In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed baseball legend Willie McCovey, the former first baseman and San Francisco Giants slugger, for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Willie talked about growing up in the segregated South, the slight he saw his father endure and how Willie wound up playing major league baseball.
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed former Manhattan prosecutor and novelist Linda Fairstein on her favorite song, James Taylor's Fire and Rain, for my "Playlist" column in the Review section and how the song helped her through the terrible loss of a close friend (go here).
And finally, in case you missed it, I interviewed Steely Dan's Donald Fagen on his newly formed road band. A couple of weeks ago, Donald invited me up to Woodstock, N.Y., to hear him rehearse the Nightflyers, a band mostly made up of musicians in their 20s (go here). A dream come true.
Tina and Fathead. Jim Eigo of Jazz Promo Services sent along this video clip of tenor saxophonists Tina Brooks and David "Fathead" Newman battling in the Ray Charles Orchestra....
Jessica Williams. Last week, I mentioned that pianist Jessica Williams was ill and in need of financial help (go here). Duff Bruce passed along a link to Jessica on Marian McPartland's radio show Piano Jazz in 1992 (go here)
The Voice meets Shorty. Photo above of Frank Sinatra and Shorty Rogers courtesy of Shorty's son, Marshall Rogers, from his Facebook page. Frank and Shorty were on the film set of Man with the Golden Arm (1955).
Muse Records radio. In tribute to the late Joe Fields, "Symphony Sid" Gribetz will present a five-hour look at Muse Records on Sunday, July 30, from 2 to 7 p.m. (EDT). As Sid writes: "Muse Records was Joe’s biggest legacy, the record company that he ran from the early 1970's until 1996. As an independent label, Muse presented a wide array of uncompromising productions, delivering a snapshot of the jazz scene as it endured, and survived, through various iterations beyond the commercial ravages of the rock era. Muse championed younger artists like Woody Shaw, and stalwarts ranging from Sonny Stitt and Cedar Walton, to Pat Martino, Charles Earland and Houston Person, as well as vocalists such as Mark Murphy and Etta Jones. Muse also recorded contemporary and less famous artists, and left behind an awesome catalog."
Fred Seibert on Joe Fields. Fred Seibert, the founder and CEO of Frederator Networks and Frederator Studios, recently penned a lovely essay on Joe Fields and what Joe taught him about producing albums (go here). Fred is a dear friend and the genius behind the MTV logo. Read my interview with Fred on the logo's creation in 2011 here.
To read my two-part interview with Sammy in 2010, go here.
SWR Big Band Plays Sammy Nestico. Germany's SWR Big Band is out with a new album—A Cool Breeze—featuring the wham-bang arrangements of Sammy Nestico. You'll find A Cool Breeze here.
You'll find my two-part JazzWax interview with Sammy Nestico here (a link to the second part is above the red date at the top in Part 1)
What the heck. Nosing around YouTube the other day, I came across this clip of Walter Wanderley's Summer Samba (So Nice) from 1966. According to the clip, it's being fed through a board that cleans up the sound? I have no idea what this technology or process is all about (Tom Fine?), only that Summer Samba sounds pretty cool cranked up...
Oddball album cover of the week.
Wish I could have been in on the meeting that green-lighted this album. Pitch in the '50s probably went something like this: "Boss, I have a great idea. Are you ready? I mean you're really going to love it. Totally original, never been done. OK, we create an entire album of music—are you ready?—that's just for listening. That's it. Just listening! Great, right? We checked and it's never been done. We own the concept! Crazy, right? They put it on the album and they listen!"
