Warmin’ Up with Some Cool Tjader Tjazz

Tags

cal tjader, cloudy bright, drums, Fantasy Records, Frank Butler, Gerald Wiggins, stories, tap dancing

Ain’t no sunshine, JazzBabies, when it’s gone, and the sunshine has been gone this week more than we like in San Diego. Those of us who headed south to get out from under the pale gray “cloudy bright” skies of the Pacific Northwest are feelin’ the gloom.

Fortunately, it won’t last long.  She said.  In the meantime, we have cool jazz to warm us up and keep the gloom at bay.

Today’s post brings a happy confluence of drummer Frank Butler, pianist/composer Gerald Wiggins and one-time child tap-dancer, later jazz man, vibraphonist Callen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr.  Each of their stories could fill a book and taken together – well, JazzBabies, every story is a good one.

Cal Tjader is here with his early quartet on the tune “A Fifth for Frank,” which was written by Gerald Wiggins for drummer Frank Butler.  Tjader’s quartet at the time of the recording included – in addition to himself – Wiggins on piano, Eugene Wright on bass and Bill Douglass on drums. The album, Cal Tjader’s Quartet, was released by Fantasy in 1956.

Butler was a drummer who was not well known but praised highly among his fellow musicians including drummer Jo Jones who claimed Butler was “the greatest drummer in the world.”  High praise at a time when drummers like Buddy Rich were pounding the skins and creating their own storms.

Butler performed with many of the greats including Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Miles Davis and Art Pepper in the 50s and 60s but didn’t achieve the kind of public fame that others had.  It’s been said that there are many terrific writers and artists and musicians who toil in the vineyards, pay their dues, but just never become well-known.  In Butler’s case, he also struggled with addiction which never helps anybody.

Gerald Wiggins started his long and successful career in the 40s and continued into the 80s and 90s playing West Coast clubs when he was not touring.

Cal Tjader was born to a pair of vaudevillians and yes, true story, he became a young tap dancer who performed in the Bay Area as “Tjader Junior” before, many years later, becoming the terrific vibraphonist we know now.

Didn’t I tell you?  All stories are good stories.  And now for some good jazz.

Enjoy, JazzBabies, enjoy.

Ciao, JazzCookie

A Birthday, an Ocean and Good Jazz – The Best Is Right This Minute

Tags

"Doxy", birthday, cal tjader, Monterey Jazz Festival, Ocean Beach, San Diego, shells

Today is my birthday, JazzBabies and I’m happy to report that I’ve reached a notable age in, as one Brit said of himself at this age, “reasonably good nick.”  Amen to that.

In my family we celebrate birthdays for a week or a month as we navigate busy lives all around.  I’m getting ready for my “Colors of Jazz” art show, so I asked to hold off on celebrations for the moment.

Instead, I gave myself a party and went to the beach, Ocean Beach, here in sunny San Diego.  It was a spur of the moment thing, but some moments are just meant to be.  After a stop at the amazing shell shop on Newport Avenue to buy a new shell for my collection – and a beauty it is, too – I wandered back down the Ave to the water and found that the bench I love facing the sea was free, occupied only by a small speaker.

The owner smiled and I sat down.  Lo, he had loaded up the soundtrack for JazzCookie’s party with some great Latin jazz.  There’s nothing like good Latin jazz in the sun. By the sea. With the foamy white caps against the deep teal water.  Surfers. Small sailboats.  Kids. Old folks.  Sweethearts.

God was in her heaven and all was right with the world.  So thank you, Michael with the speaker and a taste for good jazz. Thank you to the shell shop.  Thank you, San Diego.

It was a great day for this notable birthday.

And as another gift to us all, I’m giving you my number one favorite jazz tune, one that harks back to my earliest days as a JazzCookie, Cal Tjader’s “Doxy.”  From the album Concert by the Sea.  Of course.  Live from the Monterey Jazz Festival.  I still have my original recording.

Ciao, JazzBabies, ciao…

JazzCookie

 

Caution: Great Jazz Ahead

Tags

Bill Evans, Black Hawk, Blossom Dearie, cal tjader, Charlie Byrd, John Coltrane, Kalman Olah, Pat O'Brien's, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Quarternote, rodgers and hammerstein, Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, Susannah McCorkle

You’ve been warned!

Welcome, JazzBabies, to the Quarternote, a quiet little club on the edge of downtown with no television sets, no newscasts of any kind and no newspapers delivered to our door. We can’t stay here forever, but for the next hour or so, we can take a break from the cacophony that’s passed for intelligent discussion these recent days to enjoy the quiet and the music. That’s all we’ve got here at the Q.

Cell phones and laptops will be checked at the door, so if you want to record the moment, bring a sketchpad and pen. And if you have a claim to fame, please leave it at the door, too. We’re here to listen to the tunes.  Thank you.

 

My late night winding down routine includes listening to a few favorite jazz artists before I hit the pillow. My selections vary from night to night, but some are more frequent than others.  Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Susannah McCorkle and Charlie Byrd, for instance, are among my go-to musicians for music that will wash away the cares of the day and any loud, angry voices as well.

Listening to Charlie Byrd this week, I came across this first tune which instantly reminded me why I love jazz. And art. And creative people who think and color and play way outside the box and can improvise with grace and ease. The ones who know, as John Steinbeck once wrote, that “Everything is part of everything else.” In this case, some of the coolest jazz I can imagine is part of Frederick Chopin’s classical brilliance when Charlie Byrd interprets Chopin’s “Prelude in E Minor, Opus 28, No. 4” as “Freddie’s Tune.” And he does it with a bossa nova beat.  I think Freddie would smile and this so much better than the news! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pItnKO3nUpc

You probably know by now that my little mind often takes hold of a thread and wants to follow it a little farther, so yes, I did see what else I could find in the “jazz meets classical” vein. And I found this next tune, among others, that caught my ear as worthy of the JazzBabies.   Kálmán Oláh is a noted Hungarian jazz pianist who’s won a lot of awards including the 2006 Grand Prize in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition. He’s another musician fearless about crossing the musical lines. Like me, he has gypsy blood (he likely has more than I do, but if you’ve got it, you’ve got it) and Jack deJohnette, who recorded with him, suggested this might be a reason why Oláh swings so authentically, “soulful and sophisticated.” In 2001, Oláh teamed with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra to record Bach’s Goldberg Variations with further variations and improvisations thanks to Oláh’s musical genius – and, might I add, playfulness. This was recorded for the Good label from South Korea but it’s better than good, it’s great! We’ll hear more of this talent, JazzBabies and others who’ve put musical 2 and 2 together and come up with something wonderful . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCQ01pNaAVo

Onward with good things to hear today. Our tour guide for the next stop is the one, the only, the amazing jazz soubrette, Blossom Dearie, as she takes on a Rodgers and Hammerstein hit from their 1947 musical, Allegro. Dearie is known not only for her inimitable voice but also for her stylish jazz piano chops. She puts it all together here in her own spirited way with “The Gentleman is a Dope.” (No offense intended to any gentlemen friends reading this. I think fondly of you all.) It’s from her 1960 Verve album, Soubrette Sings Broadway Hit Songs. The orchestra is conducted by arranger Russell Garcia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOA2VKKUwT8

Cal Tjader is in my personal jazz hall of fame. I was impressed early on with my blue vinyl Fantasy LP and then totally blown away when I went to see him live at the Black Hawk in old San Francisco. I say old, because SF was a different city back then. It’s really impossible to describe it to anyone who wasn’t there. But it was an amazing place for jazz and cool. Oh, the stories I could tell…Our memories keep us warm on cold winter nights. We can’t kid ourselves that the world will return to those days but it doesn’t mean we don’t miss them. So we’re grateful to have the recordings and to applaud the new cats coming into view. For old times’ sake, here’s Cal Tjader live at the Monterey Jazz Festival back in the day with “We’ll Be Together Again,” a tune written by Carl Fischer and Frankie Laine. In addition to Cal on vibes, you’ll hear Lonnie Hewitt on piano, Willie Bobo on percussion and drums, Mongo Santamaria on percussion, Al McKibbon on bass and an outstanding young Paul Horn on flute. Sweet.  Yes, from my blue vinyl LP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fQLkDmOVf4

Now, if you need to really perk up your spirits, you can always take a trip south to New Orleans, which is not like any city in the world, let alone any southern city. A trip to New Orleans is a trip to a continental world of jazz. And here to take us out, to get us up and marching around the breakfast table, or around the block or, what the hell, through the city of your choice is the legendary Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Be sure to stop at Pat O’Brien’s for a hurricane in a tall glass as you go by.  And possibly a chorus of “Rocky Top,” which I remember hearing at least a dozen time one night.   “Ice Cream,” on the other hand, is a jazz standard that dates back to 1927. You can sing along to this one, and I hope you do! Everybody, all together now, from the top… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J5hZblkxck

Keep the jazz faith, JazzBabies…the music will see us through the rest.  And remember, you’re always welcome at the Quarternote. We never close.

Ciao,

JazzCookie

 

Wishing You a Sparkling Fourth of Jazzy July

Tags

Barcalounger, Bob Crosby and the Bobcats, cal tjader, Eddie Heywood, Four Aces, Fourth of July, Frank Sinatra, Gene Ammons, John Philip Sousa, Jonah Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Tom Jobim, Yogi Berra

 

Friends, Romans, Countrymen…oops, wrong channel.

JazzBabies!  Here we are midway through 2016 and celebrating the Good Old U.S. of A. this weekend.  Heaven knows there are a lot of ways to do that, most of them good, so I imagine you’ll be celebrating one good way or another over the next couple of days.

I’m staying close to home, watching movies, working on the art, listening to jazz, and otherwise doing not much at all. But I remember the days when I was out there for Fourth of July with all the other young things in my shorts and halter tops at one lake or river or another.  Now I wouldn’t be caught in shorts and halter tops anywhere outside my front door. Dogs howl and little children cry.

Things change. Indeed, they do.

Since I don’t know, and couldn’t find any really good Fourth of July songs with a jazz beat, I’ve collected others this time to reflect the kinds of things JazzBabies might do for fun on the Fourth.  If you’re staying home watching TV in your Barcalounger, sorry, I don’t have a tune for that.

What I do have is a Vintage cut by Bob Crosby and the Bobcats to kick things off and get us in the mood for parades and parties. This comes from a little 7” Coral EP (extended play) recording, Sousa Goes Dixieland, made back in 1950.  JazzBabies, some of you are perhaps too young to remember these little 45 rpm “albums” but they were cool in their day. Bob was, of course, Bing’s brother, both of them born in Spokane, Washington.  Their musical careers went different directions, but wow, what a talented family.  Get ready to march around the Breakfast Table, JazzBabies, to the “Washington Post March.”  We love a parade!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XODsGSHherI

Okay, that’s out of our systems, and we can settle into some quieter Fourth of July fun.  I vote for a picnic.  I’ll bring the fried chicken if you take care of the potato salad.  Here’s the “Theme from Picnic” (the movie), with Jonah Jones, first recorded on his 1961 Capitol album, Great Instrumental Hits Styled by Jonah Jones. Jones was a trumpeter with a lot of musical cred, but was often seen in the shadow of Louis Armstrong.  He was known in some quarters as “King Louis II.”  However, his jazzy take on the Broadway hit, “On the Street Where You Live,” boosted him out of the crowd and the rest is history.  Here he is with John Brown on bass, George Foster on drums, Teddy Brannon on piano.  Perfect for a picnic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdd8jb6w8Nc

Gene Ammons is here, too, with his tenor sax to make sure the weather’s fine with Eddie Heywood’s “Soft Summer Breeze.” This one’s from Ammons’ 1961 Boss Soul! album on Prestige. Ammons had a great career that might have been greater, but he got sidetracked with drugs and then died young – at 49 – from cancer.  Nevertheless, he recorded nearly fifty albums and that’s saying something good. He’s joined by Patti Brown on piano, George Duvivier on drums, and Ray Barreto on congas. Settle back and enjoy the breeze. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRSXuBDpUKQ

I’m sure a lot of you JazzBabies will be headed for one body of water or another where you can swim, splash or just sit and watch the waves – big waves, small waves, any kind will do.  While you have fun in the sun, we’ve got the Chairman of the Board to sing the lovely lyrics of Tom Jobim’s bossa nova classic, titled simply “Wave.”  Sinatra recorded this on his 1970 Sinatra and Company album.  When I was listening and heard that deep e-flat, I thought, dear God that must be the lowest note Sinatra ever sang.  And sure enough, it was.  Listen for it while you look at the pretty pictures.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dohMsVG3toU

Who are we kidding about the fine weather and the picnics and sitting by the beach.  When it comes to summertime, JazzBabies, anything can happen.  Sarah Vaughan reminds us with her fine take on “Garden in the Rain.”  This song has a history with a lesson. It was written by Carroll Gibbons and James Dyrenforth in 1928 and became a hit at the time.  Then it fell by the way and was more or less forgotten until about 1952 when the Four Aces recorded it for Decca. “Garden in the Rain” is not quite a jazz standard, but its story is a great reminder that Yogi Berra was right…”it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”  Sarah Vaughan included it on several albums.  This one’s for you, and it has a happy ending.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eaqa-NobZPQ

I’ll close with a tune for those of you who might spend your Fourth of July hiking in some lovely place – the Grand Canyon, the Cascade mountains, a New England forest or some other locale that suits your fancy.  Okay, this is not exactly about hiking, but you could cover some ground if you stick with the beat, JazzBabies.  And if you’d rather just sit and watch the waves, that’s okay too because this is from Cal Tjader’s wonderful Concert by the Sea album.  I’ve still got my original vinyl copy.  It’s blue.  Have I already mentioned that?  This tune was written by Lonnie Hewitt and he’s on piano here with Willie Bobo on drums and timbales, Mongo Santamaria on bongos and Paul Horn on that sweet sweet flute. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tP1fi7VmAEo

And so we come to the end of the holiday weekend, JazzBabies.  I’ll leave it to you to add the fireworks. And if you want to sing a chorus of “America, the Beautiful,” don’t be shy. We may not be perfect, but all things considered, we’re still darned good.  Three cheers for the red, white and blue!

Ciao,

JazzCookie

 

 

Personally Yours, JazzCookie

Tags

Abbey Lincoln, Antonio Carlos (Tom) Jobim, Bill Evans, Boyd Small, cal tjader, personals ads, Philly Joe Jones, samba, Stan Getz, Wes Montgomery

There was a time when several of my friends were going the route of old-fashioned Personals ads in search of love.  This was before all the online manifestations of the Personals.  Some of my friends did find love through the Personals and have lived more or less happily ever after and I’m happy for them all.  I tried it exactly once but was in the middle of writing my jazz novel at the time and had to tell the one guy I ended up meeting (out of several who responded that I scrapped without a second thought) that I really couldn’t get serious about dating until I finished the novel.  He asked me how long that might be and when I told him it might be a year, he gave up.  After I finished it, I thought I should perhaps give him a call, but by then I was in another part of the country, and I’m pretty sure he had not been sitting by the phone waiting.

I believe a Personals ad should clearly state what a person is looking for and maybe lead to someone you really want to know.  If I had my life to live over, mine would be simple.  No walks on the beach or sunsets or quiet dinners for me.  Next time I’d just write, “Must be able to hum, sing, tap out or otherwise render the first four bars of ‘Doxie.’ ”   I didn’t do that before and don’t plan to do it now, but some markers for compatibility are better than others.  For my money, “Doxie” is a perfectly great one, and here’s Cal Tjader with my favorite version of it.  From his Concert by the Sea album pressed in blue vinyl by Fantasy, still in my record collection.  Cal with Mongo Santamaria on percussion, Paul Horn on alto sax and flute, Al McKibbon on bass, Lonnie Hewitt at the piano, and Cal, of course, on the vibes.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-jsrWHk7Aw

Here in San Diego, it feels more or less like spring all year round.  But for my friends elsewhere who have only in the last week or so really felt the pleasures of spring – the birds, the flowers, the lawnmowing – here’s a little tune written by Freddie Hubbard and performed by jazz vocalist extraordinaire Abbey Lincoln and Mr. Stan Getz, with his extraordinary saxophone. The tune is, “Up Jumped Spring,” from their 1991 album, You Gotta Pay the Band.  This was the only time Lincoln and Getz got together, a few months before Getz passed away, and it’s a winner.  Getz and Lincoln are joined here by Hank Jones on piano, Charlie Haden on bass and Mark Johnson on drums.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_vK0_5QOTc

This next number may or may not be a bootleg video – one never knows and I’ve had more than one bootleg recording in my time (no, none of the Bob Dylan tapes).  What we have here is guitar god Wes Montgomery recorded live in Holland with a group of young Dutch jazz cats.  Holland is a mecca for musicians and at least one blues man from Oregon I interviewed years ago, Boyd Small, has made a name for himself there.  Playing here with Wes on the tuneful “Blues in F” are Pim Jacobs on piano, his brother Ruud on bass and Han Bennink on drums.  Mighty fine music, JazzBabies, and these guys are clearly having fun. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp_H9FYZy4E&list=RDDp_H9FYZy4E

Let us now take a stroll with Mr. Bill Evans down Green Dolphin Street.  This tune was the theme for the 1947 movie of the same name, a lovely name I’ve always thought.  And the tune is one of the best jazz standards going.  The movie had an all-star cast headed by Lana Turner but the story sounds a little like what we’d call a bodice ripper now. Be that as it may, the music is anything but trite.  This recording is especially fine with a knock-out drum solo by Philly Joe Jones that comes about six minutes in.  Paul Chambers does his usual fine work on bass and Bill Evans…well, you know how I feel about Bill.  I’ll bet he knew the first four bars of “Doxie.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wwxaJ80nCg

To wrap things up, JazzBabies, I’ve invited Tom Jobim to drop by with some Brazilian warmth and sunshine for you.  “Só Danço Samba” is one of Jobim’s most familiar tunes and one of the first to hit America back in the early sixties.  The song, of course, praises the samba, which is the official dance of Brazil.  Okay, maybe it’s not official, but unofficially, the samba takes every prize in Rio.  “I only dance the samba…go, go, go, go, go…”  Your turn, JazzBabies…On your feet to dance a little samba.  Shake, shake, shake.  Better for the figure than Pilates and Hot Yoga!  I’m not positive, but I could swear that’s Stan Getz on the sax.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVk-9LmaM8c

And that’s it for this time, JazzBabies.  If you’re looking for love, try all the right places and write your Personals ad from the heart.  Love could be just around the corner, any cozy little corner…

Ciao,

JazzCookie

Close Your Eyes…It’s Such A Lovely Way To Be…

Tags

Billie Holiday, Blackhawk, cal tjader, Chet Baker, Claudette Colbert, Jeannie Cheatham, Karrin Allyson, Max Miller, Ocean Beach, Oscar Peterson, Paul Desmond, Roberto Menescal, Sweet Baby Blues Band, Tom Jobim

Ocean Beach, San Diego
March 29, 2015

Spring break at the beach! JazzBabies, I left a place in the desert that was about as dour as it gets and am now in the middle of a freakingly happy circus in the sun…People here speak my language – Jazz – on a daily basis. And nobody I’ve met here thinks Jazz is the name of a basketball team.

Hooray and hallelujah!

The second night here, my daughter and I had dinner with Jeannie Cheatham, a remarkable jazz and blues force to be reckoned with, now in her mid-80s and going as strong as ever. Jeannie and her late husband Jimmie Cheatham were the heart and soul of the Sweet Baby Blues Band, and Jeannie penned their award-winning autobiography, Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On. Dinner and conversation – with a lot of laughs – were a great welcome to this beautiful city by the sea. Much has been written about the Cheathams and their music. Here’s one recent article you might enjoy. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/19/jeannie-cheatham-returns/

And here’s a ripping performance from about 1993: the Sweet Baby Blues Band with Jimmy on trombone and Jeannie on keyboard and vocal, “Roll ‘Em, Pete.” Hang onto your seat, JazzBabies. This live performance will have you jumpin’! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfZMEOdVPWs

Now onward to the concert by the sea I promised last time. Actually, it’s more like a tribute to the big blue ocean a mile or so from my front door.

The world of jazz tells of many things and one of them is deep water. I ran onto this great collaboration between Paul Desmond and Chet Baker from the 1970s with Kenny Barron on piano and Tony Williams on drums. Chet not only gives us his trumpet but also does a nice vocal turn in his quiet, unobtrusive voice on Irving Berlin’s fine, “How Deep is the Ocean.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNb-2XISoGY

Mr. Max Miller, a writer for the San Diego Sun back in the mid-1920s wrote a book of snippets and short essays – observations – about life on the water here. The book later became a movie with Claudette Colbert and a song was born by the same title as book and movie. You’ll know this one. I once wrote that Billie put a spin on this song that makes you want to head for the nearest dock, even in a place where there’s damned little water, let alone a waterfront to cover. I’d write the same thing today. Give it up for the Lady herself. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rdy_IUnKTQ

I may be a little biased about the blue Pacific, but I’m willing to give time to other oceans and lovely beaches.  Tom Jobim wrote this lovely song about the beaches of Rio on the also usually blue Atlantic (when it’s not gray and frigid). Oscar Peterson recorded Jobim’s tune live in Italy in 1985 and here we have it, “Wave,” with Joe Pass on guitar and Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass. I’m guessing Niels-Henning may have spent more time on Danish beaches, but one never knows and a beach is a beach is a beach. You are the JazzBabies and will know how to enjoy this terrific music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUuB4UYe8nM

Callen Radcliffe Tjader was a man who loved the warm sounds associated with a warm sea and Latin music and recorded many a great tune on or near the California coast. For years, he and his group were a fixture at The Blackhawk in San Francisco. If you’ve spent any time in that city by the bay, you’ll relate to this lovely tune recorded for his “Tjader Plugs In” album in 1969. Cal Tjader on vibes here with what coastal Californians recognize as “Morning Mist.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxziXVYtDcs&list=PL-nY25lcDjUaONXd4s5d5J8WZ_KvyvqDu

Finally, JazzBabies, I bring you one of the bounciest bossa nova tunes I know. I have a great recording by Portland jazz vocalist, Nancy Curtin, but it’s not up on youtube yet, so we’ll go with Karrin Allyson (don’t say Karen!) from her 1999 album, “From Paris to Rio.” Karrin brings us this lively tune by Brazilian composer Roberto Menescal. I found my way to the beach here today and thought of this song as I watched the happy people and the little boats on the blue water. “O Barquinho” (My Little Boat). This one is what I’m talkin’ about… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRoRiCLve_c

That’s it for today, JazzBabies… grab your towels and sunscreen and head for the water. If you live in the chilly north, close your eyes and dream. Life’s good!

Ciao,

JazzCookie

Life Is Just a Super Bowl of Cherries

Tags

Bill Evans, cal tjader, Chet Baker, Depression era, Doris Day, ella fitzgerald, I Should Care, Life Is Just a Bowl of Cherries, Mark Lichtenthaler, michel legrand, Pat Metheny, Seattle Seahawks, Super Bowl

February is already here, JazzBabies, and Monday, the 2^nd is, of course, Ground Hog Day. We’ll know whether we’re in for more winter or an early spring. For the Seattle Seahawks who just minutes ago blew the Super Bowl, it’ll likely feel like winter for the next several weeks no matter what old Punxsutawney Phil has to say. I’m not a football fan, but the Seahawks come from my part of the country, so there was nothing to do but track the game and the score right down to that final minute.

Congratulations to any of you who might be Patriots fans. All we can say is “Wait till next year.” And let’s get on with the music.

If you’ll forgive me, I’ll start with a recording for any Seattle fans who might be in the audience. This one is Chet Baker with the German NDR band from the 1980s album “Legacy, Volume 1” on a tune by Jimmy van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was written in 1953 and introduced in a Broadway musical with the unlikely title, “Carnival in Flanders.” Chet was on top of his game when he recorded this one.  For all you Seattleites: “Here’s That Rainy Day.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evtyn4FvnxM&list=RDEvtyn4FvnxM#t=0

I found this next recording more or less by accident and was taken by it right away. It’s a live performance by Ella in Brussels back in 1957. Ella’s always great, but what caught me in this one was the younger Ella looking just a tiny bit shy, adjusting her dress, not quite the confident singer that we saw in the later years claiming the stage. I caught one of her last concerts at the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival in Oregon in 1987, and it was a knockout. Her voice is breathtakingly beautiful in this early recording of a great arrangement of “Angel Eyes,” by Matt Dennis. Ella recorded it a number of times and is said to have named it her favorite song. She’s here with Ray Brown on bass, Herb Ellis on guitar, Jo Jones on drums and Don Abney on piano. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmrRwX2jmFU

When I lived in Corvallis, Oregon, doing my grad work and writing a jazz novel, the guy who cut my hair was also one of my favorite jazz guitarists by the name of Mark Lichtenthaler. I don’t have any of Mark’s recordings, but whenever I walked into the place where his trio usually played, he’d strike up “I Could Write a Book.” When I’d walk into his salon for my appointment, however, Mark would almost always be listening to and playing along with this tune. I got to know it pretty well. Be sure to read the comment on the page from the guy who walked into Tower Records in New York and tried to hum it for the clerk because he liked it and didn’t know the name. Imagine trying to hum along with Pat Metheny on “James.” Go ahead and try. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn5Nri-HMnE&list=PL750uPnj8ciCWFTf76F3t_XKD9c2AluK8

I’ve included this next tune before, but this time I found a recording of it by Cal Tjader who has long been one of my favorites. “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” by Michel Legrand has become a beautiful jazz standard, and I like Tjader’s interpretation of it here from the 1978 album, “Tjader.” In some circles, he’s credited with almost single-handedly saving the Monterey Jazz Festival when he and his band opened the second festival in 1959 with a dynamite “preview concert.” The story goes that there was a time crunch, so Tjader invited other musicians to come up and join his group on stage, and it turned into one hell of a jam. The crowd loved it and the rest is history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXKW6gnwkrkv

I have a lot of Bill Evans albums and CDs and one of my favorites is his “Bill Evans at Town Hall, Volume 1.” I was playing it this morning while I washed the dishes and, man, it was like having him in the living room playing while I worked in the kitchen. Some people might like to whistle while they work, but I’ll take Bill Evans at the piano any day of the week. “I Should Care” is a great tune that goes back to 1944, written by Alex Stordahl, Sammy Cahn and Paul Weston. For some reason the recording takes a few seconds to get started, so be patient. It’s worth every second of the wait. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbTh4neI1J4&list=PLT7plFTTc7GjK7wsNrdknT91Z2_Mz-xwz

I’ll wrap up tonight with a song by Doris Day who was considered by many to be America’s sweetheart long before Julia Roberts or other contemporaries came on the scene. This recording is from 1957. The football season may have ended tonight in a big bowl of money, but JazzBabies, life itself is just a bowl of cherries. It’s a Depression era song with a great philosophy. The good things in life to us were just loaned, so how can we lose what we’ve never owned? And with the best jazz line-ups, we win every time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0O9GkKg1E4

Stay warm, stay cool, and stay with the music. It never lets you down.

Ciao,

JazzCookie

 

 

The West Coast Sound – Jazz in the Sun

Tags

beach Boys, Bill Evans, cal tjader, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck, George's Corner, Gerry Mulligan, Mamas and the Papas, Ray Charles, St. George Utah, West Coast Jazz

Sometimes a person can dance around a decision for days or weeks – or longer – and then out of the blue the answer appears and you know without question that the answer is right. It’s a great feeling.

This happened to me just this week, and the decision is “California.” Now if this were a Jeopardy game, you might ask a question like “Where is San Juan Capistrano?” or “Where is Napa Valley?” or something similar. As the JazzCookie, I might ask “Where is the home of some of the coolest jazz on the planet?”

My time here in Utah is now finite with a definite end point, and my direction will be southern California and the blue Pacific – and all that cool jazz.

I did promise a report on live jazz in St. George last week and the report is good. The location was an upscale eatery as things go in St. George, brightly lit and not exactly the kind of cozy little club most of us prefer for live jazz. But the group, West Coast Jazz, a quintet that plays a regular gig at George’s Corner, was a good listen. Unfortunately not enough of us were there to listen and the crowd noise overwhelmed the music at times. I hope George’s Corner might do things a little differently in the future to encourage the patrons to give the guys in West Coast Jazz a lot more respect than they were getting Saturday night. Dimming the lights would be a good start.

WCJ is led by Carlyle Potter, the bassist, and includes the senior member of the group, keyboardist Jay S. Christensen who is in his 70s and has been playing for more than 60 years. Other members of the group are young and talented Derek Thomas, trumpet; Scott Dalton, saxophones (he had an entire wardrobe of them and played them all with savoir faire) and last, but never least, drummer Shawn Owens who has a well-deserved straight-A reputation among other musicians in the area.

The WCJ group has not done much recording and I can’t give you a sample of their work yet, but they’re worth a visit to George’s Corner if you’re in the general area or headed that way.

Now, back to California and a few tunes that almost make me feel I’m there …

A couple of artists who made the West Coast scene what it was and is over the years were Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan. Here they are on their 1957 recording of “Ornithology.” Don’t be fooled that this was recorded in New York. This is pure West Coast sound: Chet, Gerry, Henry Grimes on bass and Dave Bailey on drums.   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx13mminnsk

I saw Cal Tjader at the Blackhawk in San Francisco when I was barely old enough to get in the door, but get in I did for a solid evening of West Coast jazz with Cal and his gang. This next tune, “This Is Always,” is a great example of Tjader’s accomplished blend of Latin music with jazz. You can almost feel the tropical southern California warmth in the music. I can’t wait. Personnel here in addition to Tjader on vibes include Roger Glenn (flute, percussion); Mark Levine (piano); Mundell Lowe (guitar); Rob Fisher (bass); Vince Lateano (drums, percussion); Poncho Sanchez (congas, percussion). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHWoFw-n2JA

Ray Charles may have been a Georgian by birth, but he spent plenty of years on the west coast in Los Angeles and Seattle while he was working on his chops. I know this is not pure jazz, but who doesn’t like a little Ray Charles now and then? Especially when he sings about California… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edlhzdm6jiA

Dave Brubeck was a California musician through and through from his early days as a kid on a ranch who was not allowed to listen to the radio (because his mother thought he should listen only to music he played himself) to his days as a young adult tearing up the jazz scene with his own compositions. It’s hard to choose one out of the many, but this one, “Three to Get Ready,” is a great showcase for the quartet: Dave Brubeck, piano; Paul Desmond, alto saxophone; Eugene Wright, bass; and Joe Morello, drums.  It’s from the 1959 “Time Out” album which included some of the unique time signatures for which Brubeck became known and with which the West Coast sound itself is often identified. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU7uaiMaLds

I’ll make any excuse to play something by Bill Evans, and as I was thinking about the future today, Bill came to mind with his haunting interpretation of “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life.” The first time I heard it, I was sure it must be from a movie and when I checked, it was indeed. The tune was written by Michel LeGrand with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman for the 1969 movie, “The Happy Ending,” and was nominated for an Academy Award. For my money, nobody plays it like Bill. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeFTuW6stE8

One of the loveliest tributes to California to ever make the charts is not jazz, but it is beautiful and it’s a genuine product of that sunny place. “The Warmth of the Sun,” by the Beach Boys also has a story that’s hard to forget. Brian Wilson and Mike Love started writing the song the morning of JFK’s assassination. After they heard the news, they went on to complete the song, but it had taken a different turn by then. The tune, often considered the Beach Boys’ finest ballad, became a song about loss, according to Love, but with an upbeat ending – a memory that lingers like the warmth of the sun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_TcWUslfvE Forget the rain and the chilly weather. Bask in that warmth for a few minutes. It’ll do ya good.

Finally, how could we talk about California music without that icon of California tunes? You know the one and you know who recorded it and you know all the words. Let the dreams begin. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhZULM69DIw

Stay warm, wherever you are, JazzBabies…

Ciao,

JazzCookie

No Shirt, No shoes, No Problem…

Tags

"Doxy", "Lazy Afternoon", "Popsicle Toes", "Surfer Girl", "Too Darn Hot", beach Boys, cal tjader, cole porter, Diana Krall, Jr., Michael Franks, Pat Suzuki, Sammy Davis, summer

Hurricanes, heat waves, summer in the city,  on the beaches, and here in red rock country, too. I don’t know how it is in your neighborhood but we’re hitting numbers over 100 every day here among the beautiful red rock desert where I’m now encamped. Oddly enough (or not) I, a girl of the great and wet northwest, am loving this heat. It’s dry, so the humidity has not taken me down, and the air conditioning works when I need it.

But enough about me – it’s the music of summer I want to write about today. I’ve covered some of my favorites here in the past: Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Summer in the City,” Eddie Heywood’s wonderful “Soft Summer Breeze,” “The Theme from Picnic,” and Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochie,” for instance.

I’m on a different beat today, trying to stay cool as I relish the days we dream about through the long cold winters. Our fathers were right – “You’ll wish you had some snow to shovel when it’s too hot to move next summer.” (And when we do have some snow to shovel, we wish for the heat. We humans are complex creatures. Be grateful we’re so darned cute, too.)

But I digress. I’ve gathered a few tunes for the day that might cool you off if you’re hot, cheer you up if you’re blue, take you back in time if you’re feeling old, get you moving if you’re tired of watching golf on TV, or give you an excuse if your libido has taken a vacation. I hope you enjoy them all.

First up is Michael Franks’ delightful “Popsicle Toes” sung here by one of our stellar contemporary jazz vocalists, Diana Krall, a cool Canadian cookie. Of course, this is not actually a song about summer, but popsicles are definitely about summer. I have them in my freezer as I write. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq8mBxeeUXQ

There are times to get cozy and times to head for a cold shower. Sammy Davis, Jr. lays it all out for you here with his upbeat and swingy take on “Too Darned Hot,” which was a hit number in Cole Porter’s “Kiss Me, Kate,” a wildly successful musical version of Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” I recall a hot dance number by Ann Miller in the 1953 movie version. Grab something icy and listen to Sammy do his thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsLZayteujY

Another Broadway link here with the lovely, “Lazy Afternoon” – and isn’t every summer afternoon a little bit lazy? – by Miss Ponytail, Pat Suzuki. Suzuki is not known as a jazz vocalist, but after starring in “Flower Drum Song,” she turned out some nice albums of the standards and one of them includes this tune – definitely a summer song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1cC9EfjE_Q

Okay, this next tune is not quite a jazz number, but how could I resist including the Beach Boys in a summer set?   This one features the boys before they became the aging Beach Men. Life happens and we all get older, but we were not always that way. So loosen your middle-aged stays and remember when the moon was new and love was, too, as the Boys sing their first love song, “Surfer Girl.” The swoons and loud sighs of the teeny-boppers in the crowd are part of the fun.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYZQ7Im3MXQ&list=AL94UKMTqg-9B1rxypw7BXKkE_LaSYaoH8

I’ve got to get myself another glass of something cool, so will wrap up today’s set with a number that was recorded several years ago at one of the Monterey Jazz Festivals and is one of my all-time favorite tunes, “Doxy,” done by Cal Tjader with Mongo Santamaria on drums. If I ever write a Personals ad it will say: “Must know the first eight bars of Doxy.”

The vibraphone always sounds cool to me, like ice tinkling or cold water rushing over rocks. Also, another hot summer — oh long before you were born — I spent time in San Francisco and heard Cal Tjader live at the Blackhawk which was his home base for a while. The music was hot, the drinks were cold and cheap, it was summer, we were young and the world was just waiting for us.  Sigh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4mhOhmgG4A

Ciao, Jazz Babies. Stay cool…

A Story With Every Tune

Tags

bix beiderbecke, bob james, buddy rich, cal tjader, duke ellington, ella fitzgerald, harry james, les and larry elgart, richard elliott

Public Domain

It’s a rainy day, a Saturday matinee day and between DVDs, I’m thinking about a few of the jazz tunes I particularly like for one reason or another. 

 I once thought about writing a personals ad that included something like must be able to hum the first 4 bars of “Doxy,” a great Sonny Rollins tune.  I didn’t write the ad, but the thought still holds.  Here’s Cal Tjader on one of my favorite albums, recorded live at the Monterey Jazz Festival, his “Concerts by the Sea.” Rumor has it that the day was running long and there were still musicians who hadn’t been able to take the stage, so Tjader invited them all to sit in.  What a great jam.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfqbngbH0O0 

 Back in 1992, I was working with a bridge engineer who turned from cable stays and spans when he learned about my love for jazz.  He recommended a young Scots saxophone player by the name of Richard Elliott.  He also told me that on the night the first Gulf War started, Elliott was playing a gig in Canada and was so moved and saddened by the news that the war had started, he didn’t want to open with the scheduled number.  He took the stage instead and played this one. I get weepy every time I hear it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMV4wM5rhhI   

 I grew up in a House o’ Jazz, if you will, with parents who loved the music.  This was one of their favorite songs and this is one of my favorite versions – Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington are beginning to see the light.  Ella does some fine improvisation here – not scatting as she so often does, just great improv. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEyOP_btnJ8 

 Live from Vienna, here’s a tune that starts slow and low and as stately as one would expect with a name like “Palladium Party,” and then all hell breaks loose – Harry James and Buddy Rich could make that happen. It might start slow and low, but it does not stay that way for long.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcZL0xII0uE 

 My taste in jazz ranges from Dixieland to the coolest west coast numbers and from big band swing to Bill Evans trios.  One of my first hi-fi albums was “Sound Ideas” with Les and Larry Elgart.  And of course, I love the message in this particular tune.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8oGh2jCaBI    

 My first jazz dancing happened on the hardwood floor of my parents’ living room in a little town in Idaho.  I tapped and shuffled and step-ball-changed my little heart out to the rhythm of the “Jazz Me Blues.”  Loved it then, love it now.  Here it is in one of its original renditions, played by Bix Beiderbecke and “his gang” with Bix on cornet.  Nobody’s looking – go ahead and dance!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uXFXwt8gQs

 I’ll wrap up with something completely different, one of my favorite jazz dudes  of the 1970s.  I have a friend who heard this guy play back in the 60s, just starting out at a little club in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  The title of the tune is “Angela,” but I’m gonna bet you’ll recognize it as something else. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DL8SGEyhZE

 Ciao, Jazz Babies…