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?
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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…
Thank you for the temperature conversion Marc. As Jethro would say “saves figgerin out my gazintas”.
Wow and wonderful memories on WRVR, 106.7 in the 70's. Listening to them helped me set up some great jazz shows at Kean in NJ. I would go to the Half Note or the Vanguard, meet the artists and book a gig at the college to educate many on future greats and legends. Many memorable events that we still talk about during "back in the day" discussions. Thanks for the great updates and education.