In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed English actor-comedian Stephen Merchant for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Stephen is best known for co-creating with Ricky Gervais the original version of The Office. He also co-created Prime Video’s The Outlaws, a crime-comedy series he stars in. [Photo above of Stephen Merchant and Christopher Walken in Prime Videos' The Outlaws, courtesy of Amazon Studios]
Here's Stephen with James Corden...
Sweet Megg. Last year, I featured the vocalist known as Sweet Megg (above) here. Back then she and Ricky Alexander were in their 1930s phase. Now, Sweet Megg is back with one serious, knock-out country and Western-swing vocal album coming in September—My Window Faces the South. It was recorded in Nashville. Her new video for I Can't Stop Loving You was released on Friday on YouTube and features Ricky Alexander and the gang. To dig, go here...
Here's Sweet Megg's title-track video...
David Allyn. Last week, following my post on Les Block and David Cummings' special radio broadcast on singer David Allyn, I heard from Paul Cammarata, who recorded David at New York's Red Blazer Too:
Hi Marc, I was listening to the Les Block interview tribute to David Allyn that you posted. Les played one of the recordings I did of David at the Red Blazer Too, an instrumental of "That Old Black Magic." The piano player was the late great Bob Kaye.
I sent Les about a half dozen mp3s of recordings I did of David at the Red Blazer Too. I also have some videos I took as well. His bands did vary because it was not a high-paying gig and, as I remember, that night there were quite a few replacements, particularly in the trumpet section.
I am so happy I was able to get David going again with his big band at the club just by striking up a conversation with Denis Carey at a Big Band Dance Party in Newark hosted by WEVD radio personality Danny Stiles. When I mentioned to Denis that David sang with Jack Teagarden, he was totally open to putting the band in there.
Here's a video clip from March 25, 1992. That same night, Barry Harris came to see David and even played "All of Me" and David graciously agreed to have Dick Haymes Jr. sing a few songs with the band. [Editor's note: I believe that's Loren Schoenberg front and center in the reed section]...
And this from Frank Griffith...
Hi Marc. Thanks so much for sharing the David Allyn 1992 clip, and to Paul, of course for providing it. The saxes are from left to right are Loren Schoenberg, Jon Gordon, Jerry Dodgion, myself and Mark Lopeman. David Allyn was 73 then and still in good form. I did three arrangements for the band then: "These Foolish Things," "Up the Lazy River" and "Memphis in June." Keep up the good work!
Pink Panther. Director Raymond De Felitta posted on Peter Sellers and the Pink Panther film series. Included in his post are two videos that outline the Pink Panther lineage and why the ones without Sellers fell flat. Go here and here.
I can't post about the Pink Panther without this—Henry Mancini with the Lawrence Welk Orchestra in 1981 performing the theme from the movie 10 and the Pink Panther Theme...
Bernie Glow. Last week, Heidi Glow, daughter of top studio trumpeter Bernie Glow, sent along the photo above and a link to an interview Bill Spilka conducted with her father. The photo above shows Heidi's parents while visiting her in San Francisco in 1980. You can access the interview series here (in the right-hand column, click on "download link."
Tony Inzalaco. Last week, Bret Primack emailed me about a new video series he started on drummer Tony Inzalaco...
Hi Marc. I first encountered Tony in 1965 when he was playing with Maynard's big band and later in his small group. Tony moved to Europe a few years after that and played with Ben Webster, Oscar Peterson and Dexter Gordon, among others. For the next week, I'm posting interview clips on YouTube about Tony's life in music. You can check out the entire series here.
Airto radio. Following my post last week on Airto Moreira's GoFundMe page seeking donations to help ease the cost of his recent hospital stay and at-home care, I heard from Kim Paris of the FM Radio Archive:
Marc, thanks for letting your JazzWax readers know about Airto's medical crisis and for providing a link to his gofundme donation site. I've enjoyed his music for 40-plus years, so I was happy to contribute. I hope other JazzWax readers do the same.
You and your readers will enjoy this recording of Airto with the CTI All Stars, from the Festival de Châteauvallon in France, recorded 50 years ago this month. What a star-studded lineup for this concert: Ron Carter, Hank Crawford, Jack DeJohnette, Joe Farrell, Freddie Hubbard, Bob James, Hubert Laws, Esther Phillips, Stanley Turrentine, Grover Washington Jr. and Airto on percussion. Go here.
Airto also played on Art Blakey's New Year's Eve performance at the Keystone Korner in 1979 for NPR's Jazz Alive series. This is another one of the many broadcast recordings generously shared by Mark Rabin. Go here.
Giacomo Gates. My favorite jazz male vocalist will be singing at New York's Birdland Theater on August 11 at 8:30 p.m. Backing Gates will be David Hazeltine on piano, Bill Moring on bass and Steve Johns on drums.
Gates's latest album is You (Savant). For more info about the Birdland gig, go here. To read my interview with Gates, go here.
Here's Gates singing The Nearness of You...
Helen Humes radio. On Sunday, Sid Gribetz of WKCR-FM in New York will be spinning Helen Humes records and talking about the vocalist from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET) on Jazz Profiles. Tune in from anywhere in the world by going here.
A special thanks to Brett Gold. We both know why.
And finally, here's an hour of the captivating Bill Charlap Trio—Bill, Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums—at Flushing Town Hall in April. The trio's latest album is Street of Dreams. Here's their performance (which starts at about 2:50)....
