Ted O'Reilly

Too bad he pronounced it CopenhAYgen, rather than CopenhAWgen. But it is "wonderful"...

Big Beat Steve, like you, I'm not much for Candy's music. Ms Dulfer (daughter of a pretty good funky jazz tenor man, Hans Dulfer) plays her instrument well, but... I think (and on evidence over the years) that Ms Krall is a very good jazz piano player. It's the singing part of her talent that attracted the attention of a Big Time Manager, who made her lose 20 pounds, lighten her hair colour, use a pro makeup person and smarten up her wardrobe. (See if you can find the cover of her first album "Stepping Out" on the Canadian Justin Time label to see her own decidedly UNglamourous self, pre-Big Time Manager.) Sharp management = Glamour! and Success! Who would turn Success down? (As Jim Hall reportedly said, "Where do you go to sell out?") I don't believe she HAS sold out. For the very largest part of her career, Diana has kept good quality control of her music. Maybe not as much jazz in it all as I think she could offer, but her music (to this point) has been nothing to be ashamed of. I still think that she could turn up at a jazz joint after hours and wow everyone as a jazz pianist. I hope she does just that every now and then.

TOUCHE, JAZZBO!!!!! couldn't agree with you more but it will never happen. Even Diana's official bio skips over it, but she spent quite a while in Toronto, just before her move to NYC. At that time (early 1990) she did a concert for me (for radio broadcast) and as I knew Diana liked to sing -- she did her share of lounge work, dropping in an old song or two -- I suggested that she do one or two vocals in the hour. She felt constrained by a head cold, so did the whole concert as a straight-ahead jazz pianist, with old friend and fellow British Columbian Pat Collins on bass and Klaus Suonsaari on drums. They played tunes by Jimmie Rowles, Tom Harrell, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter... I've played some of these performances as a blindfold test for some hard-nosed jazz fans who don't believe it's her. Diana Krall is a very good jazz pianist, and while the pics can help sell records, I still admire her instrumental abilities every bit as much as her more-salable vocal work.

This past weekend I heard a lovely concert by four former members of George's groups (Canadians all) from over the years, and it was a lot more than any "Tribute To..." sort of gig, which I normally eschew. Don Thompson played vibes (and he played bass and piano with George) and wrote the charts from memory. Reg Schwager was on guitar; Neil Swainson on bass, as he was for more than a dozen years; Terry Clarke was the drummer. At the piano was Bernie Senensky, who played just like George on the arrangements, then played piano solos in his own way, but with respect to George's approach. It was truly lovely, done in just the right way with love and affection for Sir George. Given that I heard it the night after a very so-so Cannonball Adderley tribute with Louis Hayes (and swore therefore NEVER to attend another Tribute Concert -- can no-one create with respect to the history any longer?) I delighted in the sounds of Shearing, which truly stand the test of time.

Why are all your pictures slightly off-kilter? Is one of your legs shorter than the other?

It came out in 2003. Did Mosaic do LPs then?

I've never received shrink-wrapped packages from Mosaic. The jewel cases, yes, but not the package. What is the source of this?

"When popular music did not lend itself well to improvisation, jazz began to decline." Yeah -- kinda convoluted, because in effect he states that because pop music got bad, jazz went into decline. I think. Or maybe not, but let's blame The Monkees (because The Beatles did make a nice tune or two).

I don't know what this means. I understand it to mean that "pop music was no longer interesting enough to use as a source for jazz musicians' improvisations". Sounds about right to me.

If you can't play "Three Blind Mice" (crews have 4 members now, anyway) what could an organist get away with? "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie"? I doubt any active umps are old enough to even know it, but it would bring a smile to the faces of old-timer fans...

Aha! A DJ, not an organist. A real live musician, with "tune chops" can really make a difference at a ball game, but you never hear them any more. The Toronto Blue Jays had a great one at the beginning 35 years ago, jazz pianist Ralph Fraser. He also played at Maple Leaf Gardens for the hockey team, and for the Toronto Argonauts football club, so we used to ask sports fans "Who, in a single year, played for the Jays, the Leafs and the Argos?" They never got Ralph Fraser. And now that I remember, the late Carol Britto occasionally subbed for Ralph at the ball games and did a fine job...

He must have played 'Three Blind Mice'. That's a no-no, unless it's the great Art Blakey version... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjpjImYjR9A

In the early days, producer/owner Gerry Teekens would come over from the Netherlands once or twice a year and record a bunch of sessions. He specialized in getting young guys on the way up, not paying a lot, and charging up-market prices for his product. (As I recall, anyway).

If that's a neologism, I like it! Kind of like remembering being hypnotized, even when they tell you to forget you were hypnotized. Or, maybe it's just a typo.

You're right... One of the few films to give that kind of credit (that I recall) is the 1972 Peter Yates film The Hot Rock. A great 'guy movie' (as opposed to a 'chick flick') the music is by Quincy Jones, but a lot of it was improvised by a little jazz group. The band includes Clark Terry, Frank Rosolino, Jerome Richardson, Gerry Mulligan, Clare Fischer, Ray Brown and Grady Tate. They get actual on-screen credits at the film's end. Was it Uan Rasey who played the wonderful trumpet parts in Chinatown? Did he get a credit? Should have: the trumpet is one of the characters in that film... Edit to add: The soundtrack -- I have it on vinyl -- was issued on Prophesy Records SD 6055 (a division of Landers/Roberts, Inc., distributed by Atlantic).

Carol and Edward Everett Sloane

This was great! Thanks for the best laugh of the week -- a 'tough kid' singing "...lovers no more..."! Butch is pretty much in tune, and only loses meter a bit near the end. I've heard worse by lounge acts...

It's copied from http://www.otrcat.com/esquire-jazz-concert-p-49312.html. Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Sarah Silverman is so not funny. Strained, forced, and desperate. She speaks highly of me, too, BTW. Hey, wasn't it Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? No sweetness. That's what I thought, two posts back...

My friend Ron Gaskin offered these via direct email: Cat & Judith Anderson Kenny & Lucille Ball Sonny & Petula Clark Thad & Shirley Jones Frank & Jodie Foster Jerome & Amanda Richardson Ernie & Julie Andrews

Jazz names first, please, so no "Pinky & Peggy Lee". And Billy & Joe Wilder?!? Not if Sarah Palin has anything to do with it. (Does she still have anything to do with anything?)

Ummmm.... These are great! Keep 'em coming...

The actor/singer covers elsewhere reminded me of the game we used to play: Jazzer/Actor marriages-by-name. The best example was "Ella & Barry Fitzgerald". Here are a few I though of today, Jazzer name first... PeeWee & Jane Russell Lester & Loretta Young Henry 'Red' & Gracie Allen Pops & Jodie Foster Miles & Bette Davis Bill & Julie Harris Cat & Loni Anderson Brew & Mandy Moore Russell 'Big Chief' & Julianne Moore Emmett & Halle Berry Red & Judy Garland Mary Lou & Robin Williams Diane & Keanu Reeves Amina Claudine & Mike Myers Cecil & Elizabeth Taylor Bruce & Lana Turner Lucky & Julia Roberts Nancy & Owen Wilson Jimmy & Reese Witherspoon Sarah & Robert Vaughan Eddie & Anne Heywood Earl & Cheryl Hines ....got more?

Jay McShann appears in Elmore Leonard's "The Hot Kid" (2005). Even talks with the main character Carl Webster if I remember correctly.

No pic, Ubu... What's the beer? Me too. A fine drink for all reasons. Golden Pheasant(Zlatý Bažant) is another fine brew from Slovakia.