In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Downton Abbey's Hugh Bonneville for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Hugh, you may recall, played Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey, a role he reprises in the Downton Abbey film that opened on Friday. And if you aren't hip to the series, you now can binge all six seasons at Amazon Prime. I missed Downton Abbey when it aired originally on PBS, but I fell in love with the series over the past two months prior to my interview. Now, of course, I'm hooked on all British programming. I strongly recommend Endeavor, also on Amazon Prime. Great way to end the day. [Photo above of Hugh Bonneville courtesy of Downton Abbey]
As you probably imagine, Hugh is a lovely guy. His voice has a wonderful cadence, and at times I did have the urge to address him as "M'Lord." Speaking of which, I did ask him whether his own housekeeper has seen Downton Abbey. His answer was quite funny.
Here's Hugh with Jim Carter (who plays Carson) talking about their roles...
Stan Getz. Here's 50 minutes of the Stan Getz Quartet at the London School of Economics in 1966...
Count Basie. Here's two gorgeous hours of Count Basie in 1972...
Father Tom Vaughn. Following my post on pianist Father Tom Vaughn, I received the following from Greg Lee:
Marc, I got to know Father Tom Vaughn while interviewing him for my college magazine. By then in the late ‘70s, he was rector of an Episcopal diocese in the San Fernando Valley in California. He played club gigs occasionally around L.A., most memorably at Donte’s, my regular hangout then and the place where studio musicians from all the Hollywood TV variety shows would jam. Vaughn usually had Leroy Vinnegar on bass, whom he loved to tease. Vaughn was great with ballads, and he’d sometimes insert some Bach fugue stylings into his arrangements. He was also very witty on stage, telling cornball jokes and making self-deprecating comments about his collar. If your readers can find copies of Joyful Jazz from Concord, that was his last recording and one of my favorites. Thanks for bringing this soulful priest to your readers!
And here's one from Frank Farnham on Father O'Connor, who was on the Newport Jazz Festival board from the start...
Marc, in 1959 I was hired as a music librarian at WHDH radio in Boston. One of the employees there was John McLellan. He was a staff announcer who ran a jazz program called Top Shelf. In 1960 while still working full time at WHDH, I began attending Boston University. There, I became an on-air host of a call-in request program for WBUR-FM, which at the time was a student run and staffed station by undergrads and some grad students. Father O’Connor was host of a program on the station called Jazz Trends.
John Coltrane radio. WKCR-FM in New York will present its annual “John Coltrane Birthday Broadcast” on Monday, September 23. On Sunday, a day before the broadcast, Sid Gribetz will be producing a three-hour special from 2 to 5 p.m. (EDT) showcasing Coltrane's Atlantic years. You can listen on your phone or computer from anywhere in the world by going here.
What the heck. Here's Arlo Guthrie singing Can't Help Falling in Love...
Oddball album cover of the week.
Wonder what drove her to take the leap? Babies crying steadily from take off? The teenager repeatedly kicking the back of her seat? The guy snoring next to her? The couple laughing out loud at the comedy they're watching? The woman constantly getting up to get something out of her bag and slamming the overhead compartment shut? Or the guy who jacked his seat all the way back into her lap?
