Christiern

A more recent photo...

OBITUARIES David Hemmings, 62; British Actor, Director Was '60s Icon By Elaine Woo Times Staff Writer December 5, 2003 British actor David Hemmings, whose portrayal of a hip, dissolute fashion photographer in Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 classic "Blowup" made him an icon of the swinging 1960s, died Wednesday after being stricken on a film set in Romania. He was 62. Paramedics were unable to revive Hemmings, who had just finished his final scenes of the day when he collapsed, his agent, Liz Nelson, told Associated Press. The cause of death was a heart attack, Associated Press reported. Hemmings had appeared in more than 50 movies since the early 1950s, including Martin Scorsese's recent "Gangs of New York" and Ridley Scott's 2000 epic "Gladiator." But he was also a prolific director, who worked largely in television during the 1980s on such popular series as "The A-Team" and "Airwolf." The actor first achieved international prominence starring in "Blowup" with Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles. The most memorable sequence involves Hemmings in a photo session choreographed like sexual foreplay, with Hemmings clicking shots of model Verushka in a mad romp that ends with her on the floor, straddled by the camera-wielding artiste. "Antonioni uses David Hemmings in the role very prettily — with his Billy Budd hairdo, he's like a pre-Raphaelite Paul McCartney," critic Pauline Kael wrote in a 1967 essay. Hemmings was born Nov. 18, 1941, in Surrey, England. His father, a cookie salesman and former big band pianist, gave him singing lessons, which led him by the age of 9 to join the prestigious English Opera Group as a soprano. He performed with the group until he was 14, when his voice broke on stage in Paris. Composer Benjamin Britten wanted him to train to become a tenor, but Hemmings, who by then had made a couple of movies, decided "that wasn't something I wanted to do." What the young teenager did was leave home and head for Austria, where he performed magic and played the guitar in nightclubs until resuming acting. He had appeared in close to 20 movies, most of them unmemorable, by the time Antonioni cast him in "Blowup," a parable about a photographer who questions his frivolous lifestyle after uncovering a possible murder. Hemmings had just finished filming "The System," a drama with Oliver Reed about young British hoodlums, when the Italian auteur called. "He was volatile, tremendously difficult, very intense, but I loved him," Hemmings once said of Antonioni. "It was different from any other film I'd made, because the way he directs is incredibly specific. I loved the control it put on me." Over the years, Hemmings regularly dismissed speculation that he modeled his character on British fashion photographer David Bailey, insisting that "an amalgamation" of photographers provided inspiration. Most influential, Hemmings told an interviewer last year, was photographer David Hamilton, known for his soft-focus nude portraits of beautiful young women. Hamilton, Hemmings said, "explained that the difference between an amateur and a professional photographer is that a professional has absolutely no respect for the camera that he holds; he just treats it as an extension of his arm. And that's why I just sling the camera about like that." Decades later, Mike Myers parodied the Hemmings character in his Austin Powers movies, in which he played a British secret agent posing as a flamboyant '60s-era fashion photographer. In 1967, Hemmings formed a production company in London with John Daly called Hemdale. Hemmings left the company in 1970, more than a decade before it hit its peak with such movies as "Platoon" and the original "Terminator." After "Blowup," Hemmings was in high demand as an actor, but few of his many screen appearances over the next decade were notable. He was roundly criticized for his singing as Mordred in the 1967 film version of the Lerner and Loewe musical "Camelot," and he played opposite Jane Fonda in the campy 1968 Roger Vadim classic "Barbarella." Hemmings also co-starred with George C. Scott in the 1977 film version of the Ernest Hemingway novel "Islands in the Stream." The actor began to focus on directing in the early 1970s, working chiefly on television series. He directed episodes of "Magnum, P.I.," "Murder, She Wrote" and "In the Heat of the Night," and made occasional guest appearances. His film career was resuscitated three years ago, when friends who were working as assistant film directors recommended him for the role of Cassius in "Gladiator." By then portly and raspy-voiced, he was unrecognizable to filmgoers who remembered him as the wide-eyed, boyishly handsome star of "Blowup." But Hemmings expressed delight in the character roles he was attracting as he entered his 60s. He earned good notices for his portrayal of an ex-boxer who joins two pub buddies in a final send-off for a beloved friend in the 2001 movie "Last Orders," directed by Fred Schepisi. Hemmings had a small role as a 19th century aristocrat last year in Scorsese's "Gangs of New York." Hemmings was married four times. One of his former wives was actress Gayle Hunnicutt. He is survived by his fourth wife, Lucy Williams; and six children.

The Grammy's most practical function is often overlooked...

In the mid 1970s, when I was a regular reviewer at Stereo Review, one of my monthly review assignments included an album by a new singer Cattina Savina (I think that was the name). Her name was new to me, but there were impressive players listed among the accompanists. Others could not, according to the notes, be named "for contractual reasons," but there was no such problem with two reed players who actually would have been better off remaining anonymous. The vocalist and two reed players were so bad that I had to wonder what on earth made someone decide to record them, and the fact that the rhythm section was was so contrastingly professional compounded my wonderment. Well, you guessed it, I finally figured it out: Ms. Savina and the two wretched reed players were performing to Music-Minus-One recordings, and the members of the rhythm section who could not be named were, in fact, all deceased (incl. Oscar Pettiford and Osie Johnson). Other than that it had the same name as a major book publishing house, I don't recall the label, but I think this was its sole release. MMO was, of course, a part of Inner City Records, which had a small but interesting catalogue.

Inside...

Mine...

Patricia, I am really surprised that you can't see what Dan is doing. This is no longer a fun place to visit, and he will on with his insults and nonsense until it's either him or the BBS. I'm outta here as a poster until sanity is restored.

I think B3-er is faced with a dichotomy between sober reasoning and hiding behind an emotional smoke screen. I believe he knows what the prudent thing to do is, but a pleasant past encounter makes that awkward. I faced the same problem, but no friendship is so strong that it can blind me to offensive, homophobic behavior. It isn't funny, it's ugly, and I think going along with it calls for serious self-examination.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL AT THE BIG O!!

The homophobic utterances of our troll are no more acceptable than is racism. This is pure and simple hatred in the not-so-clever guise of humor. The fact that the poster is an accomplished musician--and that he is--should not in any way excuse his offensive behavior. HaroldZ, we have both spent a pleasant time with Dan, and you can defend his trolling all you want to, but I can no longer do so.

I agree, there is a greater sense of community here, but are we not the posters who create this sense of community? We are, so why not bring that to AAJ rather than shun that site and critique it for not having us there? I think both sites--and JC, too--should be supported by us through regular visits. Not enough music dialogue? Ok, so start one, contribute to one, be there as well as here.

Gary's post.

HAVE A GREAT THANKSGIVING!

For those who have as yet not witnessed the destruction of a BBS--keep watching. This is, regrettably, deja vu all over again. Kinda interesting this time around, however, since there is an old connection between the Board's masters and the terminator.

It was the ongoing, silly personal attack on Marc Edelman that did it--I'm sure the back of the bus had nothing to do with it. The Dena Rose/Edelman thing was mildly funny and harmless in the beginning, but it escalated and became rather ugly. So much so that I posted pleas to let it be, and I have been the victim of outrageous name-calling from Marc. Please note that I considered Dan to be a friend, and when I saw him make a headlong dash for the AAJ exit of shame, I attempted to get him to see the light, as it were. Obviously, I failed, so now I stand accused (wrongly) of having instigated DEEP's ouster--well, I never heard of the Chameleon post until I saw it here, so imagine my surprise to see it blamed for the AAJ welcome mat withdrawal. All this to say that P.D. is absolutely right.

I thought Cleveland was strictly a one-way trip. Have I been misinformed?

BESSIE: Excerpts from reviews of the original edition. ”Bessie” is by Chris Albertson, a Danish jazz scholar who emigrated to this country fifteen years ago. Albertson has managed a triple feat: he has written the first estimable full-length biography not only of Bessie Smith but of any black musician; he has successfully immersed himself in a black world that has almost vanished; and he has at last removed from Bessie Smith the myths that have enclosed her for almost four decades. Whitney Balliett – The New Yorker, February 24, 1973. The men ad women whose contributions to the lively arts have proven most durable throughout the past century have been observed, if we are fortunate enough to have been their contemporaries, in the bright light of in-person performances. First-hand evaluations by discerning critics also have helped bring our perspective into focus. More often, though, the great singers, musicians, dancers, actors have become dim figures, seen through a hazy mist of legend, cultism and wishful thinking. Plays, books and movies designed to eulogize them too often have simply romanticized and fictionalized. An imposing exception to this rule is BESSIE by Chris Albertson (Stein & Day: $7.95). The product of painstaking research, this biography of Bessie Smith is the most devastating, provocative and enlightening work of its kind ever contributed to the annals of jazz literature…. Leonard Feather — The Los Angeles Times, January 14, 1973. ________________________________________________________________________ “Bessie” is an invaluable study of an era and a personality. Most of the myths surrounding her hectic life have been passed on through writers who never took the trouble to find out the truth. Edward Albee’s play “The Death of Bessie Smith,” writings by John Hammond and other jazz authors all are obsolete now with the publication of this book. Her turbulent, tormented life will heighten appreciation for her unique vocalizing, with lyrics she wrote adding further insight to her personal drama. I can’t remember a book I found so gripping yet so shocking. Having been a fan of Bessie’s records for 30 years yet not knowing anything about her except the legends makes this new reference book invaluable. All the great and near-great names of jazz and swing filter through the chapters. It will make one heck of a movie if Hollywood doesn’t corrupt it in the way it fictionalized Billie Holiday’s life. Barbara Bladen — The Times (San Mateo, CA), January 22, 1973. ________________________________________________________________________ …a book that is not only the best biography of Bessie available, but probably the best one we’re likely to get. Arthur Cooper — Newsweek, January 22, 1973. ________________________________________________________________________ Chris Albertson’s primary achievement in writing this book is to clear away the misinformation, obscurity surrounding Bessie Smith. This biography of the best-known blues singer ever is also a landmark in the writing of jazz history….As one of the few first-rate biographies of a jazz or blues artist, the book is a significant step in the creation of a body of jazz historiography. Hollie I. West — The Washington Post, January 23, 1973. ________________________________________________________________________ Bessie by Chris Albertson (Stein and Day, $7.95) is the life story of a woman who was advertised throughout the entertainment world as “The Greatest Blues Singer in the World.” It is by a record expert who was born and reared in Iceland and Denmark, but he tells the story so well that one would think he has been raised in the Negro show world, and believe me I have been familiar with that world for fifty years….This is a story in depth; not the press agent stuff culled from theatrical columns, but intimate details from friends, acquaintances and relatives. The story of a talented black woman who was human as well as an artist. It is not easy for a white man, and a European at that, to penetrate the black society and the life style of a black woman whom he never personally met. Chris Albertson has done it, and I urge you to read it. Schuyler — New Hampshire Manchester Union Leader, January 1973. ________________________________________________________________________ With the fanatical thoroughness that is the hallmark of European scholars hooked on Afro-American music, Albertson has combed the files of record companies and newspapers, and bird-dogged anyone who knew Bessie—relatives, lovers, fellow performers—to give us this first full-dress biography of an artist “black and proud before that became the acceptable thing to be.” More than a portrait of this boisterous, brooding woman, Bessie unfolds the black sub-culture of the Twenties: the speakeasies and “buffet flats” where Pullman porters and headliners reveled in a high life that rivaled the Krafft-Ebing cabarets of Berlin, the vaudeville circuits, record studios, and sheet music firms—a holocaust of rip-offs, plagiarism, non-payment, swindling contracts, and appalling racism…Bessie will take an immediate and permanent place in the literature of jazz. Grover Sales — Saturday Review of The Arts, April 1973. This is an honest attempt to provide at last a thoroughly researched biography of Bessie Smith. The fact that the great blues singer died so long ago (in 1937) inevitably imposed limitations on the author, but he conscientiously sought out associates who knew her well and critically re-examined the existing literature on the subject. Previous writing about her was slight and repetitious, and knowledge of her will be notably expanded by the original material to be found here. … The light the book sheds on show business of the period, its ethics and people, is valuable in itself. Stanley Dance — Music Journal, April 1973. Although warned by advance rumours, it is still a shock for Bessie Smith admirers to discover that so much of the received mythology which we have believed as gospel is without foundation …the most radical section of the book reassesses the facts surrounding her death. Somehow her refusal by the White hospital seemed so symbolically apt that although several previous experts had done their best to discredit it, most of us wanted to believe it. Albertson has finally exploded it, checked hospital records, interviewed the heroic doctor who happened upon the disaster, refuted the whole death of Bessie Smith industry of which the playwright Edward Albee is the most recent and distinguished shareholder. George Melly —The Observer Review (London), May 27, 1973. In the first serious study of her life, “Bessie” (Stein & Day, $7.95), author Chris Albertson paints a three-dimensional portrait of the famed blues singer, her life and times. …(Throughout the book, Albertson points out the disgraceful lack of attention paid to documenting black history.) Albertson, however, is a scholarly and meticulous researcher, careful to relate discrepancies or conflicting stories without necessarily drawing his own conclusions. His obvious attention to accuracy effectively underscores some of the tragic elements to her life, heretofore undisclosed or obscured… Albertson’s book bares it all; the artistic successes, the personal failures . Not only is Bessie’s person explored, but her milieu — buffet flats, Harlem night clubs, Chicago speakeasies — and the prevailing conditions, both in society at large and the recording industry in specific. Her tumultuous affairs with both men and women are depicted in detail. As are her achievements in recording. Joel Selvin —San Francisco Chronicle, February 18, 1973. This book shows us the real Bessie Smith, victim of her times and self-appointed purveyor of the law to any who crossed her path in her struggle to survive, and no respector of persons in a class society. This is a somewhat seedy and sordid disclosure, yet presented fairly, and in no way does her biographer give the impression of being sensational for the sake of effect. There will, however, be many who feel that their favourite should have been revered with a star treatment biography, but truth will out, and Chris Albertson has produced a work worthy of the dedicated journalist, an unbiased record of the life of a legendary woman. An essential purchase this, for the jazz and blues enthusiast, or historian of the American theatre. John G. Featherstone — aired on Jazz A’Plenty, and Between the Lines, Radio Manchester (UK), May 1973. Chris Albertson—extraordinary, dedicated jazzman and good writer—a rare combo and so this is a rare biography… BESSIE is at once affectionate and avidly objective. It is no glossover of the bountiful, volcanic, rich and flawed lady and is obviously the result of care, time, intelligence and endless research and interviewing. Her unapologetic passion and omnisexuality are not blinked and her basic attitudes toward the society of her day are clear as when—for instance—she speaks about the flaunting, wealthy white Harlem slummery. …BESSIE is a must for all who love jazz old and-or new. It is worth a look-in even for the most mod… Ronald H. Bayes — The Fayette Observer (NC), February 18, 1973. To set the record as straight as possible, Albertson tracked down some previously silent important sources, notably Ruby Walker, Bessie’s niece and constant companion during her last fourteen years; Jack Gee, Jr., Bessie’s adopted son, who had disappeared from sight; and jazz giant Lionel Hampton, nephew of Richard Morgan who was Bessie’s great love. Albertson has woven their recollections and already-known facts into a book that is not only the best biography of Bessie available, but probably the best one we’re likely to get. Arthur Cooper — Newsweek, January 22, 1973. __________________________ Perhaps not a "jazz" singer (some will give you an argument here), but definitely one who attracts the attention of jazz critics. With this, my ignoring of trollery begins.

David, this thread was started last summer--I believe the mnytime post is vintage.

Just to set the record straight, it was DEEP who got himself "blown off" AAJ--not anyone else. Ditto JCorner. As I said before, DEEP can be a tremendous asset, but he can also be a tremendous ass. Unfortunately, he has a history of strolling into a BBS with personal insults and offensive language strapped to his body, and when he goes POOF!, we all suffer. The odd part of all this is that DEEP really does not believe the nonsense he posts, he is playing games--trolling, if you will. When it comes to trolls, the best remedy is to ignore them.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I have not yet sought confirmation, but this has Heaney written all over it. Anyone reading it will have to wonder why there is such a discrepancy between that non-review and the very (perhaps overly) positive reviews of Leonard Feather, Whitney Balliett, et al. There is nothing wrong with unfavorable criticism, but this is nothing more than an infantile expression of resentment. The only reason I bring this sort of thing to the attention of Yale U. Press (and, through them, Amazon) is the fact that it unfairly brings the rating down. If any of you, my fellow posters, read the book, I hope you will post your opinions--good or bad. Here's a recent review by someone who actually read the book: Bessie By Chris Albertson (Yale University Press) Nearly seventy years after her death Bessie Smith remains a larger than life figure and despite the passage of time listening to her records is still a riveting experience. Like a number of artists of her stature and era Bessie's life has become shrouded in myth and misinformation that has accumulated ever since her tragic death in 1937. Chris Albertson aim with was to reveal Bessie "warts and all", filling in missing information, correcting myths and to that end has succeeded in producing a well researched, candid look at the Empress of the Blues. "Bessie" was first published in 1971 and this new edition contains more details on Bessie's formative years, new interview material and a new chapter devoted to events and responses since the initial publication. Albertson is also known to Bessie fans from his liner notes which grace Columbia's five double CD's that comprise all of Bessie's recordings (he wrote the notes for the LP equivalent in the early 70's). That Bessie sang the blues with such depth isn't surprising given her background. Both parents died at an early age and Bessie and her siblings were raised by their oldest sister Viola in a rough area of Chattanooga. Bessie and her brother Andrew performed in the streets and according to eyewitnesses was already a talented performer. Her entrance into show business came in 1912 when she joined the Moses Stokes company mainly as a dancer and a few years later was touring with Ma Rainey. The often told story of Rainey teaching Bessie how to sing the blues is quickly dispelled by Albertson who shows that Bessie was blessed with an innate talent. A 1913 account describes the teenaged Bessie this way: "...She obviously didn't know she was the artist she was. She didn't know how to dress-she just sang in her street clothes-but she was such a natural that could wreck anybody's shows." In 1920 Mamie Smith recorded "Crazy Blues" selling over a hundred thousand copies and opened the record companies eyes to an entirely new market. The floodgates opened and record companies scrambled to cash in on the blues. Despite Bessie's reputation as first class blues singer and big draw she would have to wait two years before getting on record. She hit big right out of the gate with "Down Hearted Blues" selling 78,000 copies within six months. Bessie's follow ups continued to be huge sellers and her appearances caused near pandemonium wherever she toured. "Streets blocked, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds were unable to gain entrance..." was a typical report. As her reputation soared she rose from being known as the Queen of the blues to Empress of the blues. Albertson does a fine job recounting Bessie's recordings and performances but what gives this biography a dimension not found in many blues biographies is a real feel for Bessie's personality. In this we owe an enormous debt to Ruby Walker a niece who toured with Bessie on and off for fifteen years and who's reminisces are the bedrock of this book. "...I don't think a meaningful biography of Bessie could have be written without tapping Ruby's extraordinary memory..." Albertson relates in the introduction. With Walker's remarkable memory and numerous other eyewittness accounts Albertson dispels the myths that have accumulated through the years. "Early writers", he writes, "tended to stereotype her as a big fat mama who drank a lot, fought like a dog, and sang like an angel." The truth, of course, is far more complex and Albertson portrays a well rounded artist (accomplished comedienne and dancer) who exuded an outward toughness but a good heart. Sure she was a superstar who wore ermine coats and diamond rings but she "still preferred eating pig's feet and drinking bad liquor." Albertson relates countless examples of Bessie's temper, her numerous affairs (both make and female), her stormy marriage and her troublesome siblings in great detail. Add to that the assertion that she was quite religious. Drummer Zutty Singleton puts an interesting spin on this seeming contradiction: "She always mentioned the Lord's name. That's why her blues seemed almost like hymns." In addition to her personality Albertson doesn't present Bessie in a vacuum and he does an admirable job putting Bessie in the context of her times. By the time Bessie cut her immortal "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" in 1929 Bessie's brand of blues was in decline. A combination of the depression, the rise of talking movies and the collapse of the TOBA (Theater Owner's booking association- the main black theater circuit) all spelled trouble for Bessie. She was finally dropped by Columbia in 1931 (she recorded her swan song in 1933 under the supervision of John Hammond). She still remained popular and was beginning to change with the times, updating her style in accordance with the jazz age. It's likely Bessie would have weathered the changing times if not for her tragic death in an auto accident on a stretch of Route 61 in 1937. Much has been written about Bessie's death, much of it inaccurate, and Albertson devotes a short chapter that definitively sets the record straight. Ruby Walker died in 1977 and most of the informants in this book have also passed so it is indeed fortunate that Albertson chose to write Bessie's biography when he did . For that reason plus Albertson's impressive research and unflagging candor, "Bessie" will remain the definitive statement on this extraordinary woman. -- Jeff Harris

A Fox bite, Chuck? BTW I agree, Bernie was fun to be with--he and Natasha used to drop by with great deli food, to discuss album ideas, etc.

I didn't know there was any such thing as Icelandic folk--and I was born and raised there!

Dan (DEEP) is a friend of mine, but he does go overboard, and the latest example of that was his ongoing, incredibly boring, and--to me--inexplicable series of posts ridiculing Marc Edelman of Sharp9 Records. Edelman and I have had a run-in or two over the years, during which he was extremely insulting, but that did not make Dan's offensive any more acceptable to me. I posted a few times on the thread in question, but mostly in an effort to discourage the endless exchange between Dan and Patricia (Still Life)--it didn't work, they were like Disney's water-bearing brooms, they just kept coming at us like a loop, splashing AAJ with meaningless, repetitive posts. I think Michael should have stepped in sooner, but he did the right thing. It's really a shame, because Dan does have a great sense of humor and his knowledge of early jazz and its recorded history is impressive.

A cup of tea and paper-thin toast at Lyon's Corner House made me switch from coffee, although I occasionally indulge.