Trumpeter Donald Byrd and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams recorded eight albums together between 1959 and 1970. Their combined sound was a perfect fit—Byrd's sweetly piercing trumpet and Adams's grunting attack on the baritone.
Their first album together was Byrd in Hand, recorded in May 1959 for Blue Note. The lineup was stunning: Donald Byrd (tp), Charlie Rouse (ts), Pepper Adams (bar), Walter Davis, Jr. (p), Sam Jones (b) and Art Taylor (d). Each musician added a different level of artistic aggression and intensity.
Bronze Dance by Walter Davis Jr. kicked off the second side of the LP. The track is hard bop perfection, shifting from minor to major and featuring superb solos by the front-line horns plus a Horace Silver-esque piano solo by Davis.
Like Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts (1965, '68 and '73) and Chico O'Farrill's Second Afro-Cuban Suite (1954), Lalo Schifrin's Gillespiana is a jazz masterwork. Now, SteepleChase Records in Denmark has released Dizzy Gillespie Quintet: Gillespiana in Concert, recorded in Copenhagen on November 20, 1961.
Gillespiana was a work originally written by Lalo for Gillespie's 16-piece orchestra and first recorded in 1960 (go here). As he told me during a Wall Street Journal interview at his home in Beverly Hills in 2012, he composed the suite as a valentine to Gillespie, an artist he cherished and admired deeply.
And for good reason. In 1952, Lalo was accepted at the Paris Conservatoire on a music scholarship. But Juan Perón's secret police summoned him to find out why he sought to study abroad.
"At headquarters, during my interview, they easily could have made me disappear," he said during our chat. "I could hear the tango playing below to mask the screams of those they were torturing. I told the inspector that my acceptance was an honor for Argentina. He stamped my exit visa and let me go." [Photo above of Dizzy Gillespie and Lalo Schifrin]
In Paris, Lalo played piano in jazz clubs but was nearly deported for playing without a work permit. "A diplomat at the Argentine Embassy told me to play at a recital attended by the French Minister of Education. Afterward, the minister gave me a card to see the Minister of Labor, who granted me a work permit."
In 1956, a year after the Perón regime fell, Lalo returned to Buenos Aires as a professional jazz musician—much to his parents' dismay. "They feared I wouldn't be able to earn a living," he said. When Dizzy Gillespie performed in Buenos Aires later that year, Lalo attended his concerts and played for him at a reception.
"Dizzy asked me to come to the U.S., but I didn't receive my green card until 1958," Lalo said. Once in New York, he had to wait another year for a work permit from the musicians union. "During this time, Dizzy asked me to write a piece for him. So over a weekend, I composed a draft of 'Gillespiana,' an orchestral jazz suite."
After Gillespiana was recorded in 1960 and released, Lalo became an overnight sensation among jazz musicians, and Gillespie invited him to join his quintet on a European tour. Included on that tour was a stop at the Falkoner Centret in Copenhagen, where the quintet performed the intricate Gillespiana Suite. [Photo above of Leo Wright]
The quintet:
Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet)
Leo Wright (alto saxophone, flute)
Lalo Schifrin (piano)
Bob Cunningham (bass)
Mel Lewis (drums)
The tracks:
Gillespiana Suite (Lalo Schifrin)
Prelude
Blues
Panamericana
Africana
Toccata
2. Kush (Dizzy Gillespie)
This quintet recording newly unearthed by Nils Winther of SteepleChase Records is outstanding. The sound is terrific, Gillespie is in his prime; Leo Wright plays with enormous energy and fluidity; and Lalo, Cunningham and Lewis make for a terrific, percussive trio. Lalo's heart is in his playing, Cunningham's bass is pronounced and Mel Lewis is a driving force. Of particular note is his extraordinary solo on Toccata.
For my interview with Nils, go here. For my WSJ interview with Lalo, go here.
Today, a special treat. Meredith d'Ambrosio (above) singing and accompanying herself on piano in a 1974 documentary Forever Gershwin. which hasn't been seen since it first aired on Boston television. But first, some background and recollections from the producer and Meredith.
The story begins in late 1973 and early 1974, when Stephen Schlow produced a half-hour documentary on George Gershwin that would air on Boston's WCVB-TV Channel in May 1974. As Stephen told me after reaching out by email recently, he interviewed Ed Jablonsky (Gershwin's biographer) and composer Kay Swift, who wrote the music for Can't We Be Friends and Fine and Dandy.
Kay Swift was a composer who had a long affair with Gershwin. She first met him in 1925, when he was in California, and divorced to marry him. Instead, they continued the affair until his death in 1937. So having her on camera was a coup.
But Stephen's documentary needed music to illustrate Gershwin's songs. Stephen picks up the story:
I knew Meredith from my radio days. One day, while driving home, I saw her on the street. I stopped and asked if she would perform on camera in the documentary. She agreed.
We set up shooting for one night at Mill Falls Restaurant, which operated at 383 Elliot St., in Newton, just outside of Boston. Meredith sang five Gershwin songs while accompanying herself on piano. Only portions of these tunes made it into the documentary.
Sadly, once we used as much as of Meredith as we could in the film, the film was transferred to tape and the reels, including Meredith's full performances, were scrapped for silver. That was a common practice in those days. I'm just grateful we have what we have.
Here's Meredith's recollections after I sent the mp4 along to have a new look:
I hardly remember any details. It was my first experience being filmed while playing and singing. Unfortunately, it doesn't show me completing a song, I recall performing five (I think) songs in a row of my favorite Gershwin tunes at the time. Being very young, I kept thinking that I was just beginning to create my own style of playing, though I knew I wasn't there yet.
I was surprised that the songs were cut short in the film, but I understand that the subject of the documentary was about George Gershwin's life, not about my performing his songs. I do remember that the Gershwin family was hoping Bobby Short would be interpreting the songs, though the team's final decision was in my favor to play and sing.
Watching the film now, after many decades, I am amused that I looked so young. My hair was so long and the streaks of blond were showing in my dirty blond hair (or how I remember it appearing in my young years). I always believed I was not photogenic, but now that I see me back then, I think I must have been more attractive than I thought. I mostly remember that I was quiet and shy, and mostly silly.
Here'sForever Gershwin. The documentary appears here and on YouTube with Stephen Schlow's permission. If you just want to see and hear Meredith, you'll have to advance the time bar to her slots...
A special thanks to Stephen Schlow and Meredith d'Ambrosio.
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed the two Italian actresses who play Elana and Lila as adults in the fourth and final season of My Brilliant Friend (go here). I interviewed Irene Maiorino (Lila) and Alba Rohrwacher (Elena) in Italy via Zoom. The new season is sublime. All seasons are on HBO. [Photo above of Irene Maiorino]
Behind Her Eyes (2021)—British noir psychological thriller TV series stars Simona Brown, the terrifying Eve Hewson and Tom Bateman. A single mother starts an affair with her boss as his wife befriends her. Both the husband and wife are hiding a dark secret. Beautifully cast, shot and acted. (Netflix)
Nobody Wants This (2024)—A lovely rom-com miniseries starring Kristen Bell, Adam Brody and Justine Lupe. First, Kristen is marvelous in everything. You fall in love with her instantly. She a pure, natural actress (see her Veronica Mars series). Justine is terrific as her sister. A story of an interfaith relationship as they navigate the interference, family meddling and bumps along the way. (Netflix)
Emily in Paris Part 2 (2024)—Season 4 was divided into two parts. Part 1 takes place in Paris, but Part 2, which is now up, shifts to Rome. Pure fun and as good as a box of movie-theater Raisinets. (Netflix).
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans—(2024/FX, with streaming on Hulu)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
The Gentlemen—(2024/Netflix)
Godless—(2017/Netflix)
Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
The Gilded Age—(current/Max)
High Water—(2022/Netflix)
Homeland—(2011-2020/Showtime)
Jane Eyre—(2006/Britbox)
Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
Killing Eve—(2018-2022/Netflix)
Life & Beth—(Seasons 1& 2, 2022-present/Hulu)
Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
Loudermilk—(2017-2020/Netflix)
MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
Monsieur Spade—(2024/AMC)
Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Parts 1 and 2—(2023/Lifetime)
My Brilliant Friend—(2018-current)
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)
Ripley—(2024/Netflix)
Scott & Bailey (2011-2016/Prime)
Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
Under the Banner of Heave—(2022/Hulu)
Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
Voiceless (Bella da morire—(2020/MHz)
The Watcher—(2022/Netflix)
The Way Home—(2023-current/Peacock)
Who Is Erin Carter—(2023/Netflix)
The Woman in the Wall—(2024/Showtime)
The Veil—(2024/Hulu-FX)
Wilder—(2017-current)
WPC 56—(2013-2015/Britbox)
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)
Blackout (2022/Netflix)
TheBricklayer—(2024/Netflix)
The Commuter (2018/Netflix)
The Dig—(2021/Netflix)
Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
Fury—(2014/Netflix)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012/Paramount+)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
Knight and Day—(2010/Roku)
Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
The Little Things—(2021/Netflix)
Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
Manchester by the Sea—(2016/Prime Video)
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)
Ruthless—(2023/Hulu)
The Secret: Dare to Dream—(2020/Netflix)
Self Reliance—(2023/Hulu)
Seraphim Falls—(2006/Netflix)
Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
The Two Popes—(2019/Netflix)
Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)
Documentaries
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
The Beach Boys—(2024/Disney)
Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
Cunk on Earth—(2022/Netflix)
Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing—(2023/Paramount+)
Facing Nolan—(2022/Netflix)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
Jane Fonda in Five Acts—(2024/Max)
Kate Hepburn: Call Me Kate—(2023/Netflix)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go h
Bill Evans. Dave Thompson sent along a rare partial clip of pianist Bill Evans (above) that Rob Rijneke posted on his Facebook page in the Netherlands. The clip of Bill Evans (p), Ruud Jacobs (b), Wim Overgaauw (g) and Larry Bunker (d) playing on Dutch television in February 1965 was originally posted on Jacobs's YouTube page. Fascinating to hear Evans play Israel in a quartet setting with a guitarist. Go here...
Marc, it was always a pleasure to be in the presence of Dan Morgenstern. Over the years I had the good fortune to hang with him at jazz shows and concerts like Jack Kleinsinger's Highlights In Jazz; the Annual N.J. Jazz Bash, where he was a regular for many years; and at some of the many basement jazz clubs in New York. One night we were hanging at one of these subterranean dens when he said one of my favorite Dan Morgenstern lines, referring to them as "Sewers with upholstery."
Sinatra radio. If you haven't caught Chuck Granta's Sinatra Standard Time on KSDS-FM in San Diego, be sure to check it out. The weekly two-hour radio show airs each Sunday at 2 p.m. (PT). By visiting the site, the show streams live to phones, iPads and computers. All shows are also archived, so you can listen to past programs. They even have a real-time and archived Playlist for each show. Chuck, of course, is the author of the book, Sessions with Sinatra: Frank Sinatra and the Art of Recording, To access Chuck's Sinatra radio show, go here.
Your Smith. Two weeks ago, at a restaurant, I heard a song over the din that sounded cool. Out came my phone and I hit the Shazam app, which can immediately identify virtually any song you are hearing on the radio or sound system. Shazam said it was a group called Your Smith, an indie folk band from Minneapolis fronted by Caroline Smith (above) in the late teens.
Here'sThe Spot and Debbie. With the bass and electric piano riff track, the very clever Caroline Smith tags Stevie Wonder's Do I Do and Shalamar's Take That to the Bank. She also could have added Alicia Bridges' I Love the Nightlife...
History of the Vibraphone—Warren Wolf (Cellar Music). Superb vibraphonist Warren Wolf dives into compositions by legends of the instrument. On his new CD, there are songs by Terry Gibbs, Lionel Hampton, Bobby Hutcherson, Cal Tjader, Roy Ayers, Joe Locke and others. In addition to the album's concept and song choices being pure genius, Warren's playing swings and is in the pocket. He's backed by Tim Green (saxophones), Alex Brown (piano, Fender Rhodes), Vincente Archer (bass) and Carroll "CV" Dashiell III (drums). Go here to buy and here to listen.
Here's Wolf and the band playing Hutcherson's Herzog...
Spanish Harlem Orchestra—Swing Forever (Ovation). If you dig salsa and Latin jazz as much as I do, this new album is stupendous. This tight band has been around for 24 years, they've won three Grammys and Swing Forever marks their ninth studio album. Led by pianist Oscar Hernández, the orchestra is sizable and packs a strong punch and is fiery. All 10 tracks will keep your head and knees moving. Go here or to YouTube here.
The Hot Club of San Francisco—Original Gadjo. Their 15th album, Original Gadjo pays tribute to Romani jazz. The five-member group is led by guitarist Paul Mehling, who's accompanied by Evan Price (violin, melodica, guitar), Jordan Samuels (rhythm guitar), Nelsen Hutchison (rhythm guitar) and Dexter Williams (bass). The quintet grabs the feel and energy of the rhythmic string music and will knock you out. To listen to the entire album and buy, go here.
Enrico Granafei—It's Hard to Say Goodbye (CAP). Italian jazz harmonica player Enrico Granafei has a beautiful touch on the instrument. He also plays guitar and sings, and is a terrific songwriter. This album, his fourth, is precious and has a bossa feel. Joining him are different musicians on each track, but the flugelhornist who duets with him throughout is the late Claudio Roditi. Seductive and surfy, the album is a joy from start to finish. To buy, go here. To listen, go here.
One of jazz's greatest losses due to drug addiction was the death of Fats Navarro in 1950 at age 26. The trumpeter's promise was extraordinary and only partly expressed and fulfilled. After Dizzy Gillespie, Navarro was probably a close second in the years just after World War II in terms of sound, technique, improvisation prowess and the ability to navigate bebop.
A good introduction to Navarro is a 12-inch compilation released in 1957 of his 78rpm records for the Savoy label in 1946 and '47. His playing was both piercing and fleshy, exhibiting raw power in places on solos and a fleet ability to come up with bop ideas. Here are the album's tracks, where they appear on the YouTube upload and the personnel [photo above of Fats Navarro by William P. Gottlieb]:
Nostalgia 0:00:02
Barry's Bop 0:02:46
Bebop Romp 0:05:27
Fats Blows 0:08:05
Dextivity 0:10:57
Dextrose 0:13:59
Dexter's Mood 0:16:49
Index 0:19:43
Stealing Trash 0:22:49
Hollerin' & Screamin' 0:25:39
Fracture 0:28:22
Calling Dr. Jazz 0:31:17
1-4. Fats Navarro Quintette: Fats Navarro (tp), Charlie Rouse (ts), Tadd Dameron (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Art Blakey (d). New York, December 5, 1947
5-8. Dexter Gordon And His Boys: Fats Navarro (tp), Dexter Gordon (ts), Tadd Dameron (p), Nelson Boyd (b) and Art Mardigan (d). New York, December 22, 1947
9-12. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis & His Beboppers: Fats Navarro (tp), Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (ts), Al Haig (p), Huey Long (g), Gene Ramey (b) and Denzil Best (d). New York, December 18, 1946
Here's the complete Nostalgia showcasing Fats Navarro on Savoy without ad interruptions...
Stylistically, guitarists Jim Hall and Ireland's Louis Stewart had much in common. Both embraced edge in their playing, both were unconventional in their attacks, both could swing and both were vastly respected as jazz virtuosos by their peers and countrymen.
On December 26, 1982, Jim and Louis came together for a concert at Dublin's Maccabi Hall. The concert was recorded but only just now released for the first time as Louis Stewart & Jim Hall: The Dublin Concert (Livia).
The concert tapes were discovered in 2022 and have been lovingly digitized and mastered, and the album is now the only known recording of Jim and Louis performing together. The material and sound are terrific.
Jim and Louis first met in 1981 during Louis's residency at Bechet's in New York, a restaurant and jazz club on Third Avenue near 75th Street. Louis was a big admirer of Jim, particularly the duet albums Jim had recorded with Bill Evans. Louis also recorded in duet settings. [Photo above of Jim Hall]
That December, as Jim vacationed in Ireland, a concert was hastily set up in Dublin. "Look at what Santa brought us for Christmas" is how Louis introduces Jim. There was just one mic set up for each guitarist.
The music consisted mostly of standards, but the normally worn songbook songs are deconstructed and given new life. As one guitarist solos or takes the lead, the other plays rhythm. For those unfamiliar with the styles of these guitarists, I'll keep it simple for you: Louis is more pronounced and Jim is more delicate. [Photo above of Louis Stewart]
Interestingly, there are no flashy attacks to show off virtuosity. What you hear are two extraordinary guitarists engaging in musical conversations and clearly having loads of fun.
The tracks:
Stella By Starlight (Victor Young)
2 Degrees East, 3 Degrees West (John Lewis)
But Beautiful (Jimmy Van Heusen)
St. Thomas (Sonny Rollins)
All the Things You Are (Jerome Kern)
My Funny Valentine (Rodgers and Hart)
How Deep Is the Ocean (Irving Berlin) ....
In a Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington)
Among my many favorites here are But Beautiful, an even more astonishing ballad in their hands; St. Thomas, with a unique approach and easily one of the finest covers of this Sonny Rollins composition; and My Funny Valentine, which they gloriously re-invent and decorate.
Jim Hall and Louis Stewart were JazzWax readers, and I miss them both. Jim Hall died in 2013 at age 83; Louis Stewart died in 2016 at age 72.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Louis Stewart & Jim Hall: The Dublin Concert (Livia) here and on most major streaming platforms. To learn more about Livia Records, the Irish jazz label, go here.
On July 17, 1974, Sonny Rollins performed at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London—two years after his 1972 comeback following a lengthy sabbatical. At the time of his gig, a film was shot, then shelved and now, for the first time, it has been cleaned up and is up online.
Sonny's band at Ronnie Scott's featured Sonny Rollins (ts), Rufus Harley (ss,bagpipes), Yoshiaki Masuo (el-g), Bob Cranshaw (el-b) and David Lee (d).
Songs featured were The Cutting Edge,Don't Stop the Carnival,A House Is Not a Home, Dearly Beloved, Sais,East Broadway Rundown and his Alfie movie theme, among others.
Here'sSonny Rollins: Live at Ronnie Scott's 1974, a film newly posted to YouTube four days ago, on Sonny's 94th birthday...
Sérgio Mendes, a Brazilian jazz and hard-bossa pianist-arranger who relocated to the U.S. in 1964 and launched his Brasil '65 and '66 pop groups, kicking off the sunshine pop movement, died in Los Angeles on September 5 of complications from long Covid. He was 83. [Photo above of Sergio Mendes, left, and Antonio Carlos Jobim in New York in 1964]
Mendes first performed in the U.S. at the famed Bossa Nova at Carnegie Hall concert in late 1963 and remained here the following year. Like many Brazilian musicians who became expatriates in America, Mendes felt he could be more successful in the U.S. than under the newly installed regime in Brazil following the country's March-April 1964 military coup.
His first two albums in the U.S. were recorded as Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65, for Capitol and Atlantic Records. Both bombed. Fortunately for Mendes, A&M Records had begun to dominate the young-adult pop market.
Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss—the label's A and M—had already figured out that an upbeat, sophisticated sound akin to the one used by the Tijuana Brass could be money-makers for other groups they signed. At the time, the gentle, cool tastes of dating young adults weren't being met by the British Invasion, emerging psychedelic rock bands or easy listening strings. For A&M, Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 was a perfect fit, thanks largely to Mendes's breezy vocals of two female singers and his textured, soft-samba arrangements.
The group's first major single, a cover of Mas que Nada, by Brazilian composer Jorge Ben, reached No. 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Billboard Easy Listening charts. But it was the group's 1968 single, The Look of Love, the Burt Bacharach and Hal David theme for the film Casino Royale, that put them on the map after being performed during the Oscars and peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Going forward, the group focused on giving pop hits a sensual, swinging bossa nova makeover.
In tribute to Mendes, here are seven video clips of his Brasil '66 hits:
Dan Morgenstern, an eight-time Grammy winner for his album liner notes, former director of Rutgers University's Institute of Jazz Studies, author and a "jazz advocate," as he liked to be called, died on September 7. He was 94.
Despite all of those titles and honors, Dan was the music's most modest and well-regarded historian and paternal figure among writers and critics. But despite his seniority and in-depth, first-hand knowledge of post-war jazz, he never lost his wit, passion or ability to put the jazz story's pieces together.
Soft-spoken and humble, Dan had an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz from its earliest days, and his sober analysis came through in his writing. He also was generous with his time.
Shortly after I started this blog in 2007, he invited me out to Rutgers for a tour of the IJS. There, he let me hold the "bones" of jazz—one of Lester Young's tenor saxophones, a trumpet played by Miles Davis and other instruments donated to the IJS by their estates. For a post on my time there, go here.
In tribute to Dan, here is my 2007 interview with him:
JazzWax: Dan, you’ve won multiple Grammys for your album liner notes. What are you working on now? Dan Morgenstern: I’m writing the liner notes for a double CD of Louis Armstrong recordings from a 1937 NBC radio show. It’s a very exciting set. Many of the 24 tracks on the first CD have never been released before in any format—not even as bootlegs. The second CD features home recordings from Louis’ private tapes, including some music and conversation. The set is due early next year from Music Masters and will feature great big-band material. Some of the songs in the set were never recorded by Armstrong—not before 1937 or after.
JW: Where were these recordings hiding? DM: They were in Armstrong’s own personal collection in the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College. The masters were Louis' private recordings of a weekly radio show he hosted in the spring of 1937. The recordings were taken off the air and cut onto 12-inch acetate discs.
JW: Just in the spring? DM: For three months in 1937, Armstrong was the temporary replacement for singer Rudy Vallee, who was on holiday in Britain. Louis subbing for Rudy Vallee isn’t as surprising as you’d think. Vallee was a big fan of Louis and even wrote the introduction to Louis’ first autobiography in 1936, Swing That Music.
JW: Who was the show's sponsor? DM: In 1937, Vallee's longstanding weekly radio show on the NBC radio network was sponsored by Fleischmann’s Yeast. When Louis took over the show, it was called Harlem and featured Louis and his band, a comedy team and changing cast of musical guests. These recordings represent the first time a black artist was host of a nationally sponsored radio show. The sound quality is excellent thanks to a fine restoration job by Doug Pomeroy. What has been eliminated for this CD set is the show banter. You just hear Louis and his band.
JW: How do you approach writing liner notes? DM: As a writer, the most important challenge I face is to say something that will enhance the listeners’ enjoyment of the music. The key is the right mix of biographical and musical information and what’s taking place on the recordings. For the biographical section, I like to write about what the artist was doing at the time the recordings were made. As for the performances, I always try to write about things that the listener might not immediately notice.
JW: Is it still a thrill to see your notes on an album? DM: Oh, yes. One of my great pleasures as a writer in general is for someone to tell me that something I wrote—a book, an article, liner notes—exposed them to a specific artist or jazz in general. These days, I usually hear this from people of a certain age [laughs].
JW: For example? DM: Recently someone came up to me and said, "When I was in college, I read your Down Beat review of Dexter Gordon’s The Panther, and it opened a lifelong involvement in jazz." That was gratifying to me. Disc jockeys also tell me that they find my liner notes useful because the notes tell them who's soloing on tracks, if a song is slow or fast, and other details helpful in programming.
JW: What about research? DM: I often do quite a bit of research on the artist and the moment in time when the recordings were made. I have an advantage, in that I’m here at the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, where reference materials are at my fingertips. If I’m doing the liner notes for an album of a contemporary musician, then I want to interview the artist and/or people who know the artist well.
JW: Did you ever write a review or interview that angered a jazz musician? DM: Actually, I’ve been kind of lucky in that regard. I’ve always tried to be careful not to misrepresent what musicians say for the sake of a catchy headline. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, that was difficult, since magazines were trying to stand out and anything controversial made for good copy.
JW: How did you handle that? DM: When I spoke with jazz musicians back then, invariably something would be said during the interview that was an aside or said in a certain context. If I had taken those comments out of context and put them in print to boost a magazine’s visibility, it would have annoyed or frustrated the artist, which is unfair.
JW: No one ever became angry? DM: There were only two instances. The first occurred in the 1960s, after I reviewed the Newport Jazz Festival and noted that Elvin Jones’s drumming was too loud. The next time I saw Elvin, he cornered me. He was big and could look fierce with those funny teeth that made him look like a dragon.
JW: What happened? DM: After he expressed his displeasure, I told him that he indeed sounded loud and that maybe he wasn’t aware that the people doing the sound put too much juice on the drums and that I probably should have worded it that way. Elvin understood. Afterward we were the best of friends again. I’ve found that artists don’t bear grudges when you explain to them why you were critical.
JW: What was the second instance? DM: It occurred in May 1965, when George Russell returned to New York between stays in Europe. We talked about what was going on in contemporary jazz here and abroad. George was a serious composer who had developed his own concept of Lydian tonality and was an intellectual about the concept of freedom in jazz. During the interview, he expressed certain reservations about the new free-form jazz. After his comments appeared in Down Beat, some avant-garde jazz musicians must have hit on him, complaining that it was hard enough to attract audiences without those kind of remarks.
JW: Why, what happened? DM: To appear politically correct, George accused me in a letter to the Down Beat editor of misquoting him, which wasn’t true. I was pretty upset about it, and my editor, Don DeMichael, backed me up when printing George's letter. It's all water under the bridge now.
JW: Did you ever worry that becoming too close with jazz musicians could compromise your objectivity? DM: You have to be very careful not to let the bonds between you and musicians cloud what you’re saying. If you’re a writer, your responsibility always is to the reader or listener. If you shortchange your audience, you’ll lose your credibility. I tried to avoid such conflicts by simply not writing about bad performances unless I had to. At that point, I’d always frame my remarks by saying that the artist didn’t have a particularly good night rather than completely trashing him.
JW: Isn't that pulling your punches? DM: Not at all. It's being honest. As a writer, you always want to remain a certain distance from the artist so your objectivity isn't clouded. Or you need to be frank upfront with the reader by saying from the outset, "This is someone I know well." Again, how the reader perceives you and your agenda means everything to your integrity and reputation.
JW: Why did so many jazz artists turn to drugs in the 1940s and 1950s? Was it fear of improvising in front of live, critical audiences? DM: That anxiety played a role, but there were many other factors. Drugs in jazz probably started during World War II, with the easy accessibility of morphine. Before World War II, there was little drug availability or drug use among jazz musicians. There was plenty of pot smoking and drinking, since many musicians during prohibition played in speakeasies. Playing jazz is very strenuous and challenging, and booze and pot were there to take the edge off.
JW: What role did World War II play? DM: Hard-core drug use started after guys who had become addicted to morphine came out of the service. Maybe they had received a shot of morphine for pain or illness and got used to it. If you were in the war, there were always ways to get more morphine from medics to ease such problems. As these servicemen were discharged, they returned to society. It takes only one or two people to get anything started.
JW: And Charlie Parker? DM: He was the one who got the drug scene started in jazz, and his talent and drug use affected a lot of younger players who admired him. They thought using drugs would help them play better, even though Parker discouraged other musicians from using drugs. Drug use also was a social thing for musicians at the time. It had to do with the feeling of being an outsider, of not being accepted by the public, and being in an insular, closed community of musicians.
JW: But there were other reasons for drug use beyond trying to be like Bird, yes? DM: Other musicians used drugs so that when they played in a club situation, they could distance themselves from the tension of performing and close themselves off from mainstream audiences. Or from personality problems. Everyone who started taking drugs thought they could deal with it. No one took drugs thinking they would ever get hooked. But most of them did, and many died too soon.
JW: You were the editor of Metronome, Jazz and Down Beat magazines in the 1960s, when rock took hold. How did that happen? DM: Jazz was already facing problems by the time rock really started to win over large numbers of young listeners starting in 1964. There was a time in this country when jazz was part of the popular music mainstream. It was played by big bands, and people danced to it. People who weren’t really jazz fans consumed the music and enjoyed it. In addition, great American composers wrote terrific songs for shows that were easily adapted by jazz bands.
JW: What changed? DM: During and after World War II, jazz became more complex—and more demanding for the listener. Audiences began to shrink. Even within the jazz-listening fan base, there was a deep split between the 'moldy figs,' those who loved swing, and the radical bepoppers. The rivalry between these two camps became quite intense, and the battle turned off many people unnecessarily and made them less open-minded to the new jazz.
JW: How did jazz lose its young fans? DM: Jazz musicians stopped playing for dancers, and they lost gigs—and an even larger slice of their audience. By the early 1950s, R&B, followed by rock in the mid-1960s, started capturing more young listeners who wanted music to dance to and no longer identified with jazz. Also, a racist attitude toward jazz was emerging that didn’t exist before. By 1964, jazz was already weakened by internal and external changes, and it didn’t take much for rock to become more popular, especially with teens.
JW: How were jazz magazines affected? DM: In 1967, when I took over as editor of Down Beat, the magazine was being reshaped by these changes. Curiously, the pressures we faced at the magazine didn’t come from our jazz readership. Circulation was flat but it wasn’t declining. Instead, it was the advertiser base that was changing. As rock records became hot sellers, record companies devoted fewer ad dollars to their jazz labels. We became more dependent on ads from the makers of instruments and accessories.
JW: What was the result? DM: Advertisers put pressure on us to feature more rock coverage in our pages. We had no choice but to make changes. After all, a magazine pays its bills with advertisers’ dollars, not subscription checks. But when we tried to cover rock seriously, our jazz readers threatened to cancel. So we tried to find people who could write about rock intelligently. And we covered bands like Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago that were influenced by jazz. Eventually readers came around.
JW: Which jazz albums still move you most today? DM: I listen to a lot of contemporary recordings as well as reissues. What I keep coming back to is the music I grew up with in the 1930s and '40s. These recordings are musts for anyone's collection:
Billie Holiday and Lester Young: A Musical Romance (Sony) features the best of the beautiful Columbia recordings these two made together.
The Tatum Group Masterpiece (Pablo)are fantastic. They capture Art Tatum with Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge and many other superb musicians.
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald together were extraordinary. The best of their Verve recordings are available on The Best of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (Polygram). Or you can buy The Complete Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (Polygram). The sessions combine the most beautiful American songs with the most beautiful treatments. And Louis is so great on there.
The Duke Ellington band of 1940-1942—also known as the Blanton-Webster band—is timeless and immortal. Their recordings are on a four-CD set, Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band (RCA).
Count Basie’s recordings with Lester Young still swing. This material includes Basie’s output for the Decca and Columbia labels. You’ll find these recordings on Count Basie: Complete Original American Decca Recordings (Definitive Classics) and Count Basie: The Complete 1936-1941 Columbia Recordings (Definitive Spain).
And finally, Charlie Parker's Savoy and Dial recordings are fantastic. All of these sessions have been combined on several different boxes, including Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes (Savoy).
JW: What three jazz musicians have been overlooked and are worthy of greater listener attention? DM: I’d have to say clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, pianist Jimmy Rowles and Tony Fruscella, a wonderfully fluid trumpet player who had terrible trouble with narcotics. He left the jazz scene in the 1960s and died young in 1969. Fruscella’s recordings with Stan Getz in 1955 and his Atlantic album, Tony Fruscella, are excellent. They are available separately—or together on the box, Tony Fruscella: The Complete Works (Jazz Factory).
JazzWax clip:Here's Dan and me weighing in on the birth of the extended LP solo on Zoot Sims's Zoot Swings the Blues for a docu-clip by Bret Primack for Prestige about 10 years ago...
This past week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actor Don Johnson for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Don, of course starred in TV's Miami Vice and Nash Bridges and now he's in the Netflix film Rebel Ridge. [Photo above of Don Johnson in Miami Vice, courtesy of Universal TV]
Here are my first two paragraphs based on our Zoom conversation...
When you come from an incredibly dysfunctional and abusive childhood as I did, you learn to embrace challenges.
My parents were very young when I was born—my mother was 16 and my father was 19. In effect, we grew up together.
Here's the trailer for Rebel Ridge...
What I'm Watching
Top 11 favorite series, ranked...
Babylon Berlin
My Brilliant Friend
Killing Eve
The Crown
The Americans
Band of Brothers
Downton Abbey
The Gentlemen
Turn: Washington's Spies
Unbelievable
Justified
The Blacklist
Viewing now...
Voiceless (Bella da morire) (2020—This Italian miniseries features English subtitles and, for a change, you'll see actors you won't know. It centers on a female detective and her partner as they try to solve a murder in Italy's Lake District. A big thanks to Don Frese for turning me on to it. (MHz)
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans—(2024/FX, with streaming on Hulu)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
The Gentlemen—(2024/Netflix)
Godless—(2017/Netflix)
Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
The Gilded Age—(current/Max)
High Water—(2022/Netflix)
Homeland—(2011-2020/Showtime)
Jane Eyre—(2006/Britbox)
Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
Killing Eve—(2018-2022/Netflix)
Life & Beth—(Seasons 1& 2, 2022-present/Hulu)
Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
Loudermilk—(2017-2020/Netflix)
MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
Monsieur Spade—(2024/AMC)
Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Parts 1 and 2—(2023/Lifetime)
My Brilliant Friend—(2018-current)
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)
Ripley—(2024/Netflix)
Scott & Bailey (2011-2016/Prime)
Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
Under the Banner of Heave—(2022/Hulu)
Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
The Watcher—(2022/Netflix)
The Way Home—(2023-current/Peacock)
Who Is Erin Carter—(2023/Netflix)
The Woman in the Wall—(2024/Showtime)
The Veil—(2024/Hulu-FX)
Wilder—(2017-current)
WPC 56—(2013-2015/Britbox)
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)
Blackout (2022/Netflix)
TheBricklayer—(2024/Netflix)
The Commuter (2018/Netflix)
The Dig—(2021/Netflix)
Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
Fury—(2014/Netflix)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012/Paramount+)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
Knight and Day—(2010/Roku)
Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
The Little Things—(2021/Netflix)
Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
Manchester by the Sea—(2016/Prime Video)
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)
Ruthless—(2023/Hulu)
The Secret: Dare to Dream—(2020/Netflix)
Self Reliance—(2023/Hulu)
Seraphim Falls—(2006/Netflix)
Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
The Two Popes—(2019/Netflix)
Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)
Documentaries
Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
The Beach Boys—(2024/Disney)
Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
Cunk on Earth—(2022/Netflix)
Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing—(2023/Paramount+)
Facing Nolan—(2022/Netflix)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
Jane Fonda in Five Acts—(2024/Max)
Kate Hepburn: Call Me Kate—(2023/Netflix)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go h
Herbie Mann. Following my post on the flutist, I received the following from Bill Kirchner on baritone saxophonist and bass clarinetist Danny Bank:
Hi Marc. On this track, "Manteca," Danny Bank played baritone saxophone, not bass clarinet. I sat next to Danny in saxophone sections and he was a superb player of both instruments—and one of the loudest. Which is why Gil Evans used Danny on bass clarinet, not baritone, on the Gil Evans-Miles Davis albums. Gil knew that Danny’s bass clarinet could cut through the entire band—unusual, because bass clarinet is usually a mezzo forte instrument at most.
Paul Quinichette. Following my post, I received the following from bassist Brian Torff, best known for his 3 1/2 years with George Shearing and his many other albums:
Hi Marc. Thank you for this piece on Paul Quinichette. I was lucky to work with Paul at the West End Cafe in the 1970's near New York's Columbia University. Paul was a gentle and kind man with a beautiful sound.
More Paul Quinichette. Jan Olsson in Sweden sent along the above photo that he took, and he wrote the following:
Hi Marc. Thank you for your fine Paul Quinichette reminder! Above is a photo I took at jazz club Gungan in Malmö, Sweden, in 1976. It's Paul (left) with Dexter Gordon, who lived in Copenhagen at the time just a half hour from Malmö. All the best from the Kingdom of Sweden (we have a King but no Prez in our country). [Photo above of Paul Quinichette and Dexter Gordon by Jan Olsson]
Gene Ammons. After I posted about Gene Ammons (above), I heard from photographer Norm Snyder:
Hello, Marc. As always, you came up with some gems. It incentivized my digging though files of my old negatives looking for a shot I remembered taking of Gene Ammons at The Minor Key in Detroit in 1961.
I was still in high school, and this was the first jazz performance I'd ever photographed. If I recall correctly, since not everyone was old enough to drive, a buddy took his dad’s car and we went, as he was the only one if my friends who had a driver’s license.
It was a late-night place, but nobody bothered us kids, since they realized we were there to hear the music. Some great bands came through that club.
I’m uncertain of the personnel in the above photo, but I think that’s Doug Watkins on electric bass and perhaps Richard Wyands on piano. I'm not sure who the trumpeter is. The drummer is hard to make out (Art Taylor was with the band during that period, I know, but I am not sure that’s him).
You can see the ringside tables were right at the foot of the stage, and I recall audiences being very much engaged in the performances I attended there.
One O'Clock Jump. Following my post last week featuring Paul Quinichette soloing in an all-star band playing O'Clock Jump, I figured you should hear the real deal in 1965. A monster band in London. Go here...
Frank Rosolino. Last week, as I was rummaging around YouTube and came across a most astonishing audio clip from 1968. At the site, Elaine Mylius, the person who posted it, wrote:
Frank Rosolino is one of my favorite trombonists of all time, and this recording has been a huge part of my life for several years. A trombone player gifted me this CD which had "Frank Rosolino Navy Pool of Mucus... (Huh?) 1968" written on the front. I hope you enjoy listening to this recording as much as I do!
Be sure you're sitting down when you listen to the band's ferocious arrangement by Phil Field. Go here...
Jacqueline François (above) was a French pop star in the 1950s and '60s. Here she is on French TV in 1966 signing Lola, a French take on Lullaby of Birdland...
More?Here she is singing L'âme Des Poètes in 1956...
Greg Reitan—The Bounding Line (Sunnyside). On his new album, recorded in 2023, jazz pianist Greg plays with bassist Jack Daro and drummer Dean Koba. The Path, Summer Days, The Bounding Line, Starting Point and Rock Hill are by Greg; My Love Is an April Song is by Earl Zindars; Rising Sun is by Dave Brubeck; Love No.1 is by Keith Jarrett; and Down a Country Lane is by Aaron Copland. All three musicians exhibit enormous sensitivity and skill. And Greg's originals are wonderful. A beautiful introspective album for this time of year. To listen to the tracks, go here.
Here'sMy Love Is an April Song. For me, the true quality of a jazz pianist is always tested on songs by Earl Zindars, and Greg passes with flying colors...
Free music. Kim Paris of the FM Radio Archive send along links to artists I've written about in the past week:
The Average White Band—is featured in Ellis Hall at Boston College in 1978, in a WBCN broadcast. Go here.
Tessa Souter—performed at the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest in 2016, in a KCSM broadcast shared by Mark Rabin. Go here.
Count Basie—has two recordings on FMRA, at the 1981 Chicago Jazz Festival and a NPR Jazz Profiles episode, hosted by Nancy Wilson. Go here.
Russell Malone—(above) is featured with the CTI All Star Band in a concert at Jazzwoche Burghausen in Germany in 2010. Go here.
And finally, a look at an Italian song that was a huge hit in Italy in 1957—Come Prima. As readers know by now, I love French and Italian pop before pop-rock and yé-yé singers took over.
Come Prima (in English, As Before) was composed by Vincenzo Di Paola and Sandro Taccani with lyrics by Mario Panzeri. The power ballad was first made popular by Tony Dallara in Italy in 1957, but it was recorded by dozens of Italian singers.
Here's Dallara in 1966 singing his breakthrough hit. Makes me wish Tony Bennett had recorded an album of Italian love songs...
And here's Dalida in 1958 covering the song after Dallara's hit. What a captivating voice and range she had...
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.
