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…

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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…

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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 …

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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…

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Spring is a slippery season in New York. It pops its head up briefly only to have winter barge back in. When the weather starts to become consistently warmer, it often rains and the wind blows the blossoms off tree branches.

So, net-net, the city tends to get just two weeks of sunny weather in the 70s before summer brushes it aside. If we’re lucky, those spring days in the mid-70s will fall on a weekend. That was the case last Saturday. [Photo above and all photos below by Marc Myers]

Since I was crossing Central Park en route to my place on the West Side after visiting my daughter on the East Side, I thought I’d take a bunch of photos of early spring in all its magnificence to share with you:

What I’ve watched. I have been screening a ton of upcoming films and series in advance of Hollywood interviews for my House Call column in the WSJ. But rather than torture you with what you can’t see yet, I figured I’d share two films that I loved that you can access: Agent Zeta (Amazon Prime), a Spanish action film, and Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Roku/free).

A special thanks to my paid subscribers for their support, their comments and their wisdom when a post needs a factual tweak.

How JazzWax works. If you like logging in to JazzWax and roaming around, let me explain how the site is set up.

Across the top you’ll see a menu: Jazz101 houses my posts on jazz history; Albums holds my posts on records; Tracks are my posts on individual songs; Films are my posts on music documentaries; Interviews are my conversations with jazz musicians and singers that took place after JazzWax moved to Substack; Beyond are all posts that don’t fit any category—commentary on rock, pop and other forms of music as well as my Editor’s Notes; 2007-2025 is the JazzWax archive with all of my pre-Substack posts dating back to 2007; and WSJ is where you’ll find my Wall Street Journal columns, accessible if you subscribe to the newspaper’s online site.

Want to read my pre-Substack JazzWax interviews? Scroll down the home page. On the right side you’ll see a long list of jazz legends. Just click on a name and you’ll be taken to the interview.

Disclaimer. A reader last week asked why I provide links to buy albums and whether I received payment for doing so. The answer is absolutely not.

Receiving payment (pay for play) would be a conflict of interest. I include the links in case readers want to buy what I’m posting about and don’t want to fuss. As most readers know, nearly all of the music I write about can be heard via streaming at Bandcamp, YouTube, Spotify and other platforms without charge.

Charles Tolliver. Bill Kirchner last week sent along the Gerald Wilson Orchestra playing Paper Man, composed and arranged for Wilson by Charles Tolliver. Solos are by Charles Tolliver (tp), Hadley Caliman (ts) and Phil Moore III (p).

As for the Gerald Wilson Orchestra: Al Porcino, Gary Barone, Dick Forrest, Larry McGuire and Alex Rodriguez (tp); Charles Tolliver (tp,arranger of track #1); Thurman Green and Lester Robinson (tb); Mike Barone (tb,arranger on #3); Don Switzer (b-tb); Anthony Ortega and Ramon Bojorquez (as); Hadley Caliman and Harold Land (ts); Howard Johnson (bs,tuba); Phil Moore III (p); Jack Wilson (org); Buddy Woodson (b); Carl Lott (d); Gerald Wilson (arr on balance of tracks).

Paper Man was recorded at Marty’s on the Hill in Los Angeles on April 1, 1967…

Piano trios. Last week I heard from Mark Rabin…

Marc, I’ve been in a piano trio mood lately. I found two piano trio live-streams that I enjoyed:

Here’s Bruce Barth at Clement’s Place in Newark, N.J.…

And here’s Bill Cunliffe at Mezzrow in New York…

Weekend listening. Here’s Don Patterson on organ with tenor saxophonist Sonny Stitt, guitarist Blue Grant and drummer Billy James playing Donny Brook, from the Prestige album of the same name, recorded in 1969…

One more? Here’s João Donato and Bud Shank playing live in 2006…

Before singer-songwriters Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Carly Simon, there was Laura Nyro. The composer recorded her first album, More Than a New Discovery, at age 19 in 1966, for Verve Folkways. But it was her next one, Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, for Columbia in 1968, that turned heads.

The LP is still warm and intriguing, and established her…

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Last weekend, I watched You’ve Got Mail, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I hadn’t seen the movie since it came out in 1998, and the film choked me up, especially that gorgeous ending. For me, the film is personal, since it was shot in my neighborhood on the Upper West Side when my daughter was little. [Photo still above of Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You’ve…

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I’ve always enjoyed Bette Davis as a film actress. Like a great jazz musician, her artistry was superb but she never quite fit in with the other actresses signed to studio contracts. As she said in interviews, she simply wasn’t pretty enough. [Photo above of Bette Davis courtesy of Corbis / Getty]

Davis had the looks of Betty Boop and the confidence and …

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I spent my teens running fingers through bins of new LPs at record supermarkets such as Tower, Sam Goody and those inside department stores. Today, just the sight of 12-inch vinyl sets my heart beating faster. [Photo above of Colony Records at the base of the famed Brill Building on 49th St. and Broadway; the store closed in 2012 and today it’s a CVS]

Bu…

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A friend has been talking up the arrival of spring. And given that temperatures look like they’ll hover in the mid 60s next week, I’m sure I’ll see neighborhood teens in shorts and flip-flops.

Teens’ tastes and trends may change over time but their passion for warm weather and showing off their bods remains intact across generations.

Sorry to break the …

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A week ago, a massive nor’easter was bearing down on New York. When it hit last Sunday into Monday, the storm delivered everything that was promised—nearly two feet of snow. But with the temperatures above freezing this past week, much of the snow has melted away.

Now, spring seems to be lurking in the shadows. The light on buildings has a warmer look, the days are growing incrementally longer and baseball is around the corner.

What remains of the storm for New Yorkers are the stunning views of Central Park’s trees and lawns decorated in white. What a scene! [See photo at the top courtesy of Instagram]

For months, I’ve been urging those of you with a free subscription to upgrade to paid. Here’s why: You’ll get all five of my weekly posts plus the Editor’s Note each weekend. You’ll also be acknowledging that my efforts to entertain and inform you each day have value. And you’ll have access to all of JazzWax’s site content, including my prized jazz legend interviews.

Last week, free subscribers missed out on three incredible posts—Frank Sinatra’s live Tokyo concert in 1962, which I recently found uploaded again after being taken down; five superb new jazz CDs that are worth a listen; and the entire concert video of Woody Herman at the BBC in London in 1969.

What’s more, my weekend Editor’s Note may soon be for paid subscribers only. That may happen at any time. So if you love what you’re reading, please upgrade to paid.

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Tony Bennett. Here’s Tony in 1966 on his Singer Sewing Machine TV special, complete with original ads…

Here’s Sarah Vaughan in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1969, backed by pianist Johnny Veith, bassist Gus Mancuso and drummer Eddy Pucci…

And here’s a tribute to the late Neil Sedaka, the Brill Building composer who wrote the music for numerous teen pop songs and hits. He died yesterday at age 86:

Here’s Breaking Up Is Hard to Do with music by Sedaka and lyrics by Howard Greenfield…

Here’s Laughter in the Rain, with music by Sedaka and lyrics by Phil Cody…

Here’s Oh! Carol, with music by Sedaka and lyrics by Greenfield…

Here’s Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, with music by Sedaka and lyrics by Greenfield…

Here’s Love Will Keep Us Together, with music by Sedaka and lyrics by Greenfield…

And here’s the ballad version of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do…

By late 1964, the British Invasion was in full swing in the U.S. Americans fell hard for all things English, from fashion and soap to cars, music, movies and TV. The Beatles, of course, spearheaded the cultural incursion with teens, but James Bond films captivated adults. [Photo above of British composer and orchestra arranger and conductor Tony Hatch]

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As I posted last week, New York has been due for a Nor’easter snow storm this frigid winter. Well, here it comes. While forecasters weren’t sure of the storm’s track on Thursday, they were sure on Friday. It’s coming up the coast hard and strong on Sunday into Monday. Predictions for snow are 10 inches or more. [Satellite image above from Friday, Feb. 20, 2026]

Tomorrow my wife and I will have lunch out. Then we’ll hunker down. I have some writing to do over the weekend, but I’ll also be reading a galley of Bob Spitz’s The Rolling Stones: The Biography (Penguin), a 704-page definitive evolution of the band due April 21. A masterpiece thus far.

I’ll also be listening to an incredible new Art Pepper box set that I’ll review on Monday. You’re going to love it.

For now, time to stock up on soup and haul out my heavy Nobis down storm coat and my Hoka Kaha 2 Frost GTX boots. I’ll take a few photos during the storm for next week.

Hey, free subscribers! Upgrade to paid and get all of my posts each week. Last week, you missed out on my posts on the little-known Skip-Jacks vocal group of the late 1950s and early ‘60s; the 17 albums Oliver Nelson arranged for vocalists; and a Shorty Rogers album most West Coast jazz fans don’t even know exists. What are you waiting for? Be good to yourself.

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Movies and TV. Here’s what I loved watching this past week: Blue Lights, season 3 (BritBox) and Elvis: The Movie (1979), with Kurt Russell as Elvis (DVD/Blu-ray). A solid but now forgotten portrayal. Here’s the trailer…

The Berman brothers are back! The last time Frank and Christian Berman produced a project like this was in 2014, with Studio Rio Presents: The Brazil Connection. The album re-imagined iconic pop, soul, and jazz hits with authentic Brazilian samba and bossa nova arrangements. It not only was clever but also worked! To remind you, here’s what they did with Mel Torme’s I’ve Got You Under My Skin…

Now, they have just released Tumbao Experience, a single featuring Nina Simone singing Love Me or Leave Me. Simone’s vocal was recorded in 1957 for her first album, Little Girl Blue.

The Cuban overlay was arranged by Demetrio Muñiz and recorded last April in Madrid, Spain. The personnel: Yaure Muñiz (tp), Julián Garvayo (tb), Ariel Bringuez (saxophone), Sergio Fernandez (p), Toño Miguel (b), Moisés Porr (drums, perc), Sam Waymon (additional vcl).

Here’s the track…

Mannix. Here’s an orchestra performing Lalo Schifrin’s theme for the Mannix detective TV series (1967-1975)…

In New York on Wednesday,March 11? Be sure to catch the Leslie Pintchik Trio at Zinc Bar at 82 West 3rd Street in Manhattan. The trio features Scott Hardy on bass,Leslie on piano and Michael Sarin on drums. [Same order in photo above]

Leslie is superb. There’s a $35 cover, no reservations are necessary. It’s best to show up about 20 minutes before showtime. There will be two shows, at 7 and 8:30 p.m. For more information, go here or call (917) 359-4635.

Here’s the trio playing Small Pleasures at Zinc Bar in 2024…

Jackie & Roy. Bill Kirchner sent along a link to his favorite album by the duo—Sweet and Low Down (1960). Now I’m passing it along to you. As Bill notes, it features “sparkling vocals, a stellar band and some of Roy’s best arrangements.” Here’s the band: Anthony Ortega (as,fl), Roy Kral (p,vcl,arr), Barney Kessel (g), Larry Bunker (vib), Al McKibbon (b), Frank Butler (d) and Jackie Cain (vcl).

Here ya go…

New York temperatures climbed above freezing for the first time in two months this week. It’s still cold, but not nearly the bitter subzero numbers we had when the wind was factored in. Soup suddenly became a meal. [Photo above taken in New York last week by Marc Myers]

While we’re not out of the woods yet by a long shot—February is a nasty piece of work—we are on our way to normal highs and lows. Then once March rolls around and the Earth’s tilt is aligned perpendicularly with the sun’s rays, the sun will be directly over the equator and the light will look like spring even though it’s not.

Then begins what we in New York call “fake spring” or “sprinter.” For a few days, the temperature rises to 55 or even 60 and then falls into the low 30s for several weeks and maybe even snows. Spring does a veil dance here and it really doesn’t get spring-like until mid-May. Last year, the first warm day was June 1, more than four months away from now. So I suspect we’ll at least get one solid Nor’easter blizzard here yet.

Upgrade your subscription now. If you’re a free subscriber, you’re not getting nearly the full value of the site or my posts. You also have no access to the site’s many riches. To upgrade to a paid membership, simply find the “Upgrade to paid” button on any post or in the “Manage subscription” section of your account settings. Give it a click and choose a paid plan. Then you can sign in to JazzWax.com any time of day or night and enjoy. And I will thank you with a personal note.

The “WSJ” category in the menu located at the top of the home page is now up to date with all of my Wall Street Journal columns. If you’re a subscriber to WSJ.com, dig in.

Gunther Schuller. Following my post on Bill Evans at Brandeis last week, readers reminded me to provide a link to my powerful interview with Gunther Schuller, who organized the event and commissioned the works. He also had reflections on Evans’s piano solo. To read the 2010 interview, go here.

Bill Evans, the movie. Music writer and author Harvey Kubernik emailed me yesterday with news that Everybody Digs Bill Evans, a pic, directed by Grant Gee, is on its way. Here are the rest of the credits: Screenplay: Mark O’Halloran, based on the novel Intermission by Owen Martell. Camera: Piers McGrail. Editor: Adam Biskupski. Music: Roger Goula. With: Anders Danielsen Lie, Barry Ward, Bill Pullman, Laurie Metcalf, Valene Kane, Katie McGrath and starring Anders Danielsen Lie (above) as Evans. For more go here.

Tommy Crook (1944-2026). Alan Meeks wrote me last week about the passing of superb jazz guitarist Tommy Crook (above), who lived in Tulsa, Okla.:

“Hi Marc. We recently lost one of our superb local guitarists, Tommy Crook. He was a very talented and gifted player of different genres of music. I first became acquainted with Tommy when I was in college in the 1970s. He used to play a lot of local venues and played with Leon Russell and J. J. Cale along with other singers and musicians.

“Although he played different types of music, my favorite was his jazz playing on standard tunes. He had a unique setup where he had two bass strings added so he could play a bass line while accompanying his melody line.

“He was amazing to watch and hear. I read that at one point, guitarist Chet Atkins thought he was the best guitar player around. He will be missed!

“Thanks so much for your Hoka and shaving recommendations. Your insights are well appreciated and welcomed. Trying to keep my feet and face in good shape. All the best to you and your family!”

Here’s Tommy Crook on All the Things You Are…

“Symphony Sid” Torin. Following my post last week entitled How Technology Changed Jazz, 1935-1948, I heard from Aurin Primack, whose father was part-owner of the original Birdland:

“Marc, great post on tech’s influence on jazz. When I met Symphony Sid at Birdland in the early 1950s, he was accompanied by “a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn” named Monte Kay (nee Kaplan). He was a talent agent and music producer.

“I remember hearing that Sid and Kay were responsible for bringing the concept and jazz musicians to the Royal Roost in 1948 for the club’s successful Jazz Sunday concerts. And again when Birdland was started in December 1949, it was Kay and Sid who booked the opening night show.

“The common thread, of course, was the shadowy and shady entrepreneur and club co-owner Morris Levy, but it seems to me that Monte Kay’s’ role is hardly ever mentioned. What a shame.

“How did my dad wind up part-owner of Birdland? When Levy couldn’t get a liquor license from New York State in the fall of 1949, my dad was introduced to him by a mutual friend. My dad knew nothing about the music industry but he had cash from the liquidation of a lumber business he operated with his father, my grandfather Joe.

“Dad obtained the license and the club opened as planned on December 15, 1949. To this day I don’t know what possessed him to invest and can only guess that Levy made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

Serge Chaloff radio. This Sunday, Sid Gribetz will present a five-hour tribute to the swinging Serge Chaloff on WKCR-FM’s Jazz Profiles, from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET). As Sid notes: “Chaloff was a fleeting star on the baritone saxophone during his brief lifetime, one of the saxophonists on Woody Herman’s famed Four Brothers and a bebopping legend as well. He was a sophisticated musician and swinging performer. Serge possessed a lithe, fleet, flowing conception propelled with a lighter tone and nimble execution on the big horn.”

To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.

Here’s a taste of Chaloff…

Let me leave with these. Here are bunch of audio clips I think you’ll enjoy:

Here’s Waltel Branco’s fascinating Meu Balanco bossa-jazz fusion album from 1975…

Here’s the Nelson Riddle Orchestra playing the two themes used for the Naked City TV series—the early one and the one that followed. The song was also known as Somewhere in the Night. This thing is so hip spliced together that I often right-click on the clip and using the drop-down box and select “loop.” Then it plays over and over until I realize I’ve been listening to it for nearly 20 minutes. Especially great for writing on deadline…

And finally, here’s Jerry Fielding’s swinging 1959 theme for the one-season sitcom Goldie, also known as The Betty Hutton Show…

Shaving first became a thing for me as a kid in the 1960s. I’d watch my father work a nickel-plated Gillette Fat Boy across his face covered in Noxzema shaving cream. Inside the razor was a Gillette Blue Blade that he slid out of its flat metal container with his thumb.

When my dad wasn’t around, I’d sneak into my parents’ bathroom to turn the handle’s base and watch the bomber doors open and close on top. You also could turn a dial at the top of the handle from 1 to 9. I had no idea what that meant or the benefit it provided. Later I’d find out it governed the blade’s exposure, which translated into sharpness.

My first razor in high school was a Gillette Trac II. Then when I went off to Europe hitchhiking, I bought a straight razor at Galeries Lafayette in Paris, not realizing at the time there was a whole bunch of other stuff I needed to buy to use it, like a leather razor strop and strop dressing. So the straight razor went back into my backpack and I resumed using a cartridge razor.

Enter Covid. My friend, Glenn, gave me a Rex double-edge razor for the holidays and that brought all my razor curiosity back. I then began to collect in a search for the absolute best razor, the best brushes and the best shaving cream. Five years later, I completed my odyssey and now I’m going to share my discoveries with you.

Best razors. Nothing beats the Blackland Vector machined single-edge safety razor. It requires a single edge blade. I use Feather Artist Club ProGuard Razor Blades 15 Count, which offer a bit of protection. It’s the closest you’ll come to a straight razor, without the nicks and cuts. It moves around your face like a Zamboni. Each blade lasts up to 10 days.

A cheaper alternative is a vintage late 1940s Gillette Super Speed TTO (turn to open) double-edge razor. There is no date code under the head (they didn’t start dating them until 1950). To illustrate, I found one that seems to be in excellent condition (go here). Prices range from $19 to $40. The less expensive ones will have flaws. The higher-priced razors look great and perform superbly. Sharpest double-edge blade: Personna.

My favorite shavette. A shavette gives you all the closeness of a straight razor but wihtout all the gear and sharpening. You simply insert a Feather Artist Club ProGuard blade, but you have to move slowly because it has all the perils of a straight razor. It requires a technique that develops over time. My favorite blade-replacement model is the Feather Artist Club Soft Grip DX Straight Razor.

Best shaving brushes. I prefer badger rather than synthetic. But not all badger brushes are alike. They come in grades. The cheap ones are lousy and flop around like a wet mop. The better ones are firm and lather beautifully. The following article will explain the different grades (go here).

My favorite brush brands are Thater (Germany but no longer available—you can find vintage ones on Ebay); Shavemac (Germany, but they no longer sell to individual buyers—you have to buy at a store that sells them); and Simpson (U.K., look for them at stores that sell them by typing Simpson brushes into Google). Key is the quality of badger and the knot size that’s right for you. I prefer 26mm and 28mm).

Best shaving cream. The best shaving soaps and creams come from England. By best, I mean a rich lather that protects your face with a thick cushion and smells terrific. I prefer cream to soap, simply because it’s easier to lather up.

My favorite brand is Truefitt & Hill. They’ve been in operation since 1805 and boast the world’s oldest barbershop in the St. James’s section of London. In the U.S., they wisely secured distribution in the States, so no tariffs added on.

A cheaper alternative is Taylor of Old Bond, which is excellent. Other brands are Geo. Trumper and D.R. Harris. To start, you need to choose the scent that’s right for you. The best starter scent is sandalwood. These are available at Amazon.

Other great creams: Martin de Candre Original (France), Lauger’s Skogsra (Sweden) and Castle Forbes (Scotland). The first and last can be purchased online at US stores such as Pasteur Pharmacy and Maggard Razors. Lauger’s has to be ordered from Sweden.

Preparation. The absolute best product to get your face prepared for a shave is a tube of Barbasol 1919, which goes for around $7. To prep, hit your face 10 times with very warm water and then do the same with your neck. Then apply a small amount of Barbasol and work it in. Apply warm water and your hands will slip off your face. Don’t wash off the Barbasol, just get it slick. That’s your undercoat.

At some point in the future, I’ll tell you all about the best vintage Gillette razors. I have one dating back to 1906, just two years into the newly invented double-edge technology. And that’s what I love most about shaving: Using technology that evolved over time as improvements were made to deliver a close shave.

To upgrade your JazzWax subscription to paid and receive all of my posts, go to the bottom of this page and click the “upgrade” button. Five beats two any day.

What I watched: After I finished the exquisite The Count of Monte Cristo miniseries (coming shortly to PBS), I moved on to Spencer (2021), a historical psychological drama film about Diana, the Princess of Wales (Netflix).

Here’s the trailer…

Ken Peplowski (1959-2026). Following my post on Ken, I heard from clarinetist and saxophonist Pete Neighbour [photo above of Ken Peplowski courtesy of Ken Peplowski]:

“Marc, thank you for remembering Ken P. so eloquently. Although he’d been seriously ill, I thought he was over the worst. When we spent a little time together when I was last in New York, he was his usual upbeat self. His passing hit me in so many ways; not least of which is the fact that he was a mere two months younger than myself. I shall miss him—and his playing.”

Herman Leonard was perhaps the finest jazz photographer of his generation. To read my interview with him, go here.

Last week, Lee Prout sent along photos he took about 10 years ago of the exterior of SF Jazz’s San Francisco offices, which showcased Leonard’s images in the windows. Here are two below…

Charlie Parker. My friend, painter Nelson Diaz, sent along this rare photo of the Charlie Parker Quintet at New York’s Three Deuces in the late 1940s. From the left, Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, Dani Perez on bongos, Tommy Potter on bass, Carlos Vidal Bolado on congas, Duke Jordan on piano, Max Roach on drums and Miles Davis on trumpet.

Joe Howard was a trombonist who recorded extensively for movie studios and TV shows. He worked for all of the networks and was on all of the Big Band Era records arranged by Billy May. Here’s his album Something Smooth (1955)…

New York has become Santa’s Village. The temperature here hasn’t been above freezing for three weeks. Which means when it snowed last weekend, the snow didn’t go anywhere. It’s dirty now, thanks to the plows, and piled knee-high with narrow walkways carved through them by store-owners and the transit authority. [Photo above of Broadway, looking north on the Upper West Side, mid-storm at noon on Jan. 25, 2026 by Marc Myers]

As I look at the forecast on my phone, Monday will be 34 (1.11 C) and Tuesday 35 (1.66 C) before the temperature plummets again. My guess is we’re in for a sizable blizzard the next time a major storm drifts north. I’m not complaining. It’s like the winters of the 1970s, when snow kept coming and was around all through the season.

What’s more, the snow and cold actually have made Manhattan pretty cozy. Everyone is indoors, city sidewalks are sparse on foot traffic, food tastes better at restaurants and the cold beats the summer heat, at least for me.

Next weekend, I was thinking about posting on shaving. As long-time readers know, shaving is something of a fetish for me. I’ve hunted down the best razor, the best brushes and the best shaving creams. Lots to tell. Or maybe I won’t. Don’t know yet.

If you’re a free subscriber, here’s what you missed this week: A new Jackie & Roy video when the hip duo were in their prime, in 1961; seven jazz and bossa nova albums for my January new-music roundup; and an exclusive from Brazil—a documentary on João Donato, with English subtitles.

Isn’t it about time you upgraded at JazzWax to paid? Why deprive yourself?

Here’s how to upgrade: JazzWax is just $10 a month or $100 for the year, which saves you $20 annually. To upgrade, find the “Upgrade to paid” button on any post or in the “Manage subscription” section of your account settings.

Give it a click and choose a paid plan. Then you can sign in to JazzWax.com any time of day or night and enjoy. You’ll also have my sincere thanks.

What I’ve been watching: The Tank, a fascinating German film on World War II, with English subtitles, that may be too strong for the squeamish (Amazon Prime); The Count of Monte Cristo, series from the U.K. due March 1 on PBS; more episodes of The Blacklist (10 seasons in all on Netflix); halfway through a re-binge of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which remains ingenious and hysterical (Max); and the upcoming season of The Lincoln Lawyer, due Feb. 5 (best season ever, on Netflix).

Hank O’Neal is out with another book, More Than the Music (TCU), a coffee-table memoir jam-packed with stories and photos. If you’re unfamiliar with Hank, he’s a massive jazz fan who has had a major influence on the music through his help and sage advice.

He has been friends with more jazz legends than you can count, dating back to the 1960s, after he served his country in the CIA.

Hank is a writer and photographer who founded Chiaroscuro Records and Hammond Music Enterprises; has been a jazz producer; produced jazz festivals (the Floating Jazz Festival, the Blues Cruise, Mardi Gras at Sea, Big Bands at Sea and more); and has served on the boards of the Jazz Foundation, the Jazz Gallery and many other organizations.

The book is artfully organized into 27 chapters dedicated to the jazz legends he has known, and each is loaded with stories and photos. There are insightful chapters on Gerry Mulligan, Jimmy and Marian McPartland, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, Astrud Gilberto and more.

Jackie & Roy. Following my post last week, I heard from pianist and composer Denny Zeitlin:

“Wow, Marc, your posting on Jackie & Roy sent me right back to high school where I was a junior when their 1955 album Jackie and Roy came out on Storyville. I was knocked out. Roy was a damn good pianist, an even better arranger, and a consummate accompanist. And Jackie—man, she broke my heart on pieces like Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, Lazy Afternoon and Listen Little Girl. She had an almost impossible purity of tone and intonation that was so rich with feeling. They totally had their own thing—so special. Many, many thanks!”

Speaking of WRVR-FM radio and its DJ themes…

Here’s Ed Beach’s Just Jazz theme, Wes Montgomery’s So Do It…

Here’s Van Jay’s theme, Red Garland’s You Better Go Now…

And here’s Batt Johnson’s theme at midnight, Leon Spencer Jr.’s Mercy, Mercy Me…

Buddy Rich. Last week, I heard from Brian Sokoloff:

“A number of years ago, I was going through my homemade VHS tapes to figure out which to keep and which to chuck. While rummaging, I found I had recorded a PBS salute to the big band era, aired during fundraising. [Photo above of Buddy Rich from YouTube]

“There was a segment on that program, introduced by Mel Torme, in which Buddy Rich took to the drums and the band played Hawaiian War Chant. I recorded the program off the air on August 15, 1987.

“I was able to determine that the performance was taped on January 5, 1987. Buddy Rich died of heart failure following surgery for a malignant brain tumor on April 2, 1987. I don’t know how quickly malignant brain tumors grow but Rich gave this performance just three months before an operation to remove a brain tumor, which is remarkable”…

Ithamara Koorax. Here’s the full album of Ithamara Koorax sings the Luiz Bonfa Songbook, from 1996

And finally Martin Short in 1984 as Jerry Lewis singing Bob Dylan. A special thanks to Jim Eigo of Jazz Promo Services…

This winter, one of New York’s coldest and snowiest in some time, my feet have been warm, dry and spongy-comfortable. Two pairs of outstanding winter boots—one ideal for cold weather and just a little snow on the ground and another for deeper snow. Both are from Hoka. [Photo of New York in the snow courtesy of Urban 75]

The first is Hoka’s Kaha 3 GTX. The second is Hoka’s Kaha 2 Frost GTX, which is taller. Both are intensely cushy, have a great grip and are so warm, even in sub-freezing temperatures. The only thing I did with both is swap out the laces. I like them dark. If you’re like me, take one out and measure it. Then go here.

You know what else is warm? A paid subscription to JazzWax. If you’re riding for free, you really missed out this week: A deep dive into the Stephen Sondheim song Ladies Who Lunch with a bunch of amazing video clips; a look and listen to Donna Brooks, who made only two albums, in 1954 and ‘55; and 10 sterling videos of Henry Mancini in performance. Treat yourself. I’m not sure how much longer the weekend post will be free, so jump aboard.

How to upgrade to paid: JazzWax is just $10 a month or $100 for the year, which saves you $20 annually. To upgrade, find the “Upgrade to paid” button on any post or in the “Manage subscription” section of your account settings.

Give it a click and choose a paid plan. Then you can sign in to JazzWax.com any time of day or night and enjoy. You have my sincere thanks.

Recommended viewing: I watched a ton of streaming series and films this week for work plus others that were just for me. Here are two films I loved:

Janet Planet (2023)—An unusual coming-of-age drama written and directed by Annie Baker in her movie directorial debut. The mother-daughter movie stars Julianne Nicholson and Zoe Ziegler. It’s slow, poetic and beautifully directed and acted. (Max)

Here’s the trailer…

The Rip (2026)—Miami cops discover a stash of millions in cash, leading to distrust. Non-stop action with a huge twist. Stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. (Netflix)

Here’s the trailer…

Last night, Christian Muermann in Germany sent along a link to an amazing video of the Society of Singers honoring Frank Sinatra in 1990, Henry Mancini conducted a top-notch orchestra backing leading vocalists. If you’re someplace where it’s snowing or raining, sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy…

Speaking of tea. Following my Editor’s Note post last week on my favorite British decaf teas, I received a couple of emails with additional suggestions:

From British producer and movie-score arranger and composer John Cameron:

“I can recommend Yorkshire Tea. They do an excellent decaf. We took it to Russia and China, and we even found it in Santa Monica!”

From Martin Black:

“I like English tea strong, what we call “builder’s tea.” Among the best in this variety is PG Tips.

Dizzy Gillespie. Last week, Bill Kirchner sent along an album recommendation: Dizzy Gillespie: Live at the Village Vanguard (1967).

Here are the tracks: Dizzy’s Blues (aka Birks’ Works), Blues for Max and Tour de Force.

Here’s the band: Dizzy Gillespie (tp), Garnett Brown (tb), Pepper Adams (bar), Ray Nance (vin), Chick Corea (p), Richard Davis (b) and Mel Lewis (d).

And here’s the music…

WKCR-FM jazz tributes. On Sunday (Jan. 25), WKCR-FM presents the annual Antonio Carlos Jobim Birthday Broadcast for 24 hours starting at midnight (ET). And on Jan. 30, the station will broadcast its annual Roy Eldridge Birthday Broadcast, playing the trumpeter’s recordings for 24 hours starting at midnight (ET). You can listen to both shows from anywhere in the world by going here.

Sammy and Carmen. It’s hard to think of another duet couple that had as much fun together as Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae. Here they are on the Hollywood Palace in 1968…

Here’s Rosemary Clooney with a nifty Nelson Riddle arrangement on You’re In Kentucky Sure As You’re Born, on her TV show in 1956…

And here’s Pearl Bailey and Andy Williams singing Give Me the Simple Life on the Andy Williams Show in 1963. Too often, Bailey is overlooked as one of the finest singing entertainers on stage and screen…

I love British tea. My fondness for it (and British rough-cut marmalade) probably dates back to when I was little and my artist parents took my brother and me to London in the late 1960s. Before the winter started, I went searching for the best of the best British tea.

My hunt included research at online forums, conversations with British friends and interview subjects, and tasting a long list of tea brands. When the safari ended, I found three that I loved that are perfect for different times of day.

Just so you know, I drink caffeine-free tea. I’m energetic enough and don’t need the hard stuff keeping me up at night. I also drink two to three mugs of tea a day, so I like to keep what I consume interesting.

So this weekend I thought I’d share the three brands with you: Lyons tea from Ireland (in the morning, after breakfast; it’s black), Barry’s Tea from Ireland (after lunch; it’s a honey brown) and Tick Tock Rooibos Tea from England (in the evening; it’s red).

Satisfying doesn’t even begin to describe the pleasure these three deliver. You’ll find them at Amazon here, here and here.

Oh, and the marmalade that goes on my whole wheat toast? Wilkin & Sons’ Tawny Orange Marmalade from England. Go here.

Speaking of good stuff, this is addressed to my dear free subscribers: Please consider upgrading to paid. Instead of receiving just two posts weekly, you’d get all six plus access to the site, including interviews and archive from the past 19 years of JazzWax.

What did you miss this week? A rare video of a big band that features your favorite stars playing on TV; a post on Henry Franklin’s 1974 album The Skipper at Home; and my post on Frank Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours, which Blue Note’s Tone Poet series recently issued remastered on 180-gram vinyl.

How can you upgrade? JazzWax is just $10 a month or $100 for the year, which saves you $20 annually. To upgrade, find the “Upgrade to paid” button on any post or in the “Manage subscription” section of your account settings.

Give it a click and choose a paid plan. Then you can sign in to JazzWax.com any time of day or night and enjoy. You have my sincere thanks.

To my many paid subscribers, thank you very much for your kind support and generosity. Your contribution tells me that what I do has value and improves your life, which in turn makes me want to work even harder for you to find and post on the very best in jazz (and other stuff like movies and tea).

The “WSJ” tab above in the JazzWax home-page menu has been updated. If you’re a WSJ.com subscriber, you can click on these to go directly to my work for The Wall Street Journal.

Johnny Griffin radio. On Sunday, Sid Gribetz on WKCR-FM in New York will broadcast his Jazz Profiles show on tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET). To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.

And be sure to check out Sid’s platform that holds all of his Jazz Profiles shows. You can listen for free! Go here.

A Sonny Stitt fan in this video reflects on one of his favorite eight-bar solos by the tenor saxophonist…

Eight great YouTube clips of jazz vocalists:

Here’s Ella Fitzgerald singing Hard Hearted Hannah in the movie Pete Kelly’s Blues (1955)…

Here’s Peggy Lee singing Is That All There Is in 1969…

Here’s Lee slow-swinging I Believe in You in 1962. As with all Lee clips, watch how she works her eyes—left, center and right—and curls her mouth. So great. Also note how she sings ahead of and behind the beat in an effortless, hip way…

Here’s Lee singing Come Back to Me in 1965…

Here’s Lee singing Nice ‘n’ Easy in 1963…

And here’s Misty in 1977…

Here’s Sarah Vaughan on Polka Dots and Moonbeams in 1963…

And finally, here’s Nancy Wilson singing Too Late Now in 1967…

The first week back to work after the December holidays is like entering a highway at rush hour. The traffic volume is heavy and everything moves slowly. Our holiday break was terrific, and we really appreciated the time off more because we didn’t travel. There’s something to be said for staying home and enjoying your own city or town rather than standing in lines and sitting on a plane to go someplace else.

This week, I had a large amount of movies and series I had to stream ahead of their release in advance of my Wall Street Journal interviews with Hollywood actors. I can’t talk about these, since they aren’t out yet, but I can tell you that I’ve been re-watching The Crown. If you haven’t viewed the glorious multi-season series tracing the post-war monarchy, be sure to put it on your list.

Still a free subscriber? If so, I wanted to remind you that you’re only seeing two out of five JazzWax posts produced each week. Which means you’re missing out on great stuff. For example, this past week you didn’t get my post on favorite albums by jazz artists who in the late 1960s took on pop hits of the day (seven hours of music listening); you didn’t see my post on Mundell Lowe’s 1956 album featuring new songs by Alec Wilder; and you didn’t see my Friday post on Thelonious Monk, which included a terrific documentary.

How to upgrade to paid? JazzWax is just $10 a month or $100 for the year, which saves you $20. To upgrade, find the “Upgrade to paid” button on any post or in the “Manage subscription” section of your account settings. Give it a click, choose a paid plan. Then you can sign in to JazzWax.com any time of day or night and enjoy. Thanks in advance.

Are you an online subscriber to The Wall Street Journal (www.WSJ.com)? If so, you can read my weekly House Call column and my monthly Album@50 column for Arts in Review. Just click on the “WSJ” tab in the menu that runs across the top of the JazzWax home page.

Bill Evans’s grandson, Jaden, is a terrific pianist and has a similar poetic approach as Bill did. On January 18, at 2 p.m. (PT), history will be made when Jaden (above) joins bassist Chuck Israels (the second Bill Evans Trio) and drummer Joe LaBarbera (the final trio) at the Athletic Club in Los Angeles for a performance. The gig will be live-streamed (go here).

To read my interview with Jaden, go here. A special thanks to Peter Coppock for alerting.

Max Roach radio. On Saturday of this weekend, WKCR-FM in New York will be celebrating drummer Max Roach’s birthday by playing his music for 24 hours (ET). You can tune in from anywhere in the world by going here. [Photo above of Max Roach in 1947 by William P. Gotfried]

And finally, a treat. Here’s the complete Chewin’ the Fat, 53 minutes of Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, with Georges Arvanitas (p), Jacky Samson (b) and Charles Saudrais (d) recorded in Massy, France, in 1975…