In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Simon Le Bon, lead singer of the 1980s Brit-pop band Duran Duran, for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). A fascinating story of how Simon sang in English vocal contests as a child and set out to become an actor. Then an ex-girlfriend fixed him up with a band just starting out in Birmingham, England. Simon was studying acting at the university there. The rest is history.
Here's Simon and Duran Duran performing their James Bond theme, View to a Kill...
And check out Duran Duran's new, 15th studio album, Future Past. Brit-pop at its best...
Also in the WSJ last week, my latest monthly essay for the Arts/Opinion page on albums that turned 50 this year and changed the direction of pop. For August, I chose J.D. Souther's first solo album, John David Souther (go here). It plays like a lost Eagles album, but unlike the Eagles first album, Eagles, released a few months earlier, J.D. Souther's initial release had "train-whistle melancholy and Buck Owens innocence," as I wrote in the WSJ. In addition, all background vocals were overdubbed by J.D. A remarkable and little-known country-rock album from 1972 I know you will enjoy.
Here's Kite Woman...
Coming December 6, my latest book from Grove Press, Anatomy of 55 More Songs, the much awaited and in-demand followup to my 2016 bestseller Anatomy of a Song. To pre-order, go here.
And Rock Concert, my book published by Grove last fall, can be ordered here.
Samara Joy has a new album coming September 16 that sounds spectacular. For Linger Awhile (Verve), she records Ronnell Bright's Sweet Pumpkin. I only wish Ronnell were around to hear this. Knowing Ronnell as I did, he would have been overjoyed to play piano for her. Then again, guitarist Pasquale Grasso sounds just right. Go here...
And here's Samara at work in the studio on Can't Get Out of This Mood for the same album, with Ben Paterson (piano), David Wong (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums). Shades of Sassy...
Speaking of J.D. Souther, Bob Henry sent along the following last week:
Marc, after reading your essay on J.D. Souther in the WSJ, let me proffer these links to a long-forgotten duet:
Here's J.D. with Matraca Berg singing Faithless Love in 1992...
And here's J.D. with Matraca on Bittersweet Surrender...
Linda Ronstadt. The last two clips made me want to cue up Linda. Here she is in 1972...
In memoriam. The last couple of weeks were heavy for jazz. Beautiful cats all:
This one's for Creed Taylor (1929-2022), who produced Grover Washington Jr.'s Inner City Blues album and died on August 22. Dig Ron Carter's bass line..
Warren Bernhardt (1938-2022) died on August 19. Here he is playing Bill Evans's Fun Ride...
Bill Pitman (1920-2022), a revered studio guitarist, passed on August 11. Here he is playing This October on Four Freshmen and Five Guitars in 1959, before moving on to the Wrecking Crew and pop and pop-rock in the 1960s. The guitars? Pitman, Tommy Tedesco, Al Hendrickson, Howard Roberts and Bobby Gibbons. Shows you the kind of company Pitman kept in Los Angeles...
And Joey DeFrancesco (1971-2022), who died on August 25. Here's S'Bout Time, from DeFrancesco's The Philadelphia Connection, a 2002 tribute to organist Don Patterson...
Wattstax radio. August 20 marked the 50th anniversary of Wattstax, a 1972 benefit concert held in Los Angeles and organized by Stax Records to help the Watts community seven years after the destructive riot. To commemorate the event, Chris Cowles devoted part of his weekly Greasy Tracks radio broadcast on WRTC-FM in Hartford to the concert and the other part to blues guitarist Kal David, who died on August 16. To listen to Chris's two-hour show, go here.
Here's the Wattstax documentary film trailer...
Charlie Parker/Lester Young radio. WKCR-FM in New York will be celebrating the birthdays of Charlie Parker and Lester Young from August 27 to 29 by spinning their records 24 hours a day. Prez's tribute goes first on August 27, then both Prez and Bird will be celebrated on August 28, and then Bird alone on August 29. Tune in from anywhere in the world by going here.
And finally, here's Afternoon in August, from Mis'ry and the Blues, a 1961 Verve album produced by Creed Taylor and beloved by him, with Jack Teagarden on trombone, Don Goldie on trumpet, Henry Cuesta on clarinet, Don Ewell on piano, Stan Puls on bass and Ronnie Greb on drums...
