Sammy Davis Jr. was easily America's greatest and most versatile entertainer in the TV era. And the swinging-est. In the 1960s and '70s, as his style of pop faded, he sang one theme for a TV sitcom—Chico and the Man—and covered a bunch of others on a couple of albums. One of those LPs was The Song and Dance Man, in 1976. It's surprising more TV shows didn't ask him to sing their themes. His approach always seemed to add cool and soul. Here are nine of them:
My Mother the Car (1965)—The sitcom's theme was written by Ralph Carmichael and Paul Hampton. Sammy covered it in 1965. Go here...
Hawaii 5-0 (1968)—The Hawaii 5-0 theme for the detective series was an instrumental rock piece written by Morton Stevens. Sammy covered it in 1976, with lyrics by Hermine Hilton. Go here...
Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970)—The sitcom's theme, Love Is All Around, was written by Sonny Curtis. Sammy covered it in 1976. A great, empathetic rendition. Go here...
All in the Famiiy (1971)—The fabled sitcom opened with Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton singing Those Were the Days, written by Lee Adams and Charles Strouse (pianist Roger Kellaway wrote and played the show's closing instrumental theme). Sammy covered the opening theme in 1976, with a disco arrangement. (He also appeared on the show in a much-touted episode, "Sammy's Visit.") Go here...
Kojak (1973)—Written by Bill Dyer and Billy Goldenberg, We'll Make It This Time became the first instrumental theme to the Kojak detective series. Lyrics were added later. Sammy covered the theme in 1976. Go here...
Chico and the Man (1974)—This sitcom's theme was written by José Feliciano and was sung by Sammy. He appeared on the show as a guest star. Go here...
Baretta (1975)—Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow was written by Morgan Ames and Dave Grusin and recorded by several artists. The rendition by Rhythm Heritage, a disco-funk band, was selected as the theme for the detective series Baretta, in 1975. Sammy covered it in 1976. Go here...
The Jeffersons (1975)—The theme was written by Ja'Net DuBois and Jeff Barry (Be My Baby) and sung by DuBois backed by a gospel choir. Sammy covered it in 1976. Go here...
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1976)—Premiere Occasion, used as the faux soap opera's theme, was written in 1965 by British composer Robert Charles Kingston as "library music"—music that could be leased by TV shows. Sammy covered it in 1976. Go here...
Bonus:Here's Sammy live, singing Chico and the Man...
In 2018, before Samara Joy became the three-time Grammy-winning superstar jazz vocalist she is today, she sent me a Facebook message. She was studying at SUNY Purchase back then and wanted to reach Ronnell Bright, Sarah Vaughan's exquisite piano accompanist in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I had tracked him down and interviewed him for JazzWax in 2008. [Photo above of Samara Joy by AB+DM]
Unfortunately, I wasn't opening Facebook messages at the time and didn't discover it until I did start reading them in 2024. Ronnell had been ill for a number of years before his death in 2021 and had stopped playing piano entirely earlier. Our JazzWax conversations took place between 2008 and 2016. In 2019 Samara won the 2019 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition while at SUNY Purchase.
When I finally saw Samara's message this year when she sent me another, we corresponded. Of course, if her message had arrived between 2008 and 2016, I would have loved to have put them together. She was just coming up during those years. Samara has a deep passion for Vaughan, and you can hear it in her voice, which is all her own. I last posted about Samara in 2022 (here).
Now she's out with a new album, Portrait (Verve). What's most exciting about Sarama's voice is her spectacular range. She has Sassy's deep notes and can soar up to a high note and hold it for an eternity. Co-produced by Samara and multi-Grammy winner Brian Lynch, the album features an interesting mix of song choices that compels Samara to stretch. And stretch she does.
Included are three smartly-arranged jazz-pop standards (You Stepped Out of a Dream, No More Blues and Day by Day) and a couple of jazz works. But the high points for me are the penetrating ballads she had a hand in writing—lyrics to Charles Mingus's Reincarnation of a Lovebird, lyrics to Barry Harris's Now and Then (In Remembrance Of…), and music (with Kendric McCallister) and lyrics for Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True.
On each song, Samara brings a fresh take with nuances and hard-hitting vocalizing. She has a dreamy voice that takes you back to the jazz greats of the 1950s. But if one song on the album sums up her brilliance, I'd have to go with Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True. Wow!
The tracks:
You Stepped Out of a Dream (Nacio Herb Brown and Gus Kahn)
Reincarnation of a Lovebird (Charles Mingus/music and Samara Joy/lyrics)
Autumn Nocturne (Joe Myrow/music) and Kim Gannon/lyrics)
Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True (Samara Joy and Kendric McCallister)
A Fool In Love (Is Called A Clown) (Donavan Austin)
No More Blues (Antonio Carlos Jobim/music and Jon Hendricks/lyrics)
Now and Then (In Remembrance Of…) ( Barry Harris/music and Samara Joy/lyrics)
Day By Day (Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston/music and Sammy Cahn/lyrics
The players:
Samara Joy - vocals
Jason Charos - trumpet, flugelhorn
David Mason - alto saxophone, flute
Kendric McCallister - tenor saxophone
Donavan Austin - trombone
Connor Rohrer - piano
Felix Moseholm - bass
Evan Sherman - drums
The arrangers:
Jason Charos (You Stepped Out Of A Dream, No More Blues)
Kendric McCallister (Reincarnation Of A Lovebird, Autumn Nocturne, Now And Then)
David Mason (Dreams Come True, Day By Day)
Evan Sherman (Peace Of Mind)
Donavan Austin (A Fool In Love)
Special praise for Maureen Sickler, who recorded the album at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. The sound is terrific!
JazzWax tracks:You'll find Samara Joy's Portrait (Verve) here (to buy) and here (to listen).
This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actress Anna Kendrick for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Anna stars in and directs one of the year's most interesting and chilling films, Woman of the Hour. Based on a true story, Anna uses a serial-killer thriller to explore the loathsome way in which our culture treated women in the 1970s. TV's The Dating Game was just the tip of the misogynist iceberg. But the film isn't a polemic. It sizzles from start to finish with suspense in Los Angeles of the late 1970s. [Above, Anna Kendrick on the cover of Flare magazine]
The Blacklist (2013-2023)—Still plowing through 10 seasons of this spy-thriller series. James Spader is fantastic as the man who knows where the bad guys are. (Netflix)
Some Girl(s) (2013)—If you enjoyed Nobody Wants This, with Adam Brody and Kristen Bell (which I just learned will have a Season 2), you'll love Some Girl(s). It also starred Adam and Kristen. Except this time, Adam plays a guy engaged to be married who travels the country visiting his exes to apologize for breaking up with them. Kristen is one of those exes. A fascinating film directed by Daisy von Scherler Mayer and written by Neil LaBute that grows more intense as it progresses.
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)
Nobody Wants This—(2024/Netflix)
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)
Up in the Air—(2009/Max)
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)
Suzi Q: Suzi Quatro—(2019/Prime)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here
Chuck Israels on J.J. Johnson. Following my post on John Fedchock's new album honoring trombonist J.J. Johnson (above), I heard from Chuck Israels, bassist in the second Bill Evans Trio:
Hi Marc. I’m so glad you included "Lovely" from "J.J.'s Broadway," with pianist Hank Jones and Walter Perkins. I'm on half the album's tracks. I remember the session better than most because of the remarkable sound of those five wonderful trombonists. We recorded at Phil Ramone's A&R Studios on 48th St. in New York. The sound was so glorious in the room—overwhelmingly rich, resonant and meticulously in tune. You heard it and felt the force of the air movement. It was glorious.
As good as the recording sounds, it pales in comparison with what I was hearing. Phil Ramone used a plate reverb—some kind of metal plate he hung in the stairwell of the building designed to enrich the recorded sound. But it didn’t. It took what was lusciously warm and thick, removed some of the visceral impact, and made the sound more metallic and slightly harsher. It still sounds good—just not as great as what I heard on the date—a sound I try to remember often.
I recall hearing that processed sound on the playbacks in the studio and was disappointed at the time. But Phil was an acknowledged expert engineer, and no one else seemed disturbed. Maybe nothing could have captured on tape what I was hearing live.
As I recall, everything was done in one or two takes—high-level sight-reading and playing. I could have basked in that sound for much longer. The players were so good, and J.J. was exceptional—as a player and as an arranger. What a gift to have been asked to participate in the music's recording. In an era when it seemed normal to be making fine jazz recordings, this one stood out.
More on J.J. Johnson, from Brett Gold...
Hi Marc. Thanks for highlighting John Fedchock's new album, which I wasn't aware of. As you must know, the cover is a salute to J.J.'s album "Proof Positive," for Impulse, which I bought in 1969 with some of my bar mitzvah money. I had to think long and hard about whether to spend that extra dollar Impulse albums cost at the time. Back then, mono albums were $2.99 and non-Impulse stereo albums were $3.99.
"Minor Blues" from the album was the first J.J. solo I transcribed, although I never was able to play the double-time section, which convinced me that being a professional trombonist was not in my future. That day, I believe I also bought the Debut recording of "Four Trombones," with J.J., Kai Winding, Bennie Green and Willie Dennis, which, to my surprise, was manufactured on translucent blue vinyl. I'll download the Fedchock album today.
Diego Rivera—Ofrenda (Posi-Tone). One of the hottest sleeper saxophonists around today is Diego Rivera. On his new album, he plays a bossy tenor and an empathetic soprano. He's backed by trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston. Born in Ann Arbor, Mich., Diego flavors his jazz compositions with a dash of Latin, and the result is captivating. He is currently Director of Jazz Studies at the Butler School of Music, University of Texas at Austin. His new album is terrific all the way through, and his original compositions have enormous energy and heat—on the uptempo numbers and the ballads. To listen and buy, go here.
Kiki Valera—Vacilón Santiaguero (Circle S). Son cubano is one of the most popular music styles in Cuba. Son is both a genre and a dance that dates back more than 100 years. It's an instrumentally textured style wrapped around short, hypnotic riffs and shout-like vocals. If you want to hear son in its purest form, check out Kiki Valera's new album. It's so floral and woody, with energy and passion. I love this album because it's authentic, precious and uplifting as it churns and churns and churns. To listen and play, go here.
The Joymakers—Down Where the Bluebonnets Grow (Turtle Bay). I love these albums of authentic 1920s music by contemporary groups. One is hard-pressed to imagine musicians today playing this rollicking stuff. Even more mind-blowing is that musicians of this caliber have not only found each other but are able to flawlessly manage the fast tempos and intricate contrapuntal arrangements. But they do and they can. This album smacks of cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, gin joints, flappers and the rest of the culture after World War I and before the Great Depression. One song after the next pulls you back to a time when jazz was a collective enterprise and instruments cried, wailed and taunted—all in the same song. Your legs will be moving back and forth to the music. Listen and buy here.
Mosaic's set of complete Roulette recordings by the Maynard Ferguson Orchestra released in 1994 was one of the legacy label's best boxes. I think I speak for many fans when I say I wish that Mosaic would reissue the set with a fresh remastering. Ferguson's work for Roulette was spectacular.
One of the finest Ferguson records released on Roulette and probably my favorite big band album of the 1950s is the trumpeter's A Message From Newport. Recorded in May 1958, the record featured a stunning band: Maynard Ferguson (tp,v-tb); Bill Chase, Clyde Reasinger and Tom Slaney (tp); Slide Hampton (tb,arr); Don Sebesky (tb,arr); Jimmy Ford (as); Carmen Leggio (ts); Willie Maiden (ts,arr); Jay Cameron (bar); John Bunch (p); Jimmy Rowser (b); Jake Hanna (d) and Bob Freedman (arr).
To read my interview with Bob Freedman, who arranged this album's And We Listened,go here.
Here's the complete A Message From Newport without ad interruptions...
One of Count Basie's most powerful arrangers was Chico O'Farrill. Born in Havana, O'Farrill's father was from Ireland and his mother was of German descent. Sent to a Georgia military school, O'Farrill learned to play trumpet. Back in Cuba in his late teens, he couldn't get enough of Havana's night life.
O'Farrill moved to New York in 1948 and became one of the fathers of Afro-Cuban jazz. He had a way of turning up the brass section's heat and producing exciting arrangements that were as explosive as they were seductive. His work for Benny Goodman's Capitol band in the late 1940s was terrific. For more on O'Farrill's arranging for producer Norman Granz in the late 1940s and early '50s, I highly recommend Cuban Blues: The Chico O'Farrill Sessions on Verve. For more, go here.
For Basie, O'Farrill arranged Basie Meets Bond (1965), a wonderfully inventive album that maximized the band while retaining Bond's cool persona; Basie's Beatles Bag (1966); Broadway Basie's Way (1966); Basie's in the Bag (1967); The Happiest Millionaires; Count Basie and HisOrchestra (1967); Annual Report with the Mills Brothers; Standing Ovation (1969), on which he shared arranging credits with Sammy Nestico; Basic Basie (1969); and Count Basie and His Orchestra (1970).
Among them, my favorite is Basic Basie. Don't get me wrong, I love many of the others but this one is special. I first discovered it in 1972 as Evergreen, on Sonny Lester's Groove Merchant label. The album was so good I purchased a second one soon after. Despite the quality of my Dual turntable, I knew I was going to wear it out, and I did.
As Tom Lord's online Jazz Discography notes:
The album appears not only MPS but also on Groove Merchant GM2201 entitled "Evergreens"; this release is listed in Chris Sheridan's Basie discography as the first issue for this session. That's not accurate. Groove Merchant's founder Sonny Lester was the producer of the Basie session, but his oversight was for the MPS label, not Groove Merchant. Groove Merchant GM2201 was published in 1972, a year after the original release of MPS (G)15264, which was published in 1971.
The band: Gene Goe, Oscar Brashear and Sonny Cohn (tp); Waymon Reed (tp,flh); Frank Hooks, Melvin Wanzo and Grover Mitchell (tb); Bill Hughes (b-tb); Marshal Royal (as,cl); Bobby Plater (as,fl); Eric Dixon (ts,fl); Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (ts); Charlie Fowlkes (bar); Count Basie (p,org); Freddie Green (g); Norman Keenan (b,el-b); Harold Jones (d); Chico O'Farrill (arr) on all titles except Eric Dixon on I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You.
The album is perfect from start to finish. To give you a taste, here'sBlues in My Heart...
The West Coast produced a sizable number of gifted jazz tenor saxophonists in the late 1940s and '50s who either were born there or settled there. Among them were Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Bill Holman, Harold Land, Bill Perkins, Bob Cooper and Jack Montrose. Two other exceptional West Coasters were Buddy Collette and Teddy Edwards. A new album from Fresh Sound features both artists leading separate quartets for Crown Records.
Collette was an accomplished and prolific multi-instrumentalist who recorded as a leader and a sideman and appeared on many Hollywood pop recording sessions, including those by Frank Sinatra. Teddy Edwards also worked steadily, composed and was the first saxophonist in the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet in 1954. [Photo above of Buddy Collette]
What gave these two their "jump" were gigs in the mid- and late 1940s in R&B bands and orchestras and Los Angeles bebop groups. Many of the clubs on L.A.'s Central Avenue sought out players who could solo for extended periods and thrill audiences. [Photo above of Teddy Edwards]
Crown Records was a subsidiary of the Modern label run by Saul, Jules and Joe Bihari. Why did two superb players wind up on a budget label? Probably because the Bihari brothers let them record what they wanted. By the late 1950s, other labels were either pop-minded or jazz specialists run by founders with a vision and under pressure to turn a profit.
This album features both Collette and Edwards in a freewheeling jump-blues groove with a bop overlay. The music is superb all the way through. Uniting the musicians' Crown recordings on a single CD was very clever of Fresh Sound's Jordi Pujol.
The tracks:
What's Up?
Hideaway
Reunion
Joggin'
Evergreen
Bye Bye
The Groove
Lucky Me
Miss Beat
The Grind Part 1
The Grind Part 2
Across Town
(1-8) The Buddy Collette Quartet, with Buddy Collette (ts), Gerald Wiggins (p), Joe Comfort (b) and Bill Douglass (d)
(9-12) The Teddy Edwards Quartet, with Teddy Edwards (ts), Joe Castro (p), Leroy Vinnegar (b) and Billy Higgins (d)
As you listen, pay careful attention to the pianists—Wiggins and Castro. Both are superb here.
Buddy Collette died in 2010 at age 89; Teddy Edwards died in 2003 at age 78.
Note: To read Part 1 of my five-part interview with Buddy Collette, go here (a link to additional parts can be found above the red date at the top).
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Buddy Collette and Teddy Edwards Quartets: The Crown Sessions (Fresh Sound) here.
If you buy, don't forget to use the code (JAZZWAX_DISCOUNT) to cut your price by 8%.
JazzWax clips: Here's the Buddy Collette Quartet playing Hideaway...
Back in June, I reviewed trombonist Nick Finzer's tribute to trombonist J.J. Johnson, with Renee Rosnes on piano, Rufus Reid on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. Now John Fedchock, another terrific trombonist, has released his own salute to Johnson.
The album is Justifiably J.J., and features pianist Steve Allee, bassist Jeremy Allen and drummer Sean Dobbins. Recorded live at the Jazz Kitchen in Indianapolis, Ind., the album has a studio sound, with the audience in the distance.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, John joined Woody Herman's band in 1980 and was the band's featured soloist. He arranged and went on tour with Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band, the Louie Bellson Big Band, the Bob Belden Ensemble, the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra, the Jon Faddis Jazz Orchestra and the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band. He also has performed at jazz festivals and concert halls around the world in small groups and his big band. [Photo of John Fedchock]
On his new album, John showcases Johnson's fat tone and pushy attack; Allee is spectacular on piano, gliding around effortlessly; Allen's bass is big and pronounced in the ensemble and on solos; and Dobbins' drums are crisp and alive. All of the album's songs are by Johnson except Lullaby of Jazzland, which was by Manny Albam.
The Tracks:
Naptown USA
Short Cake
Lullaby of Jazzland
Kenya
Say When
Lament
Minor Mist
Ten 85
A beautiful tribute from start to finish of a singular soloist who came up in the bebop era and always sounded like he was moving furniture around a room to create the most exquisite interior. Kudos to John for celebrating J.J. in his centenary year. [Photo above of J.J. Johnson by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images]
JazzWax tracks: You'll find John Fedchock's Justifiably J.J. (Summit) here or on streaming platforms.
Gérard Gustin isn't very well known by American jazz fans. The French jazz pianist is best known for accompanying Chet Baker on the second Chet Baker Quartet album for the French Barclay album while Baker was in Paris in October of 1955. Now Fresh Sound records has combined that album with Trio Gérard Gustin for Barclay in 1956, on a remastered release.
Gustin wasn't as well known as many other French 1950s jazz pianists such as Martial Solal, René Urtreger, Antoine Hervé, Eddy Louiss and Henri Renaud, but that was largely due to his brief jazz career.
A student at the Nice Conservatory after World War II, Gustin fell in love with jazz after hearing records by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell. By 1949 and '50, he was gigging on the French Riviera. He went into the French Army in the early 1950s.
Stationed in Marseilles for 18 months, he performed in clubs nightly and became friendly with many French jazz musicians in the city. Throughout the early 1950s Gustin went where there was work in France. In March 1955, he settled in Paris, where he worked and met Chet Baker, who asked him to record with him on his second 12-inch Barclay LP.
The following year, Eddy Barclay decided to record Gustin with his trio on a 10-inch LP. The group featured Sacha Distel on guitar and Gilbert Gassin on bass. Nearly two years passed before the album was released, in the fall of 1957. By then, jazz was no longer a career path for Gustin. Instead, he leaned into French pop by playing piano for three years in Aimé Barelli's orchestra, which accompanied many marquee U.S. pop singers on tour in Paris.
From 1963 to 1971, Gustin collaborated with Sacha Distel, who by then had put down his guitar for a successful singing and hosting career. Gustin accompanied Distel on tours and was the musical director of Distel's weekly television program, Le Sacha Show. He also composed upward of 450 French songs.
Chet Baker Quartet featured Chet Baker (tp), Gérard Gustin (p), Jimmy Bond (b) and Bert Dahlander (d). The tracks are:
Autumn in New York
Lover Man
There's a Small Hotel
These Foolish Things
I’ll Remember April
Summertime
You Go to My Head
Tenderly
The Trio Gérard Gustin album featured Gérard Gustin (p), Sacha Distel (g) and Gilbert Gassin (b). Note the originals by Gustin and his Horace Silver influence. The tracks are:
Y'a qu'ça de Vraie (Gérard Gustin)
Equation (Gérard Gustin)
For You, for Me, for Evermore (George Gershwin)
“Greek” Gone Crazy (Gérard Gustin)
Lookin' for A Boy (George Gershwin)
Romano's Dilemma (Gérard Gustin)
Autumn Nocturne (Joseph Myrow)
Somebody Loves Me (George Gershwin)
Gustin had an interesting way of opening many songs on his trio album with a classical baroque approach before springing into swing. He also had a nice touch with Baker.
Gérard Gustin died in May 1994.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Gérard Gustin With His Trio and the Chet Baker Quartet 1955-'56 (Fresh Sound) here.
If you buy, don't forget to use your code for the 8% JazzWax discount (JAZZWAX_DISCOUNT).
JazzWax tracks: Here's I'll Remember April from Chet Baker Quartet...
In The Wall Street Journal last week, I interviewed actress Justine Lupe for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Justine now co-stars in the runaway hit (can't say I didn't tell ya), Nobody Wants This, a Netflix rom-com series with Kristen Bell and Adam Brody. Justine plays Kristen's sister and pulls off a superb performance. [Photo of Justine Lupe courtesy of IMDb]
The Blacklist (2013-2023)—I'm still working my way through 10 seasons of this spy-thriller series. James Spader is fantastic as the man who knows where the bad guys are. (Netflix)
Up in the Air (2009)—This drama-comedy stars an impossibly handsome George Clooney along with Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. Clooney plays a seasoned consultant who companies hire to fire employees. Kendrick is a tech-centric hire who becomes a Clooney protege. Like Clooney, Farmiga is a frequent business flyer, and their comet-like schedules intersect every so often, allowing them to hook up. Great script, terrific casting and plenty of twists. (Max)
Woman of the Hour, Elsbeth, Landman and Interior Chinatown.
Previous recommendations...
TV series
TheAffair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
Alaska Daily—(2022/Prime)
The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
Anatomy of a Scandal—(2022/Netflix)
Apples Never Fall—2024/Peacock)
Babylon Berlin (2017-2024/MHz via Prime Video)
Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix)
The Bay (2019-current/BritBox)
The Blacklist (2013-2023/Netflix)
Belgravia—(2020/Prime Video)
Blue Lights—(2023/BritBox)
Bosch—(2014-2021/Prime)
Bosch: Legacy—(2022-current/Prime)
The Crown—(2016-2023/Netflix)
Cherif—(2013-2019/Prime)
Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
Emily in Paris—(2020-present/Netflix)
Feud (S1): Bette and Joan—(2017/Hulu)
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)
Nobody Wants This—(2024/Netflix)
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)
Suzi Q: Suzi Quatro—(2019/Prime)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here
Shirley Bassey. It turns out diamonds are actually forever. Sotheby's is auctioning off jewelry once owned by British power singer-entertainer Shirley Bassey. Leslie Westbrook sent along this clip...
You Talk That Talk. Following my Perfection post last week on Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt's 1971 album You Talk That Talk, Mike Lynch sent along a link to the full album as well as Ammons's Black Cat, from the same year. Go here...
John McNeil (1948-2024), a trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer who played with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, the Horace Silver Quintet and baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan in the 1970s, and led his own bands starting late in the decade, died on September 27. He was 76. You can read his obit in Downbeat here. [Photo above of John McNeil]
Here's McNeil's composition, Greenwich, from his first album, Embarkation, with John McNeil (tp,flhrn), Bob Berg (ts), Joanne Brackeen (p), Rufus Reid (b) and Billy Hart (d)...
Here'sMcNeil with Horace Silver live in 1979 playing The Mohican and the Great Spirit, featuring Horace Silver(p), John McNeil (tp,flhrn), Larry Schneider (ts), Todd Coolman (b) and Harold White (d)...
And here's Antonio Carlos Jobim's Look to the Sky, the title track on this 1979 album, featuring John McNeil and Tom Harrell (tp,flhrn), Kenny Barron (p), Buster Williams (b) and Billy Hart (d)...
David Weiss Sextet—Auteur (Origin). Wow, talk about a smashing hard bop album. David is a sizzling, solid trumpeter-composer who fronts a solid band joined by Myron Walden (as), Nicole Glover (ts), David Bryant (p), Eric Wheeler (b) and E.J. Strickland (d). If Blue Note were still under the command of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, this is what their output would sound like. Five of the seven tracks are by David. The remaining two—Rebop and One for Bu—are by Freddie Hubbard and Slide Hampton, respectively. Most intriguing is that those two tracks have never been recorded before. A solid record with muscular music and sublime solos. To buy, go here. To listen, go here or to any streaming platform.
Sam Donahue. Artie Shaw enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and remained there for 18 months, leading a band on par with Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band. Exhaustion and the trauma of war zones in the Pacific created enormous anxiety for Shaw, who returned to the States and recuperated at a Navy base before being discharged. So what happened to the band Shaw led? Saxophonist Sam Donahue took over and gave the band a nifty sound.
And here'sConvoy. One wonders whether this 1945 swinger influenced Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride in 1946...
Thelonious Monk radio. On October 10, WKCR-FM in New York will play Thelonious Monk's recordings for 24 hours (ET) in celebration of the pianist-composer's birthday. To listen from anywhere in the world, stream starting at 11:59 p.m. (ET)on Oct. 9 by going here.
And finally, Artie Shaw (above) in 1940 playing This Is Romance, co-arranged by Lennie Hayton and Shaw. Shaw's massive big band-orchestra: Billy Butterfield, Jack Cathcart and George Wendt (tp); Vernon Brown and Jack Jenney (tb); Artie Shaw (cl); Les Robinson and Neely Plumb (as); Bus Bassey and Jerry Jerome (ts); Johnny Guarnieri (p); Al Hendrickson (g); Truman Boardman, Ted Klages, Bill Brower, Bob Morrow, Alex Beller and Eugene Lamas (vln); Allan Harshman and Keith Collins (viola); Fred Goerner (cello); Jud DeNaut (b) and Nick Fatool (d). Go here.
Over the years, many jazz scribes have written that tenor saxophonist Sandy Mosse's sound was influenced by Lester Young. To me, that's not nuanced enough. Dozens of tenor saxophonists adopted Prez's easy-going style. I find that Mosse's true influence was Stan Getz. I can't think of any other player who comes as close to Getz's playing profile.
Getz, of course, was a disciple of Lester Young's approach, but he had his own forceful sound in the higher register. This is where Mosse also did most of his business. In 1958 and '59, Mosse recorded Relaxin' With... for the Argo label in Chicago, giving us a chance to compare the two.
Sandy Mosse died in 1983 at age 54.
The tracks:
Fools Rush In (A)
I'm Old Fashioned (A)
Birks Works (A)
Stella by Starlight (B)
Love Is for the Very Young (B)
Speak Low (B)
My Man's Gone Now (B)
Coconut Sweet (B)
The musicians:
(A) Sandy Mosse (ts), Junior Mance (p), Bob Cranshaw (b) and Marty Clausen (d)
(B) Sandy Mosse (ts); Eddie Higgins (p); Art Tabachnik, Carl Racine and George Palermo (vln); Harold Kupper (viola); Harry Wagman (cello); Bob Cranshaw (b); Marty Clausen (d) and Bill McRae (arr,cond)
Here's the complete Relaxin' With... without ad interruptions...
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.
