As a jazz fan, you may not be familiar with Chuck Owen, but you should. Chuck is a composer-arranger who has just released an album that features him conducting the WDR Big Band playing his original compositions and arrangements. The WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany, is one of the finest and most prestigious jazz orchestras in the world, and Chuck's new album is remarkable and enveloping. Think Thad Jones/Mel Lewis meets Rob McConnell and Francy Boland.
Born in Norfolk, Va., Chuck grew up in Omaha, Neb., before his family moved to Cincinnati. After a year at the College of Wooster in Ohio, Chuck transferred to the University of North Texas where he received an undergraduate degree in music education, with a focus on trombone.
At the university, he found a large number of mentors and a dozen jazz “lab” bands all hungry for new music. He happily obliged. After graduation, he went on to earn a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at California State University, Northridge. Following grad school, he remained in Los Angeles for a few years freelancing and apprenticing with leading film and TV composer Patrick Williams through an NEA study grant.
In 1981, Chuck moved with his wife and family to Tampa, Fla., to join the jazz-studies faculty at the University of South Florida. There he helped build a monumental jazz program from scratch, designing the curriculum and degree programs. Chuck earned the title of distinguished university professor and was awarded USF's Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award, President’s Award for Faculty Excellence, and the Outstanding Research Award.
In 2004, Chuck founded the USF Center for Jazz Composition, which focuses on the role of the composer in jazz and assists in composers' continuing development. The CJC launched several prominent programs, including the Jazz Composers’ Symposium, the International Jazz Arranging Competition and Central Florida’s Jazz Masterworks Series. He went on to found the ISJAC—the International Society of Jazz Arrangers & Composers—in 2015.
In August of 2021, after 40 years, Chuck retired from the University of South Florida and was named professor emeritus. He continues to serve as President of ISJAC and served as president of IAJE. He also served as a panelist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, the National Endowment for the Arts, ASCAP, the Recording Academy, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and numerous other groups.
Since 1995, Owen has led the19-piece Jazz Surge band, serving as conductor as well as primary composer and arranger. The band has recorded seven albums, including the Grammy-nominated Whispers on the Wind.
Which brings us to his new album, Renderings. The album took two years to record as a result of the pandemic. When Chuck returned to Cologne, Germany, in the spring of 2021 to resume work on the project, more than a year had passed since he worked with the large ensemble.
There's a great deal of Thad Jones/Mel Lewis in Chuck's arrangements, and the WDR Big Band delivers with precision, swing and feeling. It's easily the finest big band album of the year thus far.
The band's personnel:
Woodwinds—Johan Hörlén, Karolina Strassmayer, Gabor Bolla, Olivier Peters, Paul Heller and Jens Neufang.
Trumpets—Wim Both, Andy Haderer, Rob Bruynen and Ruud Breuls.
Trombones—Ludwig Nuss, Raphael Klemm, Andy Hunter and Mattis Cederberg.
Rhythm section—Billy Test (piano and organ), Philipp Brämswig (guitar), John Goldsby (bass) and Hans Dekker (drums).
Special guest—Sara Caswell.
Every track is a work of extraordinary art, with sighing brass, edgy lines that resolve beautifully and aching swells and builds. I'm not ordinarily a fan of the violin in a jazz setting, but the album's special guest, Sara Caswell, is exquisite and plays with a rich woodwind feel. Hopefully, Chuck will produce another album with the WDR Big Band soon. This first release tells you everything you need to know about him.
Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress Carol Kane for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Carol started her film career in 1971 in The Last Detail with Jack Nicholson. Hester Street, Dog Day Afternoon, Annie Hall, The Princess Bride, Scrooged, Taxi and many others followed. [Publicity still above of Carol Kane from the early 1970s]
Gil Mellé. Last week I heard from Jim Lowe on composer and multi-instrumentalistGil Mellé (above, by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images):
Marc, I wrote to you a few years back and I thought I’d follow up about what I’ve found out about Mellé’s time as a major figure in model railroading in the late 1950s and early to mid 1960s. Among other things, he started his own company called Industrial Model Works in the late 1950s that sold model railroad structure kits. He also published extensively in Railroad Model Craftsman magazine in the early to mid-1960s. The projects he wrote about were quite advanced and sophisticated for the time, and were often accompanied by his own excellent drawings. For a few years he was a big player in the hobby.
This seems to be a fairly unknown aspect of his life. I’ve often wondered if his hobby had any influence on his career in music. What I’ve found out so far is documented in these posts here.
Still, there are a lot of unknowns, and a lot of information I’ve found is uncorroborated. For example, I’m still trying to put together an accurate timeline of his activities and whereabouts from the time he stopped recording in the late 1950s to the time he relocated to Los Angeles from New Jersey in the early to mid-1960s.
Was Mellé ever featured in a book or magazine? Do you know anything about this period when he seemed to disappear from jazz? I’m trying to find some clues that might glue all the various facts together.
Dave Thompson, a marvelous pianist, sent along a note last week and a link to his take on They Say It's Wonderful. Go here...
The 5th Dimension in ads. Last week I came across a bunch of ads with jingles sung by the 5th Dimension (above, courtesy of Spotify). I had no idea they did so much commercial work, creating their own arrangements...
Count Basie. Last week, Jim Eigo passed along an email he received from Denmark flagging a site that features short bursts of historical jazz footage. Here's Count Basie (above) and here's Eddie Condon. Want more? Go here.
Jack Teagarden is always top of mind. Here's one of my favorite tracks late in his life, It's All in Your Mind, from Tea's Verve album Mis'ry and the Blues...
And just one more. Here's Guess I'll Go Back Home This Summer...
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis.Here's nearly two hours of the band in Paris in 1969 (click "Watch on YouTube" in the embedded box), thanks to Carl Woideck...
Lalo Schifrin. You never know what crazy thing you'll discover on Instagram. I found the Mission Impossible Theme played by a marble passing down a series of carefully spaced xylophone keys. An ingenious merger of music and engineering. Go here.
Carpenters. In October 1970, Karen and Richard were on the Ed Sullivan Show. For me, nothing brings back the early 1970s more profoundly than these two (and all of American Motors' vehicles). And yes, the pageboy haircut on guys really was a thing. Here'sWe've Only Just Begun...
They also performed (They Long to Be) Close to You. Go here...
Live from Club Hangover. Carl Woideck alerted me to a site that features half-hour broadcasts from Club Hangover, the top San Francisco nightclub for Dixieland in the 1950s. If you have an hour or two to kill, go here.
Bennie and the Jets. I came across two great duets of the Elton John and Bernie Taupin song, featuring Elton and Cher and Elton and Lady Gaga. Both are spectacular:
And here's Elton and Lady Gaga in 2013 (along with her own Artpop)...
Here's Rosemary Clooney, Jeri Southern and trumpeter Pete Candoli in October 1956...
Jazz on the radio. Last week, I heard from Kim Paris of the FM Radio Archive. And whenever I hear from Kim, that usually means lots of free live music for you:
Hi Marc, I see you took a break for a couple of weeks, I hope you enjoyed some time off along the way. Here are some live performances of artists you featured recently:
Bill Evans & Tony Bennett—I discovered the CBC broadcast called "Together Again" shortly after we lost Tony and wasn't aware you had also written about it. The half-hour set came to me as audio only, I didn't know at first if it was a TV or FM broadcast, since CBC does both. Go here.
Carlos Santana—I have five broadcast recordings of Santana on FM Radio Archive, ranging from a 1970 jam session at The Matrix nightclub in San Francisco to a 1981 performance with Herbie Hancock in Tokyo. The other three recordings are from the 1970's. Go here.
Eddie Lockjaw Davis (above)—There are two broadcast recordings by the tenor saxophonist on FM Radio Archive, both courtesy of Mark Rabin. The first is with Harry "Sweets" Edison from the 1981 Chicago Jazz Festival, and the second is with Jay McShann on New Year's Eve 1982. Go here.
Moacir Santos—While I don't have, and am not aware of any live broadcast recordings of Moacir Santos, pianist & trombonist Mark Levine was a collaborator and devotee. This Mark Levine tribute concert after his passing last year (hosted by KCSM's Jess Chuy Varela) includes a link to a video about the making of "Off and On" by Mark Levine and the Latin Tinge, their album featuring the music of Moacir Santos. Go here.
And finally,here's Lynda Kay singing Town Without Pity in 2015...
Like many vocal stars eager to supplement their income and remain visible, Tony Bennett did his fair share of fun TV and print ads for a wide range of products. Here are a bunch of TV commercials, as well as two rare ones from my archives that were given to me by friends:
Here's Tony for Rheingold Beer, a brew that was popular in the Northeast in the 1950s and '60s...
Between 1960 and 1961, jazz author and critic Nat Hentoff worked for Candid Records as its A&R chief and in-studio producer. During that two-year period, he recorded 34 albums. What made the albums special is that they were without commercial constrictions, meaning artists were free to record originals and with groups of their choosing. [Photo above of Charles Mingus and Nat Hentoff]
Many of the albums produced by Nat were released soon after they were recorded while others sat on the shelf for decades before the label's ownership changed hands and they surfaced in record stores.
Now, the new owner of Candid is remastering and reissuing the Candid catalog. I previously posted on notable titles here and here. Now, five more are out. What they have in common are lots of powerful originals composed by the albums' leaders and music shaded by the emerging avant-garde of the early 1960s. Best of all, the sound is great and you can really hear the special qualities of each artist, since the musicians were able to record what other labels probably had nixed.
Here are the five new releases:
Don Ellis—How Time Passes (1960). Don Ellis was a trumpeter, drummer, composer and leader best known for his adventures in the classical-influenced Third Stream and his unusual time signatures, tempos and free feel. He's probably best known for scoring and recording the soundtrack for The French Connection (1971) and The French Connection II (1975). The personnel on How Time Passes includes Don Ellis (tp), Jaki Byard (p,as), Ron Carter (b) and Charlie Persip (d). This album has a restless, Mingus feel, with ballads suddenly turning into uptempo pieces, only to slow down again. You'll find the album here.
Phil Woods—Rights of Swing (1961). In the middle of his U.S. studio recordings with the Quincy Jones Big Band following its disastrous European tour in 1960, alto saxophonist Phil Woods recorded Rights of Swing. He brought in Benny Bailey (tp), Curtis Fuller (tb), Julius Watkins (fhr), Sahib Shihab (bar), Tommy Flanagan (p), Buddy Catlett (b) and Osie Johnson (d). Phil breaks with his bop underpinnings here and delivers one of his finest and most beautiful albums as a leader and composer. If you listen carefully, you can hear Quincy Jones's influence. You'll find the album here.
Steve Lacy—The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy (1961). Steve Lacy is barely known today when talk turns to the soprano saxophone. Though he began as a Dixieland player, he was soon captivated by the avant-garde in the mid-1950s. Yet his soprano playing always remained fluid and deeply influenced by the clarinet. His originals here are melodic and highly structured, but there's an experimental feel as well. Lacy's soprano dances and elevates and rarely lingers long on notes. He's backed by Charles Davis (bs), John Ore (b) and Roy Haynes (d). It's also worth listening carefully to Roy's drums. His polyrythms are fascinating. You'll find the album here.
Charles Mingus—Mingus (1961). Only three songs were recorded on this album by the bassist.The first and last were by Mingus, with the middle one by Harold Arlen. The tracks are M.D.M. (Monk, Duke and Me), Stormy Weather and Lock 'Em Up (Hellview of Bellevue). The first and third tracks featured Mingus (b), Ted Curson and Lonnie Hillyer (tp), Jimmy Knepper and Britt Woodman (tb), Charles McPherson (as), Eric Dolphy (as,fl,bass cl), Booker Ervin (ts), Nico Bunink and Paul Bley (p), and Dannie Richmond (d). Stormy Weather featured Mingus's pianoless quartet—Dolphy, Curson and Richmond. You'll find the album here.
Toshiko Akiyoshi and Charlie Mariano—Toshiko Mariano Quartet (1961). Akiyoshi and Mariano married in 1959, and this album is among their finest as a jazz-playing couple. Joining them were Gene Cherico (b) and Eddie Marshall (d). All of the tracks except Deep River are by Mariano or Mariano and Akiyoshi, and all are compelling and driven. Deep River, an Americana song, was in the public domain but gives Mariano a chance to show off his blues approach and stinging delivery. Akiyoshi is still with us, and it's a shame she isn't more widely celebrated. Here's my last post on her. You'll find the album here.
Hank O'Neal—the author, photographer and co-founder of Chiaroscuro Records—knew Tony Bennett for more than 50 years. Yesterday, Hank sent along an email with a photo of Tony at home. I asked if JazzWax could use it along with a bunch of others. Hank generously sent along the following candid images of Tony. [Photo above of Hank O'Neal by Ian Cliford]
But first, Hank's email:
Hi Marc. What a lovely piece you wrote about Tony. It is certainly reflective of the guy I knew. I first met him in early 1969, but we really connected in 1973 at my studio when he spent many afternoons and nights rehearsing with Ruby Braff and George Barnes for concerts and recordings. In between then and the late 2010s, I kept taking photographs of him. The first one below is one I took, in the entrance hall of his apartment with his Maltese pup. There also was a photo shoot at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which is included below. Hope all is well. Hang in there.
All photos below are copyrighted by Hank O'Neal and may not be used without his permission. To request permission, go here.
Here's Tony at home in his apartment in 2002...
Here's Tony with actor-director Clint Eastwood...
Here are two images of Tony at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art...
Here's Tony with his portrait of Duke Ellington...
Here's Tony in his studio with a self-portrait...
Here's Tony with Earl "Fatha" Hines...
Here's Tony in the summer of 1973 with cornetist Ruby Braff and guitarist George Barnes (right), guitarist Wayne Wright (left) and bassist John Giuffrida...
Here's Tony Bennett at Downtown Sound Studios in New York in the summer of 1973...
And here's Tony with, from left, guitarist Wayne Wright, cornetist Ruby Braff, bassist John Giuffrida and guitarist George Barnes at Downtown Sound in New York City in June 1973
Bonus:Here's Tony recording The End of a Love Affair in London in 1972, backed by the Robert Farnon Orchestra, with Farnon conducting his arrangement. Featured are John Bunch (piano), Arthur Watts (bass) and Kenny Clare (drums)...
You'll find the start of my 2009 multipart interview with Hank O'Neal here.
As we bid farewell to the late Tony Bennett, let's listen to one of his favorite Columbia LPs—The Movie Song Album. The Movie Song Album is one of the records that Columbia agreed to let Tony have full control of—from song choices to arrangers and musicians.
I've assembled the song list as well as the arrangers and notable soloists:
Song From "The Oscar" (Maybe September) (arr Larry Wilcox, cond Johnny Mandel) (Lou Levy, piano)
Girl Talk (arr,cond Neal Hefti) (Lou Levy, piano)
The Gentle Rain (arr,cond Johnny Mandel) (Luiz Bonfá, guitar)
Emily (arr,cond Johnny Mandel)
The Pawnbroker (arr,cond Quincy Jones)
Samba De Orfeu (arr,cond Johnny Mandel) (Luiz Bonfá, guitar)
The Shadow Of Your Smile (arr,cond Johnny Mandel) (Jimmy Rowles, piano)
Smile (arr Al Cohn; cond Johnny Mandel) (Tommy Flanagan, piano)
The Second Time Around (arr Al Cohn; cond Johnny Mandel)
Days Of Wine And Roses (arr Larry Wilcox; cond Johnny Mandel)
Never Too Late (arr, cond David Rose)
The Trolley Song (arr Al Cohn; cond Johnny Mandel) (Zoot Sims, tenor saxophone)
Here's Side 1 of Tony Bennett's The Movie Song Album, without ad interruptions...
For me, Tony Bennett's passing was personal. Since 2011, I interviewed the singer five different times for The Wall Street Journal, four at his art studio overlooking Central Park. Each time was a revelation, from the interview we did on jazz sitting in close quarters on a sofa to the last in 2018, when his Alzheimer's was already evident. The latter conversation was one of his last media interviews. [Photo above by Brad Trent following my 2013 interview with Tony]
The first time I saw Tony, I was with my artist father at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. He took me there on Saturdays to look at our favorite paintings. One afternoon in the late 1960s, Tony slipped through the Impressionists wing with a stunning redhead on his arm. My father, a Navy portrait painter during World War II and movie poster illustrator in the late 1940s, spotted him before anyone had turned a head and pointed him out. I was 12.
The next time I saw Tony was in 2011, I had just started to write for the Journal. A Cuban-American friend had invited me to a loft party in Manhattan celebrating the 90th birthday of legendary congaista Candido Camero. At some point during the afternoon event, the large factory-like elevator opened and Tony walked out in a gray suit and black tie, unaccompanied. He had promised to drop by before a performance and he did. [Pictured on the cover above, from left, Tony, Jo Jones, Candido, Art Blakey and Billy Exiner in 1957]
Tony was immediately surrounded by attendees, and he spent about 20 minutes talking with Candido. As I watched him interact, his kindness became increasingly astounding and admirable. He had come through for Candido and made the percussionist feel like a million bucks. The favor was a testament to his respect for the jazz artists he knew and had worked with. He never forgot.
Tony was a songbook singer deeply influenced by jazz—or, more clinically put, the art of vocal risk-taking where the odds are 50-50 you could screw up. To understand this subtle approach, you have to see him sing a ballad in a video. Only then will you observe the curl of his lip, his coming in late or early with a lyric, or hitting a jazz note instead of the one written for the song. You'll see him work his face like a musical instrument.
Tony also was a ferocious evangelist for the Great American Songbook, treating it as a religious cause. Like the parent who believes his kids should include vegetables in their diet, Tony was convinced that teens would love the songbook if they only were exposed to it. Lady Gaga, whom I've interviewed twice and loved Tony like a father, gave him that opportunity by touring with him worldwide. But for me, the insights I've mentioned are two-thirds of what made Tony special.
More than any other singer, Tony had a way of making all audiences feel American. I don't mean this in the current context, with all the bitterness, anger, hostility and nationalism. I mean in the old-fashioned sense of those qualities that made this country special and once upon a time united us—the optimism, the kindness, the can-do spirit, the striving to be exceptional, the individualism and the abundance of generosity and empathy.
In this regard, no one matched Tony's pure spirit for spreading cheer, making audiences feel loved, exhibiting excellence and appreciating what's good about individuals, regardless of background, race or religion. Audiences overseas loved this about him as well. For them, he was as American as a Ford Mustang, McDonald's, Coke or Hollywood. There was no one else like him, and his optimism and joy to be alive swept over crowds.
In fact, foreigners worshiped him. I recall interviewing Tony in 2016 in an empty Village Vanguard for a Dutch company filming a documentary. I was off-camera but we were set up on directors chairs facing each other with cameras rolling for 45 minutes. The foreign crew from the Netherlands was spellbound. There's nothing more American than a famous singer of popular songs with a long track record and a broad, welcoming smile.
The last time I saw Tony in 2018, we rode down together in the tight elevator of his building with his long-time publicist, Sylvia Weiner. I sensed Tony looking at me and our eyes met. "I really enjoyed our interview," he said softly. "You always put me at ease and make me feel comfortable."
Out on the street, I knew this was the last time I'd see Tony. He lived about 15 steps from the building that housed his studio. I said goodbye to Sylvia as Tony made his way purposefully up the handful of wide steps to his apartment building.
As Sylvia left me to accompany him, Tony turned around and walked back down the steps and came over to me. Looking at me, he took my hand. "Thank you very much for everything." We said goodbye, he turned and joined Sylvia and entered his building. Always a gentleman and his personal touch left a lump in my throat. Tony never forgot.
What follows are my 12 favorite videos of Tony, because they exemplify everything that was special about him:
Here's Tony on The Steve Allen Show in June 1958 and then out in the street. For more on how this was show and where go here and here...
Here's Tony on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1951 singing his No. 1 hit Because of You...
Here's Tony on The Ed Sullivan Show singing A Stranger in Paradise in 1954...
Here's Tony singing I Left My Heart in San Francisco in 1964 on The Ed Sullivan Show...
Here's Tony in November 1964 singing The Moment of Truth on The Ed Sullivan Show. I'm guessing this was a live remote from a Columbia studio where Tony was rehearsing for an album. Interesting that two pianists and bass players were used, one set for Tony and one for the band drummer...
Here's Tony with Andy Williams singing a city medley in 1965...
Here's Tony on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1965 singing It Had to Be You with Bobby Hackett on cornet...
Here's Tony backed by Woody Herman's band in 1965 on the Ed Sullivan Show singing If I Ruled the World, with Hackett on cornet. Watch carefully as he uses his face to sing and listen as he comes in late and early on note and takes risks on notes...
Here's Tony in the 1960s singing The Shadow of Your Smile...
Here's Tony singing For Once in My Life with the Count Basie band in 1969...
Here's Tony and Rosemary Clooney on the Rosie O'Donnell Show in 1996. Tony and Clooney were signed at the same time by Columbia Records in 1950. Among their first tasks was a radio show followed by a TV show called Song for Sale, where they'd sing songs submitted by amateur songwriters. I spoke to Tony about it in 2018. He said Rosie terrified him. "She memorized the lyrics and melodies to these unknown songs instantly. I had to do the same, or at least try." Let them tell you the rest...
And finally, here's Tony at age 61 in 1987, just as his astonishing 30-year comeback was getting underway, recording Henry Mancini's Life in a Looking Glass from the film That's Life! with Mancini conducting...
I may have been away for the past couple of weeks on vacation, but my columns and essays for The Wall Street Journal continued on. Here's what you missed:
My Arts in Review appreciation of Tony Bennett (above) and why jazz was so important to him was posted on Friday, just hours after his passing. Go here.
For my House Call columns in the Mansion section, I interviewed actor Timothy Olyphant on how he swam his way to a scholarship with hopes of studying architecture. However, the dean wouldn't let him swim given the school's academic demands. So Timothy switched to fine arts and befriended students who thought he should try acting. So he did. Timothy is best known for his role in the Justified series and now appears in the Full Circle miniseries. [Photo above of Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens in Justified: City Primeval, by Chuck Hodes for FX] Go here.
For House Call, I interviewed Carlos Santana, who now is touring nationally in advance of Carlos, a documentary on his life and career coming this fall and co-produced by Ashley Kahn. [Photo above of Santana at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., in June, courtesy of the Prudential Center]Go here.
I also interviewed bestselling author Jenny Han, who has become a one-woman media empire. Her To All the Boys book trilogy is a Netflix film series, so is her spinoff series is XO, Kitty, and her The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy is a Prime Video series. And it all started from playing with Barbies when she was little. [Photo above of Jenny Han by Janelle Bendycki, courtesy of Simon & Schuster] Go here.
And finally, my monthly column on seminal albums celebrating a 50th anniversary this year focused on New York Dolls, the first proto-punk LP that ignited a movement. Go here.
Buddy Collette. While I was away, I heard from Lorenz Rychner about my post on Buddy Collette's Man of Many Parts [photo above of Buddy Collette]...
Marc, your piece on Buddy Collette reminded me of an incident that highlighted the incredible professionalism of the best studio musicians in L.A.
In mid-1981, Nelson Riddle gave a guest lecture at the Grove School of Music in Los Angeles, where I was studying as a keyboardist. At the end, he invited students to a recording date at Glen Glenn Sound in Hollywood the following week. We sat in the control room behind the glass window watching the huge orchestra, all A-list players, recording a Christmas special under the baton of Mr. Riddle. At some point he stopped the orchestra — always a big deal considering the immense cost of every minute of such a project. [Photo above of Nelson Riddle]
When the orchestra was silent, he asked Buddy Collette, principal of the woodwinds who were all doubling on flute at that moment, a question. His query went something like, "Flutes, bar so-and-so, third beat, is there a problem?" Mr. Collette quickly consulted with the other three players and said “Let’s do it again.”
The orchestra resumed, but Mr. Riddle stopped them again, this time asking inquisitively, "What is the problem?" After another brief consultation with his colleagues, Mr. Collette said. "Fourth flute, it’s a bit awkward, that’s all.” Mr. Riddle replied, "Can you fix it?" Another few seconds of consultation, pencils out, and the recording continued.
At the union break, instead of leaving the studio, Mr. Collette and Mr. Riddle rushed towards each other, embraced and apologized to each other. Then they both came into the sound booth and apologized to us, the students, for having had to witness such an incident.
It turns out the fourth flute had notes that were at the extreme low end of the range, with a tricky triplet phrase that was practically unplayable. Mr. Riddle couldn’t stop blaming himself for having written that and for having to show up his colleagues in front of everybody.
Mind you, when this issue had surfaced in the studio, as much as we tried to hear what the so-called problem was, we could not. How Mr. Riddle heard that tiny detail in the mass of sound coming from the huge orchestra while conducting remains, well, a riddle.
I did read in Part 4 of your interview with Mr. Collette that Nelson Riddle had winked at Mr. Collette after the solution was played. I didn't notice a wink at the session, but it's still interesting that Mr. Riddle kept this less-than-usual thank-you device in his arsenal.
Michael O'Daniel also wrote in on Buddy Collette:
Greetings Marc. Thank you! Buddy Collette can never be given enough credit either as a musician or as a social activist and change-maker. Readers interested in learning more about effort to combine the two segregated AFM locals in Los Angeles should consult the following sources:
"Jazz Generations, A Life in American Music and Society" (Criterion), an autobiography by Buddy Collette with Steven Isoardi. It's out of print, but used copies of both the hardcover and the paperback are available on Amazon.
"Central Avenue Sounds: Jazz in Los Angeles" (University of California Press) by Steve Isoardi, who conducted hundreds of hours of interviews with musicians for the UCLA Oral History Project and then was able to get funding to transcribe and edit them down into what became this book. It's also available on Amazon.
Benny Golson. Following my post on tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, I heard from Jan Askenstrom:
Dear Marc, a little coincidence. Your post featured a copy of Benny Golson and the "Philadelphians" that Benny signed. He signed my copy as well (pictured above) after a concert in the little countryside town Vanersborg in Sweden on March 15, 2005. Only a handful of people were in the audience.
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis.After my Backgrounder post on Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, I heard from Jeffrey Abrahams:
Marc, thanks for highlighting Mr. Davis in today’s blog. When I met him in 1979, he was touring with Harry “Sweets” Edison. Both gentlemen stopped in for an interview at the jazz radio station in Denver where I worked. They were so kind, accessible, funny, engaging, generous and smart. Wonderful stories to tell. This fuzzy old photo above shows me as a star-struck youth. Per usual, thanks for all you do.
I also heard from Ken Deifik, who filled in a few blanks on Brad McCuen, who produced Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis's album Lock, the Fox:
Marc, I'm sure you know this, but in case you've forgotten, Brad McCuen produced some great jazz albums for RCA, including Gary Burton's "Duster."
For some unknown reason, Ralph Peer Jr. and his mother hired McCuen in Nashville, Tenn., around 1975 to produce a wonderful guitarist I knew from New York. The guitarist called me when he arrived and invited me to the session, which was at the studio of a session guy named Bob Millsap.
I sat with McCuen through the whole date. Great guy, to say the least. We talked about him producing Duke Ellington's "And His Mother Called Him Bill" and "Far East Suite." He loved that I knew his name from the Ellington records.
French pics. French photographer Gilles D'Elia has revamped the website where he posts a new image each day. This is the fastest and least costly way to visit France—through Gilles's images. [Photo above by Gilles D'Elia, courtesy of Gilles D'Elia] Go here.
Woody Herman. Bill Kirchner sent along the following email and clip:
Marc, the Woody Herman band is featured in "Here's Edie," a TV variety show hosted by Adams that ran on ABC from September 16, 1963 until March 19, 1964. It aired on Thursdays from 10 to 10:30 p.m. (ET). The band begins with "Woodchopper's Ball" and "Apple Honey," featuring Sal Nistico soloing on tenor saxophone. Then Edie is featured on "Happiness Is Just a Thing Called Joe" and a great Bill Holman arrangement of "After You've Gone," with Nistico soloing again.
Cecil McBee. Bill Pauluh sent along the following:
Marc, the Connection Sessions on YouTube is such a great series. Here's the latest, with an in-depth look at Van Gelder Studios: Bassist Cecil McBee is joined by Sean Jones and Summer Camargo (tp), Jaleel Shaw (as), Christian Sands (p), Yasushi Nakamura (b) and Bryan Carter (d). [Photo above of Cecil McBee, courtesy of Wikipedia] Go here...
Sonny Rollins for Pioneer. Director Raymond De Felitta recently posted at his blog a link to a 1977 Pioneer audio ad featuring Sonny Rollins. The ad agency for the Japanese maker of solid stereo equipment (I owned an integrated receiver back in the day) seemed to get everything wrong.
Let's click 'em off:
Sonny didn't play on the Brooklyn Bridge; it was the Williamsburg Bridge. In 1959, Sonny didn't have 12 years of success; more like five or six. Sonny didn't go up there because he didn't feel he was good enough; he was preparing to go in a different direction. He wasn't there night after night; he was there during the day as well. He also wasn't there for months; he was there for two years. And Sonny would never say he was good enough; as Sonny told me many times, he was always a work in progress. The only thing Pioneer's ad agency did get right is that the musician playing was definitely Sonny. Go here...
Johnny Carson. Much of Johnny Carson's Tonight Show monologue material and skits are fairly tired and corny today if not politically incorrect. But where Carson (above) still merits praise is for his priceless add-on lines—fast comments in tight situations enhanced by great facial expressions that still make me laugh out loud. Here's a perfect example, with Annie Potts and Shelly Winters in 1984. Move the sound bar to 3:55 and dig Carson's lines...
Caity Gyorgy—You’re Alike, You Two (La Reserve). I last posted about Caity Gyorgy in 2022 when I interviewed her for JazzWax. Now the signer-songwriter has a new album out that focuses on the songs of Jerome Kern. This time around, there's just one of her originals on the album. Caity is backed by pianist Mark Limacher, and they make beautiful music together. As readers know, I'm songbooked-out, but Caity's voice and Mark's piano are compelling. The album is streaming on Spotify and YouTube. Or go here.
Amaury Acosta—King Klavé (Klavé Paradise). It's great to hear Latin music pushing into electronica and dubs. On King Klavé, drummer and percussionist Acosta wrote all the songs, arranged, produced and engineered the album. I love the vibe and Roy Ayers quality of the mash coupled with complex Cuban rhythms. Last year, the album was on NPR's Top 10 Albums of 2022. The best way to listen is to let the album stream for free at Bandcamp. You can buyKing Klavéthere as well. Go here.
Must read. Have a child or know one who has a combination of autism and eating disorders? The co-occurrence is more common than you might imagine. While the double challenge may seem like a tough deal of the cards, there's hope. A jazz vocalist's daughter, Livia Sara, had this combo and has just published a book on how she overcame the issues. The inspirational and motivational book, Rainbow Girl: My Journey to Living Life in Full Color Paperback, is dramatic, engaging and a joy to read. I was shocked. Livia not only is a gifted writer but she is also now an advocate who helps others cope with their mental barriers. I knew nothing about this twin issue or struggle but do now. Highly recommended. You can buy or download the book at Amazon here.
Elmo Hope radio. On Sunday, Sid Gribetz will present a five-hour radio broadcast of Jazz Profiles on WKCR-FM in New York celebrating the career of pianist-composer Elmo Hope. Tune in from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET). You can listen from anywhere in the world by going here.
And finally,here's Diana Panton singing Samba Saravah from her album To Brazil With Love (2011). The song was composed by Baden Powell and Vinicius De Moraes, with lyrics by Pierre Barouh and is from the French film A Man and a Woman (1966)...
Born in 1999 in Vilassar de Mar, a Spanish seaside suburb just north of Barcelona, Rita Payés grew up with musician parents and played piano and guitar and sang. She started serious music studies at the School of Music in Premià de Mar and, at age 8, she attended the School of Modern Music in Badalona. There, she studied trombone with David Sanabria and Joan Palacio. [Photo above of Rita Payés]
In 2017 she joined the esteemed Sant Andreu Jazz Band led by the dynamic bassist and saxophonist Joan Chamorro. She also recorded with fellow young Spaniards Andrea Motis, Magalí Datzira and Eva Fernandez. At the age of 16, she released her first album with Joan—Joan Chamorro presents Rita Payés, featuring Scott Hamilton, Dick Oatts, Scott Robinson, Toni Belenguer and Jo Krause, among others.
Joan is a true gift to jazz, and I can't say enough about his ability to motivate and empower young women in Spain and turn them into confident, accomplished artists.
So today, I'm featuring eight clips of Rita singing and playing trombone (with a little help from Carl Woideck). As you'll hear, Rita is marvelous and on trombone has a sound reminiscent at times of Carl Fontana:
Here she is with her mom, guitarist Elisabeth Roma, a frequent musical partner...
Here's Rita on guitar with Roma, bassist Horacio and percussionist Juan Berbín...
Here's Rita eight years ago with Joan (on bass here) and the gang in Barcelona. Trumpeter-singer Andrea Motis is at far left and Rita is next to her in red...
Here's Rita and her Carl Fontana sound with the WDR Big Band, courtesy of Carl Woideck...
Also from Carl Woideck, here'sNardis with the WDR Big Band...
Here's a Rita and Roma duet live in Paris, with Rita on trombone and guitar...
And here's Rita with Joan and the gang, leaving it all on the table on Nobody Else But Me. That's Fredrik Norén, lead trumpeter in the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra, taking the first trumpet solo and Joan Mar Sauqué on the second...
JazzWax notes:Here's my post in 2013 during my State Department trip to Barcelona, when I first discovered Joan Chamorro and the Sant Andreu Jazz Band.
And here's my most recent post on Joan. Salud, Joan!
A special thanks to Carl Woideck for the reminder.
By October 1976, Bill Evans and Tony Bennett had recorded two albums of duets for Tony's short-lived Improv label. I've always had mixed feelings about the recordings. For me, it's strange to hear Evans at this stage of his career as second fiddle to anyone and even stranger to hear Tony having to defer, musically, to his accompanist. [Photo above of Bill Evans, Tony Bennett, producer and Evans's manager Helen Keane and engineer Don Cody in 1975]
But strangest of all, perhaps, is the contrasting personalities of Evans, the melancholy introvert, playing against Tony, the sunny-side-up optimist. For a long time, I've felt the two albums were a great idea on paper but a clashing of styles in actuality.
More recently, however, I've come to view the music somewhat differently. What unifies Evans and Bennett in the mid-1970s is that both were fighting for their lives. Evans was sinking steadily into addiction and ailments while Tony was unmoored, having left Columbia Records at the start of the decade. He suddenly faced the harsh reality of the new marketplace on his own, which left him rattled, depressed and battling demons of his own.
So in effect, these were two artists who 10 years earlier were hailed for their staggering talent and promise but by the mid-1970s were scraping by here in the age of disco, romantic soul and arena rock. Viewed through this overlay, the music takes on a different feel. Instead of thinking of the pairing as two greats with clashing styles (poetic v. operatic), I've come to hear these albums as two giants leaning on each other as they struggled to find their way in the dark.
By listening to the music this way, I find I can hear the depth and worry and fear and anxiety, which makes the music much more complex and dimensional than simply a jazz king teaming up with a pop icon. No song better reflects this than We'll Be Together Again. Four years later, Evans would be dead, his body raked by drug abuse. Ten years later, Tony would begin his groundbreaking comeback at age 60 after hitting rock bottom.
In late 1976, to promote their first album (The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, released in 1975) while teasing their second (Together Again, due out in early 1977), Evans and Tony appeared on Canadian television for a half-hour special. Interesting that Evans chose to open and close with the theme to The Bad and the Beautiful, which was something of a warm-up for him and included on the second album. He never would record the song again.
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of 55 More Songs," "Anatomy of a Song," "Rock Concert: An Oral History" and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards.
