I always support what I believe is real and honest… BTW, when I was in Japan a few years ago, Helen Merrill was there! We were both at the Blue-note Tokyo.. not at the same time but very close.. I’m loving this album you posted…
Helen was married to my close friend, the great clarinetist/tenor sax player Aaron Sachs.
One morning he woke up, and she was gone. Somehow, she managed to get the piano hauled out while he was asleep. He woke up and it was gone, too! LOL!
They had one son, the rock guitarist singer/songwriter Robert Merrill, who wrote the song, "I Love Rock and Roll, Put Another Quarter in the Juke Box, Baby!", which became a big hit for Joan Jett.
Sadly, he was one of the first people in NYC to die of COVID-19 which he caught when he was playing in a club in the city. RIP.
Hi there, Steve. Thanks for sharing. I think you mean Allan Merrill, and the hit song for Joan was "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." "Put Another Quarter in..." was Buck Owens. Hope you're having a lovely holiday season.
Sorry, I got his first name confused with Robert Merrill the opera singer,lol!
And inflation hit Alan Merrill's song; it was "put another dime in the juke box baby", not a quarter! I jthink I just got too riled up from listening to the Texans get into the playoffs on my radio!
Fantastic. A double shot of holiday goodness. The orchestral version of Very Early is a revelation. Never heard Steve Brown before but he’s a beautiful guitarist. Thanks for the holiday gifts! Looking forward to JazzWax 2026. BTW the liner notes on the latest Bill Evans release on Resonance are great-I look forward to your writing as much as the new music!
I heard of Steve Brown many years ago from the son of a trumpet player I used to play with, who was going to some collegein upstate NY. He kept telling me he was a great player, and he sure is!
I thought you said "Deep" was a blues, but you were just quoting Chuck Israels about Steve Brown. I copied out the head and changes to "Deep", and it sure is 'deep'!
Thanks for all the goodies, Marc. I heard the Helen Merrill in it's entiery. Wonderful. The Buddy Rich drum solos are marvellous. Gladly I saw Buddy and his Big Band in Munich in July 1986. It was the only concert I saw with him. I was 18 years old and took the trip to Munich. I remember that concert so clearly... great memories. And thanks also for the streaming recomendations. As always, I'll put it on my watch list.
So, I wish you a great lazy time in New York. Just saw the a few hours ago and as announced, New York is covered in a blanket of snow. 🥶
So glad you enjoyed, Christian. Yes, we received 4 inches of powder, giving the city a post-card look. Monday it will all be gone. Temperatures expected in the high 40sF (9 C). But winter is on the cold side here this year so January and February should bring more snow. Hope you had a lovely holiday season!
I hopefullly will be upgrading to a paid subscription shortly. It’s worth it
Thanks in advance, Jason, for your support and generosity.
I always support what I believe is real and honest… BTW, when I was in Japan a few years ago, Helen Merrill was there! We were both at the Blue-note Tokyo.. not at the same time but very close.. I’m loving this album you posted…
I appreciate it. Glad you enjoyed.
Helen was married to my close friend, the great clarinetist/tenor sax player Aaron Sachs.
One morning he woke up, and she was gone. Somehow, she managed to get the piano hauled out while he was asleep. He woke up and it was gone, too! LOL!
They had one son, the rock guitarist singer/songwriter Robert Merrill, who wrote the song, "I Love Rock and Roll, Put Another Quarter in the Juke Box, Baby!", which became a big hit for Joan Jett.
Sadly, he was one of the first people in NYC to die of COVID-19 which he caught when he was playing in a club in the city. RIP.
Hi there, Steve. Thanks for sharing. I think you mean Allan Merrill, and the hit song for Joan was "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." "Put Another Quarter in..." was Buck Owens. Hope you're having a lovely holiday season.
Sorry, I got his first name confused with Robert Merrill the opera singer,lol!
And inflation hit Alan Merrill's song; it was "put another dime in the juke box baby", not a quarter! I jthink I just got too riled up from listening to the Texans get into the playoffs on my radio!
Remember with great fondness WNEW-FM in the sixties. The Night Bird especially.
Fantastic. A double shot of holiday goodness. The orchestral version of Very Early is a revelation. Never heard Steve Brown before but he’s a beautiful guitarist. Thanks for the holiday gifts! Looking forward to JazzWax 2026. BTW the liner notes on the latest Bill Evans release on Resonance are great-I look forward to your writing as much as the new music!
Deeply honored, Mark. So glad you're enjoying and thank you for your kind words on my Bill Evans liner notes.
I heard of Steve Brown many years ago from the son of a trumpet player I used to play with, who was going to some collegein upstate NY. He kept telling me he was a great player, and he sure is!
I thought you said "Deep" was a blues, but you were just quoting Chuck Israels about Steve Brown. I copied out the head and changes to "Deep", and it sure is 'deep'!
Thanks
Chuck's quote ended with the closed quotes. Then I jumped in with an example.
Thanks for all the goodies, Marc. I heard the Helen Merrill in it's entiery. Wonderful. The Buddy Rich drum solos are marvellous. Gladly I saw Buddy and his Big Band in Munich in July 1986. It was the only concert I saw with him. I was 18 years old and took the trip to Munich. I remember that concert so clearly... great memories. And thanks also for the streaming recomendations. As always, I'll put it on my watch list.
So, I wish you a great lazy time in New York. Just saw the a few hours ago and as announced, New York is covered in a blanket of snow. 🥶
So glad you enjoyed, Christian. Yes, we received 4 inches of powder, giving the city a post-card look. Monday it will all be gone. Temperatures expected in the high 40sF (9 C). But winter is on the cold side here this year so January and February should bring more snow. Hope you had a lovely holiday season!