Twelve years ago, Ira Gitler introduced me to Dr. Lonnie Smith. We were sitting at New York's Jazz Standard listening to the live music during the Jazz Journalists Association awards annual gala. As the three of us sat there, I told Lonnie how much I dug his heavy groove albums from the 1960s and '70s—particularly Think! and Turning Point and Drives.
Each time I mentioned an album, Lonnie's eyebrows went up. Other than that, he was fairly quiet and borderline shy. Later, I asked Ira how a guy who stirred up so much heat on the Hammond B-3 could be so seeming meek. Ira said Lonnie was a mellow cat but when he climbed behind the keyboard, he became a monster. "He leaves it all on the keyboard," Ira said. [Photo above of Lonnie Smith courtesy of Lonnie Smith]
The Dr. part of Lonnie's name has nothing to do with MDs or PhD's. Lonnie is said to have adopted the honorific to differentiate himself from organist Lonnie Liston Smith. As for the turban, it gives him a mystical quality, though the authentic Sikh wrap seems to be more of an artistic statement than a mark of conversion. Either way, these are signatures of a creative force eager to stand out in a spiritual way. [Photo above of Lonnie Smith by Susan Stocker, courtesy of LonnieSmith.com]
Lonnie's current album, Breathe (Blue Note), features rocker Iggy Pop singing on two tracks, the first and last. Pop has much in common with Lonnie in terms of his stage-street persona. What's special about the new release is the diversity of grooves and the shifting moods throughout. The beauty of jazz legends like Lonnie is that they remain true to their original sound but constantly work to push their thing forward to the next level.
The Pop studio bookends on the album are Why Can't We Live Together, a hit for Timmy Thomas in 1973, and Donovan's Sunshine Superman. On these tracks, Lonnie and Pop are backed by guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg, drummer Johnathan Blake and percussionist Richard Bravo. The remaining tracks in the middle are Lonnie's originals Bright Eyes, Too Damn Hot, Track 9, World Weeps and Pilgrimage. Also in the center is Thelonious Monk's Epistrophy. These non-Pop tracks were recorded live at at the Jazz Standard in 2017 during a celebration of Lonnie's 75th birthday. Horns added on the live tracks are tenor saxophonist John Ellis, baritone saxophonist Jason Marshall, trumpeter Sean Jones and trombonist Robin Eubanks. [Photo above of Iggy Pop and Lonnie Smith by Don Was, courtesy of Blue Note]
Breathe is a funky knockout. The originals are tasty organ adventures with perfectly arranged horns, resulting in a neat 1970s jazz sound. Pop's vocals on the covers are eerie but in sync with Lonnie's cooking. And each song is a different scene, working neatly to build an organ groove. [Album above released in 1976.
Ira would be pleased to know that Lonnie still leaves it all on the keyboard.
JazzWax tracks:You'll find Dr. Lonnie Smith's Breathe (Blue Note) here.
And if you want to know what makes Lonnie tick, if you really want to hear him turn a song you know into a knockout cooker, dig Who Can I turn To from Lenox and Seventh in Paris in 1985, with guitarist Melvin Sparks and drummer Alvin Queen here...
Back in February 2014, I posted the following: "If many of today's jazz musicians and singers lack anything, it's curiosity. Talent they've got, but a deep interest in the past beyond what they already know seems alien to their approach... What's hurting the music isn't a lack of venues or long solos. It's a lack of imagination and a stubborn refusal to explore the music's history and re-interpret compelling, overlooked songs. For example, the music of Tommy Wolf and his range of lyricists, including Fran Landesman, could use a revisit." [Photo above of Fran and Jay Landesman courtesy of Sarah Moule]
I didn't personally know English vocalist Sarah Moule back then, but it seems we've been on the same page for some time. Her gorgeous new album is Stormy Emotions: Songs by Fran Landesman & Simon Wallace. Landesman was an exquisite lyricist who moved in 1950 to St. Louis, Mo., with her husband Jay, where he launched the Crystal Palace nightclub. Fran began writing song lyrics in 1952. When she finished Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, the Crystal Palace's house pianist Tommy Wolf wrote music to her words.
Then one night, Wolf's pals, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral, just happened to be appearing in town. As Jackie told me in a 2009 interview, they dropped by the club and Tommy shared the song with them. Jackie and Roy were the first to record it in 1955 and the rest is history. Landesman then wrote a long list of sophisticated jazz standards with Wolf that come with a knowing wink, including Ballad of the Sad Young Men, How Do You Like Your Love, Say Cheese and Listen Little Girl. [Photo above of Jackie and Roy by (c)Ray Avery/CTSImages]
In 1994, Landesman met British composer Simon Wallace (above) and collaborated with him for the remainder of her career on upward of 300 songs. Simon is a celebrated British composer with an extensive list of glorious songs to his name as well as a bounty of themes for English films and BBC television shows.
Then in 1999, Landesman (above) began working closely with English singer Sarah Moule. In 2002, Sarah released an album of Landesman-Wallace collaborations on It's a Nice Thought. Sarah's next three albums featured 27 more Landesman-Wallace songs. Did I tell you that Sarah is married to Simon Wallace?
Which brings us to Stormy Emotions, featuring another dozen beckoning Landesman-Wallace compositions. Sarah has such a warm, sophisticated voice and just the right phrasing for this material. The songs are conversational in nature and singing them requires a stage performer's intimacy and sensibility. They're best served vulnerable, which Sarah manages with savvy yearning and a flexible, powerful voice. Simon's music changes like an English sky and hangs on to the ear, whether it's a waltz (Nothing Is Mine Now), a mid-tempo blues (Truly Unruly), a ballad (After the Fall) or a whimsical song with a lyric twist (On Hold/Living in Limbo). Landesman's lyrics, of course, are precious. [Photo above of Sarah Moule by Steve Ullathorne]
On the album, Sarah is joined on all tracks by Simon's piano—plus bassist Mick Hutton (tracks 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), bassist Neville Malcolm (1, 2, 5, 6), drummer Paul Robinson (3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11), drummer Rod Youngs (1, 2, 5, 6), guitarist Nigel Price (1, 6, 7, 8) and saxophonist and bass clarinetist Mark Lockheart (2, 4, 9).
Sarah and Simon make a terrific couple. It's almost as if Landeman's lyrics were written to keep them together and in love. Landesman said it best: " I got lucky meeting Simon. That he married Sarah Moule was a bonus. She’s the jazz vocalist par excellence." [Photo above of Sarah Moule and Simon Wallace by Tom Oldham]
Fran Landesman died in 2011.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Sarah Moule's Stormy Emotions: Songs by Fran Landesman & Simon Wallacehere and here.
JazzWax notes: To read my interview with Jackie Cain, start here (links to subsequent parts can be found above the red date on top).
To read my post on Tommy Wolf and Fran Landesman, go here.
For more on Sarah Moule, go here. For more on Simon Wallace, go here.
JazzWax clips:Here's a promo clip for the album...
One of the most astonishing albums of the year is Quiet Is the Star, by vocalist Georgia Mancio and pianist Alan Broadbent. Released on Friday, the album is remarkable on several levels. For one, all of the songs are originals, with heartfelt lyrics by Georgia poured over deeply moving melodies by Alan. For another, the collaboration between these two artists is a natural fit and divinely intimate. And finally, their execution is superb—Georgia's beckoning jazz vocals supported by Alan's caring and dimensional accompaniment. [Photo above of Georgia Mancio and Alan Broadbent by Tatiana Gorilovsky]
Recorded in 2019 and 2020, Quiet Is the Star is the followup to the couple's impressive 2017 quartet album, Songbook. Their new album is even more touching, if that's possible. What I love most is how quiet and penetrating the album is. It's just the two of them, after all. But Georgia's voice lingers warmly to fill space while Alan fills gaps with rich chord voicings and harmony. A lot of piano to play so elegantly and emotionally, and Alan has never played so beautifully.
Admiring Alan's piano as long as I have, it's hard not to weigh Quiet Is the Star against his 1974 duo collaboration with Irene Kral on Where Is Love? and Gentle Rain in 1977. Or even another remarkable vocal-piano duo—Bill Evans and Tony Bennett's two albums in the 1970s. For me, this new coupling is the best of the bunch. While I've long loved Alan's albums with Kral, her singing style was more regal and statuesque. And Tony and Evans seemed more like sparring partners on their albums than two sensitive souls finding each other's pain. On those albums, one is clearly leading and the other is supporting. No knocks here. I'm just in awe of the nesting partnership between Georgia and Alan. [Photo above of Georgia Mancio and Alan Broadbent courtesy of Georgia Mancio]
Quiet Is the Star is warm and deeply confessional, like holding hands or a close conversation by candlelight. There is no space between Georgia and Alan, artistically. They are on the exact same wavelength. There's also something quaint about their work together, like the pace of a horse and carriage or cooking from scratch. Their passion for their own music and respect for each other is evident in each song. [Photo above of Georgia Mancio courtesy of Georgia Mancio]
What's more, Georgia and Alan push themselves into a special zone, fully respectful of how exceptional the other is. One sets the other soaring. Their work together isn't competitive or combative but graceful and sweeping, the musical equivalent of watching two ballet dancers. It's pure, honest jazz. [Photo above of Georgia Mancio courtesy of Georgia Mancio]
The album's songs are I Can See You Passing By, When You’re Gone From Me, Let Me Whisper to Your Heart, Tell the River, All My Life, If I Think Of You, Night After Night, If My Heart Should Love Again and Quiet Is the Star. I'm convinced that many of them will become standards. In fact, if you're a musician or a singer and love the music, Georgia and Alan have published a songbook with all of their lyrics and music from this album and their last. [Photo above of Alan Broadbent courtesy of Alan Broadbent]
Singers take notice. These will be covered again and again by gifted vocalists. Be first in line. Georgia and Alan truly are among today's most gifted jazz songwriters. This is an album that should be played in your home at least once a day. It has been my rule for several weeks now. A Grammy winner if ever there was one.
I just wish the late Gene Lees were still around. I so wanted to call him yesterday in Ojai, Calif., and play tracks for him over the phone. He would have been over the moon.
JazzWax note: To read my interview with Georgia conducted when her first album with Alan came out, go here.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Quiet Is the Star (Roomspin) here or here.
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Kevin Bacon for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Kevin and I talked about what it was like to have a famous father. His dad was Edmund Bacon, who was on the cover of Time magazine in 1964 as "the father of modern Philadelphia." [Photo above courtesy of Showtime]
Kevin's dad was an architect and the city's chief urban planner. His vision for the city led to significant changes in the 1950s and '60s, including a shift to glass skyscrapers. Kevin said his dad's fame only made him want to become more famous. Kevin is currently starring in City on a Hill (Showtime). The series is about Boston law enforcement's rivalries and crime in the 1990s. Season 2 starts tomorrow.
And here's Kevin in 2012 with wife Kyra Sedgwick on Finding Your Roots...
For my "House Call" with Kyra Sedgwick, Kevin's wife, go here.
SiriusXM. Last week I was on SiriusXM's Feedback with Nik and Lori to talk about my "Anatomy of a Song" on John Fogerty's Bad Moon Rising as well as the history of roots rock and 10 singular covers of the song. To listen to the broadcast, go here...
Twyla Tharp. I absolutely adore Twyla Tharp. It all started when I researched Twyla and her work prior to our "House Call" interview in 2019 (go here). Last night (Friday), PBS featured a spectacular documentary on her as part of its American Masters series. Twyla, of course, is a groundbreaking dancer, choreographer and arts entrepreneur who formed her own dance company, Twyla Tharp Dance, in 1966, merging with the American Ballet Theatre in 1988. Her original avant-garde ballets are breathtaking, sensual and pop-classical—whether she's taking on the Beach Boys' music in Deuce Coupe, Frank Sinatra in Nine Sinatra Songs or Billy Joel in Movin' Out. She partnered with David Byrne in The Catherine Wheel, and her Push Comes to Shove in '76 featured Mikhail Baryshnikov. Her work ethic, alone, will make you gasp, and the graceful, provocative art that emerges will blow you mind, make your joints ache and motivate you to work harder and better at whatever you do. You simply must watch this documentary. Here it is...
American Legion redux. Last week, the service that sends out my daily JazzWax post had a flaw in its system. The result left subscribers unable to see the mini-documentary called Post 398. If you were among the unfortunate ones left confused by what arrived, you can view the documentary by going here.
Lee Morgan. Last week, following my post on new hard-bop videos, I heard from Jeremy Mushlin, who pointed out that the Lee Morgan clip was part of a longer video here...
Steve Miller's wife, Janice, informed me on Friday that on May 14, Steve will release a video-and-audio set from his August 3, 1977 concert recorded at the Cap Center in Landover, Md. The music sounds fantastic, with the Steve Miller band at its peak, as this clip of Jet Airliner proves...
Elsa Peretti. Last week, after I posted on the late Elsa Peretti (above) and Halston, I heard from Margy Bloom [photo courtesy of Tiffany & Co.]...
Hi Marc, I’m thrilled that you wrote about Elsa. I think I’ll polish up my cuff bracelet (always worn pre-covid, not so much during lockdown) and put it on with my sweats. A new look! The documentary you featured is very good, especially if one lived (as I did) through the Halston years and worked in fashion. Next time I shop, I think I’ll bring home a few big orchid plants just to salute the whole thing. It was wonderful while it lasted. Thank you so much for writing about this. I absolutely adored Elsa Peretti. I might even put on the bean necklace as well.
Mel Torme. Not usually a big Mel Torme fan, but he does a nice job on these two songs. Listen carefully how he twists things around in 1967...
Last week, following my post that included of a track by alto saxophonist Bobby Porcelli, I heard from Bill Kirchner. He sent along a link to an extended interview of Bobby by reed player and educator Ed Joffe [photo above of Bobby Porcelli]...
Bill also sentthis clip of Bobby with Tito Puente in 1995 playing I Concentrate on You...
Barney Wilen. Following my post last week on French saxophonist Barney Wilen, I heard from Parisian photographer Gilles D'Elia [Photo above of a woman reading at a cafe in Paris by Gilles D'Elia]
Hi Marc, what a pleasure to read your post this morning on Barney Wilen and Kenny Dorham. And for praising "Jazz sur Seine." I listen to the album often and I think it's Wilen's best. First, because the choice of tracks is quite simply extraordinary, including standards by Charles Trenet and Django Reinhardt. In this sense, it's a very French record, imbued with melodies that everyone knows and sings in France. They are the equivalent of Cole Porter songs in America.
Second, the other crazy aspect of this record is the rhythmic meeting of Kenny Clarke on drums and Milt Jackson on piano. Hearing Jackson on the piano is quite fascinating. It's like hearing the instrument reinvented! During his solos, Jackson uses one or two fingers, and plays the piano solos like a vibraphonist, it's fascinating. If you add to this the percussionist Gana M'Bow on the track "Swing 39," which opens the album, you have a Parisian jazz masterpiece.
Joan Chamorro.Here's Joan Chamorro leading the Sant Andreu Jazz Band in Barcelona in 2015 on Randy Weston's Hi-Fly, featuring Magalí Datzira on bass and vocal, Luigi Grasso on alto saxophone and Joan Codina on trombone...
Freddie Redd. Sid Gribetz (above) of WKCR-FM in New York wrote last week to let me know that he published a Freddie Redd discography. You can access it here.
FM Radio Archive. Kim Paris in Portland, Or., sent along the following on the FM Radio Archive following my post on the Freddie Redd radio broadcasts sent along by Mark Rabin:
Hi Marc, Thanks to you and Mark Rabin for crediting FM Radio Archive. I'd like to invite you and JazzWax readers to check out even more recordings. This link will take you to 50-plus jazz and blues broadcasts—over half of them came from Mark's collection here.
Liza Minnelli.Here's Liza in 1969 on The Ed Sullivan Show singing Jimmy Webb's Didn't We...
CD you should know about:
Jamile—If You Could See Me Now (1533838 Records ). This New York-based Brazilian singer has swell taste. Every song she takes on is given a smart, sophisticated spin. Best of all, the song for her is about the shape and feel. It has to have attitude so she can swing it around like a lifeguard's whistle. And Jamile loves to shift from the low register to high alto—reminiscent of Annie Ross. Songs on this 2019 album include Shiny Stockings, Jobim, In the Land of Oo-Bla-Dee, Ugly Beauty, Luiza, O Pato and Nobody Else But Me. Jamile is backed by saxophonist Steve Wilson, pianist Ray Gallon, bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Vito Lesczak. Jamile sings with hip abandon and passion, a refreshing mix. Go here.
A salute to all of my Broadway readers. Here are three songs of encouragement for stage performers who have been sidelined by the pandemic. Hang in, it's almost over:
Here'sHooray for Hollywood from Hollywood Hotel (1937)...
Here'sThere's No Business Like Show Business from Annie Get Your Gun (1950)...
And here'sThat's Entertainment from The Band Wagon (1953)...
Bertrand Tavernier, a French filmmaker who directed A Sunday in the Country, Life and Nothing But and, most notably, Round Midnight, a poetic film starring tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon and patterned after the last years of Bud Powell and Lester Young, died in Sainte-Maxime, France, on March 25. He was 79.
Produced by Irwin Winkler and written by Tavernier and David Rayfiel, Round Midnight is widely regarded as a masterpiece in jazz storytelling. The 1986 film avoided the many cliches of other jazz films and focused instead on the doomed task of trying to resurrect an aging, ailing jazz legend who lives by a different set of social principals and priorities.
The casting of Gordon by Tavenrier was a stroke of genius. Gordon turned out to be a formidable actor with a natural feel for the role and a convincing dryness and commanding presence. The film also depicted the Paris jazz scene of the 1950s, when melancholy and optimism co-existed and American jazz musicians lived on the Left Bank playing gigs and recording, largely free from the racism at home. [Photo above of Dexter Gordon in Paris in 1964 by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]
In tribute to Bertrand Tavernier, here'sRound Midnight, courtesy of a link provided by Danilo Morandi in Switzerland...
Jazz and 1950s French movies were a natural fit. Perhaps the most famous jazz-cinema collaboration was Miles Davis's Ascenseur Pour L'echafaud (Elevator to the Gallows), recorded in Paris in December 1957, with Davis (tp), Barney Wilen (ts), Rene Urtreger (p), Pierre Michelot (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). Almost as well known is Les Liaisons Dangereuses 1960 (Dangerous Affairs 1960), recorded in New York in July 1959 with Charlie Rouse and Barney Wilen (ts), Thelonious Monk (p), Sam Jones (b) and Art Taylor (d). [Photo above of Barney Wilen, Kenny Dorham and Duke Jordan in Paris]
Lesser known is Wilen's soundtrack for Un Témoin Dans la Ville (Witness in the City), recorded in Paris in April 1959. It featured the Barney Wilen Quintet, with Kenny Dorham (tp), Barney Wilen (sop,ts), Duke Jordan (p), Paul Rovere (b) and Kenny Clarke (d). Directed by Édouard Molinaro, the film is about love, murder, revenge and happenstance—a classic French film recipe of the period. Just add shadows.
What's special about the music is the mood. While the Davis and Monk soundtracks are superb, they lack what this one has—the Parisian feel. Both Dorham and Wilen play with a nocturnal melancholy that settles on the score like a fog. Wilen plays smokey and blue on the tenor and soprano saxophones while Dorham has a heartbreaking sound on trumpet, squeezing notes into tight places. Meanwhile Clarke's machine-gun drums create suspense and Jordan's piano, particularly on Final Au Jardin D'acclimatation, unleashes cafe-society drama. [Photo above of Barney Wilen]
The common denominator on all three of these soundtracks is Wilen, who had a tender but aggressive technique and deep soul, which is what Davis and others recognized. Wilen's originals and blowing give the music and films a lavish sophistication. Also of note (and a must-listen) is Wilen's Jazz-Sur-Seine, an album that easily could have been a movie score. It features Wilen (ts), Milt Jackson (p), Percy Heath (b), Kenny Clarke (d) and Gana M'Bow (perc). Only 21 years old at the time, Wilen plays ambitiously with a Dexter Gordon edge throughout, and the original music is sensational.
Barney Wilen died in 1996.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Barney Wilen's Un Témoin Dans la Villehere. And Jazz-Sur-Seinehere.
JazzWax clips:Here's the full Un Témoin Dans la Ville in playlist format...
And here's the full Jazz-Sur-Seine in playlist format. Crank it up!...
I predict we'll soon be using the letters BP to broadly indicate a period in time that has past. During that period, the world stood a little closer, hugged a little more and did things like shake hands and share sodas. In 2019 BP (before the pandemic), there was a little place in Harlem where you could go to hear jazz with no cover or minimum. You just paid for drinks and food while you dug the regular jazz musicians.
The space was a community room in the basement of an American Legion post on 248 W. 132nd St. It struggled to remain active after the 2017 death of its founder, organist Seleno Clarke. And then the pandemic struck in 2020 and the space closed. It re-opened briefly about six months ago, but had to shut again. From what I hear, there are plans to re-open as soon as possible. [Photo above of David Lee Jones]
In 2019, director David N. Drake (above) filmed a short, 13-minute documentary on the space called Post 398. He was joined by producer Alec Liu, executive producer Sharukh Shaw, cinematographer Evelyn Lindberg, editor Ian Drake, sound designer Jack Brady Spelman and digital imaging technician Walter Chang.
I never made it up to the Post, but I spent a good portion of the 1980s at places like it—Barry Harris's Jazz Cultural Theater on 8th Ave., Rashid Ali's Ali's Alley in pre-boutique SoHo, the Jazz Forum loft in Cooper Square and others. Such clubs like the Post are vitally important in New York. They are exciting turn-ons to those just coming to jazz and for those looking to feel the art and camaraderie of jazz without the pressure of a stiff pending tab.
The death on March 18 of Elsa Peretti, an Italian model in the 1960s and influential jewelry designer starting in the early 1970s, was the end of an era. Peretti, who was 80, is best known as Tiffany's most famous designer whose "diamonds by the yard" necklaces and "bone cuff" bracelet starting in 1974 continue to be ubiquitous on teenage girls and fashionable women. Her designs for Tiffany in 2012 accounted for 10% of the jewelry emporium's annual sales of $3.8 billion. [Photo above of Elsa Peretti and Halston courtesy of Getty]
Peretti also was closely associated with Halston (above), the fashion designer, for whom she designed iconic bottles that held his transformative women's and men's fragrance lines. The women's bottle played off of Peretti's signature teardrop and featured a curved neck without Halston's name on the bottle. All of this was revolutionary in the early '70s. Halston also was responsible for putting together Tiffany's business relationship with Peretti.
Ironically, Halston's move into fragrance in 1973 and his relationship with Max Factor would be the beginning of the end of his company. In 1983, Halston inked a controversial six-year, $1 billion deal with J.C. Penney for Halston III, a mass-market division. It was an era when glamour for the first time penetrated all levels of the market and designers had become rock stars. Later that year, Halston's company was purchased by Norton Simon Inc. and then Esmark. In the 1980s, Halston naively believed the Halston name and business were all about him and that he had leverage. He continued to operate as if it were still the rarefied, big-budget fashion world of the 1970s. In truth, he had sold his name and business, and eventually was forced out by new corporate owners who cared only about the bottom line, not free-flowing fabric or silhouettes. Halston died of Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS-defining illness, on March 26, 1990.
Peretti is featured extensively in the CNN Films documentary, Halston (2019). After watching it again yesterday, I thought I'd share it with you. The documentary isn't perfect—the actor-narrator gimmick runs thin—but it's still exceptionally good and poetic. For those who were in New York at the time and were up on fashion, art and design, the merging of music, art and celebrity along with the excesses will come rushing back. The film's soundtrack is by Stanley Clarke. For a super remembrance of Peretti, read Matt Schudel's obit for The Washington Posthere.
Hard bop emerged in the early 1950s when a new generation of New York jazz musicians began combining original compositions with funky rhythms, a stronger, sophisticated beat and tightly arranged horns influenced by the rise of R&B. As the decade evolved, the hard-bop sound smoothed out, placing an emphasis on collective harmony and the driving force of individual soloists.
Here are a bunch of newly posted videos of hard-bop groups in action:
Here's Miles Davis in a moonscape set on European TV in 1957 with Barney Wilen (ts), Rene Urtreger (p), Pierre Michelot (b) and Kenny Clarke (d) wrapping up Dig...
Here's Lee Morgan in 1965 with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers playing Easy Living, with John Hicks (p) Victor Sproles (b) and Blakey (d)...
Here's vibist Bobby Hutcherson and tenor saxophonist Harold Land in 1969 with Stanley Cowell (p), Reginald Johnson (b) and Joe Chambers (d) playing Theme From Blow Up (Herbie Hancock) and Oleo (Sonny Rollins)...
Here's Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers on TV in 1974,
And here's the Horace Silver Trio playing Song for My Father in the 1980s...
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Bebel Gilberto for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Bebel talked about her father (João Gilberto), their relationship, her mother (singer Miúcha), and why Bebel spent so many years of her childhood missing them terribly. Her mother died in 2018 and her father died in 2019. Bebel has a new album out—Agora. [Photo above of Bebel Gilberto courtesy of Bebel Gilberto]
Here's Bebel at 14 in 1980 with her father in Rio de Janeiro, when he returned to Brazil. It was the first time they sang together publicly. Nervous, Bebel told me, she flirted with an actor in the audience to steady herself while her father sang. Watch for it...
Here's Bebel's mom, Miúcha, with Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1977 (full album)...
And here's the title track from Bebel's new album...
SiriusXM. This coming Wednesday, March 24, at 9 a.m. (ET), I'll be on Feedback with Nik and Lori to talk about John Fogerty's Bad Moon Rising. Tune in as I break down the 1969 song's inspirations and why one of the lyric lines has long been misinterpreted.
Freddie Redd. After posting on pianist Freddie Redd last week, I received the following from Mark Rabin:
Hi, Marc. I was saddened to hear of Freddie Redd's passing. I recorded two of Freddie's appearances on the Bay Area's jazz station, KJAZ, when he returned to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1990. That June, Freddie visited KJAZ for their "Piano Players" program. He played three original songs in the studio and chatted with DJ Stan Dunn for about 20 minutes. We had the rare opportunity to hear Freddie talk about his world travels and outlook on life. That recording is available on the FM Radio Archive here.
Several months later, I had the good fortune to see him live at Lascaux restaurant in San Francisco. The restaurant was below street level and built-out to resemble the Lascaux Cave in France. Freddie played beautifully and was happy to chat between sets. Around the same time, KJAZ did a live broadcast of Freddie from Lascaux. That recording includes extended performances of several original songs and another conversation with Freddie. It is also available on the FM Radio Archive here.
Bill Evans. Days after my post on the Bill Evans Trio's 1980 performance in Molde, Norway, Doug Paterson sent along the following:
Hi Marc. I attended a jazz piano concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on August 27, 1980. The Bill Evans Trio was part of the show. Also Dave Brubeck and George Shearing. I thought bassist Brian Torff, who was with Shearing, stole the show. I still have the program (go here).
Irish Women in Harmony. Last week, I came across this lovely video of female Irish singers getting together on Zoom to perform the Cranberries' Dreams. They were raising money for Safe Ireland, a group that works to protect women and children dealing with domestic abuse and coercive control issues. Artists include Imelda May, Allie Sherlock, Caroline Corr, Eve Belle, Faye O’Rourke, Moya Brennan, Loah, Lucia McPartlin, Saint Sister, Sibéal, Erica Cody, Soulé, Stephanie Rainey, Wyvern Lingo, Tolü Makay, Pillow Queens and Una Healy. Go here...
It's spring! More harmony, this time from four guys in different parts of the world last May who really know their Four Freshmen here...
Hardest bop. In 1986, Jackie McLean (as) and Woody Shaw (tp) (above) performed Cool Struttin', with Cedar Walton (p), Buster Williams (b) and Billy Higgins (d), at the Blue Note Mt.Fuji Jazz Festival in Japan. Go here...
Bobby Porcelli. Last week, arranger-trumpeter Marty Sheller (photo above by Marc Myers) sent along the following monster track based on the chord changes to Cherokee from Bobby Porcelli's Rising (1989), a rare Italian album...
Patti Drew was the first to record Neil Sedaka's Workin' on a Groovy Thing in 1968. It only reached #62 on the Billboard pop chart. The following year, the Fifth Dimension covered the song and it went to #20. For my money, Patti Drew's original here was the better version...
Here's the Fifth Dimension's sunshine pop version...
And here's Mongo Santamaria's cover arranged by Marty Sheller!. Bernard Purdie on drums, Rodgers Grant on piano, and Joe Farrell and Sonny Fortune on saxes, among others...
Swamp rock radio. Recently Chris Cowles hosted a swamp rock special on his weekly Greasy Tracks radio show on WRTC-FM in Hartford, Conn. To listen for free from anywhere in the world in the archive, go here.
Harry Warren radio. On Sunday, March 21, from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET), Sid Gribetz will host a five-hour radio show celebrating the career of composer Harry Warren on WKCR-FM in New York. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
RIP Jimmie Morales, a Puerto Rican salsa percussionist whose unique palm-style spank on the heads of his signature purple-sparkle congas earned him the name Mr. Slap, died March 16. He was 63. For more on Morales, read Bobby Sanabria's obituary at WBGO here. [Photo above of Jimmie Morales courtesy of Toca Percussion]
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of 55 More Songs," "Anatomy of a Song," "Rock Concert: An Oral History" and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards.
