In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick and Artie Butler for my "Anatomy of a Song" column on the writing and recording of 1964's Walk On By (go here). It was great to connect with Burt again and to talk with him about his music. The last time, I was with him at his house in L.A. in 2011 for a career interview (go here). Dionne also was terrific, as always. For goodness sake, when is the Kennedy Center finally going to honor her? Such a game-changing pop singer with top hits in every decade. For me, always a thrill with Dionne. There's nothing like picking up the phone and hearing that signature voice on the other end. The last time I interviewed songwriter, musician and arranger Artie Butler was in 2015 when I wrote about the Dixie Cups' Chapel of Love. He played the concert bells.
Here are three videos of Dionne Warwick singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David hits:
Here's Dionne in Belgium singing Any Old Time of Day (1964), the original A-side to Walk On By until Murray the K stepped in...
Here's Walk On By...
And here's Burt, Hal David and Dionne working on I Say a Little Prayer...
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed actor Michael Sheen for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Michael played British Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship. He also played David Frost in Frost/Nixon on stage and in the film. [Photo above of Michael Sheen in The Queen, courtesy of YouTube]
On Tuesday, I'll be on SiriusXM for an hour with Nik and Lori to talk about my "Anatomy of a Song" column on Walk On By. Lots of stuff that wasn't in the column as well my Hot 10. Tune in live at 9 a.m. (ET) on channel 106.
My favorite new nifty book is Eric Gibson's The Necessity of Sculpture: Selected Essays and Criticism, 1985-2019. Eric is the Arts in Review editor of The Wall Street Journal and one of the paper's arts critics. Each essay is compact and originally appeared in the WSJ and The New Criterion. Eric is intensely passionate about art, particularly sculpture, and his excitement comes though in his writing. Like those Kinder chocolate eggs that contain a prize inside, each essay features a mind-blowing revelation. Three essays in the book that come to mind are Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals: Epics in Miniature, Netherlandish Boxwood Rosary Beads: Medieval Marvels and Mark di Suvero: Playground Populist. Take the first, for example, the seals. Here's Eric on their fascinating importance:
There is a body of work that ranks with the greatest achievements of all art: Mesopotamian cylinder seals—simple utilitarian objects whose inscribed images constitute a narrative art of a power and sophistication out of all proportion to their size. They were produced between about 3500 B.C. and 500 B.C. primarily in the area we now know as Iraq. They are small stone cylinders, rarely measuring more than an inch tall and one-half inch in diameter—sometimes considerably less. An intaglio design has been cut into them, more often than not a scene of combat between men, or some fatalistic creature and animals. When rolled across soft clay, the image would appear in relief, quickly forming a repeat pattern if the seal was rolled over any length, which it usually was. They function the way rubber stamps or one's signature does today, authenticating documents and protecting commercial goods from theft. Thus, each image was, as it had to be, distinctive and unique.
Astonishing. Eric continues to marvel at how something so small was able to hold so much detail in relief. And that's how each of his essays play out—insights, illumination and a wow factor. In the case of these early works, you quickly realize that the streaming series we binge today have a history dating back thousands of years and that sculpture was one of the earliest expressions of storytelling and veneration. You'll find Eric's compact paperback here.
Greenwich Village Story. Following my Friday post on the 1963 film Greenwich Village Story, I received the following from Guy Vespoint...
Hello Marc. I want to thank you for all of your posts on JazzWax but I am particularly grateful for your making me aware of "Greenwich Village Story." Actress Tani Guthrie, also known as Tani Seitz, appeared in the show "The Nervous Set," which had a score by Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman. Among the songs Tani performs on the cast album are "Ballad of the Sad Young Men” and “Night People,” which she sings with two other cast members. Because of that, I’m wondering if she introduced those songs, although over the years I seem to remember a number of other singers getting credit for introducing “Ballad of the Sad Young Men.”
Tani Guthrie was an identical twin. She and her sister, Dran, appeared in "I, the Jury," another movie I’ve never seen and shall endeavor to determine if it’s been uploaded to YouTube. As Dran Seitz, she appears on the cast album "The Happiest Girl in the World." In the late 1950’s , the sisters appeared in an unaired TV pilot entitled something like "To Paris With Love" about twin young American ladies living in Paris.
In case you’re wondering, the reason I know this is that nearly 40 years ago, I made their acquaintances thanks to one of my best friends, a poet. Tani and Dran hosted a salon they named “Poets Gathering.” While I myself am not a poet, I tagged along with my friend. In time, I would come to be made aware of some elements of their histories. At one point, “Poets Gathering” planned a retreat to Jacumba, Ca., on Mexico's border. It was during this retreat that Tani and Dran brought a 16mm film of the TV pilot. I happened to have been a film projectionist in college. When Tani and Dran found out I knew how to operate the available projector, they were elated and got me to screen the pilot for those assembled.
Speaking of the Village, here are 14 vintage images from the 1950s (go here).
CDs you should know about.
Mike Jones—All By Myself (Bandcamp). When he isn't opening for Penn & Teller in Las Vegas (with Penn Jillette on bass), jazz pianist Mike Jones is often playing clubs and recording. Given that the performing arts everywhere are on hold these days, Mike was able to record a lovely album of standards, his first solo recording in 20 years. Tracks include The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else, The Sheik Of Araby, All By Myself, I'll See You In My Dreams, It Had To Be You, Chicago, Lady Be Good, Poor Butterfly, Chinatown, My Chinatown, Back Home Again In Indiana, Lazy, Linger Awhile and After You've Gone. Go here. Click to listen to full songs. Mike at his best.
Here's After You've Gone...
George Kahn—DreamCatcher (CD Baby). Pianist George Kahn has teamed with guitarist Pat Kelley, backed by bassist David Hughes and drummer Alex Acuna, for an album of show tunes, standards and originals. The result is a relaxed collection that hooks the ear and metaphorically puts your feet up. Tracks include I Feel Pretty, Just One of Those Things, You and the Night and the Music, Never Let Me Go, One Fine Thing, DreamCatcher, Going Baroque, Stardust, Tonight, Eva, Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight and Quarantuni Time. Go here or at Spotify.
Here's I Feel Pretty...
Karen Carpenter on The Dating Game? Yes, indeed, just as the Carpenters hit with Close to You. But why did the show have to pair her with such stiffs?...
Here are the Carpenters in the studio faux recording their big hit, Burt Bacharach's Close to You...
Help Birdland in New York survive by donating to a GoFundMe page set up on the legendary club's behalf. As the performing arts continue to suffer more than most industries in the wake of the pandemic, many jazz clubs are struggling to make rent. If you ever had a great night at the club and care about owner Gianni Valenti, give what you can here.
Dave Thompson this weekend offers up Repose here...
Fan mail. This week I received the following from Pat Prosser...
Hello Marc. Hope you're doing great and staying healthy. I'm out here listening to and reading about jazz music and culture in Oberlin, Ohio. I count on your terrific blog. You lead me to the water each day. Thanks! For some reason, it occurred to me recently that I might share with you the person responsible for initially getting me interested in jazz. I've never written to express this to anyone before.
I grew up in Cleveland and went to college at Marquette University in Milwaukee. I worked throughout my school days there, and in that city afterward. I felt lucky to always be in range of whatever radio station Ron Cuzner was employed at as the host of "The Dark Side," an all-night jazz radio show. I was hooked. I'm very happy that many of his recorded shows are now posted on Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts. He was well-liked and became a local legend. Of course, we're talking about people that were up all night. Anyway, here's an article about Cuzner. Thanks again for all you do for all of us.
Max Roach Radio. This Sunday, January 10, WKCR-FM will host its annual "Max Roach Birthday Broadcast," featuring the drummer's music for 24 hours. You can listen from anywhere in the world on your phone, iPad or computer by going here.
A Jobim finish. Here's Walter Rodrigues Jr. playing Wave and The Girl From Ipanema using fingering in the style of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Love that final look of satisfaction...
