This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actor Bill Camp for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Bill has appeared in many films, most recently HBO's The Night Of series and Joker. In both cases, he was a detective. Bill talked about growing up on the campus of the Groton School in Massachusetts (where his father was a teacher and assistant headmaster). But Bill's life changed when he went for a drive with his mother. [Photo above of Bill Camp by Brad Trent, courtesy of Brad Trent]
Here's Bill in a masterful scene in The Night Of...
Stressed? Yeah, just a little. Do yourself a favor. Go to the Facebook page of Mike Greensill. Pianist Dave Thompson hipped me to him. Mike is a West Coast jazz pianist with enormous taste and an elegant style. He's giving free concerts each day at 3 p.m. (PCT) and taking requests. Yesterday's performance remains up. You'll thank me. Go here.
Billy Collins, a former Poet Laureate of the United States and a lover of jazz, sent along a poem that appeared first in Brilliant Corners: A Journal of Jazz and Literature:
Coincidence
Along Came Betty
and
In Walked Bud
—Billy Collins
Chuck Israels, the eminent bassist, sent along an email following my post on Dexter Gordon videos:
Hi Marc, in your post of Dexter's Lady Bird, watch drummer Daniel Humair switch hands during Guy Pedersen’s bass solo. He plays time on a cymbal with his left hand. I often worked with him around this time in Paris (mostly with Martial Solal) and found this ability (and his musicianship) remarkable. He’s the most ambidextrous person I know and changes from one hand to another whenever it’s advantageous. A few years later, Daniel turned this manual dexterity to another use and quickly became a successful abstract painter.
Ireland. Oliver in Dublin had words for JazzWax during a trying week:
Hi Marc, Another great JazzWax post to help keep the spirits high in these challenging times. I've joined a small group of Army veterans, and we are delivering free food to the old and vulnerable in the area. Today is Mother's Day here, and I will visit my own mother, but I'll only be able to speak to her through the kitchen window. Stay safe.
René Urtreger. Pianist Franck Amsallem in France sent along an email about René Urtreger, the French bop pianist:
Marc, little known fact: René Urtreger went through World War II in hiding, and was able to reach a safe haven in Morocco with his father. His mother was deported and killed in Auschwitz. He sometimes talks about it and links many of his subsequent drug problems to that little known fact. He opened up recently and told stories about the war in his biography: Le Roi René: René Urtreger par Agnès Desarthe (French Edition).
Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Following my post on Roland Kirk videos, Drew Duncan sent along the following:
Hi Marc. Thanks for the post, with many of my favorites. Here's another gem—Supershow—which has an unbelievable cast of musicians. It features Kirk playing his scorching version of Say A Little Prayer. The original Supershow DVD features a killer recording of Led Zeppelin doing Dazed and Confused, but it has been cut from this version. Nonetheless, so many great musicians:
Here's Supershow...
Art Farmer. Following my post on flugelhornist Art Farmer last week, I received an email from arranger Larry Dunlap:
Marc, great to hear all the Art Farmer music. I recorded with him one time, on Mark Murphy’s September Ballads recording. I wrote the arrangements. I wrote some parts out for Art, thinking he played trumpet and flugelhorn. When he saw the parts, he said, “I don’t play trumpet”. Some parts were written for muted trumpet. Luckily he had a mute for the flugelhorn. What a wonderful player and a seemingly very mellow person.
Saxophonist Bill Kirchner added a note, "After Farmer chose to play flugelhorn exclusively, he found a trombone Harmon mute that he could use in the flugelhorn so that he could have a muted sound when he wanted one."
Here's Larry's arrangement of When She Is Mine, with Mark Murphy singing and Art Farmer playing...
Lord Buckley. Chris Laughbon sent along the following email:
H Marc. Apropos your Shakespeare swings posts, do you remember Lord Buckleys’ hip version of Mark Anthony’s eulogy from Julius Caesar? Not exactly jazz, but still in the orbit for sure.
Here's Lord Buckley...
RoundAgain. Pianist Dave Thompson sent along a video of Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, and Brian Blade performing Right Back Round Again, from their upcoming album RoundAgain, due July 10...
New York, 1911. Here's remastered footage of New York City in 1911. For more information on the "upscaling" process, go here...
Count Basie. Here's the Basie band in 1962 playing Freddie Green's Corner Pocket, with tremendous technique by drummer Sonny Payne...
