Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress J. Smith-Cameron for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). J. plays attorney Gerri Kellman on the wildly popular HBO series, Succession. Kellman is a character J. said she modeled after two female friends, both of whom are attorneys in finance. As for her characters' nervous-wreck qualities, that's from her. [Photo above of J. Smith-Cameron and Brian Cox, another one of my WSJ "House Call" subjects, by Peter Kramer, courtesy of HBO]
Here's a compilation of J.'s scenes...
Sarah Vaughan. Following my post last week on Sarah Vaughan, I heard from Bill Mays, who was the vocalist's pianist in 1971 and '72 and was joined by bassist Bob Magnusson and drummer Jimmy Cobb:
Marc, I especially appreciated today’s tribute. Can’t resist sending you these Sarah-related tidbits from my book that I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of:
First, after my move to Los Angeles, I was happily surprised one day when pianist Jimmy Rowles recommended me for a gig with the singer Bill Henderson. Then, in 1972, he called me and said, “Sass is in need of a piano player. Wanna work with her?” I said, “Who’s Sass?” Jimmy snorted, “Sarah Vaughan, man!” He sent me to her house in Beverly Hills.
After looking at her 18-inch-thick piano book of songs she sang, I thought, wow, this is going to be an all-day affair—and a hard one. But after we did a couple of\ tunes, Sarah laughed and said, “You got the job, honey, now let’s eat.” She proceeded to fix us a delicious dinner.
Second, I was not working with Sarah at the time but I heard this famous story: She sometimes took requests from the audience. One night, someone asked for
one of her hits, but it was one she hadn’t sung in years. Reluctantly she said OK, and then looked insecurely at the band. Bassist Gus Mancuso said, "Don’t worry, Sass, I know all your material. I gotcha covered." Halfway into the tune, she forgot the lyrics, and turned and looked hopefully at Gus. He smiled broadly, and while slapping his bass on the 1 and 3 beats shouted, “A7 . . . D7 . . . Bb7.” Sarah fell down laughing and couldn’t finish the tune.
And third, along with a four-octave range Sarah had perfect pitch and always started "Stairway to the Stars" completely alone, in the key of C. I would come in at the seventh bar with a III-VI-II-V turnaround, and then on into the next section we would go.
One night, just to mess with me, she started the tune a half-step lower. Since I don’t have perfect pitch, I didn't realize we were in the key of B, not C! When I hit the III-chord, it was a horrible discord, and my discomfort was matched by her joy as she turned around with a devilish grin of "I gotcha!"
My "solution" from then on was that whenever we did that tune, I'd play just one note instead of hitting a full chord at bar seven. That note would be either in the right chord or a half-step away from it, at which point I could quickly adjust to the new key.
By the way, my "get-back" for that prank was to shave off my beard and mustache, sport a new hairdo, and don a Hawaiian shirt and shorts. As the curtain opened, there I was, nearly unrecognizable, at the Steinway! She was so freaked out the show almost stopped.
Editor's note: Bill Mays is backing Sarah Vaughan on her albums Live at the 1971 Monterey Jazz Festival and A Time in My Life.
Ethel Ennis. Bill Kirchner sent along a superb clip of Ethel Ennis singing I Only Have Eyes for You...
Duffy Jackson. I came across a favorite clip last week of Chubby Jackson's son, Duffy Jackson, playing drums with Count Basie. Rare to see Basie impressed, as subtle as that may be. Watch the corners of his mouth. [Photo above of Duffy Jackson]
Here's Wind Machine...
And here's Duffy being interviewed by Bret Primack on playing with Basie and other topics. Duffy died in 2021 at age 67...
Elysia Biro. Last week, I found a clip on Instagram of Elysia Brio, a massively talented pianist and singer. To listen to her play a Red Garland transcription, go here.
The Supremes. Before Motown's Supremes were a hit machine, they recorded a little-known song in 1962 by Smokey Robinson called Your Heart Belongs to Me. Go here...
Tessa Souter and Count Basie radio. Last week I heard from Kim Paris of the FM Radio Archive:
Hi Marc, thanks for your recent posts about Mark Murphy, the link to Tessa Souter's 2015 tribute to Mark in the London Jazz News, and your post about the Basie All Stars (sans Count Basie) in Germany. JazzWax readers may enjoy the following FM radio broadcasts:
Tessa Souter—a set from the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest in 2016, from KCSM. She talks about her training with Mark Murphy in the interview segment. Go here.
Count Basie—You'll find an NPR Jazz Profiles show, hosted by Nancy Wilson, and three others from the 1981 Chicago Jazz Festival by going here.
RIP Tony Coe, a British jazz musician who played clarinet, bass clarinet and flute as well as soprano, alto and tenor saxophones, died on March 16. He was 88. Frank Griffith, an American saxophonist who now lives in Liverpool, U.K., where he hosts The Jazz Cavern, a weekly radio show, hosted a tribute to Coe last week. As Frank notes, "I got to know Tony reasonably well over the years, from 1996 on, and performed with him with the John Dankworth Big Band and recorded two CDs with him." [Photo above of Tony Coe]
To listen to Frank's show, click on this link...
Frank Griffith's "Jazz Cavern": Tony Coe Tribute
Here's Tony Coe in 1970 in London on tenor saxophone with an orchestra arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon playing There Will Never Be....
Billie Holiday radio. WKCR-FM will present its annual Billie Holiday Birthday Broadcast on April 6 and 7, when on-air hosts will spin Lady Day's recordings for 48 hours (ET). To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
And finally, because Gerry Mulligan was a Jeopardy! clue on Friday night, here's the Double Six of Paris in 1961 singing Mulligan's Westwood Walk...
And here's the Gerry Mulligan Ten-tette's recording of Westwood Walk in 1953...
