In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed the sensational and well-read Minnie Driver for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). The British actress talked about feeling uprooted as a child in England—her parents were never married and then separated—and the event that cleared the way for her to embrace the stage in middle school. And how she wound up with the name Minnie. Minnie will appear in the new season of Amazon's Modern Love starting August 13. [Photo above of Minnie Driver in Modern Love, courtesy of Amazon Studios]
Here's the ever-fast Minnie holding her own and giving some back on my favorite late night show (now gone), the Late Show with Craig Ferguson...
Walter Wanderley. Last week, Steve Taylor found a radio interview with Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley conducted in San Francisco in 1967 by a chirpy Binny Lum, who surely must have been modeled on Dame Edna. The language difference limits his answers, but Wanderley's wife, Isaurinha Garcia, who was more fluent in English, helped out. So interesting that an organist so closely associated with explosive joy and beautiful melodies should be so subdued and monotone in conversation. We also learn that he began playing the bossa nova on the organ in 1959 at São Paulo's Michel club. So I did a little digging.
The club was on Rua Major Sertório and run by Jimmy Christie. Based on the club's ads at the time, it was a highly popular night spot that hosted many touring American jazz and pop artists in the late 1950s and onward. [Photo above of singer Billy Eckstine and Jimmy Christie at Michel in December 1959]
That's probably where Tony first saw Wanderley perform. [Photo above of Tony Bennett in São Paulo in 2012, painting in a park. To listen to the radio interview, go here.
Jimmy Smith. After my post last week on Jimmy Smith's belated Confirmation album, I heard from bassist Chuck Israels:
Hi Marc, I’d be remiss if I didn’t call attention to drummer Donald Bailey, Jimmy's working drummer. I could wax poetic—at length—about the qualities of his playing, but I’ll just point out that he provided relentless power and uplifting swing (he always did) with beautiful sound and a perfect amount of conversational rhythmic interplay. He was just as good as Art Blakey but never got the attention I think he deserved. And he could do all this at a whisper as well as at the thunderous level an organ group required. He’s an unsung hero of mine, and he was as lovely a guy as he was a great drummer.
I also heard from Kim Paris at the FM Radio Archive...
Marc, I enjoyed your article on Jimmy Smith's "Confirmation," released in 1979. Your readers may be interested in his live audio performance at the 1981 Chicago Jazz Festival. This recording was donated to FM Radio Archive by Mark Rabin, who has contributed many others from his collection. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Go here.
Hampton Hawes. After my post on Hampton Hawes's Bird Song and the lack of clarity over the personnel, I had a chance to catch up with John Koenig, son of Lester Koenig, the album's original producer:
Hi Marc. The long and short of it, as far as I know, is that these were outtakes. For whatever reason, my father never wanted to put them out. I'm guessing that Ralph Kaffel at Fantasy had Ed Michel put "Bird Song" together. The sessions would have happened when I was a small child, so I have no memory of them. I don't remember Hamp ever playing with Paul Chambers, but clearly, he might have. Hamp did record with Chuck Thompson on his early Contemporary albums (they recorded at the L.A. Police Academy gymnasium), so it's entirely possible that Chuck could have played on some of these recordings. And, of course, Hamp played often and recorded with Red Mitchell. Hamp did record with Scott LaFaro (and Frank Butler) on "For Real," so there's precedent there. Otherwise, that's all I know.
Fishink. If you love children's book illustrations, check out the U.K.'s Fishink blog. It's delightful and hosted by Craig, a ceramist, textile designer and illustrator and photographer. Craig recently posted about a sale he was holding for his ceramics. Email him at the link in the site's upper right-hand corner for information. You'll find Craig's ceramics for sale here.
Lenny Hambro. Last week, Jim Eigo of Jazz Promo Services sent along a fab clip featuring the Lenny Hambro Quintet in 1987. Go here...
Paul Quinichette. On Sunday (July 11), Sid Gribetz will hold a five-hour radio broadcast on WKCR-FM honoring the career of tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette, from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET). Listen from anywhere in the world by going here.
