Sadly, Lionel Hampton's vital role in the rise of jazz, R&B and rock 'n' roll is all but forgotten. In 1936, Benny Goodman saw Hampton perform on vibes in Los Angeles and hired him for his trio with drummer Gene Krupa and pianist Teddy Wilson. They were the first A-list integrated jazz ensemble. [Photo above of Lionel Hampton in 1946 by William P. Gottlieb]
Here's Hampton in the Benny Goodman Quartet in 1937...
In the 1940s, Hampton led a first-rate band that included future jazz stars such as Illinois Jacquet, Arnett Cobb, Dinah Washington, Betty Carter and Milt Buckner. By the mid-1940s, Hampton's orchestra was pioneering jump blues and then rhythm and blues in L.A. Here's the Hampton band in 1949...
As far as spotting talent, Hampton's 1953 band that toured Europe featured Clifford Brown, Gigi Gryce, Quincy Jones, Monk Montgomery, Tony Ortega, George Wallington, Art Farmer and singer Annie Ross. In 1957, he starred in the Alan Freed jukebox film Mr. Rock and Roll. Here's the trailer...
Throughout much of the 1950s, Hampton recorded in small groups before reviving his big band for recordings and touring in the early 1960s. Here's Hampton on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1962...
Today, I offer you a full 57-minute concert by the Lionel Hampton Band at the national La Monnaie Opera House in Brussels, Belgium, in 1958. The band: Lionel Hampton (vib,d,p); Eddie Williams, Art Hoyle, Eddie Mullens and Dave Gonzales (tp); Louis Blackburn, Wade Marcus and Larry Wilson (tb); Leon Zachery and Bobby Plater (as,cl); Andy McGhee (ts); Lonnie Shaw (bs); Oscar Denard (p); Billy Mackel (g,vcl); Julius Browne (b); Wilbert Hogan (d) and Cornelius Pinocchio James (vcl).
The songs: The High and the Mighty, Hamp's Piano Blues, The History of Jazz, Hot Club Blues, I Found a New Baby, The Chase, Brussels Sprouts, Sticks Ahoy and Gladys.
Drummer Philly Joe Jones wasn't one to lay back. Throughout his spectacular 1950s career, which included extended stays with trumpeter Miles Davis, Jones's playing was pronounced and dominating. Starting with The Musings of Miles in 1955, with Davis, Red Garland (p) and Oscar Pettiford (b), Jones made himself heard. In Davis's classic quintet, featuring Davis, John Coltrane (ts), Garland (p) and Paul Chambers, and sextet with Cannonball Adderley added in 1958, Jones again was the ever-shifting rock, keeping players slightly off balance. [Photo above of Philly Joe Jones by (c)Jan Persson/CTSImages]
Interestingly, listeners were often put off by Jones's jarring and disruptive style. They felt his approach cut into their ability to hear the headliners. But players loved his busy sticks and combustible attack. At one point, critics urged Davis to fire Jones but he wouldn't. It's hard to understand why pianist Bill Evans liked playing with Jones's cacophony behind him, but he did. The appeal must have been his drive, the nuanced stick figures and the shoving energy, which compelled musicians to up their game.
In early 1958, Jones left Davis to front his own groups. His first leadership album was Blues for Dracula, a sextet date for Riverside in September 1958. In May 1960, Jones recorded Philly Joe's Beat, a commanding hard-bop recording for Atlantic with a well-rehearsed, working quintet that remained together for 13 months. The group featured Mike Downs (tp), Bill Barron (ts), Walter Davis Jr. (p) and Paul Chambers (b). All of these artists were tremendous players, as you'll hear.
Now, Fresh Sound has packaged the muscular Atlantic album with 24-bit remastering and five previously unreleased live tracks from the quintet's appearance at New York's Birdland in March 1961. The only personnel change was bassist Spanky DeBrest who replaced Chambers.
The live tracks have never appeared on another album and seem to have been from a live WEVD-AM remote broadcast. Hosted by "Symphony Sid" Torin, the program's tracks are Two Bass Hit, Max Is Making Wax, Bebe, Salt Peanuts and The Theme (Blue 'n' Boogie). It was an intense hard-bop set with fantastic blowing egged on by Jones's popcorn-maker percussion. At one point, John Coltrane walked in to hear what all the fuss was about. He had his saxophone, but unfortunately for us Sid didn't urge him to join the group.
Philly Joe Jones died in 1985.
Note: Philly Joe Jones's composition Bebe was never recorded in the studio, which means the live track is the first and only documentation of the song's performance. The song, according to Jones, was dedicated to his mother-in-law.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Philly Joe's Beat: The Philly Joe Jones Quintet (Fresh Sound) here.
JazzWax clips: Here's John Hines's Muse Rapture...
On January 10, 1957, during a snowy Thursday evening, the Duke Ellington Orchestra played a concert at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. The performance was taped by the school with sophisticated gear, and the subsequent LP was released in limited supply. As a result, it has always been a highly sought-after album. [Photo above of Duke Ellington in the gymnasium at Grinnell College in January 1957 as students look on, courtesy of Grinnell College]
Last week, Carl Woideck emailed with news that all the tracks were up on YouTube. Which is great to hear, since copies of vinyl copies very hard to come by and expensive when they surface. According to the notes on the back of the album jacket, the music was captured on a Magnecorder tape machine with two Shure cardioid microphones and an RCA model S-77D. The tape speed was set at 7.5 i.p.s., with the RCA wide-angle mic placed in front of the band, five feet off the floor. The pair of Shures were mounted on booms 15 feet up from the floor and placed on each side of the band, slightly toward the front.
Also notable is the following: "The following day, our own Herbie Hancock, spurred on by Jimmy Woode, Sam Woodyard and Quentin Jackson, graciously consented to a jam session in Younker Lounge, for two hours captivated the audience as they uninhibitedly and effortlessly improvised. Then the Ellington band went on its way, and behind them remained an indelible mark of jazz history, of which this album is a living example." By the way, Hancock was a freshman at the time and double majoring in electrical engineering.
The band was comprised of Ray Nance, Cat Anderson, Willie Cook and Clark Terry (tp); Britt Woodman, John Saunders and Quentin Jackson (tb); Johnny Hodges and Russell Procope (as); Paul Gonsalves and Jimmy Hamilton (ts); Harry Carney (bs); Duke Ellington (p), Jimmy Woode (b) and Sam Woodyard (d).
The tracks are Stompin' at the Savoy, Black and Tan Fantasy, Newport Up, Clarinet Melodrama, Perdido, Prelude to a Kiss, All of Me, Blue Skies, Skin Deep, Medley (Don't Get Around Much Anymore, Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me, In a Sentimental Mood, Mood Indigo, I'm Beginning to See the Light, Sophisticated Lady, Caravan, It Don't Mean a Thing, Solitude, C Jam Blues, I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart, Don't Get Around Anymore and a Monologue).
Odd that Take the A Train and Satin Doll were absent, but there was only so much time.
On Wednesday, Carl will be playing the entire record on his radio show, The Soul of Jazz, at 8 p.m. (PT) on KLCC-FM in Oregon. You can listen live from anywhere in the world by going here.
JazzWax clips: All of the tracks in album order can be found here.
In the Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actress Ruth Wilson for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). You're most likely to know Ruth from the TV series The Affair (Prime and Paramount+) and Luther (TubiTV). Now she's in a riveting miniseries, The Woman in the Wall, a Showtime drama that focuses on an emotionally damaged woman who survived the cruelty of a Magdalene laundry in Ireland and her search for the child who was taken from her. [Publicity still above of Ruth Wilson]
Here's Ruth Wilson on her new Showtime miniseries The Woman in the Wall...
What I'm watching now. Here's what I streamed last week and enjoyed (I have spared you the junk I had to endure). Past recommendations appear in the list below the new entries, for a handy reference:
Last week...
Self Reliance—(2023). This film stars Jake Johnson as a guy who receives an invitation to win $1 million by taking part in a reality TV game on the dark web. For 30 days, he must outwit hunters attempting to kill him. Then he realizes there's a loophole. Believe it or not, this is a comedy thriller. Lots of fun with big twist ending. (Hulu)
Loudermilk—(2017-2020). A comedy-drama TV series starring Ron Livingston, who you'll recognize from Band of Brothers, in which he played Captain Lewis Nixon. In this series, Livingston is a cantankerous and acid-tongued, substance-abuse counselor in Seattle. Lots of fast lines and superb acting from a cast that is largely unknown. (Netflix).
Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012). Before the Reacher TV series came Lee Child's Reacher book series and then Jack Reacher, the movie. The action thriller film starred Tom Cruise and co-starred Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall and Werner Herzog. The same premise as the series, just more compact and intense. (Paramount+)
Past recommendations...
TV series
The Affair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix)
Belgravia—(2020/Prime Video)
Bosch—(2014-2021/Prime)
Bosch: Legacy—(2022-current/Prime)
The Crown—(Netflix)
Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
Feud (S1): Bette and Joan—(2017/Hulu)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
The Gilded Age (current/Max)
Homeland (2011-2020/Showtime)
Jane Eyre (2006/Britbox)
Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
Life & Beth—(Seasons 1& 2, 2022-present/Hulu)
Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
Pieces of Her—(2022/Netflix)
Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
The Woman in the Wall—Due in January (Showtime)
Yellowstone—(2018-present/Paramount Network)
Films
The Accountant—(2016/Hulu)
American Gangster—(2007/Max).
Armageddon Time—(2022/Prime)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs—(2018/Netflix)
The Ballad of Lefty Brown—(2017/Netflix)
Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
Knight and Day—(2010/Roku)
Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
MI-5—(2015/Max)
The Mule—(2018/Netflix)
The Night Agent—(2023/Netflix)
Nobody—(2021/Prime)
Ordinary Angels—(2024)
Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)
Documentaries
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
João Gilberto. Last week, following my João Gilberto (above) Backgrounder post, I heard from marketing, public relations and entertainment executive Sue Auclair:
Hi Marc! Just read your missive about João. So funny about him. I worked that Boston show with the famous Freddy Taylor. It wasn’t that João was a complaining kind of guy. Instead, he was just very much disorganized and often missed planes and ran off in pursuit of whatever and got lost, leaving tour managers at a loss to find him.
When that Boston show was canceled, the promoter was quite ready with a hold on the following night (just in case)! Almost everyone with a ticket to the cancelled night returned to attend the second one because they loved him so much. Even on the second night, he missed a flight from Paris and arrived almost two hours late.
So we had to call a friend, a guitarist I knew from Argentina (Claudio Regazzi) and beg him to come in to Boston and play solo guitar for an hour or more to keep the audience happy while we raced to the airport to capture João. Hilarious stuff.
Alec Katz plays Bud Powell.I last posted about pianist Alec Katz (above) here. Last week, he sent along a clip playing Bud Powell's So Sorry Please and let me know that he will be recording an album later this year. For more on Alec, check out his site here. To dig Alec playing Bud, go here...
Fats Sadi. Regarding Fats Sadi's nonet album, I heard from Jef Somers last week in Belgium on the record's availability:
Hello Marc. Just for completeness’ sake, Sadi’s album was brought out by Lgloorecords, a small independent Belgian label. It is still available from them, both as a CD and a download. Go here.
Roger Kellaway and Melanie. Last week, I heard from pianist Roger Kellaway on his musical partnership with Melanie, the early 1970s singer-songwriter who died on January 23. Roger most notably played piano and/or arranged Melanie's albums Born to Be (1968), Gather Me (1971), Stoneground Words (1972) and half of Madrugada (1974):
Dear Marc, the passing of Melanie three days ago was very sad news. The last time we were together was in 2014 at the Apollo Theater for a tribute concert honoring the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' arrival in the U.S.
Melanie was a great talent. Every once in a while in the studios, we'd do an old standard together, and she had the most incredible jazz phrasing. Why? Because her mother was a singer and Melanie grew up on Billie Holiday records.
I had the good fortune to arrange, conduct and play keyboards on 3.5 albums for her. They were...
"Born to Be" (1968). My favorites tracks are "Bo Bo’s Party” and “Mr.Tambourine Man”
"Gather Me" (1971), which sold a half-million copies very quickly. The album included my chart, with prepared piano, on her hit, "Brand New Key." Other favorites include "Steppin'," "Ring the Living Bell," "Center of the Circle" and "What Wondrous Love."
"Stone Ground Words" (1972). My favorites are "Together Alone" and 'Here I Am," which features strings and a lovely tenor saxophone solo by Al Cohn. The story behind the third album's post-production involved doing all of the overdubs in one day because I was scheduled to leave after these sessions for the airport. So, we started in the afternoon, and by 2 a.m. the next morning, we were doing "Here I Am" with strings and Cohn. Throughout the evening, I had many players falling asleep while they were waiting to be called to record. Then sometime around 4 a.m., I had a car outside waiting to take me to the airport.
"Madrugada" (1974.) I only did half of this album. But, I remember on one track I used four bassoons. I believe they were playing a folk melody from Serbi, which was the heritage of Melanie’s husband and album producer Peter Schekeryk. Peter loved the idea so much that he put the bassoons on the track four times and then, when this track was reviewed, I was accused of overwriting!
Peter’s style of recording was a bit unusual. We would start with Melanie live in the studio with piano, bass, drums and three guitars. We would record every single song. Peter listened back to all the tracks and picked out all his favorite improvised licks.
Then I'd write out those licks, and we'd all go back into the studio with Melanie and the rhythm section and record all of the tunes again, using Peter‘s favorite licks. This process seemed very bizarre to me, but that’s the way we did every single song on the 3.5 albums I did for Melanie. The moments I had with her were very special.
Here's Melanie's Brand New Key with Roger's piano...
Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y—A New Beat (Cellar Music). This soul-jazz album is layered with funk and horn textures, offering up a different statement and execution on each of the nine tracks. Led by Ulysses on drums, the album is never dull and shows off what this group can do with different configurations of musicians and a singular sound, from bop to modal. The musicians joining Ulysses are Sarah Hanahan (as/1-7); Erena Terakubo (as/8); Benny Benack III (tp/1,3,6,7); Anthony Hervey (tp/2,4,5,8); Luther Allison (p/1,3,4,5,8); Tyler Bullock (p/2,8); Philip Norris (b/1-7); Ryoma Takenaga (b/8); and Milton Suggs (voc/6). This way when you listen, you'll know who's playing. I love this album. You'll find it here and at most major streaming platforms.
Ray Gallon—Grand Company (Cellar Music). Ray is a wonderful pianist and, on his new album, he is joined by the esteemed Ron Carter on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. The fact that these two legends are with him should tell you all you need to know about Ray's confident and measured approach. All nine tracks bounce and turn sharp corners with grace, and Ron and Lewis dig in beautifully. You'll find this album here and on most major streaming platforms.
Roy Eldridge radio. WKCR-FM in New York will present its annual "Roy Eldridge Birthday Broadcast" on Tuesday, January 30. The station will play the trumpeter's music for 24 hours (ET). You can listen from anywhere in the world here. [Photo still above of Roy Eldridge]
Phil Schapp radio. WKCR-FM in New York will present a memorial tribute to Phil Schaap next Friday, February 2, with archival re-broadcasts of some of his classic programs for 24 hours. Phil was one of the most knowledgeable jazz radio hosts and did much to build WKCR into a leading jazz educational medium. He also was one of the world's leading experts on Charlie Parker. You can read my interview with Phil here. You can listen from anywhere in the world here. [Photo above of Phil Schapp by John Abbott]
And finally,here's Bobby Hutcherson on vibes playing his composition Herzog, backed by Harold Land (ts), Stanley Cowell (p), Reggie Johnson (b) and Joe Chambers (d) at Juan les Pins, France, on July 25, 1969; the song is from Hutcherson's album Total Eclipse (1969)...
In the early spring of 2008, I planned to see João Gilberto in Boston. That is until he cancelled at the last minute. Gilberto had a reputation for such things throughout his career. Some I've interviewed have said he had agoraphobia—a psychological fear of being outside. Others have claimed he was hyper-finicky about things he wanted, especially regarding the sound system, and if he didn't get them, he was a no-show.
My next opportunity to see him in concert came later on his tour, in June. when he was scheduled to appear at New York's Carnegie Hall. I bought two tickets and hoped for the best. This time he showed up, and my friend and I were astonished. As I recall, all he required was a chair (or was it a stool?), a microphone on a stand and a monitor speaker in front of his feet so he could hear himself sing and play.
I can't recall whether he placed his feet on top of that speaker, but I do recall there was an audio problem to work out early on. Everyone braced for a walk-off. But he was understanding and remained.
Gilberto's singing voice was whispery soft and intense, and his guitar chords and rhythm were intoxicating.The concert was a great success, and Gilberto seemed pleased by the audience's adulation.
Today, I'm going to give you a taste of that intimate experience, except it took place 10 years earlier. In 1998, Gilberto performed in São Paulo, Brazil, and the concert was recorded. Before he died in 2019, Gilberto chose this recording to kick off Brazil's Reliquary project, launched by the government's Social Service of Commerce (Sesc), which restores the audio of historical shows taped in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
The album, João Gilberto: Reliquary, João Gilberto (Ao Vivo no Sesc 1998), was released last year and is astonishing. It sounds as if he's playing in the room where you're listening to the music. The album features 36 beautiful compositions.
Here, without ad interruptions is João Gilberto: “Reliquary: João Gilberto (Ao Vivo no Sesc 1998). To access the music, click the first track and you'll be able to listen to the entire album without doing a thing or hearing a single ad. A special thanks to Patricia Michaels for alerting.
In 1971, Count Basie toured Europe twice, once with just the band and again with the band plus Ella Fitzgerald and the Tommy Flanagan Trio. Yesterday, I came across four clips from these tours, courtesy of Reelin' in the Years Archive.
Here's alto saxophonist Curtis Peagler blowing on Neal Hefti's Cherry Point in 1971, with some especially crafty piano by Basie...
Here's alto saxophonist Bobby Plater soloing on his arrangement of Meditation...
Here's baritone saxophonist Cecil Payne soloing on Meeting...
And here's Ella Fitzgerald with the band in 1971 singing (They Long to Be) Close to You, which came out in August 1970 and had already become a global hit for the Carpenters. Ella's trio was in place with the band—Tommy Flanagan on piano, Frank DeLaRosa on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums...
Bonus:Here's one of the only meetings by two of the greatest voices of the second half of the 20th century—Ella Fitzgerald and Karen Carpenter. One can only imagine what the two of them said to each other after. A terrible shame they didn't record an album together...
Gerald Wiggins was a spectacularly tasteful jazz pianist. Born in New York in 1922, he came up at a time when to work steadily at clubs required a dramatic, singular sound that put people in seats night after night. If you were a trio pianist, this usually meant the ability to swing hard and play hair-raising runs and exciting block chords. Among the modernist pianists I'd put in this category in the mid-1950s are George Shearing, Ellis Larkins, Ahmad Jamal, Marian McPartland, Milt Buckner (when he wasn't on tour with Lionel Hampton), Joe Bushkin and Billy Taylor. Each one had the thrill factor. [Photo above of Gerald Wiggins]
If you're unfamiliar with Wiggins, Fresh Sound has just released Gerald Wiggins: Classic Trio Sessions 1956-1957. The two-CD set includes the albums Relax and Enjoy It!, Wiggin' With Wig, Reminiscin' With Wig as well as five tracks from a 1956 compilation album and four from his 1957 TV performance on Stars of Jazz. His trio during this period varied slightly but featured Gene Wright on bass and Bill Richmond on drums and Joe Comfort on bass with Jackie Mills or Bill Douglass on drums.
Wiggins's trios were tight and had a delightful way of capturing your attention and holding it with a lyrical lounge feel. Much of this had to do with the lucid interchanges between his left and right hands. Rather than just run bass lines with his left hand, his left was able to play off the right with enormous agility and independence, creating the sensation that two people were playing the keyboard. The result, as you'll hear, was pure magic.
Gerald Wiggins died in 2008.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Gerald Wiggins: Classic Trio Sessions 1956-1957 (Fresh Sound) here. The booklet's liner notes by Jordi Pujol are excellent.
JazzWax clips: Here's Criss Cross from the compilation...
Pianist Marcus Persiani has been recording as a sideman since 1991 and as a leader since 2005. He has terrific command of the keyboard and smart taste in song choices, which is always a plus for me. His trio album released in September, In-Motion (Persiani Music), features Curtis Lundy on bass and Emanuel Harrold on drums. It's superb.
You may recall, I reviewed Marcus's quintet album The Proper Time, featuring George Coleman, earlier this month. Both that one and this one grabbed me, which is ultimately how I decide what to review. [Photo above of Marcus Persiani]
The songs on In-Motion are Duke Jordan's No Problem, Wayne Shorter's Edda, Sonny Clark's Royal Flush (also known as Nica), the standard For Heaven's Sake, Thelonious Monk's Bemsha Swing, Marcus's Shell Reading, Luis Demetrio's La Puerta and Marcus's Footstep Blues. [Photo above of Curtis Lundy]
What I love about Marcus's playing is his confident technique and the feel that's built in. Curtis drives the action on bass, and Emanuel's drums are tight and competitive on uptempo numbers and compassionate on ballads. Put this one on and just let it run. The music will sweep you away. [Photo above of Emanuel Harrold]
JazzWax tracks: You'll find In-Motion (Persiani Music) at Amazon here and on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube. You'll also find it streaming at Marcus's website here.
JazzWax clips:Here'sRoyal Flush (also known as Nica)...
Clark Terry was many things. He was a superb trumpeter and flugelhornist, he was an elegant gentleman, he was a mentor to many musicians and he was as comfortable in a big band as he was in a small group. Clark was also an excellent composer, as baritone saxophonist Adam Schroeder and arranger Mark Masters know well. [Photo above of Clark Terry courtesy of the Terry family]
The pair have just released CT!: Adam Schroeder & Mark Masters Celebrate Clark Terry (Capri), the finest album I've heard this year, and it's only weeks old! Adam and Mark assembled a group of 12 crack jazz musicians to record 13 of Clark's compositions. The band features Dan Fornero (lead trumpet); James Ford and Aaron Janik (tp); Francisco Torres (lead tb); Ido Meshulam, Lemar Guillary (tb); Sal Lozano (as), Bob Sheppard (ts,ss), Kirsten Edkins (ts) and Adam Schroeder (bs); Edwin Livingston (b); Peter Erskine (d) and Mark Masters (arr).
The Clark compositions are Serenade to a Bus Seat, Ground Hog, Ode to Pres, Daylight Express, Boardwalk, Argentia, Perdido Line, Slow Boat, Swingin' on the Cusp, Michelle, Top and Bottom, Boomerang and In Orbit.
As Adam writes in the album liner notes, "From the middle of my high school career until his passing in 2015, Clark's mentorship and musicianship made a lasting impression within my life. I feel his spirit everywhere and think about him daily."
Born in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1978, Adam was in high school, between his junior and senior year, when he was asked to fill the baritone sax chair in the student big band at Clark Terry’s International Institute of Jazz Studies at Westmar University in LeMars, Iowa. His acceptance started a relationship between Adam and the famed Clark Terry, who visited often.
As for Mark's arrangements, they are top notch and in the spirit of Clark. [Photo above of Mark Masters]
This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed Robert Patrick for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Even if you don't recognize the name, you know the face. He almost always plays the bad guy. He's currently in season 2 of Reacher. [Photo above of Robert Patrick courtesy of his Facebook page]
And here's Robert as T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day...
What I'm watching now. Here's what I streamed last week and enjoyed (I have spared you the junk I had to endure). Past recommendations appear in the list below the new entries, for a handy reference:
Last week...
Knight and Day—(2010). This action comedy stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. I only wish they made more movies together. Great match-up, and never tire of watching this one. (Roku)
American Gangster—(2007). A crime film staring Denzel Washington as a cool, even-tempered mob boss in Harlem. (Max)
Past recommendations...
TV series
The Affair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix)
Belgravia—(2020/Prime Video)
Bosch—(2014-2021/Prime)
Bosch: Legacy—(2022-current/Prime)
The Crown—(Netflix)
Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
Feud (S1): Bette and Joan—(2017/Hulu)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
The Gilded Age (current/Max)
Homeland (2011-2020/Showtime)
Jane Eyre (2006/Britbox)
Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
Life & Beth—(Seasons 1& 2, 2022-present/Hulu)
Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
Pieces of Her—(2022/Netflix)
Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
The Woman in the Wall—Due in January (Showtime)
Yellowstone—(2018-present/Paramount Network)
Films
The Accountant—(2016/Hulu)
Armageddon Time—(2022/Prime)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs—(2018/Netflix)
The Ballad of Lefty Brown—(2017/Netflix)
Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
MI-5—(2015/Max)
The Mule—(2018/Netflix)
The Night Agent—(2023/Netflix)
Nobody—(2021/Prime)
Ordinary Angels—(2024)
Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)
Documentaries
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
Julie London. Last week, arranger-conductor Mike Barone sent along a clip of a chart he scored for vocalist Julie London (above) while ghost-arranging for Gerald Wilson. Here'sMy Kind of Town (Mike said he also ghost-arranged Summertime)...
Fats Sadi. Following my post last week on Belgian trumpeter Bert Joris, in which I mentioned vibraphonist Fats Sadi (above), I heard from Dave James:
Marc, as a long-time aficionado of European and Scandinavian jazz, more references to its players is always welcome. "Sadi," the album you featured is, to coin a phrase, "rara avis." I found two copies but they are priced at astronomical levels for a single CD. Even Discogs only has one Sadi CD and it's a compilation. However, all is not lost. You might want to let your readers know that this session is, in fact, available if you subscribe to Amazon Prime Music.
Oscar Peterson. If you want to hear Oscar Peterson perform with fingers so fast they seem to raise sparks, check out the pianist backed only by bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen on November 1, 1973, in Würzburg, Germany. The streaming-only album with sound improved was recently released by Lantower Records. Listen for free at Spotify here.
Kenny Clarke. Following my post on the centennial of Max Roach, bebop's drumming pioneer, I thought I'd play you the first drummer to play bebop, Kenny Clarke. To listen to Clarke in Italy in go here...
Lennie Niehaus. Last week, Kurt Kolstad sent along a video of Antoine Or playing all four saxophone parts in Lennie Niehaus's wonderful arrangement of When the Saints Go Marching In, recorded during the pandemic. Go here...
Dionne Warwick. Here she is in a smashing dress singing Alfie on Brazil TV in 1966, which incorrectly added Sonny Rollins's name to Hal David's and Burt Bacharach's on the screen as the song's composers...
Nancy Wilson.Here she is singing The Very Thought of You on TV's Hollywood Palace...
CBS Sunday Morning. Ever wonder who plays the trumpet solo on the weekly show? It's Wynton Marsalis, who in 2004 recorded Abblasen, a horn fanfare attributed to Gottfried Reiche, for CBS. Go here...
Here's Aretha Franklin singing I Say a Little Prayer in 1970...
Kirk Edwards—Shout!Tenor and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist Kirk Edwards has released an album of 12 original songs backed by a quartet featuring Donald Vega on piano, Keith Edwards on vibraphone and percussion, Dave Baron on bass and Pete Van Nostrand on drums. What I love most about this album is its singular sound. Kirk has a loose and warm feel on all three instruments, and yet his attack is different on each. It's all coming from the heart, which matters. You'll find the album on YouTube, and on other streaming platforms.
Antonio Carlos Jobim radio. On Thursday, January 25, WKCR-FM in New York will feature a birthday broadcast of Jobim's music. On-air hosts will spin Jobim's records for 24 hours. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
And finally, cold? How about something to warm you up: Here's Tito Rodriguez with his orchestra, singing Que Sera in the 1960s...
If you want to know how this video was recorded, read my interview with the late Ray Santos (the saxophonist on the far left of the reed section) here.
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.
