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.
Go here...
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.
Here's I'm Old Fashioned...
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 buy King Klavé there 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)...
