Music Monday - Jazz at the Philharmonic 1956

For those of you who are unmoved by this illustrated program magazine cover, you have my deepest sympathies. You should get out more. For those of you who recognize this as the program cover of the Jazz at the Philharmonic tour of 1956, you have my admiration. You are indeed a fan. It is now fifty-three (53) years old. For those of you who recognize that the cover illustration is by the fine artist David Stone Martin, I congratulate you. You are an aficionado. For a fine retrospective of his artwork and a studied review of his life look at this Flickr set. For those of you who don’t appreciate what a flea market find this was, take a look at THIS COPY which includes autographs. Of course this copy is without autographs but still holds well in the $75 range. The same artwork was used in the "World" tour of 1958. No, you don't have one of these.

The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Music Monday - John Pizzarelli

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

This is John Pizzarelli jamming after hours during the 2002 Jazz Festival in Ottawa. It's after the show. He's just one of the guys. A fine musician.

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Alison Young and the moment.

Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Never throw away any picture. We are all we have. The camera tried hard to get a shot for me but the lighting and the inept operator gave only this marginal result. The shutter was open too long and Alison Young moved. That’s okay. The memory of listening to her play live comes back just as well with this shot as with any other. As my wife and others will attest, when I hear a really talented musician or a really wonderful performance, I tend to weep. Yes, I know. As I sat in the dark at an after-hours jam session during an Ottawa Jazz Festival, I was often a bit misty eyed. Talented musicians, relaxed before a small audience, played as they felt, often only for their own appreciation. Good stuff. One such night, a young fellow played an alto sax solo backed with rhythm and piano. His technique was good, polished; his chorus was fresh and welcome. Then as he finished, he unhooked the alto from its neck strap and handed it to a red-haired girl standing just out of the spotlight. After a couple hearty solo piano choruses, 19 year old Alison Young stepped into the light and began to play that same alto sax. And tears came instantly to my eyes. Yes, I was impressed. It was the same saxophone but nothing else was the same. Her tone and range set her apart. Her attack and enthusiasm made it fascinating. Most of all, her inventiveness kept the listener sitting up straight. I’ll never forget it. When she finished we all realized we had been holding our collective audience breath. Every moment of our lives has that possibility to connect with someone. Each moment has that ability to be an important moment in someone’s life. Perhaps as a race we are losing that capability to empathize with our fellow humans. We have become protectorates, isolationists in our own being. We fear or loath connection so much that we avoid sharing any of ourselves. We only perceive the surface of others, not the warmth within. A child knows how. A child has the ability to freely observe moments from everything, collecting, mimicking and blending. But just like the fairy tales and goblins, this talent fades away as adulthood comes jack booting down the life path. We can rail on about conservation and brotherly love. We can preach about faith and hope and charity. We can be reliable or lie and make work or leisure for ourselves. We can vote and debate and scoff and complain. But in the final analysis: we are all we have. Never throw away any moment. We are all we have.

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Artie Shaw

Today in 2004 we lost Artie Shaw. He was 94. He was unique. Quote from article by Nat Hentoff in Jazztimes: What I admired about Shaw was that he exemplified what Ben Webster once told me when I was still in Boston: “If the rhythm section isn’t making it, go for yourself.” Artie Shaw refused to let himself be limited, even by success. When he first quit the music scene in 1939, walking off the bandstand at the Café Rouge of the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York, he said later: “I wanted to resign from the planet, not just music. It stopped being fun with success. Money got in the way. Everybody got greedy—including me. Fear set in. I got miserable when I became a commodity.” In 1954, at 43, he left for good and never again performed. He turned to writing and an array of other interests because his curiosity about how much one could learn about learning never flagged. As he said in the notes to Self Portrait, “I’m not comfortable with categories, and I distrust most definitions. The word definition is based on the word finite, which would seem to indicate that once we’ve defined something, we don’t need to think about it anymore.” On January 7, the National Endowment for the Arts declared Artie Shaw a Jazz Master. I sure would have liked to hear his acceptance speech. It wouldn’t have been humble. He knew his worth, and then some. In a 1978 Washington Post interview, he said: “I don’t care if I’m forgotten. I became a specialist in nonspecialization a long time ago. For instance, I’m an expert fly fisherman. And in 1962, I ranked fourth nationally in precision riflery. My music? Well, no point in false modesty about that. I was the best.” Shaw died, at the age of 94, on December 30, but his music will continue to reverberate. I can’t forget him because he brought me into the music that has given me ceaseless reason to shout aloud in pleasure. ================================================================= Thanks Mr. Hentoff. I just can't think of a better way to say it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Wikipedia: Artie Shaw (May 23, 1910, New York, New York – December 30, 2004, Thousand Oaks, California) is considered to be one of the best jazz musicians of his time. Jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader, he is also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings.

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Oscar Peterson. Goodbye and Thanks.

Just three days ago, December 23, 2007 we lost Oscar Peterson. Always in a class by himself. Goodbye Oscar, and thanks.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Willie Smith

This is a rather scarce 10" LP from Willie Smith. The card shows his signature along with that of Harry James around 1958 in Wichita, Kansas. Happy Birthday Mr. Smith and thanks for being so kind to a young kid who delayed your break for an autograph. Willie Smith was born William McLeish Smith November 25, 1910 in Charleston, South Carolina. Willie Smith,Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter were considered the top three alto saxophone players of the swing era. He also played clarinet and sang. From Wikipedia: Willie Smith's first instrument was clarinet and his education was in chemistry. He received his chemistry degree from Fisk University. Nevertheless in 1929 he became an alto saxophonist for Jimmie Lunceford's band. He would be one of the main stars in Lunceford's group and in 1940 had his own quintet as a side project.[1] His success with Lunceford had lost its charms by 1942 as he now wanted more pay and less travel. He then switched to Harry James's orchestra, where he made more money, and stayed with him for seven years. After that he later worked with Duke Ellington and Billy May. In 1954 he returned to Harry James's band. Added to all this he was involved in Jazz at the Philharmonic and worked with Nat King Cole. He died of cancer March 7,1967 in Los Angles, California. (Oh yes, the other autograph on that card is that of Harry James.)

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Coleman Hawkins

Today in 1904 Coleman Hawkins was born. Some might go so far as to say that he single-handedly made the tenor saxophone a jazz instrument. Some say he was the ultimate influence on all saxophonists much as Armstrong is on the horn players. But the honor that holds the most awe for me was his ability to span the decades and fit in and even contribute to completely different styles and eras of music. He was as comfortable playing with Mamie Smith’s Jazz Band or Fletcher Henderson in the early ‘20’s as he was playing along side Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk in the late ‘60’s. That had to take a grand measure of versatility. That attribute makes him always one of my heroes; Thanks Mr. Hawkins. I did this painting of him in 1964 after a television appearance on the series “Route 66” playing a cameo character named “Snooze. For a real taste of him, see the kinescope feature still available named “The Sound of Jazz.” Heck, here's a clip. Coleman Hawkins plays the tenor solo here. Here's another, this from 1958, just to show the versatility. Okay. One last one. Here he is with Charlie Parker. Remember, Hawkins started out back in the 1920's. We lost Coleman Hawkins May 19, 1969.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.

Barney Kessel. He's from around here...

This is Charlie Byrd, Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis on stage in Oklahoma City as the Great Guitars, a concert around 1980. And that they were. Happy Birthday Barney! And thanks. Excerpt from Wikipedia: Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. He began his career as a teenager touring with local dance bands before moving on to bands such as that led by Chico Marx. He quickly established himself as a key post-Charlie Christian jazz guitarist. In 1944 he participated in the Lester Young film "Jammin' the Blues" and in 1947 he recorded with Charlie Parker's New Stars on the "Relaxin' at Camarillo" session for Dial Records. Barney Kessel is known for his innovative work in the guitar trio setting. In the 1950s, he made a series of albums called "The Poll Winners" with Ray Brown on bass and Shelly Manne on drums. He was also responsible for the prominent guitar on Julie London's definitive recording of "Cry Me a River". Also from the 50s, his three "Kessell Plays Standards" volumns contain some of his most polished work. Kessel was also a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio with Ray Brown in the early 1950s. The guitar chair was called the hardest gig in show business since Peterson often liked to play at breakneck tempos. Herb Ellis took over from Kessel after a year or so. A "first call" guitarist at Columbia Pictures, during the 1960s Kessel became one of the most in-demand session guitarists in America, and is considered a key member of the group of first-call session musicians now usually known as The Wrecking Crew. In this capacity he played on hundreds of famous pop recordings including albums and singles by Phil Spector, The Beach Boys, The Monkees and many others. He appeared (in an acting part, not as a guitarist) in one episode of the Perry Mason TV show. During the 1970s, Kessel presented his seminar 'The Effective Guitarist' in various locations around the world. Kessel released several solo albums even late into his life. Kessel died of a brain tumor in San Diego, California. He had been in poor health after suffering a stroke in 1992.

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These low-fi pictures are from a really HI-FI concert many years ago at the auditorium on campus at Ada, Oklahoma Southeastern College. Sorry about the quality. Today in 1979 we lost this highly innovative, influential, and often controversial American jazz musician, composer and band leader. In later years he was widely active as an educator. His band during the tour that included Ada and other small colleges, was composed mainly of young musicians he had personally trained. The trombonist sitting on the edge of the stage was chatting with the audience. The tour was undoubtedly a monumental experience for them.

These are the most popular pages: Alison Young Art Pepper Barney Kessel Bettie Page Curl-up-and-dye Edgar Degas and the lost Ginger Nude Ginger Panda Gnat Trap Little Annie Fannie Marilyn Resident Alien Sunday Funnies Things ain't what they used to be. (In fact, they never was.) The Profile (more than you really wanted to know) is here.