In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed country singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Miranda talked about growing up in Texas, learning about music from her singer, guitarist and songwriting father and the valuable lessons she learned when her parents lost everything in the oil bust of the 1980s. The trick for me writing this column on Miranda was to structure the narrative velocity while retaining the lovely twang and expression of her voice.
Here's Miranda's at the Country Music Awards last week...
Stéphane Grappelli. Bet you didn't know that violinist Stéphane Grappelli played jazz piano. Turns out he played it as well if not better than the fiddle. Here he is...
Ellen DeGeneres. Ellen has a way about her. Here she is earlier this month putting a 17-year-old to the test...
Michael Weiss, a superb jazz pianist, just relaunched his Kickstarter campaign to raise funds so he can issue his album, Soul Journey, on vinyl. Watch the video, hear Michael play and make donations here...
Swinging London. Here's Smashing Time, a perfectly dreadful British film released in 1967 set in an Austin Powersian mod London. It stars Lynn Redgrave. Think of it as a period piece made for export as England tried to cash in on its newfound pop image...
A year earlier, Redgrave was in Georgy Girl, which was far better...
Coleman Hawkins radio. On Thursday, November 21, WKCR-FM will air its annual Coleman Hawkins Birthday Broadcast, playing the tenor saxophonist's music for 24 hours starting at midnight (EST). Listen from anywhere in the world on your phone, iPad or computer by going here.
Here's Hawk with the Red Garland Trio playing It's a Blue World...
What the heck. Here's War on Soul Train playing All Day Music in 1972...
Oddball album cover of the week.
Next week at the Royal Orleans Hotel, the many moods of Footand Kick.