Central Park is a massive sound stage for musicians playing many different types of music. Strolling through the park, you’ll hear groups playing Latin, jazz and rock and singing doo-wop, a cappella. Last weekend, I entered the park at East 76th St and quickly encountered a terrific jazz quartet playing. I had to sit on a bench and listen. [Photo above of the quartet by Marc Myers]

Read more

JazzWax was born exactly 19 years ago. A month before its launch, I was urged to start blogging when the late Terry Teachout, a dear friend and critic, gave me a shove. Since 1996, Terry and I had been listening to jazz at each other’s apartments once each quarter for a few hours on Saturday mornings. We’d choose 10 tracks each and the goal was to blow each other’s minds, point out interesting things going on in the music and just relax. We were both rabid jazz fans.

At the time, I was a financial writer and marketing consultant. My company counted New York’s major real estate corporations, accounting companies and risk advisory firms as clients.

Terry was breathtakingly brilliant, and freelancing for The Wall Street Journal as well as The New York Times, Commentary and many other publications. He hadn’t been named the WSJ’s theater critic yet or arts essayist, nor had he written his regal biographies of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington (though he had already published a bunch of books).

Listening to jazz was our way of kicking back by re-connecting with our college selves, when students sat around staring at two speakers and talked about what they heard. During our July 2007 session at my apartment, Terry presented a challenge that was more like a friendly command.

“You have to start a jazz blog. You know too much and need to be writing about it,” he said.

“Terry, I’m massively busy,” I pleaded.

“No one is busier than I am, and I found time. It’s a necessity. Deep down, you’re a journalist. You started as a journalist and that never leaves you. You need to be doing that, not what you’re doing now.”

“Fine,” I said, “In two weeks I’ll launch a blog.” I recalled that a few months earlier, Mena and Ben Trott of Six Apart had asked me to lunch. They had just started Typepad, a blogging platform, and were looking for writers to sign up. I decided to launch my blog there.

But what would I call it? After playing around with names that were easy to remember, I settled on JazzWax—jazz, for obvious reasons, and wax, because it was a double entendre. “Wax” was shorthand for recording and records in entertainment trade publications of the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Like this one from Billboard in 1944: “Billy Eckstine Waxes Blues for DeLuxe Records.” Wax also meant to write in an emotional style.

I went to GoDaddy, typed in the URL and found it was available. All that remained was to start writing, which I did on August 3, 2007. As Terry predicted, the journalist in me returned (I had started at The New York Times in 1976 while in college, when the paper was still hot type and pages were set in lead in the composing room).

To stand out among all other blogs, I decided to post six days a week. Most others at the time were weekly. I also decided to interview jazz legends who popped up on favorite albums but were largely overlooked. My first JazzWax phone interview was with Danny Bank, published on August 30, 2007.

The rest, as they say, is history. Over the past 19 years, I never missed a day except once, when Typepad had a technical issue and the site was down. In 2010, Terry felt I had to be writing for the WSJ and introduced me to his editor. That began my career there.

Nat Hentoff, who had become a vocal JazzWax fan and called weekly, urged me to write a book and told his editor at the University of California that I’d be calling. The result was Why Jazz Happened (2012). Ira Gitler sent emails frequently filling me in with eyewitness reports on subjects I wrote about.

In 2013, Terry thought I should be writing more books and introduced me to his literary agent and attorney. Three books followed. Terry was clever and knew what he was doing. His timing was perfect; I was prepared for each opportunity he presented.

Our workloads increased when the WSJ introduced new sections in 2012 with increased assignments. In addition to his books, Terry wrote a play and an opera in addition to criticism and reviews for the WSJ and other publications. Too much, in fact. He died in his sleep on January 13, 2022 at age 65.

So as JazzWax turns 19, a special thanks to Terry Teachout, Nat Hentoff and Hank O’Neal as well as Michael O’Daniel, Todd Selbert, Bill Kirchner, Carl Woideck, Bret Primack, Stuart Anello, Gilles D’Elia and so many others who have been there for JazzWax and me over the years. And thank you, to my many paying subscribers as well as readers who haven’t yet decided to convert to paid.

PS: Whenever Terry or I would playfully gripe to each other by email about a piece we just finished writing that was an especially heavy lift, the other would send along a YouTube featuring fish in a tank with Joe Mooney singing Nina Never Knew, backed by the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra in 1952. It always generated an instant laugh and sent stress packing.

Sadly, that video has disappeared from YouTube. So here’s the recording that became for us a metaphoric and sympathetic cold bottle of soda pulled out out of an ice-filled cooler after a hot day in the writing fields. Terry was a strategic mentor and always right. I miss him…

The start of August this weekend marks the start of summer’s second half, when thoughts start turning to fall. I already miss not rising with the sun. I’m usually up between 5 and 5:30 a.m. In July, the sun rises at about that time. I love being awakened by the sun. Over the past two weeks, the sun has been rising closer to 6 a.m. [Photos above and below of New York by Marc Myers]

Read more

The passing of Joe Melson last week made me revisit Roy Orbison, one of pop’s most fascinating songwriters who also had one of the most beautiful singing voices of the 1960s. His music style blended rockabilly, rock ‘n’ roll, doo-wop and country, and Melson was Orbison’s songwriting partner on many hits. In all, they wrote more than 200 songs together—both of them weighing in on the words and music. Today, a deep dive into Orbison and 10 video clips. [Photo above of Joe Melson and Roy Orbison, courtesy of RoyOrbison.com]

Read more

New York downshifted into the low 80s last week (26.7-29 celsius), a relief from the crushing 90s and 100+ temps of previous weeks. We’re now in what’s known as the “dog days of summer.” This period is named for Sirius, the bright “Dog Star,” because our Northern Hemisphere ancestors believed that the star’s alignment this time of year with the Sun caused extra heat to be beamed down. [Photo of Central Park’s 79th St. Transverse above and photos below by Marc Myers]

Read more

On Thursday, New York, like many parts of the northeastern quadrant of the country, experienced a double whammy. In addition to broiling temperatures climbing above 100 degrees and pudding-thick humidity, Canada’s flaming dry forests sent along a dense fog of smoke that clouded visibility and burned eyes and nostrils. In some ways, the middle of the week was a like a heat blizzard. Most people sheltered at home. On Friday, conditions improved significantly, with cooler weather that shoved the smoke out over the Atlantic. At least that’s true here. The Midwest is still still coping. [Photos above and below by Marc Myers]

Read more

You know I take you with you wherever I go. Even last week, while I was away on vacation, you were top of mind so I posted all week. Now let me tell you about one of the things I discovered on the eastern tip of New York’s Long Island. Photos to come this weekend. [Photo above, from left, of Marcello Pimenta and John Ludlow at the Sail Inn earlier this week on Monday]

Read more

Fifty years ago, on America’s 200th birthday, New York proudly hosted Operation Tall Ships—a harbor filled with historic vessels festooned with billowing sails. As regal as that armada was, New York’s celebration was dwarfed by the Bicentennial Celebration in Boston, where 400,000 gathered to hear a free live concert by Arthur Fielder and the Boston Pops, capped by fireworks. [Photo above of the Boston Pops performing on July 4, 1976 courtesy of the Boston Globe/Boston Globe via Getty Images]

Read more

Before Nate Bargatze, Dave Chappelle, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Andy Kaufman, George Carlin, Redd Foxx, Woody Allen, Flip Wilson, Joan Rivers, Bill Cosby, Bob Newhart and Lenny Bruce, there was Jonathan Winters. [Photo above of Manhattan’s Upper West Side in the early morning hours last week by Marc Myers]

Read more

What makes New York special is that everything big happens here all at once. It’s where exceptionalism comes to leave its mark in food, fashion, finance, the arts, sports, entertainment, architecture, technology and writing. [Photo above and below of New York by Marc Myers]

Read more

Every June in Manhattan, the New York Philharmonic performs a live free concert on Central Park’s Great Lawn. Yes, classical music is still a thing among families who love sitting outside in the evening on blankets on the expansive grass space listening to a live orchestra through a huge speaker system. I passed by in the afternoon of June 10 just after they had finished setting up the stage for that evening. [Photo above and photos below of fireworks by Marc Myers]

Read more

This weekend’s post began in the shower, where the best ideas spring forth. For some reason, a shower sets your head in neutral. Washing and shampooing are auto-pilot chores, freeing up your brain to wander. The following came to mind last week [photo above of Central Park by Marc Myers]:

Since the end of World War II, in 1945, major innovations in musi…

Read more

My breakfast is rather simple but exciting. A cold banana, a kiwi that I peel with a knife while reading the paper and then a slice of lightweight whole-wheat toast and a latte coffee. My soul rests in Europe, so coffee, like shaving, had to be a hands-on, primitive experience. [Photo above of Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain, dedicated in 1873, taken l…

Read more

Most life-long New Yorkers will draw a blank if asked the following question:

Q. Is there a Picasso in New York you can touch without getting into trouble?

A. Yes, in Greenwich Village. It’s the sculpture, Bust of Sylvette, that’s pictured above. It’s tucked away in a plaza formed by New York University’s Silver Towers off of Bleecker Street. [Photo at …

Read more

Nothing makes me happier than giving you joy. Six days a week, I post on my passion, music, and many of you love what I write about and listening to the clips I include. This isn’t a traditional blog. It’s a relationship, a shared journey, an education and a line of communication designed to get you through the week by starting your days on an upbeat note. [Photo above of Belvedere Castle in Central Park by Marc Myers; photos of the park below by Marc Myers as well]

So, if you’re a free subscriber, please consider upgrading to paid. That tells me you find value in what you’re receiving, which in your case is just two posts per week. Meaning you’re missing out on the other four posts. The fact that you received this Editor’s Note today is a rarity.

Normally, my weekend post is exclusively for my paid subscribers, but I made an exception this weekend. If you find JazzWax rewarding, please let me know by upgrading. If not, you’re more than welcome to enjoy the two posts you receive. I just wish you were able to enjoy what you’re missing as well as all that the JazzWax site has to offer.

New York’s in love. After a chilly early spring, with temperatures as late as last week requiring a heavy sweater, New York is finally in the clear. The weather this weekend will be in the 70s and 80s, and the temperature is supposed to remain locked into spring/summer rolling forward next week. Which means the streets, restaurants and the parks this weekend will be jammed. Everyone here is in such a marvelous mood. Until the first heat wave, that is. For now, we’ll take it. To celebrate with you, I took a bunch of photos last week while crossing Central Park on an overcast day [Photo above of my favorite tree in Central Park, which stands along the Ellipsis that surrounds the Great Lawn]

Recommended streaming: Here’s what I watched and loved last week: Stranger Things (five seasons; Netflix), The Proposal (rom-com film; Netflix) and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (rom-com film; Netflix)

They say it’s spring. When true spring arrives in New York, I think of singers and songs.

Here’s Tony Bennett singing Don Costa’s arrangement of Spring in Manhattan, in 1963…

Here’s Ella Fitzgerald singing I Got the Spring Fever Blues with Chick Webb in 1936, arranged by Van Alexander (to read my interview with Van, go here)…

Here’s June Christy singing Suddenly It’s Spring in 1963, with Al Viola on guitar and Bud Shank on flute…

Here’s Chris Connor singing Spring Is Here with the Ellis Larkin Trio in 1954…

Here’s Billy Eckstine in 1958 singing Younger Than Springtime, with a Nelson Riddle orchestration…

Here’s Sammy Davis Jr. and Julie Andrews singing a medley of spring songs on TV in 1973…

And here are the Beach Boys in 1966 singing And Their Hearts Were Full of Spring, a tribute of sorts to the Four Freshmen…

Another by the Beach Boys in tribute to spring and the Four Freshmen? Here’s Graduation Day in 1965; on guitars were Carl Wilson and members of the Wrecking Crew session musicians…

Lastly, when seasons lock in, I traditionally post the old WNEW-AM jingle that matches that time of year. Here’s the spring theme…

The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album was released on May 16, 1966—60 years ago on Saturday. It was and remains a towering and influential emotional work. In tribute, Capitol/UMe is releasing today The Beach Boys: The Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights as a two-CD package and multiple double-LP sets as well as a digital download and streaming. It’s hugely satisfying. [Photo above of Brian Wilson recording Pet Sounds in 1966 in Los Angeles by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images]

While all of these isolated tracks were previously released on the four-CD 30th-anniversary box released in 1997, Capitol has remastered and ordered them as they appear on the album. The new collection features 25 alternate takes, layered a cappella tracks, demos, backing tracks, alternate versions and mixes, and tracking sessions. All are on vinyl for the first time.

For example, the first disc/LP features isolated Four Freshmen-inspired vocals with minimal instrumentation. It's like listening to a choral group or Gregorian chants. The second disc/LP features assorted tracks related to the songs.

At the time of the record’s release, leading rock artists were spellbound. Paul McCartney has often cited Pet Sounds as his favorite non-Beatles album and called it a significant influence on the group as they composed and recorded Sgt. Pepper, released in May 1967. The same goes for George Martin.

Instead of caustic messages of protest and rebellion, Brian tapped into the youth psyche and what it felt like to come of age and grapple with maturity. The mood was inspired by the many records recorded by groups like the Ronettes and Righteous Brothers and produced by Phil Spector in the early 1960s. Pet Sounds’ songs seem to exist in a twilight zone between the safety of childhood and the daunting responsibilities of adult independence.

Its appeal rests in innocence backed by grand instrumental arrangements organized as a concept, with one song leading into the next. The record’s very title expresses pure nature—the noises friendly animals make to convey pleasure, anger, yearning for food or attention, and a range of other basic needs.

The music also sets a mood. I interviewed Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and Mike Love multiple times on a range of topics and attended one of the best outdoor summer concerts ever: Brian, Al and the Beach Boys at the California Mid-State Fair in 2016, performing the entire Pet Sounds album at dusk as large beach balls were belted around a sizable crowd. Off in the distance were the neon lights of amusement park rides shimmering in the humidity. Even live, you could hear the insecurity and acne between the lines.

If you lived in Los Angeles or the surrounding area at the time, as friends of mine did, the album was a radical break from the formulaic pop rock and pop soul that dominated AM radio then. It also was a departure from the Beach Boys’ own endless summer, beach-centric themes and a journey into psychological issues and self-doubt.

Just as the cover of the Beatles’ Rubber Soul in 1965 made pre-teen guys my age (9) pause after seeing the Fab Four with facial hair and realizing we would soon be them, Pet Sounds did the same for those soon to be exposed to a host of angst-y issues.

Here are Tony Asher and Brian’s lyrics for I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times:

I keep looking for a place to fit in / Where I can speak my mind / And I’ve been trying hard to find the people / That I won’t leave behind / They say I got brains but they ain’t doing me no good / I wish they could.

To hear all of these songs with just the vocals or isolated backing tracks with music are a revelation. Not only do you come to realize how special Brian was as a vocal arranger and falsetto singer but you also marvel at the vocal sophistication that the Beach Boys needed to pull off the harmonizing.

The set is enormously rewarding on so many levels. If you want to be transported back to an age of teenage innocence, when all that mattered were cars, romantic relationships and the beach, this new set will serve as a summer concentrate. And to think, all of this was in Brian Wilson’s head.

Here are the isolated stacked vocals for Wouldn’t It Be Nice, newly remastered...

And here’s the remastered I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times…

All great artists were inspired by other artists as they found a singular way to express themselves and corner the market for their particular approach. On the jazz side, I’m thinking of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk and many others.

In rock ‘n’ roll, the greats who come to mind are Little Richard, Chuck Berry, B…

Read more

This year’s most glaring cultural oversight can be found in a New York Times feature this week entitled The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters. The very title begs trouble. To pull off such a list successfully with the fewest possible arrows from readers, one would have to proceed with enormous sensitivity, caution and due diligence. [Photo above o…

Read more

For those of you who don’t know what AI is and why it’s important, neither do I. Then again, my only interaction with artificial intelligence is with ChatGPT and Google’s AI functionality. In short, when you type in a question, ChatGPT and Google AI reaches into the galaxy of all information to produce a concise answer. Remarkable, really.

Now the dark …

Read more

The temperature in New York climbed into the 80s for three days last week. Air conditioners went on all over the city, and out came the flip-flops, T-shirts and shorts. But it’s still April, the fake-out month of the year here. Today (Saturday), the high will be 65, then 56 on Sunday and 51 on Monday, with nights in the 40s. Spring remains fickle. [Phot…

Read more