Ever felt like this guy during a gig?

[slide_advantage_redoux]

Someone forwarded me a clip of this...from a movie I have never seen nor heard of. Rather dark from what I can tell by this scene, but look at all the names in the film.

Louis Armstrong, Sammy Davis jr., Frank Sinatra jr, Cicely Tyson, Mel Torme (singing), Nat Adderley playing on the track in question. I don't know the guys in the band besides Kai Winding.

Have you ever felt like going postal on a gig when the chops didn't quite feel right? This scene reminds of the one from "Young Man with a Horn" with Kirk Douglas wigging out in the studio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecxQIGmKd5E...ated&search

[Larry Kart]

That's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

[Jim Alfredson]

Wild.

[brownie]

That's from a very forgettable 1966 film 'A Man Called Adam'.

No wonder the film went nowhere! But it is fun to watch 40 years later!

[Harold_Z]

Dig the flattened cornet.

Did Frankie Boy hock the mouthpiece?

I saw that flick when it first came out. At the Capitol Theatre in Passaic no less, before it became a big venue for Rock acts.

[JSngry]

That's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

At first, I was thinking you were being a smartass, because Nat was really getting, uh... "unhinged", and Sammy was portraying it pretty well, I thought.

But then Mel Torme started singing, & Pops started looking like he wandered in from the set of "Imitation Of Life", and hey, it went off the hook with stunning rapidity.

Much love to Pops, but I'll say it again, just because I feel it so hard - FUCK MEL TORME.

[Joe G]

Ever felt like this guy during a gig?

Uh, no.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

The bit that really cracked me up was, after SD Jr had stretched out comfortably on the floor, someone asked "what happened?"

Who was the actor playing the yong man with the plaster on his forehead, who picked up the mouthpiece? Reminded me of John Cassavetes.

MG

[Harold_Z]

The bit that really cracked me up was, after SD Jr had stretched out comfortably on the floor, someone asked "what happened?"

Who was the actor playing the yong man with the plaster on his forehead, who picked up the mouthpiece? Reminded me of John Cassavetes.

MG

Frank Sinatra Jr. picked up the mouthpiece.

What an actor!

[mikelz777]

Much love to Pops, but I'll say it again, just because I feel it so hard - FUCK MEL TORME.

Man, that's really harsh. What's up with the anger and hardened heart that you felt so compelled to share such a hateful thing?

[Larry Kart]

That's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

At first, I was thinking you were being a smartass, because Nat was really getting, uh... "unhinged", and Sammy was portraying it pretty well, I thought.

But then Mel Torme started singing, & Pops started looking like he wandered in from the set of "Imitation Of Life", and hey, it went off the hook with stunning rapidity.

Much love to Pops, but I'll say it again, just because I feel it so hard - FUCK MEL TORME.

I know what you mean about Sammy portraying it fairly well at first, but when the "unhinged" thing begins to go on and on, with those increasingly insane audience reaction shots, and then Sammy falls flat on the floor (!!) -- well, I could only think of solos I've listened to in real life where I wished that what happened there had in fact happened. Also, I don't know whether this is what the film intended, but as Sammy's playing begins to get "unhinged," are the audience reaction shots meant to convey some doubt as to whether he's going batshit or is instead playing something that's possibly great but really far out? That the latter dilemma was present on screen, even for a moment or two and/or only in my twisted mind, is a big part of what cracked me up.

[Larry Kart]

The trombonist in the final scene was Kai Winding.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Frank Sinatra Jr. picked up the mouthpiece.

What an actor!

MG

[JSngry]

Much love to Pops, but I'll say it again, just because I feel it so hard - FUCK MEL TORME.

Man, that's really harsh. What's up with the anger and hardened heart that you felt so compelled to share such a hateful thing?

Mel Fuckin' Torme, that's what's up!

And Bob Buhl too!

[JSngry]

Also, I don't know whether this is what the film intended, but as Sammy's playing begins to get "unhinged," are the audience reaction shots meant to convey some doubt as to whether he's going batshit or is instead playing something that's possibly great but really far out?

I gotta be honest - having never seen the film and not knowing what was supposed to be happening, that's exactly what I was wondering.

[JSngry]

And I really don't like Mel Torme, especially with this kind of stuff, which is almost all he ever did, even when it wasn't this kind of stuff.

If you know what I mean.

[Cali]

Remember seeing this when it came out. Sammy's character was an over-the-top interpretation of Miles. Ironically, Sammy's love interest in the film, Cecily Tyson, was engaged to Miles at the time.

[Harold_Z]

And I really don't like Mel Torme, especially with this kind of stuff, which is almost all he ever did, even when it wasn't this kind of stuff.

If you know what I mean.

I have a friend that refers to Mel Torme as Mel Torment.

[7/4]

Remember seeing this when it came out. Sammy's character was an over-the-top interpretation of Miles. Ironically, Sammy's love interest in the film, Cecily Tyson, was engaged to Miles at the time.

I thought that was her.

[Larry Kart]

Jim -- If you haven't already, you really need to read Torme's autobiography, "It Wasn't All Velvet," which no doubt will confirm every thought you've ever had about him. In particular, there's a story about Mel and his longtime pal Buddy Rich that revolves around a valuable antique pistol that Mel owned (Mel was a gun collector), and that is so sad, bizarre, and sado-masochistically twisted (not hard to guess the roles each man played), that I could hardly believe what I was reading.

What the hell -- the story IIRC goes like this. Buddy is visiting Mel's house when they're both mature (hah!) adults and is eying Mel's collection of antique pistols, which are on display in the den. Buddy either asks Mel which one is the most valuable or points to one that's caught his eye and is told that it's the most valuable gun that Mel owns -- a flintlock pirate pistol, or something like that. In any case, Buddy's response is to say "Give it to me" or words to that effect. And it immediately becomes clear that by this Buddy means, "Hand it over for good -- I want it." Mel protests that it's his favorite, the gem of his collection, but Buddy insists and Mel finally gives in -- either rationalizing it as a thing where Buddy really covets the pistol that much, or is testing Mel about how deep their friendship really is, or it's a thing where Buddy is just seeing how far he can push or bully Mel, or God knows what. So Buddy walks off with the pistol, and maybe sixth months later Mel sees it listed for sale in a gun collector's catalogue. Buddy has sold the damn thing (and for a good bit of money too) -- his only interest in it, apparently, was that it was Mel's precious thing, and Buddy wanted to see if he had the power to strip that thing away from him. Really twisted all the way around, or so it seemed to me.

[Larry Kart]

Jim, thought you'd like this quote: "Ethel Waters once said, 'Mel Torme is the only white man who sings with the soul of a black man.'"

Of course, Waters forgot to say which black man.

Edited November 12, 2006 by Larry Kart

[Dan Gould]

Here's a funny Mel Torme story from my interview with Eddie Higgins:

Mel (Torme) was tough to work with because he had his own charts that he had written himself, for a big band reduced to a trio. So, the piano player had all this stuff penciled in up above, you know, lines from the trumpet section, lines from the sax section, and all this stuff was all written out, and I, I've got to admit, I'm not the world's greatest sight reader. Not one of my skills. I can read music but I'm not great at sitting down and reading a part and playing correctly the first time through.

And so he had a rehearsal the afternoon of our opening night and Mel was pulling his hair out, he said, You're missing all the parts, you've gotta put that line in from the trumpets and I said, Mel, let me explain something to you. Sight reading is not my strong point but I've got a great ear and I love to accompany and I think if you'll work with me a little you'll find I'm a good accompanist. So I said, Tonight, for opening night, let's get a list of tunes together that I feel comfortable with and you feel comfortable with and you're happy so we have a good show, and I'll take all of this music home with me, your book, and I'll woodshed it. Not only tonight after work but tomorrow all day. And we'll have another go at it tomorrow and I think you'll be much happier if we do this. This is something that will work. And he said, Well, OK. And with a lot of regret, he agreed to that.

And we got through the week all right but every night, it was the same story, he was pissed off in the dressing room You're not doing that part He was on my case from beginning to end. So one night we were back in the dressing room, it was about the third or fourth night of the week, and he's getting into his thing again and I said, Hey Mel, did you ever hear the alternate version of the Christmas song? He said, What? I said, It goes like this:

(singing)

heroin roasting on an open spoon

pushers holding up your nose

four letter words being sung by a choir

and parents ripping off their clothes

everybody knows

some hashish and a little pot

help to make the season bright

tiny tots with their eyes all aglow

will find it hard to sleep tonight

(breaks into laughter as he finishes singing)

So I finished singing this and he says, “Yeah, listen, on bar 43” (laughs)

[marcello]

And I really don't like Mel Torme, especially with this kind of stuff, which is almost all he ever did, even when it wasn't this kind of stuff.

If you know what I mean.

Yeah, I know what you mean but once I heard him do ''Round Midnight", and it was so good it was scary!

[Chuck Nessa]

Sorry, started to read the thread and "dropped to the bottom". I had a really nasty experience with the "velvet frog" a while back and all I can say is "fuck him".

[clifford_thornton]

Also, I don't know whether this is what the film intended, but as Sammy's playing begins to get "unhinged," are the audience reaction shots meant to convey some doubt as to whether he's going batshit or is instead playing something that's possibly great but really far out?

I gotta be honest - having never seen the film and not knowing what was supposed to be happening, that's exactly what I was wondering.

Ditto.