William N. Law Blog: March 2017

Friday, March 31, 2017

Eric, Guy and Patti

Eric Stonestreet stars on the TV sitcom Modern Family. But when Eric was little, his dad let him raise pigs, and he dreamed of becoming a circus clown. In The Wall Street Journal this week (go here), I interviewed Eric for "House Call" on growing up in Kansas City and the dare that landed him on stage in college. [Photo above courtesy of ABC]

Robert Hass is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and former U.S. poet laureate. His latest book is A Little Book on Form. In the WSJ this weekend (go here), I interview Bob for "Playlist" on his favorite song—Sh-boom by the Chords and the Crew-Cuts in 1954. That year, when he was 13, he danced to the song with a girl in school who became his future wife. [Photo above courtesy of the Poetry Foundation]

Catch me if you can on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. (EDT) on SiriusXM's Feedback with Nik Carter and Lori Majewski (above). We'll be talking about Yes, progressive rock and my "Anatomy of a Song" column on the band's hit, Roundabout. On the dial, you'll find me on SiriusXM's channel 106, which is called "Volume."

With love, from Sweden. Guy Jones (above), who lives in Stockholm and runs the Friends of Jan Lundgren site and social media enterprise, wrote such a touching post about me and my book, Anatomy of a Song. Jan, of course, is one of the world's great jazz pianists. Here's how Guy's post opens...

"How do you start your day? FoJL’s routine is always the same: a quick flick through the Financial Times, an equally rapid check of the BBC’s world news app, and then it’s straight to Marc Myers’ New York-based daily blog, JazzWax. Because—and there’s no way to sugar-coat this—you can’t really call yourself a jazz fan if you don’t keep up with Marc’s quotidian reports, insights and musings on jazz, soul, rock and the arts in general."

For the rest of Guy's post, go here.

To Guy, Jan and all of my dear friends in Sweden, thank you, and a big New York hug.

Captured down under. Tone Shanahan in Australia sent along the following...

"I was at a book launch last night with my son just outside Sydney at a great little bookshop called Gleebooks in Glebe. There were about 100 in attendance whilst the author, David Marr, was interviewed with a Q&A at the end. At the other end of the row where we were seated I spotted your book and took a cellphone photo (above). Apologies for the blurriness of the hastily snapped image."

Housekeeping continues. As I mentioned last weekend, the JazzWax archive is undergoing some cobweb cleansing, so past posts are coming back online little by little. Hang in there. [Photo courtesy of Wallpaper]

Harold McNair in rock. Following my post on Harold McNair, I received the following from Tone Shanahan, who reminded me of McNair's rock work in bands led by Donovan, Ginger Baker and Alexis Korner [photo above from YouTube]...

"Harold McNair came to my attention through Donovan in the 1960s. Not only was he on the Donovan In Concert (1968) album but also on Donovan’s two previous albums and the following two as well. He became integral to Donovan’s sound. It is Harold’s fabulous flute which wafts all the way through the '60’s hit There Is a Mountain.’ Harold also in Ginger Baker’s Air Force for a double live album recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1970. They performed Da Da Man, a McNair composition. He's also on the band's studio album that followed, penning the song Caribbean Soup. And he was part of the Alexis Korner-led big band, CCS, which had a few hits in the early '70s in the U.K.

Harold McNair on video. Bob Naylor sent along the following...

"I saw Harold McNair in concert in 1969. The only video clip I've found of him is with Donovan. He was a virtuoso player, so playing folk tunes must have been such a simple task for him. Still it must have paid well enough to keep the wolf from the door. He also played beautifully on the soundtrack to the British film Kes (1969)." Here's the clip Bob mentions with Donovan...

Also from Bob, the following clipping from Britain's Melody Maker when McNair died in March 1971...

Don Huntstein (1928-2017), a photographer whose iconic images of Columbia's folk, rock and jazz artists were captured just as they revealed something about themselves and graced album covers and liner notes, died on March 18. He was 88. To read Richard Sandomir's obit in The New York Times, go here.

Billie Holiday radio. WKCR-FM in New York will present its annual "Billie Holiday Birthday Broadcast"for 24 hours on April 7. You can tune in on your computer or smartphone from anywhere in the world by going here.

Band documentary. New York-based (U)nity is a funk-soul jazz band made up of Michael Valeanu, Axel Tosca Laugart, Chris Smith, Max Cudworth and Amaury Acosta. They formed the band in 2006 as a project to explore Afro-Cuban jazz, funk, soul and contemporary electronica. They've been influenced by everyone from Chucho Valdés and Art Blakey to Led Zeppelin and Kendrick Lamar. Here's a mini-doc on the band...

Fruits of Kickstarter. Last week I received the following email from Neil Williams...

"Back in 2014, you were gracious enough to share the Kickstarter campaign for my USC thesis film, David's Reverie, at JazzWax. I was able to raise enough money to produce it. David's Reverie is now available online for free on Vimeo until April 8. I wanted to share it with you. Please feel free to include it on JazzWax if you'd like." Here's the video...

Neil adds: "Here is a write-up about the movie on the Living Well with Epilepsy site"...

What the heck. Following my post on Patti Page last week, I thought I'd hip you to what Page did best—sing pop ballads with romantic conviction. Here's Page singing The Nearness of You on her '50s TV show. Her execution is hypnotic and flawless....

Page also was hip, even if her TV arrangements weren't. This one makes me wish Page had recorded a few with Basie. Love that Joe Williams-like held note at the end, complete with a twirl...

Oddball album cover of the week.

Here perhaps is the worst country album ever recorded, with a pine-box cover to go with it. Poor arranger Ernie Freeman. Is the album really that bad? You decide...

from JazzWax http://ift.tt/2okmbVO

American Ordnance Pays Former Workers after Violating Americans with Disability Act

The Iowa munitions manufacturer will pay two former employees $50,000 after failing to accommodate them under the Americans with Disability Act.

Two security officers employed by American Ordnance left or were terminated as a result of their disabilities, according to an Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFFCCP) audit.

The OFCCP’s Chicago District Office conducted an investigation after a complaint alleged the Iowa-based munitions manufacturer violated Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disability Act.

from Safety http://ift.tt/2nHpLYZ

Take the Phone-Free Pledge During Distracted Driving Awareness Month

The National Safety Council is asking employers to review their cell phone use policies and educate workers about the dangers of distracted driving.

Hands free or not, cell phone use while driving is dangerous.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and companies such as Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG & E) are reviewing their phone use policies in an effort to reduce distracted driving incidents.

A recent National Safety Council survey found that while two-thirds of drivers said another driver’s distraction has caused them to feel unsafe, just 25 percent feel their own distractions have put them or someone else at risk.

from Safety http://ift.tt/2nmRevK

Video: Bobby Jaspar, 1958

Since we're on a bit of a flute kick, let's end the week with Belgian flutist (and saxophonist) Bobby Jaspar. In the following video clip, he's performing in Cannes, France, in July 1958 with Donald Byrd (tr), Walter Davis Jr. (p), Doug Watkins (b) and Art Taylor (d). They're playing a contrafact on I'll Remember April—a contrafact being a newly invented melody on top of the chord changes of an existing established song.

Dig Jaspar's swinging flute and the impeccable quality of Byrd's muted trumpet, not to mention the regal bop played by Davis, the taught bass lines of Watkins and the drive of AT's brushes. Here's the clip (for my European friends, who may find the U.S. clip inoperable, I suggest typing "Donald Byrd Quintet + Cannes 1958" into the YouTube search bar)...

Thursday, March 30, 2017

Patti Page: Land of Hi-Fi

On Monday and Tuesday, May 7 and 8, 1956, singer Patti Page was in Holloywood recording a jazz-pop album arranged by Pete Rugolo with a crowd of the finest jazz studio musicians in town. Produced by Bob Shad for EmArcy, Mercury Records' jazz subsidiary, Patti Page in the Land of Hi-Fi was most likely recorded in the ground-floor studios at the newly opened cylindrical Capitol Tower. Signed by Mercury in 1947, Page had 42 hits between 1948 and '54. In 1956 alone, she had 7 more and was host of TV's Patti Page Show, with Oldsmobile as the show's sole sponsor. On the album side, she was transitioning well into the 12-inch LP era.

For those unfamiliar with the term "hi-fi," it was short for high fidelity, a record-industry marketing term popular in the mid-1950s letting the mass market know that the new 12-inch pop album had better sound than anything they had experienced previously. EmArcy made five albums in its "Land of Hi-Fi" series from late 1955 into '56, featuring Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Page, Georgie Auld and Cannonball Adderley.

Page was likely the initiator of her EmArcy session. Weary of syrupy songs like Go On with the Wedding and Mama From the Train, the jazz date gave her an opportuity to work with Rugolo and a cool-cat band with tremendous punch. What kind of punch are we talking about exactly?

On the May 7th session, the band comprised of Maynard Ferguson, Conrad Gozzo, Pete Candoli, Chico Alvarez, George Werth (tp); Frank Rosolino, Milt Bernhart, Kai Winding, John Halliburton, Bob Burgess (tb); John Graas, Vincent de Rosa (fhr); Clarence Karella (tu); Bud Shank, Harry Klee (fl,as); Bob Cooper, Georgie Auld (ts); Chuck Gentry (bar); Rocky Cole (p); Howard Roberts (g); Joe Mondragon (b); Larry Bunker (d); Bernie Mattison (perc); Jack Costanzo (bgo) and Pete Rugolo (arr,cond).

On May 8th, the Hollywood demands on top musicians in the age of the LP and television was so frenzied that just a day later there were significant changes in the personnel: Don Palladino, Buddy Childers, Joe Triscari, Chico Alvarez, George Werth (tp); J.J. Johnson, Kai Winding, Si Zentner, John Halliburton (tb); John Graas, Vincent de Rosa (fhr); Clarence Karella (tu); Ronny Lang, Ethmer Roten (fl,as); Ted Nash, Gene Cipriano (ts); Chuck Gentry (bar); Rocky Cole (p); Al Hendrickson (g); Joe Mondragon (b); Alvin Stoller (d); Larry Bunker (perc); Jack Costanzo (bgo) and Pete Rugolo (arr,cond).

Incredible lineups on both sessions, with Rugolo corralling the best West Coast jazz readers and a bunch of crack movie-studio session guys. Page handles Rugolo's tricky brass writing with ease and gives as good as she gets from the band's Mack truck sections. Interestingly, Page knew she not only had to sing with swing here but also had to dominate the orchestra, riding on top and not winding underneath it.

The careful listener will notice that each Rugolo arrangement is a challenging work of art, with all sorts of instruments coming and going and at odd places. Page, the seasoned pro, zig-zags through all of it without breaking into a sweat, leaving plenty of space for the orchestra to show off its stuff.

Of note, photos from the session on the back of the album show Page in oversized black Lucille Ball glass frames so she could read the music. There are mini solos throughout the album, including superb blowing by Bud Shank on I've Got My Eyes on You and a few bars by J.J. Johnson on Taking a Chance on Love. Where Page double-clutches is at the end of songs, where the band breathes fire and she has to hold a note. She does so with incredible feline finesse. As with Kay Starr's I Cry By Night (1961), it's a shame Page didn't record a bunch more like this one. But back then, pop paid the bills.

Patti Page died in 2013.

JazzWax tracks: Patti Page in the Land of Hi-Fi has been released many times over the years in the U.S. and Japan, but Fresh Sound offers the best value, since it combines Hi-Fi with Page's The West Side, with West Coast jazz combos co-arranged by Rugolo and Bill Holman, Shorty Rogers and Marty Paich. You'll find the combined album here. You also can listen to Hi-Fi for free at Spotify.

JazzWax clips: Here's Nevertheless. Listen to the complex instrumental road map on this one...

And here's Out of Nowhere...

Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Harold McNair: Flute & Nut

Harold McNair is barely known today. Yet he was one of the prettiest and most exciting modern flutists of the late 1960s and very early '70s. He was a beautiful saxophonist as well. McNair got off to a slow start in the jazz world and when he did, jazz was fading away for newcomers. Born in Jamaica, McNair spent the first 10 years of his musical career playing Caribbean music in the Bahamas. A self-taught musician, McNair soon found himself on a dreaded Calypso track despite his passion for jazz.

In 1960, Quincy Jones hired McNair for his touring "Birth of a Band" orchestra, and McNair left for Europe with the band. It's unclear how Jones came to hear him. McNair was a member of the Jones orchestra when it was recorded live in Lausanne, Switzerland, in June 1960.

By 1961, McNair was living full-time in London, and he recorded albums with British jazz drummer Tony Crombie and percussionist-vocalist Jack Costanzo. In late 1961, McNair led a group at Ronnie Scott's club in London, but as work dried up, he returned to the Bahamas to record. Back in London in 1965, McNair gigged and recorded Affectionate Fink, a leadership album backed by Alan Branscombe (p) David Izenzon (b) and Charles Moffett (d), who played with Ornette Coleman at the time.

McNair's next recording came in 1967, when he was taped live with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis in Manchester (Oh Gee! Live in Manchester 1967), and the following year he recorded a leadership album, Harold McNair, that included a moderate instrumental hit called The Hipster. In '68 he moved on to orchestral recordings led by British bandleader Vic Lewis.

McNair was at his peak in 1970, when he recorded mostly on flute backed by an enormous swinging orchestra with strings arranged by John Cameron. The resulting RCA studio album was called Flute & Nut, and the recording finally established him as a powerhouse player Sadly, there are no details about the story behind the album or the personnel. The album's tracks are Umbrella Man, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (killer arrangement and flute solo), You Are Too Beautiful, Barnes Bridge, Nomadic Joe, Herb Green, My Romance (on which McNair plays alto sax) and Burnt Amber.

The music is hypnotic. The arrangements are smart and driving, and McNair sails above the action, swooping in and out with strong, sensual lines. A number of the flute tracks feature McNair's humming-playing technique. No matter how many times I listen to the album, I never tire of hearing it.

After this album, McNair spent the balance of 1970 recording on Blossom Dearie's That's the Way I Want It to Be and John Cameron's Whole Lotta Love as well as recording an excellent leadership album called The Fence, with Steve Winwood on organ.

And that was it. Harold McNair died of lung cancer in March 1971. He was only 39.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Harold McNair's Flute & Nut teamed with Harold McNair here. The album is also available for free listening at Spotify.