Last week in The Wall Street Journal, my "Anatomy of a Song" column was on the Youngbloods' Get Together (go here), a late-'60s anthem that celebrated peace, love and unity. First released in 1967, the song was hugely popular in San Francisco during the Summer of Love but, nationally, only made it to #62 on the Billboard pop chart. Re-released in the summer of '69, the song hit No. 5. Why? Because many of those who migrated to San Francisco in 1966 and '67 and embraced hippie culture ran out of money and headed home in '68, spreading the gospel. The look and lifestyle that existed only in one city became a national ethos for a vast number of young people virulently opposed to the Vietnam war and the draft.
I interviewed the Youngbloods' lead singer and bassist Jesse Colin Young and guitarist Lowell "Banana" Levinger for the column.
Here's the hit song from 1967...
And here's Steve Miller of the Steve Miller Band with the Youngbloods lead singer and bassist Jesse Colin Young recently covering the song in support of WhyHunger’s SongAid campaign...
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed Tim Gunn, formerly of TV's Project Runway and now co-host of Making the Cut, for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Tim talked about growing up gay in a homophobic household and the difficulty he had hiding that side of himself as a child. [Photo above of Making the Cut co-hosts Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn, courtesy of Amazon Studios]
SiriusXM. On Thursday, I'll be on Feedback live from noon to 1p.m. with co-hosts Nik Carter and Lori Majewski to talk about the Youngbloods' Get Together. Tune in. Lots of stuff about the song and the time period that didn't make it to print.
A special thanks to the New York Times's Richard Sandomir for quoting my JazzWax interview with Lennie Niehaus in his obit of the alto saxophonist, arranger and composer. To read Richard's piece, go here.
What I'm watching. I'm loving the British series Heartbeat (BritBox) about a policeman and his doctor wife who move from London to live in a small English village in the mid-1960s. And yes, the series' incidental music is loaded with Brit-beat pop. As peaceful and as gentle as brewed tea, and a warm bath for the mind at day's end. Best of all, the series is a streamer's dream. There are 18 seasons of this 1990s-2000s show, 10 episodes each. You'll quickly feel as if you live in the village.
Denny Zeitlin's new album, Live at Mezzrow (Sunnyside), was recorded at the New York club on May 3 and 4, 2019. (Remember clubs?) Denny on piano was accompanied by bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, a trio that has played together for the past 18 years. Most of the tracks are stormy explorations with a free feel, but there's also a gentle ballad, The Star-Crossed Lovers, a gorgeous piece. Go here.
Here's Denny playing The Star-Crossed Lovers from his new album...
O Aperto da Saudade: Heartfelt Music From Brazil 1965-2018 (Far Out). Want a mental escape? This compilation album is a beaut. The Portuguese word saudade means nostalgia for something that may never return. The Grip of Saudade (the album's title, translated) features tracks from the Far Out label’s back catalogue from 1965 to the present day. It covers psychedelic folk, samba jazz, bossa nova and more. Go here.
Thirteen. I stumbled across this precious and hysterical 2010 short film by accident on Friday. It's absolutely bewitching, marvelously acted and superbly directed by Robert Randall. From the Young Actors Project in Los Angeles, this will chase your blues away...
A Man Called Adam (1966) popped up on TV last week on TCM. Some find it overbearing and hammy, but I love it. It's especially timely now. Directed by Leo Penn, the film stars Sammy Davis Jr. as a tormented jazz musician who habitually squanders opportunities and poisons the well in an industry controlled by white power. I find it engaging and gripping, despite the occasional cartoonish portrayal of jazz and the Davis character's endless cycle of second chances. Let's call it dated around the edges.
Nevertheless, the music is solid, and the film is loaded with great musicians and fine African-American actors. In addition to Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson, Lola Falana, Louis Armstrong and a surprisingly strong outing by Peter Lawford and almost-good Frank Sinatra Jr., there are appearances by Kai Winding, Mel Tormé, comic Jack E. Leonard, Papa Joe Jones, Frank Wess and other jazz musicians spotted. Music by Benny Carter, and Nat Adderley dubbed Davis's flugelhorn playing. Here's a clip...
Interestingly, it sounds a tad like Playboy's Theme here...
Dave Thompson. I can't get enough of Dave's piano. If his playing doesn't reset your head, nothing will. Here's Spring Is Here...
What the heck. Here's the Charles Mingus Sextet with Eric Dolphy playing Peggy's Blue Sky Light in Belgium in 1964...
