In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actress Mercedes Ruehl for my "House Call" column on growing up around the country with her F.B.I. agent dad and her mom (go here). Mercedes caught the acting bug after her mother and aunt gave her a trunk of old scarves, shoes and hats. Perfect for role-playing when friends came over for play-dates. Mercedes is appearing in the off-Broadway production of Torch Song, opening on Oct. 19. Here's Mercedes as Connie (top, too) in Married to the Mob. She told me the carton of eggs she mangled was cut halfway though, allowing her to tear it more easily...
Also in the WSJ, my "Anatomy of a Song" column with Charlie Daniels on The Devil Went Down to Georgia (1979) and how the song began as an oversight and evolved to become a #3 Billboard pop chart hit (go here). Here's the song...
And finally in the WSJ, I interviewed poet Robert Pinsky for my "Playlist" column on King Pleasure's Jumpin' With Symphony Sid (go here). Robert loved listening to the theme of Symphony Sid Torin's New York radio show, and talks about how it created a mystique for the city's nocturnal jazz life. Robert started out playing the saxophone but eventually realized that poetry would be a better fit. His latest collection is At the Foundling Hospital (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). Here's King Pleasure...
Victor Herbert. In the wake of my post on Victor Herbert's Indian Summer, Hans Doerrscheidt sent along a note recommending Herbert's works on Serenade—Works for Cello & Strings (here) on CD and at Spotify.
Bill Holman. Kathryn King, Bill Holman's step-daughter, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds to complete Charting Jazz, a documentary on the famed West Coast arranger. Watch the clip and donate what you can. Without this film, Bill risks fading into the past undocumented. If you dig those Bill Holman records, support Kathryn's film. Go here to watch the video and donate. Here's Bill's Stompin' at the Savoy arrangement for Stan Kenton in 1955....
Dizzy Gillespie radio. Next Friday, October 20, WKCR-FM in New York will start its 29-hour Dizzy Gillespie Birthday Broadcast at 5 a.m. (EDT). The tribute will run through 10 a.m. on Saturday October 21. To listen from anywhere in the world on your phone or computer, go here.
What the heck. Here's Sonny Stitt with the Giants of Jazz in 1971 soloing on Everything Happens to Me backed by Thelonoius Monk (p), Al McGibbon (b) and Art Blakey (d)...
Oddball album cover of the week.
A bit of a stretch, but AMF managed to make bowling the pastime of playboys in 1967. Just hard to figure out whether they wanted you to play the album at the alley or at home after. A couple of clips from this album here. Strike!
