Toshiko on What's My Line

[JSngry]

http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2008/09...allen-1956.html

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[Free For All]

Very cool, Jim. What a sweetheart! Interesting to see her so young and with little grasp of the language. I've had the opportunity to cross paths with her several times over the years and she is still a sweet lady. Playing her charts though, now THAT'S a bitch!

Would have liked to hear her throw down w/Steve Allen!

[Rooster_Ties]

...the "lively" arts??

[Rooster_Ties]

...an "oxidental" orchestra??

[Christiern]

They don't make them sweeter than Toshiko, and ditto for Lew. I have to wonder if Steve Allen was as uninformed as he appeared to be—after all, Oscar Peterson was involved in getting Toshiko to the U.S. and that was not a secret. Thanks for that link, Jim.

BTW. Did anyone notice that Dorothy Kilgallen was credited as Kilgaren?

[blajay]

Yeah, she's like an entirely different person from when I saw her earlier this year. She was adorable! The funny thing is she was more "lively" in person at her current age, kicking around under the piano like Monk and playing up a storm on "Un Poco Loco."

[JSngry]

What a sweetheart! Interesting to see her so young...

It's not often that I see that much resemblance between her & Monday, but there, I do.

[JSngry]

...an "oxidental" orchestra??

" Occidental" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental

[ValerieB]

. . . Oscar Peterson was involved in getting Toshiko to the U.S. . . .

i'm proud to say that my father was as well, along with Larry Berk at the then Schillinger House, now Berklee in Boston.

[BruceH]

...the "lively" arts??

From an old book by Gilbert Seldes, a collection of essays in which he argued that the popular or "low" arts could be as deserving of critical attention as the old "high" arts. The seven were: Comic strips, Movies, Musical Comedy, Vaudeville, Radio, Popular Music, and Dance. I think the book was written just a little too early to include television. I used to have a copy; probably still do, banging around here somewhere.

[hepcat1950]

Very interesting to watch. Only four years later this shy little lady took the lead in a quartet she founded with her teacher at Berklee and then husband Charlie Mariano.

[Christiern]

She remains shy—charmingly so—but Toshiko does not let that get in the way of her creativity, which—as we all know—is considerable. I think her albums will prove to be more enduring than many albums that received better distribution and promotion.

[Big Wheel]

...the "lively" arts??

From an old book by Gilbert Seldes, a collection of essays in which he argued that the popular or "low" arts could be as deserving of critical attention as the old "high" arts. The seven were: Comic strips, Movies, Musical Comedy, Vaudeville, Radio, Popular Music, and Dance. I think the book was written just a little too early to include television. I used to have a copy; probably still do, banging around here somewhere.

Also, a TV show. This is where "The Sound of Jazz" video/album comes from.

[ValerieB]

She remains shy—charmingly so—but Toshiko does not let that get in the way of her creativity, which—as we all know—is considerable.

interesting, as i haven't seen her as shy for many, many decades. in fact, i see her as fierce and passionate. she still has an "Asian demeanor," for lack of a better way to describe it, and very polite but certainly not shy. in fact, i'd say she has more of a "tiger in her tank" than shyness!! just my personal opinion though, fwiw.

Edited September 11, 2008 by ValerieB

[CJ Shearn]

wow, good stuff. Yes I can see the resemblance to Michiru here