fasstrack

Hey New Yorkers: I will be leading a trio consisting of: JOEL FASS, guitar/compositions DEANNA KIRK, vocals TIM GIVENS, bass on Friday, Jan. 29th 5:30 PM-7 PM in a FREE event of original tunes and standards. It will be at Fountain House Bronx, a wonderful organization that helps people living with mental illness reintegrate into the community, find jobs and housing, and so much more. Here is the link with the info: https://www.facebook.com/events/542197345949072/

I remember Rabbi Jacob. Hilarious. Saw it at the famed Kent Theater in Midwood, Brooklyn when it came out.

Remember comedian Steve Landesberg's routine about Jerry and the French?: (bad French accent) Jerr-y Lewees. The man is a geniees! Remember that movie when he said 'Dean, uuuuuhh'? A geniees! Or something like that. I hope people don't go PC on me, or my French colleagues get offended. It's just a joke---and not mine at that.

Really? I was able to hear it. Sorry, man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xm5rvlmEskI Just listened. Very nice. Also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJDJpkVRnCs with Danielo Perez.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tt3c4Ed5kQ Antonio Carlos Jobim: Desifinado and Meditation. Arranged and conducted by CO. The correct title of the recording is: Antonio Carlos Jobim - The Composer of Desafinado, Plays

I think he's retired, but when active did great work with not only the above, but Wes Montgomery, Oscar Peterson, and many others.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F016NbHwszE Wave, entire album https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dvbeo_UUPE Stone Flower, entire album

I've been listening to cop some of his stuff for my own string writing. He is so pristine and clear---and can say so much more with simple unisons (especially with strings) than other over-writing arrangers who write more notes and use more trick bags. It's like if Pres were an arranger. He touches my heart. To start out I would recommend the album Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim; and the two Jobim collaborations: Stone Flower and Wave. http://www.amazon.com/Francis-Albert-Sinatra-Antonio-Carlos/dp/B000006OBR

Mounsey's been around a long time. They're good charts all. Those guys all know what they're doing. My favorite track is I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do. She really nails it. I forget who arranged that one. The recording was supposedly conceived as a Sarah Vaughan tribute, but I Haven't.... is Carmen all the way.

I wrote for years purely for instruments, before I actually became a 'songwriter' (e.g. writing lyrics to my melodies). Looking back, almost my whole instrumental catalogue, except for one wild piece for instruments and narrator, is singable. It has to do with being around Broadway, theater, and GASB music that was around my house from early childhood. As a consequence, everything I've written in a jazz or even pop idiom is singable and lyric-ready. So, yes, to a large degree. I'd like to challenge myself and write some non-melodic stuff at some point in the interest of growth. Even the great Sondheim studied with serialist Milton Babbit.

I've had this problem intermittently throughout my life. Now I'm in creative mode with a project, which often leads to it, and sure enough it kicked in over the weekend. I spent yesterday trying to crash after not sleeping at all Saturday into Sunday. My only advice would be to do what I'm doing today---although sleep-deprived---go on with one's normal routine and it will straighten itself out. It may take a few nights, but in my case it always has.

He was a great guy BTW, and underrated as a player. We were friends and jammed together at his place. He was also hilarious, and musicians and his friends have a million stories about his malapropisms, etc. He was going out and hearing music every night almost up till the day he died. The last time I saw Attila was outside Arturo's in NYC. His skin was tight and leathery and he had trouble and pain sitting down. We saw each other, embraced, then went inside to listen. Two weeks later he was gone. I think he went to Hungary or elsewhere in Europe to record a final CD in the last year of his life. Don't know what it's called, though.

Wasn't that JU2-8000 or some such? Or was that something else? I remember it was a status symbol for a musician to have that #.

And last night the local jazz station played the Royal Bopsters' version of Red Clay---featuring the late Mark Murphy. Well done, but again the lyric made little sense to me, going by so fast I couldn't even discern it. But kudos for a great job of vocalizing by the Bopsters and Mr. Murphy.

Does anyone have this? Came out in October. Arrangements of Debussy, Ravel, etc. with Tom and others improvising. Should really be in New Releases, now that I think about it, but what the hell....

I just answered my own question in reading this Sondheim interview: http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/1283/the-art-of-the-musical-stephen-sondheim

That's it, Testimony. Thanks! (It had a performance of the Leningrad Symphony featured, hence my confusion).

Wasn't this once a film? Or am I confused? I remember seeing a film in the 80s about this symphony and his sly defiance of the Russian regime.

Care to elaborate? I guess not...

Poor WKCR. Always technical and other difficulties. Fortunately for me I live in NYC and can listen on radio.

See OP above for a link to Ask a Woman who Knows. Ostensibly a dedication to Sarah Vaughan, it has several beautiful ballads (like I Haven't got Anything Better to Do--actually originally recorded by Carmen McCrae) arranged by the likes of Alan Broadbent. No kitsch here and she sounds wonderful.

https://www.yahoo.com/ She was 65. Very sad indeed. This (2000?) recording: Ask a Woman Who Knows, with arrangements by Alan Broadbent and others, was beautiful IMO. http://www.amazon.com/Ask-Woman-Knows-Natalie-Cole/dp/B0000646GK

He was also a successful investor, and financial advisor to the stars in Hollywood.