In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker (go here), who directed Dont Look Back, Monterey Pop, Ziggy Stardust, The War Room and many others, including Audition at RCA. Penny and I talked about his unusual childhood bouncing back and forth between New York and Chicago, and the crucial role he played in the development of the portable 16mm camera. [YouTube image above of Bob Dylan and D.A. Pennebaker from the documentary Dont Look Back]
Also in the WSJ, I interviewed Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Elizabeth Strout for my "Playlist" column on Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind (go here). Elizabeth talked about growing up in coastal Maine, her own relationship with the wind as a child and how Dylan's song today has new meaning for her. Her latest novel is Anything Is Possible (go here). [Photo above by Leonard-Cendamo, courtesy of Elizabeth Strout]
Bill Evans and JazzWax. In September, Resonance Records will release another spectacular Bill Evans discovery—Another Time. The album features the pianist with Eddie Gomez and drummer Jack DeJohnette recording a live studio performance in Hilversum, the Netherlands, on June 22, 1968. The material was recorded two days after the last Bill Evans recording Resonance released—Some Other Time: The Lost Session From the Black Forest. That album, for which I wrote the liner notes, won the Jazz Journalists Association's "Historical Record of the Year" award.
JazzWax played a role in helping the new Evans recording surface. Last year, a JazzWax reader from the Netherlands informed me of the existence of the Evans tapes. After we had a brief e-mail conversation, I put him in touch with Resonance producer Zev Feldman, who shared the recording with Resonance chief George Klabin. The release is truly spectacular, both in sound and in packaging. Zev has become the Mike Hammer of jazz detectives. We all owe him and George a debt of gratitude for the historic recordings they invest in and produce.
For the upcoming release, I wrote the liner notes about Evans's love for Europe and why he seemed to exhibit a different level of passion and intensity whenever he recorded there. On a separate note, it's gratifying to know that JazzWax has become a "village square" for thousands of jazz fans around the world.
Here's Zev narrating a new promotional video for the upcoming Bill Evans release...
Jackie & Roy. Last week, following my post on Jackie Cain and Roy Kral, I received an email from pianist Denny Zeitlin:
"Hey Marc. Your feature on Jackie and Roy stirred up a welter of memories. I first heard them as a junior in high school in 1955 when their Storyville LP was released. I was totally knocked out—the tunes were so offbeat and sophisticated; the arrangements were totally fresh; Roy's comping on the keyboard was superb; and their duo showed the accuracy of intonation and phrasing you'd find in the greatest classical string quartets. But It was Jackie's voice that really tore me up: those ballads—Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most, Listen Little Girl and, especially, Lazy Afternoon. After that album, I was a fan forever. Many thanks for reminding us of them."
Ada Lee. Last week, Jim Eigo of Jazz Promo Services sent along this clip of Ada Lee singing her 1961 single, Moanin'...
Harry South and Basil Kirchin. Last week, following my post on Britain's Harry South, I heard from Les Johnston in Australia:
"Hi Marc. It was most interesting to read about Harry South in today’s JazzWax. I left the U.K. for Australia in 1956, so I was only familiar with his earlier work. However, your mention of his work with Basil Kirchin brought back some great memories.
"I lived in Edinburgh, Scotland, and as a member of the Edinburgh Rhythm Club, I got the chance to meet with many musicians from British name bands when they played gigs in the city. I still stay in touch with a couple of these big band guys via email. I knew Basil and his Father, Ivor, very well from the time that the Ivor and Basil Kirchin Band made its debut in September 1951 at the Edinburgh Fountainbridge Palais, Edinburgh’s premier ballroom. The band was billed as the Biggest Little Band in the World. It had a big sound with four trumpets, four saxes and a rhythm section. No trombones! I lost
contact with the Kirchins when the Edinburgh residency came to an end in 1952 and the band moved a ballroom in Belfast, Northern
Ireland.
"Basil moved to Australia in 1959, and I briefly caught up with him again. But Australia was not a happy experience for him. Upon arrival, he
lost all his valuable arrangements and private recordings as well as both his and his wife’s possessions when a strap broke unloading
his property from the ship and everything dropped into the depths of the harbor. Disheartened, he returned to England in 1961.
"It is history now how he concentrated on experimental sounds and and worked with with the cream of British musicians. Several
top American vocalists, including Sarah Vaughn and Billy Eckstine, insisted on being backed by the Kirchin Band when they toured the
U.K. Billy Eckstine closed his performance at an English theatre by telling the audience,
'As most of you know, I once had a band of my own with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, but, I must tell you that I have been standing in the wings for every single show this week without missing one of their spots, and never in my life have I heard such a band. It is very difficult for me to believe that they are not American. Ladies and gentlemen, please, your applause for what I sincerely believe to be one of the great bands in the world today, to be ranked alongside Duke, Count and Dizzy. I give you the Kirchin Band.'
"Luckily someone has thought to upload 20 or so Kirchin band recordings to You Tube. You can hear then all here"...
Dawn of West Coast jazz. The photo above of Harry Babasin with the cello and Shorty Rogers (c. 1952) courtesy of Marshall Rogers' and Mia Rogers-Vanetek's Facebook pages. Looks like Shelly Manne on drums, possibly at the Trade Winds in Inglewood, Calif.
Ray Mantilla. Remember my post on Ray Mantilla's new album, High Voltage? Ray emailed to say he'll be at the Louis Armstrong Museum in Queens, N.Y., on Aug. 17 as part of Jazzmobile. The gig starts at 4 p.m. For more information, go here.
Steely Dan. On October 29, 2015, to mark the 50th anniversary of the installation of a master FM antenna on top of New York's Empire State Building, the iconic landmark put on a light show. The tower's color lighting system was programmed to bop to Steely Dan's FM (No Static at All), while New Yorker's watched and listened to the song on CBS FM radio. Here's how it looked from the air that night (open to fill your screen—it's a high-def video)...
Joe Fields, the owner of HighNote and Savant, two prominent jazz record labels, died on Wednesday, July 12. He was 88 years old.
In the late 1950s, he began selling records to music stores in Brooklyn. Then he was hired by London Records to pick singles for the U.S. market. He worked for MGM, Verve, Prestige and Sue Records before becoming the national sales manager at Buddha Records. While at Buddha, Joe started their jazz division—Cobblestone Records.
He started his own record label when he acquired Cobblestone from Buddha and renamed it Muse Records. Between 1973 and 1996, Muse recorded Pat Martino, Houston Person, Cedar Walton, Charlie Earland, Larry Coryell, Woody Shaw, and many others. The label won two Grammys.
During the mid 1980’s Joe acquired the Savoy and Landmark labels. In 1997, Joe, and his son Barney, launched HighNote and Savant Records.
Todd Barken and Keystone Korner. The top jazz club in San Francisco from 1972 to 1983 was Keystone Korner, owned by Todd Barkan, who also was the club's artistic director. Lou Judson hipped me to an article on the club and Todd's distinct taste in programming (go here). [Photo above of Todd Barkan and alto saxophonist Charles McPherson.
What the heck. Here's Cher and Tina Turner singing shirley & Company's Shame, Shame, Shame on Cher's TV show in 1975...
Oddball album cover of the week.
I'm not quite sure why someone would want to fall asleep to a 45, since you'd have to get up to turn off the phonograph within minutes. Even funnier is the last name of the bandleader. Right guy for the job.
from JazzWax http://ift.tt/2utjkO2
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