Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress Caroline Aaron for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Caroline plays Shirley Maisel on Prime Video's series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Caroline talks about why she fell in love with acting, the crazy encounter that landed her across from Cher and the influence of her mother, who was a powerhouse civil rights activist in the South in the 1960s and '70s. [Photo above of actress Caroline Aaron playing Shirley Maisel on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, courtesy of Amazon Prime Video]
Here's Caroline on Curb Your Enthusiasm...
And here she is on Mrs. Maisel as Shirley, a character she developed based on her mother's first cousin, Nancy...
Bernie Glow mystery solved! Last week, Michael R. Ragan in Florida emailed the answer to my question: Who is the person next to trumpeter Bernie Glow, right above, in the late 1940s. The answer? William Vacchiano, principal trumpet with the New York Philharmonic. Thanks, Michael!
Dexter Gordon. Last week, Lee Prout sent along a photo (above) he took of Dexter Gordon at Vanderbilt University in 1983. A big thanks to Lee. [Photo above of Dexter Gordon by Lee Prout, courtesy of Lee Prout]
Axel Van Looy in France also emailed about my post on Gordon:
Hello Marc, there's more of the last concert of Dexter in Copenhagen than what appears on the new album you posted about. Here are the tracks in full: Blues Walk, Backstairs, More Than You Know, L.T.D. (Long Tall Dexter)/Closing announcement, Soy Califa, Body and Soul, Rhythm-a-ning and L.T.D/Closing announcement. There also is video from the gig. Go here...
Carol Sloane. Last week, journalist Fred Wasser sent along a link to a piece he wrote on Carol Sloane's time in North Carolina (go here). Carol died in January. Quite a bit I didn't know. The news peg is a new documentary on Carol coming soon (go here).
Stan Kenton. Listening to Stan Kenton on YouTube last week, I came across audio of his full Concerts in Miniature radio series broadcast live in early 1953. One episode, from January 10, 1953, is particularly good, since the band performed several songs from their upcoming release of New Concepts in Artistry in Rhythm, which was recorded in September 1952 and showcased a more swinging Kenton sound. Interesting: Kenton announces Frank Speaking as Happy Talk. He most likely forgot the song's name. Also, dig the wonderful solo by a 25-year-old Bill Holman on Bill Russo's arrangement of These Foolish Things. Go here...
Dave McKenna, the great Boston pianist, is the subject of a new documentary streaming on Quincy Jones’ Qwest TV. Thanks to Bruno Vasil for hipping me to it. To read more about the film, go here.
Aymée Nuviola—Havana Nocturne (Worldwide). One of the most beautiful Cuban albums I've heard in some time is by singer Aymée Nuviola. The album features 13 tracks sung in the filin style—a passionate, U.S.–influenced, Cuban ballad approach fashionable between the late 1940s and the early 1960s. The last time I posted on filin—which derives from the word feelings—was back in 2021, when I spotlighted David Oquendo. Nuviola has a gorgeous voice, and the depth of her emotion will sweep you away. And Kemuel Roig's piano is out of sight. Go here. Also on Spotify and YouTube.
Rare Frank Sinatra. Nick Rossi last week on his Facebook page surfaced a YouTube clip of Frank Sinatra singing For You on his CBS Frank Sinatra Show in 1951. The song was recorded by Jo Stafford in January 1941 with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and an arrangement by Sy Oliver. Sinatra never recorded the song commercially, and his TV show would suffer poor ratings in 1952 as viewers became turned off by his public divorce from Nancy and ongoing relationship with actress Ava Gardner. Sinatra signed with Capitol the following year. [Photo above of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner at the Desert Inn on September 4, 1951, where Sinatra made his Las Vegas debut performing at the Painted Desert Showroom on Sep. 13]
After doing a little research, I found that the following video clip is from November 13, 1951, the final show aired from New York before relocating to Hollywood. Axel Stordahl was the show's musical director and conductor. Nick thinks the arrangement might be by George Siravo. Could be, since Siravo was New York-based at the time. My guess, though, is that the swinging chart was by Sy Oliver.
As Loren Schoenberg notes about the clip, Sinatra already had what would become his swinging Capitol swagger. Indeed! My guess is that his loose body language and cocky phrasing were forged during his first Las Vegas run at The Desert Inn in September 1951, where he discovered lounge pianist Bill Miller. A fascinating clip. At a time when most male pop vocalists like Frankie Laine, Tony Bennett, Eddie Fisher and Johnnie Ray were embracing the trendy "crying" genre, Sinatra went the other way.
Here's Sinatra singing For You...
And here's Jo Stafford 10 years earlier...
Ettore Stratta—Symphonic Boleros and Symphonic Bossa Nova. Ettore (above) was a marvelously gifted and sensitive composer and popular music arranger. And a wonderful guy. He died in 2015. Two of his finest instrumental albums are these with the Royal Philharmonic, recorded in 1998. You can find them on Amazon. But here's a taste from YouTube.
Here's Symphonic Boleros...
And here's Symphonic Bossa Nova...
Three new re-issues from Liberation Hall Records: You'll find Charlie Parker: The Long Lost Bird Live Afro-Cubop Recordings, Bossa Nova at Carnegie Hall and Muddy Waters: Live at the Ash Grove, LA, July 30, 1971 here, here and here.
Pat Healy. Here's singer Pat Healy on Easy Come, Easy Go in 1958, with an arrangement by Fred Katz. You'll find her recordings at Fresh Sound...
Mingus, Ella and Duke birthday broadcasts. WKCR-FM in New York will present three 24-hour birthday broadcasts in late April. Add these to your calendar...
- Charles Mingus on April 22
- Ella Fitzgerald on April 25
- Duke Ellington on April 29
To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
And finally, here's Sy Oliver's arrangement of It's Always You for Frank Sinatra in 1961 [photo above of Sy Oliver in the late 1940s by William P. Gottlieb]...
And here's Sinatra with Dorsey on the same song in January 1941, arranged by Axel Stordahl...
