In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed artist Katharina Grosse for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Katharina uses a spray gun to develop abstract works on a massive scale. Her love of color and large-form works began when she was little, growing up in Germany. [Photo above of a fan in front of Katharina Grosse's Mural at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts]
Here's a video of Katharina painting her Rockaway piece in New York in 2016...
London. As the world continues to lock down, actor John Guerrasio in London early last week sent along an email and a photo (above):
Marc, this was London's Carnaby Street at noon yesterday. I was in Soho doing a few voiceover jobs. Shops and restaurants were open but empty. Some tube stations are now closed and all public venues will shut this weekend.
Later today, I’ll be making a TV commercial for the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The producer claims the event will happen in late June or perhaps a bit later. Of course, this could change. I think this will be my last gig for 5 or 6 weeks.
Meanwhile, I’m woodshedding on guitar much to my neighbor’s chagrin. I’m determined to learn Chitlins Con Carne and Midnight Blue note-for-note. Thanks for raising my spirits daily.
Sonny Rollins. Following my post last week on Sonny Rollins, saxophonist Bill Kirchner sent along the following email and clip:
Marc, here's Sonny at his most wildly inventive. And at times, very funny. Bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Kenny Clarke keep up with his every move. I've never heard Clarke sound better...
JazzWax note: Did you catch the tag of what sounds like Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah (Here I am at, Camp Granada) at 10:00 and at 11:16? That was Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours from his 1876 opera La Gioconda. It was the inspiration for Alan Sherman's hit four years after Sonny's recording. Special thanks to John Kettlewell and Michael Rose.
Brew Moore. Following my post on tenor saxophonist Brew Moore, I received the following from John Burks...
Marc: Big thank you for the Brew Moore post. Major player. I thought him the equal of Cohn, Sims, Eager, et al, and absolutely the most Pres-ish of them all, though never a copycat. I played four to five gigs with him during his San Francisco stopover—I was the drummer in a San Francisco State College kids jazz trio. What a thrill.
He used us (kiddies) when he had a low-paying engagement, like a reception or house party; I'd come home with $6.25 (at most) in my pocket. I would have played with Brew for free. Several times, fans approached Brew to say, "Y'know, you play a lot like Lester Young." He'd reply, "Anybody who doesn't is wrong."
Gato Barbieri. Following my post on videos of 1970s jazz hits, I received the following from Jaime Clay:
Hi Marc: Re your recent posting about Gato and the subsequent update you included concerning his time in Rome. I lived in Rome from 1965 to about 1973, when my father was working there for FAO (United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization).
In my later teen years, I discovered jazz and tried to glean as much as I could in the record shops and from live performances. We were allowed into nightclubs and other venues, so my best buddy, Eric, and I saw some pretty incredible music.
One in particular was Gato Barbieri. I was pretty excited to see him because, at the time, he had Lonnie Liston Smith on piano. He played a lot at many venues and it was easy to see him on stage and wandering the streets. Then the movie Last Tango in Paris came out, and Gato suddenly became a star.
Two things I remember. The first was the initial time I saw him perform at the small Folkstudio club in Trastevere, in the old part of Rome. Being kids, Eric and I arrived early so we could sit right up front, which we did. It was so early, none of the musicians had arrived, much less the rest of the audience.
At Folkstudio, there were always instruments piled in the back, to the left of the stage: basses, bits of drum kits, music stands, etc. On this night, Eric and I decided to "monkey around" on the instruments. We must’ve been at it for quite some time and in a zen state. As I played an upright bass (I was a sax and guitar player), a voice behind me said “Nice, nice!”
I knew it wasn’t Eric’s voice. I turned around and there was Gato, with his hat and soul patch. I almost dropped the bass right then and there. I thanked him and gingerly laid the bass to rest and slinked to my seat, passing all the other band members, who were grinning at me. A wonderful encounter for this 16 year old!
Second, I recorded one of his performances. Back in those days, it was cassette tape, of which I owned the first Phillips iteration. Alas, I no longer have that tape. I had made a copy for another friend. Several years ago, I asked if he still had it. Of course, he, too, had lost his copy.
Thanks for letting me revisit my youth and memories. And as always, love your blog!
Oliver Nelson/Eric Dolphy. Following my post on Oliver Nelson's two small-group albums with Eric Dolphy, William Lieske sent along the following [photo above of Oliver Nelson]:
Hey man, thank you for your excellent piece on Nelson and Dolphy. Nelson's Blues and the Abstract Truth album changed my life. My dad, a traveling salesman and a musician, was a member of a couple of mail-order record clubs. The albums would show up, and he had a month to send them back or pay the bill. The Blues and the Abstract Truth showed up when he was out of town. I opened it, and lights came on!
When he returned, my dad was pissed at me for opening the album because he didn’t like the music and wanted to return it. He came around later! By then, I had practically worn out the record. Another album that hit me hard like this was Miles Davis's Milestones. Keep up the good work!
Don Burrows. Following my post on the passing of Australian reed and woodwind player Don Burrows, I received the following from Les Johnston in Australia:
Nice one on Don Burrows, Marc! Good to see your worldwide readers finding out that we have some great jazzmen down here. Still with us is multi-instrumentalist James Morrison. Here he is...
Also the great Aussie guitar player Tommy Emmanuel here...
Randal Kleiser. This week at his podcast, Movies 'Til Dawn, director Raymond De Felitta interviews Randal Klesser, who directed Grease, The Blue Lagoon, White Fang, Honey I Blew Up the Kids and others. You can find the podcast here or at Apple Podcasts, Stictcher, YouTube, Tune In and SoundCloud. [Photo above of Randal Kleiser courtesy of IMDB]
Gap Mangione sent along a link and email that simply said, "Here's something Italian." It's Chuck Mangione and brother Gap (above) in 1982 playing Tarantella, with Steve Allen on the other piano...
What the heck. Here's Rosemary Clooney and Diana Krall singing The Boy From Ipanema in 2000...
Concert in Miniature. Pianist Dave Thompson last week wrote to tell me he has been playing quite a bit at home, revisiting Bill Evans's approach on Denny Zeitlin's Quiet Now...
And here's Dave playing Body and Soul, followed by a pair of Bill Evans medleys..
And finally, a video from Diana Panton's Facebook page that's a must...
