In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed comedian-actor Alyssa Limperis for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Alyssa is perhaps best known for her series of "mom videos" on YouTube, in which she impersonates her Rhode Island mother. They're hysterical. That series led her to a starring role in Too Late, a quirky sci-fi comedy film. [Photo above of Alyssa Limperis courtesy of Alyssa Limperis]
Here's Mom Helped Me Move...
Here's the Too Late trailer...
Rosa Passos. Following my post on Brazilian singer Rosa Passos, Nick Carver sent along the following:
Marc, five years ago my wife and I were in Rio. We went to Ipanema Beach and stopped at a nearby record store (above). We talked with the owner and his wife. They even danced for us. I asked him what he would recommend we buy. He said "Amarosa" by Rosa Passos.
Charlie Watts. Following my post on the passing of the Rolling Stones' drummer, John A. Bargh, a professor of management at Yale, sent along the following [photo above of Paul Klee]:
Dear Marc, I loved today's JazzWax post on Charlie Watts. Your mention of Watts' graphic art background, circa 1960, reminded me of something I just read about Paul Klee, who taught in the Bauhaus for many years but actually started there as their bookbinder. He, in turn, was influenced by music, kind of the obverse of Watts. Here is a link to the material on Klee and I've also copied the main text below, for your interest:
"Paul Klee was an artist and teacher at the Bauhaus for most of that famed school’s existence. Initially head of the bookbinding department, Klee made his greatest contribution as a lecturer on the theory of form in art for the basic design course. There, he developed his ideas about the “polyphony” of painting—the simultaneous effect of formal elements that produces “a transformed beholder of art.
"Klee was also a trained musician and shared with many artists of the early twentieth century the idea that music was the key to producing a new, abstract art. He was interested in the temporal character of music and its possible translation into forms of art. Works like Sunset reflect the principles of rhythm: linear structures, forms, and tonal values are orchestrated into a measured, vibrating image. To produce such a harmonious effect, Klee layered an intricate pattern of dots over a neutral background.
"Abstract, geometric, and overlapping shapes balance with recognizable forms, such as the schematic face in the upper left and the red sun and arrow in the lower right. The resulting composition—balancing stillness and movement, shallowness and depth—relates to Klee’s larger project of looking to music to produce an art that “does not reproduce the visible, but makes visible.”
Music break #1. Singer Louise Alexandra in Holland sent along the following after reading my John McLaughlin interview for the WSJ:
With a high school boyfriend bass player whose hero was Jaco Pastorius, I listened to all the jazzrock/fusion'ers—Al Di Meola, Paco De Lucia, Weather Report, Stanley Clark and George Duke, Steps Ahead, etc. I tried to capture that feel in my song "Lately," with Oscar Stagnaro on bass and Claudio Ragazzi on guitar. The album was co-produced by Rebecca Parris, who sang backing vocals. Here's Lately...
Artt Frank. I last posted on drummer Artt Frank in November 2020. Artt knew trumpeter-singer Chet Baker well and played and recorded with him. Last year, Artt released the first volume of his memoir, entitled Chet Baker: Always Looking for the Light (here). Now he has released Part 2. It's a tender, honest telling with a breezy writing style that feels spoken. Lots of tidbits on Baker: "That was another thing about Chet. No matter where he was, he'd have a television set, and it was always on, 24 hours a day." Must reading for Chet Baker fans. You'll find Part 2 of Artt's memoir here.
9/11 film. My friend Ivan Acosta, a writer and director, who during our many dinners and nights out in the 1990s taught me everything I know about Cuban music and salsa, has released Behind My Eyes. For his documentary on the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center, he used film he took that day. Ivan was happy to let me share a link with you. [Photo above of the World Trade Center by Carol M. Highsmith courtesy of the Library of Congress]
Go here...
Music break #2. Here's another gem from pianist Dave Thompson, who sent along Waltz for Debby from his studio...
Bird-Prez radio. WKCR-FM in New York will be hosting its annual Charlie Parker/Lester Young Birthday Broadcast from August 27 to 29. The 72-hour marathon (ET) starts with Young on August 27, a mix of Young and Parker on August 28 and Parker on August 29. This show always provides invaluable education on two of the most important artists in jazz history. Tune in from anywhere in the world by going here.
And finally, from Rick Weinberg, editor-in-chief of California Business Journal, this fabulous clip of David Bowie singing 1984 on The Dick Cavett Show in 1974, with David Sanborn on alto sax....
I'll add two more. Here's Starman from Top of the Pops in 1972...
And here's Life on Mars...
