Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed crime novelist James Ellroy for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Jim is the author of The Black Dahlia, L.A. Confidential, American Tabloid and Perfidia. His new one is The Enchanters, a gripping Los Angeles mugs, dames and cops fictionalized look at the months before and after Marilyn Monroe's overdose death in August 1962. My favorite read of the year. And he was a blast to interview and edit. [Photo above of James Ellroy courtesy of IMDb]
Here's Ellroy on his technology-free life...
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Johnny Richards. Following my Backgrounder post on Johnny Richards's Walk Softly, Run Fast!, I heard from Kurt Kolstad [photo above of Johnny Richards in the late 1940s by William P. Gottlieb]:
Hello, Marc. Your piece on Johnny Richards the other day made me pause and remember the summer of 1959 when I attended the first Stan Kenton band camp at Indiana University.
I was only a junior in high school that year and the experience opened my eyes (and ears) to a whole new world of music. Morning, noon and night, all we did was practice. If we weren't in sectionals, we were in big bands. As I recall, instructors varied from day to day, but the one who scared us to death was Johnny Richards. We couldn't meet his standards (no matter how hard we tried) and, believe me, he let us know in no uncertain terms. Most of the instructors were good teachers, but Johnny had no patience for young, aspiring musicians. He was accustomed to working only with pros and he simply couldn't teach "down" to our level.
The photo (above) shows the entire staff, with Johnny in the front row standing next to Buddy Baker. We all loved Buddy. He was a great teacher and a nice guy to boot. At any rate, this pic brought back a lot of memories. To read about the Kenton Band Camp, go here.
João Donato. Here's a terrific video of the late João Donato in action 12 years ago [photo above of João Donato courtesy of Wikipedia]...
And here's Donato with Marcos Valle and Patricia Alvi, Marcos's wife singing Não Tem Nada Não"...
Speaking of bossa nova, New York's Carnegie Hall is hosting a tribute to the landmark bossa nova concert held there in November 1962. The event will be held on October 8 in the Stern Auditorium. The evening will be headlined by vocalist Seu Jorge, who will be joined by Daniel Jobim, grandson of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Also performing will be 85-year-old Roberto Menescal, a legendary bossa nova founder, and Carlinhos Brown, Carol Biazin and British singer-songwriter Celeste. For more information, go here.
In the 1960s, at parent events like weddings, the band had to switch from the British Invasion to the Latin Occupation. After the band took their shots at Drive My Car, Satisfaction and Downtown for the kids, it was the adults' turn. If you were a mom and dad, you had to be up on your Latin dance steps, since the band often ran a full set and other parents liked to show off. Here's a taste of the sound that's still seared into my head along with long-gone relatives showing their stuff...
Roberto Magris & the JM Horns—High Quote (JMood). Eleven years ago, Italian pianist Roberto Magris was asked by JMood Records producer Paul Collins to compose and arrange for a small big band using an American jazz perspective. A fan of Bill Holman, Marty Paich and Benny Carter's arrangements for small groups, Roberto set to work. When he was done, Collins brought in players from Kansas City—Matt Otto, Josh Williams, Jim Mair, Jason Goudeau and Aryana Nemati, Elisa Pruett, Brian Steever and Pablo Sanhueza, plus vocalist Monique Danielle. The result is this terrific album of originals. For the album, go here.
Here's Roberto's Together in Love, with Monique Danielle on the vocal...
Jack Jones featuring Joey DeFrancesco—Artwork (Cavalry). Vocalist Jack Jones is one of the last superstar singers left from pop's golden age. On this album, Jones sings moody ballads and is joined by the late Joey Defrancesco (organ as well as tenor saxophone and trumpet solos), Tom Scott (ts), Tamir Hendelman (p), Graham Dechter (g), Jon Hamar (b), Jeff Hamilton (d) and John Clayton (conductor). Songs include This Masquerade, If You Go Away, Lush Life and This Is All I Ask. For the album, go here.
Here's This Is All I Ask...
Pepper Adams: Saxophone Trailblazer, by Gary Carner (SUNY Press). This new biography with a foreword by the late Chick Corea, takes a deep dive into the life and career of the baritone saxophonist who played with enormous edge and bark. A handy book to have while listening to Adams's many great recordings as a leader and sideman. For the book, go here.
Here's Pepper Adams playing Dylan's Delight...
And finally, Happy Birthday Sonny Rollins, who turned 93 on September 7. Here's Love Letters, with Henry Grimes on bass and Joe Harris on drums, in Sweden in 1959 just before his two year famed sabbatical spent taking stock and practicing on New York's Williamsburg Bridge...
