Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress Lorraine Toussaint for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Lorraine is currently in TV's The Equalizer (CBS) and the film Concrete Cowboy. She grew up in Trinidad, where kids were beaten regularly as a form of parental communication. Two years after her mother went to work in New York, Lorraine joined her in Brooklyn. Lorraine later decided on becoming an actress after seeing a local acting school listed in the Yellow Pages. Her mom paid for tuition with money she was going to use to buy a dress. Then when Lorraine was about to attend an arts high school, her mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. So Lorraine worked hard in school and then rushed home each day to care for her mom. A stark, loving story. [Photo above of Lorraine Toussaint courtesy of CBS]
Here's the Concrete Cowboy trailer...
Fab weekend film. Chris Cordone (above) not only directed Stevie D (2016) but also starred in two of the film's roles. Very funny movie about an unassuming L.A. actor hired to play a construction tycoon's bad-news son with a Mob target on his back. Stick around for the closing song: Meet Me Incognito, by Giacomo Gates. You can watch Stevie D ad-free at Amazon Prime here or on YouTube here...
Alex Baird is trying to reach her financial goal so she can record an album. Donate by buying a gift for yourself at different levels here. Here's Alex's cover of the Bee Gees' How Deep Is Your Love...
Gary Anderson, a Las Vegas saxophonist composer-arranger (above), just started a YouTube channel where he plans on showing videos like this one of his music for TV and film...
Bennie Green radio. On Sunday (April 4), WKCR-FM in New York will re-broadcast Sid Gribetz's five-hour, 2015 tribute to trombonist Bennie Green from 2 to 7 p.m. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
Here's Bennie Green and Sonny Stitt playing Our Day Will Come in 1964...
Billie Holiday radio. Flag your calendar. Next Wednesday, April 7, WKCR-FM in New York will be airing its annual Billie Holiday Birthday Broadcast for 24 hours, from midnight to midnight. Tune in from anywhere in the world by going here.
Here's Holiday's 1939 Some Other Spring...
Al Hibbler and Rahsaan Roland Kirk recorded a fabulous album in 1972 for Atlantic called A Meeting of the Times. Included is Do Nothin' Til You Hear From Me. Go here...
And finally, here's Gil Torres and the LarKings from Brooklyn singing a terrific cover of the Ravens' Count Every Star (1950). The performance was so good that a guy seated in the front on the right got his back scratched...
