you have in this song is the start of the Philadelphia dance sound. Thom's vision, Phil's words and Earl's beat would be the basis for groups such as Blue Magic, MFSB, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and The Trammps, founded by Earl. The Spinners' music gave me such joy in my teens. It was an honor to celebrate Thom, Phil and Earl in return. I'll be on SiriusXM with Nik and Lori next Thursday from 9:15 to 10 a.m. (EDT) to talk about the song. Here's the Spinners' I'll Be Around.Listen to drummer Earl Young, who creates what would become the basis for Philly's hustle beat...
And finally, for the WSJ, I interviewed bestselling novelist Anne Hillerman for the Review section (go here). She talked about hearing the Doobie Brothers' Long Train Runnin' for the first time and how it helped her sort out a personal issue while driving to and from her parents' house in Arizona on Thanksgiving in 1973. Her latest book is Song of the Lion. Here are the Doobie Brothers...
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Bill FitzGibbons, whom I interviewed several years ago for my "House Call" column in the WSJ (go here), is a light sculptor. What exactly does that mean? See the image above. We're talking huge lcolor ight works in San Antonio, Texas, and other locations. If you dig it, the public artwork is called "Centro Chroma Tower." Well, Bill's work above has been chosen as one of CODAawards top 100 public art projects worldwide. You can vote for the piece by going here.
Dave Pell, the late tenor saxophonist and West Coast octet-leader who died on May 7, is being celebrated this weekend on Saturday, June 24 from 3 to 7 p.m. (PCT). If you're in Los Angeles, rush over to the tribute at the Musician's Union Local 47 at 817 Vine Street in Hollywood. You'll get to hear Dave's octet arrangements played in all their glory. I only wish I were there. Here's my post on Dave and my interview with him following his passing in May.
Herman and Lily. Searching YouTube the other day looking for newly posted music videos (see what I do for you in my spare moments?), I stumbled acros a shockingly superb documentary on The Munsters, the crypto-scary TV sitcom that aired from 1964 to 1966 and transformed horror-movie monster characters into odd, cheery suburban neighbors. Here it is...
Watch nuts. If you love watches, then you know that the Paul Newman Rolex Cosmograph Daytona (above) is among the most prized (and expensive) sport models. Dig this fabulous article by Michael Clerizo in the WSJ magazine a couple of Sundays ago. I promise you won't be disappointed. Go here.
What the heck.Here's Frank Sinatra in 1966 appearing on the TV special A Man and His Music Part II. He's singing The Most Beautiful Girl in the World from his album Strangers in the Night. It's one of the fastest-tempo Sinatra songs (Come Back to Me is up there, too), and the video features some of Hollywood's finest studio musicians. Dig the trumpets and trombones whip through those music pages...
Oddball album cover of the week.
How about me what? Dennis Lotis, according to Wiki, "is a South African-born British singer, actor and entertainer whose popularity was greatest in the 1950s. He was described as having 'a sophisticated style that was particularly attractive to the young female population.' " It's easy to see why from the cover. Clearly, it's the two-toned business-class airplane seats converted into a living-room sofa that knocked them out.
In August 1963, West Coast singer Sue Raney appeared on the Australian TV program Brian Henderson's Bandstand. Henderson had been a newsreader on the country's Nine Network when he began hosting its music show from 1958 to 1972. Sue was likely in Australia to perform and promote one of her Capitol releases. The following three videos from her '63 TV appearance recently were posted at YouTube. A special thanks to Steve Taylor for alerting:
Here's Sue singing Fly Me to the Moon. What a marvelous, flawless vocal...
And here'sWhat Is This Thing Called Love. That's a lot of instrumental traffic to weave through while delivering a heartfelt vocal...
To read my two-part interview with Sue Raney in 2012, go here and here. Sue remains one of the finest jazz vocalists of her generation.
As a drummer and leader, Chico Hamilton was vastly important in the evolution of small-group jazz in the 1950s and '60s. Unfortunately, he is nearly forgotten today. A force on the West Coast, Hamilton was a member of the seminal Gerry Mulligan Quartet in the early 1950s, he formed his own unique avant-garde quintet in the mid-1950s and again in the early '60s, and he appeared in the 1957 film Sweet Smell of Success along with his music and most of his quintet. His various groups helped developed the talents and visibility of Jim Hall, Buddy Collette, Paul Horn, Eric Dolphy, Charles Lloyd and many others.
One of Hamilton's rarest albums is The Chico Hamilton Quintet PlaySelections from Bye Bye Birdie and Irma La Douce. It doesn't appear to have ever been re-issued digitally, which is a shame. It's not at online retailers such as Amazon nor is it on listening services such as Spotify. Recorded at the end of November 1960, the album for Columbia Records featured Charles Lloyd (fl,as), Nate Gershman (cello), Harry Pope (g), Bobby Haynes (b) and Chico Hamilton (d).
Rather than take the willowy jazz-pop route that so many jazz artists embarked on when covering Broadway musical fare in the late 1950s and early '60s, Hamilton combined songs from both shows and treated the material to a rigorous jazz interpretation. The Bye Bye Birdie songs include A Lot of Livin' to Do, Baby Talk to Me, Put on a Happy Face, How Lovely to Be a Woman and Kids. The Irma La Douce tracks were Irma La Douce, Our Language of Love, From a Prison Cell, She's Got the Lot and There Is Only One Paris for That.
The standout players here are Hamilton, whose drums are relentlessly inventive, and Lloyd, whose flute and alto sax are extraordinary. Just listen to Lloyd on Baby Talk to Me and There Is Only One Paris for That. Remarkably, this was Lloyd's very first recording recording session, and he'd remain with Hamilton until the end of 1963.
Hopefully, Fresh Sound will give this one a listen and re-issue it for jazz fans to hear once again. The music is significant.
Chico Hamilton died in 2013.
To read mythree-part interviewwith Chico in 2009, go here, here and here.
JazzWax tracks: I'm afraid this album is available only as an LP at eBay.
JazzWax clip: Here's the hippest version of A Lot of Livin' to Do you'll ever hear...
Saxophone bands hold a special place among jazz fans. The sound of reeds playing melody and harmony in unison is tremendously exciting. As reeds, they assume a vocal quality, which engages the ear. That's why so many saxophone bands have been featured on recordings over the decades. Here's a fairly comprehensive list of the best sax-section recordings:
Woody Herman's Four Brothers band (1947), Gene Roland's Boppers (1949), The Brothers!—Al Cohn, Bill Perkins and Richie Kamuca (1955), Al Cohn and the Sax Section (1956), Zoot Sims Plays Alto, Tenor and Baritone (1956), Zoot Sims Plays Four Altos (1956), Reeds in Hi-Fi—Pete Rugolo (1956), Four Brothers Together Again! (1957), The Gerry Mulligan Song Book (1957), Hymie Schertzer:All the King's Saxes (1957), Coleman Hawkins Meets the Big Sax Section (1958), Cross Section: Saxes—Hal McKusick (1958), Saxes Inc.—Bobby Prince and His Orchestra (1959), Ten Saxophones and Two Basses—Pete Rugolo (1961), Further Definitions—Benny Carter (1961), Pony Poindexter's Pony's Express (1962), Bud Shank and the Sax Section (1966), Dave Pell's Prez Conference (1978), Supersax (1972-1988), Marlene VerPlanck Meets Saxomania (1993), Harry Allen's The Candy Men (2016).
Now let's add one more: Jay Cameron's International Sax Band, which recorded in Paris on New Year's Day of 1955. Born in New York in 1928, Cameron began his career in Los Angeles just after World War II with the Ike Carpenter band until 1947 (leaving just before Bill Holman joined briefly in 1948). For reasons that I've been unable to figure out, Cameron moved to Europe around 1950 and remained there until 1956. While in Paris, he recorded with trumpeter and vocalist Bill Coleman in 1951 and with a sextet led by drummer Roy Haynes in 1954. Then in January 1955, he assembled a superb saxophone band backed by a rhythm section.
The personnel on the six sides they recorded for the French Vogue label included Bobby Jaspar, Barney Wilen and Jean-Louis Chautemps (ts); Jay Cameron (bar); Henri Renaud (p); Benoit Quersin (b); and Andre Baptiste "Mac Kac" Reilles (d). It's unclear who wrote the arrangements, but they are exceptional. Also exceptional are Cameron's solos on the baritone sax. His sense of swing and his bop feel were terrific, especially in the middle register of his instrument. The tracks they recorded are Blue Note, Rosy, Give Me the Simple Life, Brother J.C., Static Test and Wooden Sword Street.
Why Cameron returned to the States in 1956 is also unclear. Back home, he toured with Woody Herman's Third Herd and then appeared as a sideman on a series of terrific albums: Tony Ortega's Jazz for Young Moderns (1956), Andre Hodeir's American Jazzmen Play Hodeir's Essais (1957), Larry Sonn and His Orchestra (1957), Hal McKusick's Cross Section: Saxes (1958), Maynard Ferguson's A Message From Newport (1958) and Slide Hampton's Horn of Plenty (1959). Cameron remained with Hampton through the early 1960s and then recorded and toured internationally with Paul Winter.
Cameron's jazz discography ends abruptly in 1963. I'm guessing he either went into the New York TV studios or he began teaching at the university level for steady income.
Jay Cameron died in 2001.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Jay Cameron's International Sax Bandhere.
Here's Jay Cameron on TV's Jazz Casual in March 1963 with Paul Winter. The musicians are Richard Whitsell (tp), Paul Winter (as), Jay Cameron (bar), Warren Bernhardt (p), Arthur Harper, Jr. (b) and Ben Riley (d)...
A special thanks to David Langner and Doug Paterson.
One of my favorite Charles Mingus albums is Changes One, recorded for Atlantic Records at the tail end of December 1974. There something about the recording that exceeds even Mingus's routinely high composing standards and sensitivity. The album is moody, brooding and reminds me of New York in the mid-1970s more than any other. Yesterday, when I re-listened to the album and heard Remember Rockefeller at Attica, Sue's Changes, Devil's Blues and Duke Ellington's Sound of Love, I was transported back to a financially challenged city that was crumbling, forgotten by the Gerald Ford White House, and adrift culturally. But it's not nostalgia that draws me to Changes One. It's the album's shifting moods, deep romanticism and the quality of the playing.
The musicians on the session were Jack Walrath (tp), George Adams (ts,vcl,arr), Don Pullen (p), Charles Mingus (b) and Dannie Richmond (d). In re-reading Nat Hentoff's liner notes, I discovered that Changes One (and Changes Two, from the same session) were favorites of Mingus as well. "They're among the best records I've made," Mingus told Nat. The reason, he said, was "because this band has been together longer than most of the bands I've had."
The album opens with Remember Rockefeller at Attica, which had another title prior to its recording. Mingus's changed the name to make a political statement about the actions of New York State Governor Nelson Rockefeller, who ordered state police to retake the Attica Correctional Facility in September 1971 following the prison's seizing by inmates demanding changes to conditions there. The result of the storming resulted in the shooting deaths of 10 prison guards, 33 inmates and other prison workers. The event raised the stakes in the civil rights movement, ushering in decade of radicalism and underground violence. The song artfully captures the era's thrashing political climate and growing militancy.
Sue's Changes was named for Sue Graham, Mingus's wife and publisher of Changes, a provocative literary and music magazine. The composition is actually a suite, shifting from ballad to a tempestuous, uptempo free-jazz section followed by a return to the ballad format.
Devil's Blues is a raucous march-time blues credited to Mingus, Adams (who sings) and Gate Mouth Brown. The song is emotional and fiery, and may be the album's only soft spot. A stronger producer may have pushed for another instrumental on the same sophisticated level as the others. But the song retains its gruff, rough-torn feel.
Duke Ellington's Sounds of Love was written by Mingus soon after Ellington's death in May 1974. This sighing, romantic ballad features traces of Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life and A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing. Pullen's piano solo is gorgeous, Adams's solo is breathy and purposeful, and Mingus's solo is clearly a eulogy to Ellington, his musical hero. The track, like much of the album, is a masterpiece.
Too often we forget how remarkable Mingus was as a composer, bassist, leader and political mirror. This album serves as a gateway back into his music (or an introduction if you're unfamiliar) and the need to revisit his discography.
Charles Mingus died in 1979.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Charles Mingus's Changes Onehere. It's also available at Spotify, along with the equally dynamic and provocative Changes Two.
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.
