JazzWax

June Christy: Eight Audio Clips

No singer better captures the sound of Southern California than June Christy. Back in the early 1980s, over a summer, I recall driving down to Newport Beach. The air was muggy, the neon signs were blurry in the haze, and a breeze was coming in off the Pacific. I was in a convertible at dusk heading off to meet a friend for sushi. As I drove, I had a mix of Christy on cassette playing. There was something about that hip orange-juice voice, the fragrant air and the neon that was pure magic. I remember thinking that I'd never again hear Christy in a better visual setting, and to this day that thought holds true. 

Here's eight Christy songs that yesterday made me want to re-trace that drive down from Los Angeles [Photo above of Christy on tour sleeping on the chest of husband and Stan Kenton tenor saxophonist Bob Cooper by William P. Gottlieb]:

Here's June Chisty singing I Can't Give You Anything But Love in July 1946, backed by John Anderson (tp), Kai Winding (tb), Bob Cooper (ts), Arnold Ross (p), Dave Barbour (g), Eddie Safranski (b) and Shelly Manne...

Here's Christy singing My Heart Belongs to Only You in November 1952, backed by Frank Beach, Ray Linn, Shorty Rogers and Joe Triscari (tp); Harry Betts, Tommy Pederson, Herbie Harper and Si Zentner (tb); Gus Bivona and Al Gershoff (as); Bob Cooper and Ted Nash (ts); Bob Gioga (bar); Buddy Cole (p); Vincent Terri (g); Phil Stephens (b); Alvin Stoller (d) and Pete Rugolo (arr,cond)..

Here's Christy singing Love Turns Winter to Spring in 1957 with the Pete Rugolo Orchestra, featuring Milt Bernhart, Herbie Harper, Tommy Pederson and Frank Rosolino (tb); George Roberts (b-tb); Bernie Mattison (vib); Ben Aronov (p); Howard Roberts (g); Red Mitchell (b); and Alvin Stoller (d)...

Here's Christy singing Spring Is Here in May 1963, accompanied by Bud Shank (as), Al Viola (g) and Don Bagley (b)...

Here's Christy live on TV singing Midnight Sun in the late 1950s. Her performance ends at 3:21, but the person who posted the clip seems to have uploaded it twice...

Here's Christy in June 1957 singing Lost on a Summer Night backed by the Pete Rugolo Orchestra...

Here's Christy singing This Is a Lovely Way to Spend an Evening in 1965 backed by the Stan Kenton Orchestra...

And here's Christy with Bobby Troup in 1972 on Los Angeles TV singing Troup's Meaning of the Blues, Daddy and Lonely Girl...

Hot Track: A Fifth for Frank

Curtis Counce recorded his first leadership album in October 1956. For the Contemporary Records session, the West Coast jazz bassist assembled a muscular quintet—Jack Sheldon (tp), Harold Land (ts) Carl Perkins (p) Curtis Counce (b) and Frank Butler (d). All of the tracks on The Curtis Counce Group are killer, but A Fifth for Frank stands out because of the extended drum solo by Butler.

A Fifth for Frank was composed by pianist Gerald Wiggins and vibraphonist Cal Tjader, and was first recorded on Tjader's Cal Tjader Quartet album for Fantasy five months earlier in May 1956. The quartet featured Tjader (vib), Wiggins (p), Eugene Wright (b) and Bill Douglass (d). I couldn't find any evidence in the liner notes of these albums or in the notes of others that A Fifth for Frank was written for Frank Butler. But even if it wasn't, it should have been. Butler delivers a terrific extended solo with sticks, his fingers and his knuckles that follows superb solos by Land and Sheldon.

Here's A Fifth for Frank by the Curtis Counce Group in October 1956...

And here's the original five months earlier, with Cal Tjader and Gerald Wiggins in May 1956...

John Scofield: Combo 66

Guitarist-composer John Scofield is a gentle, soulful guy. Whenever we talk by email, he's as relaxed as someone you'd meet at a Vermont or Wyoming country store. That's quite a contrast from the monster player you hear on his many recordings. But that's the beauty of John. He reminds me of guitarist Jim Hall, who also played with enormous edge but had a neighborly demeanor when off-duty.

John's new album, Combo 66 (Verve), is an intoxicating blend of jazz sensibilities, rock emotions and country touches. Joining John on the album are Gerald Clayton on piano and organ, Vicente Archer on bass and Bill Stewart on drums. John turned 66 last December, so the "66" in Combo relates to his age. John works through nine originals on his Ibanez guitars, which produce his signature hard, ringing tone. The way John bends notes, they sound like a singing voice processed through taut electrified wire.

When I lived in Boston in the 1970s, my first floor apartment faced the trolley line on Huntington Avenue. Late at night, when car traffic faded away and the last drunken students let off their final shouts, I'd listen to the stillness outside as the electric wires above the tracks started to ping, twitch and moan signaling the approach of a distant streetcar. John's playing on songs like Can't Dance and I'm Sleeping In remind me of those late-night live-wire "concerts." There's a communication between fingers on strings, the stillness of darkness and momentum of metal.

Other favorites on the album include King of Belgium, New Waltzo, Willa Jean and Icons at the Fair. Speaking of Boston in the 1970s, there's also a jazz fusion feel on many of these songs. But honestly, the fusion term is far too simplistic and broad for John's music. What you hear on Combo 66 are feverish explorations as John weaves together a range of music styles and expressions. His attacks range from the poetic to the furious, and they all come together neatly in a connected narrative. Best of all, his trio is gorgeously edgy and luxuriantly supportive. [Photo above of Miles Davis and John Scofield courtesy of John Scofield]

Make room on that crowded shelf, John. Sounds like a fresh batch of Grammys are headed your way next spring.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find John Scofield's Combo 66 (Verve) here.

You'll also find the album at Spotify.

JazzWax clips: Here's Can't Dance. The song, like the rest of the album, has a perfect autumnal sound. I'd love to drive through New England listening to this one...

Can't Dance

And here's I'm Sleeping In...

I'm Sleeping In

Donald Byrd: Byrd's Word

The art direction for Blue Note's album covers in the mid-1950s was so advanced and compelling that we often forget that Savoy also produced a significant number of knockout albums and covers during this period. Donald Byrd's Byrd's Word is a prime example. Recorded for Savoy in September 1955 and produced by Ozzie Cadena, the album featured a killer quintet—Donald Byrd (tp), Frank Foster (ts), Hank Jones (p), Paul Chambers (b) and Kenny Clarke (d).

The album was Byrd's second album as a leader (his first, Byrd Jazz, was recorded for the Transition label in Cambridge, Mass., a month earlier). On Byrd's Word, the songs were a mix of originals and standards. Winterset was by Foster while Byrd penned Gotcha Comin' and Goin' and Long Green. Also included on the album were Star Eyes, Someone to Watch Over Me and If I Love Again, though the last song was left off the original release and issued later on CD.

As Cadena points out in the album's brief liner notes, "Donald Byrd came to New York about six months ago and he impressed me so much that I have recorded him on five separate occasions. This is the only one so far under his leadership, and there will be quite a few more to follow—but here he proves his stature as a jazz man. He is very conscientious about his work. He has confidence and he blows consistently and the proof is herein." [Photo above of Ozzie Cadena]

A few notes: Dig how a 22-year-old Byrd runs up and down chords in perfectly measured staccato form. Catch Clarke's syncopation and how he works the snare, particularly on Star Eyes. Foster, who was with Basie at the time, plays free and limber here. Jones is lush and Chambers is rock steady. And Byrd and Foster are perhaps best on the ballad Someone to Watch Over Me. The playing is remarkably beautiful. 

Cadena was a tasteful producer, overseeing dozens of superb Savoy albums. He also was a tough cookie, having served in the Marines during World War II. Since Savoy was based in Newark, N.J., Cadena was among the first jazz producers to tap into Rudy Van Gelder's recording studio, which at the time was at his parents' home in Hackensack, N.J. While Cadena didn't have the same vision for hard bop that Blue Note's Alfred Lion did early in the 1950s, he knew how to pair artists and wind up with stunning results. [Photo above of Alfred Lion by Francis Wolff]

Donald Byrd died in 2013, Frank Foster died in 2011 and Ozzie Cadena died in 2008.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Byrd's Word (Savoy) here. You'll find the bonus track, If I Love Again, here.

JazzWax clip: Here's Long Green...

And here's If I Love Again...

Pepper Adams Plays Mingus

Berry Gordy hedged his bets in 1962.Though the founder of Motown Records had his first #1 Billboard pop and R&B hit with the Marvelettes' Please Mr. Postman in late 1961, the following year was dry. To diversify and reach a range of radio stations, Gordy formed a bunch of other labels, including Gordy, Mel-o-dy, Divinity and Workshop, a jazz label that tapped into local musicians. Gordy knew the Detroit jazz market well, having opened the 3D Record Mart, a jazz record store in the 1950s that went belly up.

In September 1963, Pepper Adams and Thad Jones teamed up to record Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus on Gordy's Workshop label. Adams was from Detroit and Jones was from nearby Pontiac. According to the liner notes, Mingus, Adams and Teddy Charles chose the songs for the album, a process that took a few months.

The songs recorded on September 9 were Fables of Faubus, Black Light, Song With Orange, Carolyn, Incarnation [Reincarnation of a Lovebird] and Strollin' Honies [Nostalgia in Times Square]. The band that day featured Thad Jones (tp), Pepper Adams (bar) Hank Jones (p) Paul Chambers (b) and Dannie Richmond (d). Thad Jones arranged Fables of Faubus, Adams arranged Black Light and Incarnation, Mingus arranged Carolyn and Strollin' Honies, and Teddy Charles arranged Song With Orange.

On September 12, three more songs were added: Better Get It in Your Soul, Portrait and Haitian Fight Song. The ensemble included Thad Jones (tp), Benny Powell (tb), Charles McPherson (as), Zoot Sims (ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Hank Jones (p), Bob Cranshaw (b) and Dannie Richmond (d). It should be noted that Strollin' Honies [Nostalgia in Times Square] appears in John Cassavetes' film Shadows (1958).

According to the liner notes, Portrait was arranged by Thad Jones. I'm guessing that Mingus handled the arrangements for Better Get It in Your Soul and Haitian Fight Song.

Adams and Thad Jones's interpretations of Mingus's music are enormously sensitive and commanding, a feeling that comes only from knowing the bassist and composer well and understanding his art. One of my favorites on the album is Carolyn, which was written by Mingus specifically for this recording session in tribute to his daughter, Carolyn Keikki Mingus. [Photo above of Dannie Richmond courtesy of Drummerworld]

Charles Mingus died in 1979; Pepper Adams died in 1986.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus (Fresh Sound) here.

You'll also find the album at Spotify.

JazzWax clip: Here's Carolyn...

Jay, Barry and Lonnie

In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Jay Leno for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). We talked about his CNBC show, Jay Leno's Garage, and his extraordinary vintage-car collection. We also talked about the fine art of appearing to be retired and why it's essential for a comedian, how late-night television has changed since he left The Tonight Show, and Jay's favorite roadway in Los Angeles for taking cars for a spin. [Photo above of Jay Leno in his garage behind a 1938 MG. by Sam Comen for The Wall Street Journal]

Here's Jay on his show in 2016 on the 1964 GTO...

Also in the WSJ, my essay in praise of soul singer-songwriter Barry White, who for too many years has been the subject of ridicule (go here). Most people are unaware that White not only wrote or co-wrote all of his hits, he also arranged and produced the songs, and he owned the rights to his music, a rarity in the 1970s. This is true for Love Unlimited, the female vocal trio, and the Love Unlimited Orchestra.

Here's Barry White in London at the Royal Albert Hall in 1975 singing Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe...

Thank you, Jazz St. Louis! This past week, I was in St. Louis to give a talk at Jazz St. Louis on the rise of cool and West Coast jazz in the early 1950s. A special thanks to Phil Dunlap, director of education and community engagement, who invited me, and to Gene Dobbs Bradford, the organization's president and CEO. Another thanks to the 150 people who came out to hear my talk and bought my books after and to the musicians who performed the entire Birth of the Cool album (minus Darn That Dream). It was an extraordinary night.

Flying high and fast. Jimi Mentis sent along this terrific BBC documentary on the Concorde, the supersonic plane produced by Britain and France between 1976 and 2003...

Hammond organ radio. Chris "King" Cowles recently broadcast a radio program of organists on WRTC-Hartford, including interviews with Robert Walter and Chris Hazelton. To listen to his Greasy Tracks show go here.   

Here's the playlist...

Hour 1
Everything Is Everything — Booker T. Jones
Why? (Am I Treated So Bad) — Julie Driscoll w/ Brian Auger & The Trinity
Wade In The Water — Robert Walter
Layin' In The Cut — Lonnie Smith
Moonwalk — Larry Young
Robert Walter Interview
Most All of Us — Robert Walter's 20th Congress
Robert Walter Interview
Chalk Giant — Robert Walter's 20th Congress
Robert Walter Interview
Planet of the Superkids — The Greyboy Allstars
Robert Walter Interview

Hour 2
Classified — James Booker
Robert Walter Interview
Emanate — Robert Walter's 20th Congress
Ebony Jam — Tower of Power
Chris Hazelton Interview
People's Choice — Everett DeVan
Chris Hazelton Interview
Alright Now — Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo Seven
Chris Hazelton Interview
Bambu — Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo Seven
Chris Hazelton Interview
Bambu — Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo Seven
100 Days, 100 Nights — Chris Hazelton's Boogaloo Seven
100 Days, 100 Nights — Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Down Home Style — Brother Jack McDuff

Marlene VerPlanck Memorial Concert. Joe Lang sent along links to videos Ray Hoffman posted on the concert honoring singer Marlene VerPlanck, who died earlier this year in January...

Part 1, go here...

Part 2, go here...

What the heck: Here's Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocal with Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes in 1975 singing Bad Luck...

Oddball album cover of the week.

Hard to believe this cover, but there you have it. Another age, another time.

Hot Track: Rumpus Room

Newly signed to MGM Records in 1951, clarinetist Buddy DeFranco formed a powerhouse big band featuring Bernie Glow, Don Joseph, Dickie Mills and Dale Pierce (tp); Frank "Ace" Lane, Al Robertson and Fred Zito (tb); Buddy DeFranco (cl); Angelo Cicalese and Gene Quill (as); Buddy Arnold and Eddie Wasserman (ts); Danny Bank (bar); Teddy Charles (vib); Teddy Corabi (p); Bill Anthony (b); Frank DeVito (d) and Bonnie Richards (vcl).

One of the hottest songs in the band's book was Rumpus Room, which strangely was credited to Lenny Lewis, Buddy's manager at the time. Said Buddy in a NEA Jazz Master interview in 2006 with Molly Murphy:

"Lenny was a little guy, he kind of had a hunchback, big nose, glasses, very intense but brilliant guy. Yeah, and knew music, he could tell you, I mean he knew what was good. A lot of times I should have listened to Lenny Lewis, in terms of what I played and organized in the band, but I wouldn’t have it, you know. He was a manager; keep your nose out of my music. But he was bright, very bright guy. The only thing is he was too bright, and he had too much ambition. He wanted me to be a famous band." [Photo above of Buddy DeFranco in the late 1940s by William P. Gottlieb]

Rumpus Room seems to have kicked off Buddy's radio broadcasts: "I had a theme song where I would start cold on the clarinet, play something—bla bla bla bla bla
(singing)—and then the band would come in. It was pretty impressive, called Rumpus Room."

Assuming the music was indeed written by Lewis rather than a credit given to him by Buddy as a payment for services rendered, the tune certainly was arranged by someone with enormous chops. Guessing from the sound of the barn-burner, I'd say it was arranged by Tiny Kahn. [Photo above of Tiny Kahn in the late 1940s by William P. Gottlieb]

Here's Rumpus Room, recorded March 26, 1951...

JazzWax note: To read the NEA Jazz Master interview in 2006, go here.

Video: Oliver Nelson in Holland, 2

Back in August, I shared a video of Oliver Nelson conducting an orchestra of jazz all-stars in the Netherlands in 1966 as Dutch vocalist Rita Reys sang. At the time, I wrote that I wished more of the TV program had been available. Hans Christian Dörrscheidt to the rescue. He found a clip that includes Just Friends, giving us an opportunity to see in action Benny Bailey on trumpet, Art Farmer on flugelhorn, Lee Konitz on alto saxophone, Åke Persson on trombone and Stu Martin on drums. Here's the clip...

Maynard Ferguson: N.Y., 1950

In December 1950, the Stan Kenton Orchestra appeared on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town TV broadcast. While the variety show hosted by an awkward Sullivan aired on CBS, not many people saw the band's newest addition—trumpeter Maynard Ferguson. Television was in its infancy then and few homes had one. Fortunately tapes survived of Kenton's first TV appearance and Ferguson's spectacular debut.

Among the film's many highlights is coverage of Shelly Manne on drums, a pan of Shorty Rogers in the trumpet section, Bob Cooper and Art Pepper in the sax section, and Eddie Bert on trombone. Also, a killer Viva Prado at the end. The band was loaded with all-star soloists who would soon branch off and create West Coast jazz. Cameo solos by Art Pepper, Bob Cooper and Maynard Ferguson.

Here's Kenton on Ed Sullivan in 1950...

Dizzy Gillespie: London, 1966

Antonio Carlos Jobim composed Chega de Saudade in the late 1950s. In May 1962, Dizzy Gillespie recorded the song on Dizzy on the French Riviera (an album that actually was recorded in New York). The following year, Jon Hendricks added English lyrics and the song became known as No More Blues.

If this doesn't make your day, nothing will. Here's Dizzy Gillespie in London on November 30, 1965, playing the song with James Moody (as,fl), Kenny Barron (p), Chris White (b) and Rudy Collins (d) on the BBC's Jazz 625 TV broadcast. Dizzy's smile at the end is priceless...

And here's Jon Hendricks's gorgeous English-language vocal a year later...