In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actor Aldis Hodge for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Aldis played the district attorney in the series City on a Hill and now stars in the film Black Adam and the Leverage: Redemption series. Aldis's childhood was fascinating. His mother, a former Marine, home-schooled him and his brother and put them on a Hollywood track by having them work in advertising from a very early age and then TV, Broadway and film. [Photo above of Aldis Hodge as Hawkman in Black Adam by Frank Masi.]
WBGO's Doug Doyle (above) interviewed me last week on my new book, Anatomy of 55 More Songs. Doug is the station's news director, morning news anchor, co-host of WBGO Journal and host of the station's SportsJam. He also has a voice as warm as a bowed cello. After spending years listening to jazz on WBGO-FM and to Doug on the air, I was overjoyed to cross through the proverbial mirror and spend time with him. To view the interview, go here.
David C. Gross and Tom Semioli (above), hosts of the terrific, fast-paced podcast Notes From an Artist, had me on to talk about my new book. It's in two parts:
For more on David and Tom, go here.
Brian Torff. The great jazz bassist, best known for his years with pianist George Shearing, has a new book out: Seize the Beat: The Evolution of American Music (McFarland). His book is part memoir, part observational social history and part guide for musicians looking for a path to greater emotional depth. You'll find his new book here.
Louis Stewart (1944-2016) would have been 79 on January 5. The late Irish jazz guitarist had a beautiful touch, and Oliver Dowling in Dublin and a compatriot of Stewart, tells me Stewart was a big JazzWax fan. Oliver also mentioned that Stewart's 1977 solo album, Out on His Own, will be reissued on the reactivated Livia Records on February 24.
Here's a trailer...
Nancy Wilson (above), Mose Allison and Ella Fitzgerald radio. Kim Paris of FM Radio Archive emailed to let me know that the subjects of recent JazzWax posts have rare live broadcasts:
Nancy Wilson—four episodes of Jazz Profiles hosted by Nancy Wilson. Go here.
Mose Allison—Mark Rabin shared a great 1984 broadcast recording of Mose from Pepe's Upstairs in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The show was broadcast by CBC-FM in Canada, on its show The Ocean Limited. Go here.
Ella Fitzgerald—The singer's 1981 Chicago Jazz Festival performance originally aired on NPR's Jazz Alive program. Mark Rabin recorded it from Chicago's WBEZ-FM. She was backed by Jimmy Rowles on piano, Keter Betts on bass and Bobby Durham on drums. Go here.
Jim Stewart radio. Chris Cowles, host of Greasy Tracks on WRTC-FM in Hartford, Ct., recently broadcast Part 2 of his tribute to Stax co-founder Jim Stewart. The first three hours were killer (here). This second three-hour set is just as strong. Go here.
Milt Jackson radio. On Sunday, WKCR-FM New York's Sid Gribetz will host a five-hour retrospective from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET) celebrating the music of vibraphonist Milt Jackson (above). Listen from anywhere in the world by going here.
And finally, here's Alton Ellis, king of Jamaican rocksteady, performing at SunSplash 93 in St. Catherine, Jamaica...
