by Scott Yanow
Alan Eichler threw quite a party to celebrate his 80th birthday at Catalina Bar & Grill. Invited guests were treated to a concert featuring many performers who have had some connection with the theatrical producer, talent manager, and press agent through the years.
Just to name a few of his seemingly endless list of accomplishments, Eichler was the publicist for the original productions of Hello Dolly and Hair, was involved with avant-garde theatre productions in New York, worked closely with Patti Page, Eartha Kitt and Alexis Smith, helped establish the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Cinegrill and the Vine St. Bar and Grill, produced albums by Nina Simone, Joe Williams, Maxine Sullivan and Annie Ross among others, helped restore the careers of Anita O’Day (managing her for 25 years), Ruth Brown, Helen Forrest, Ella Mae Morse, Maxine Sullivan, Hadda Brooks, Lavern Baker and Jane Harvey, and has compiled and annotated a long list of CDs featuring vintage jazz-oriented singers for several labels including most recently Jasmine Records.
The festivities at Catalina’s began on a high level with a set by the Parlor Boys. Normally the backup band for singer Janet Klein, this version of the group was a quartet comprised of trumpeter and clarinetist Corey Gemme, guitarist John Reynolds, pianist Randy Woltz, and bassist Marquis Howell II. They played such trad jazz and swing standards as “At The Jazz Band Ball,” “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” (which had Reynolds whistling the melody), “Moonglow,” and “S’Wonderful.” Gemme proved equally skilled on his Bix-inspired cornet and his 1920s style clarinet and the quartet sounded great throughout their miniset and when later called upon to back a variety of acts.
Veteran comedian Bruce Vilanch was the night’s emcee, making an occasional wisecrack. Janet Klein brought back her Parlor Boys for a few numbers. Her cutesy singing and dancing is an act that appeals to some (I wish she would de-emphasize the shtick) but at least she lets her band play a bit.
Arguably the highpoint of the evening was when Annette Warren, who at 102 is the second oldest survivor in the jazz world (trumpeter Ray Anthony is six months older), took the stage. Back in the 1950s she was often hired to ghost the singing of Hollywood actresses in films (including Ava Gardner and Lucille Ball) and in the years since she has been a fine vocalist (as herself) and an important vocal coach. Accompanied by a pianist, she sang the verse and the chorus of “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man” quite beautifully. Annette Warren still has an excellent voice and her emotional rendition was touching.
While that was difficult to top, the night had a long way to go. Suzy Williams (accompanied by the excellent stride pianist Brad Kay and bassist Marquis Howell II.) combined comedy with jazz on “Tea For Two” and an original. Corky Hale sang and played piano on a thoughtful and mostly out-of-tempo version of “I’m Old Fashioned.” Cabaret singer Steve Masterson performed a humorous “Sara Lee,” paying tribute to the pound cake. Particularly impressive was Teresa Tudury. Her comedy was inspired and topical (particularly a number titled “Where Have All These Horrible People Come From?”) and she played it straight on her final number, an excellent version of “Melancholy Baby” in which she was joined by the Parlor Boys with pianist Brad Kay.
Lloyd Coleman and Ricky Comeaux sang spirited harmonized vocals on “The Way You Look Tonight.” 94-year old pianist-singer Betty Bryant, along with tenor-saxophonist Robert Kyle and bassist Howell, showed that she is still ageless on “I’ve Got A Lot Of Living To Do.”
Vocalist Mark Miller joined the group for an excellent version of “Don’t Blame Me.” And the night concluded with actress-singer Charlo Crossley performing powerfully on a soulful and inspiring number.
For Alan Eichler (who near the end of the evening related some stories from his long career), it was a perfectly logical way to spend his 80th birthday.
Karrin Allyson’s annual visits to Catalina Bar & Grill are always well worth attending. While she recorded her debut album back in 1992, she is still very much in prime form 32 years later. At Catalina’s she was joined by the very talented pianist Miro Sprague, bassist Karl McComas-Reichl, and drummer Dan Schnelle.
Since the singer’s most recent album is A Kiss For Brazil, she included several Brazilian numbers that she sang in Portuguese and English including Ivan Lins’ “The Island,” “Wave,” “Double Rainbow,” “So Many Stars,” and “Manha de Carnaval.” In addition to her always very alluring voice, Karrin Allyson showed that she remains one of jazz’s top scat-singers, utilizing scatting to uplift and add excitement to some of the songs. On a few numbers she played piano while Sprague switched to an electric keyboard; their trading off and interaction on “Double Rainbow” was particularly memorable. In addition, Ms. Allyson performed a few non-Brazilian tunes including the blues strut “You’ve Got To Be Taught,” the pop ballad “I Can Do Anything As Long As I Know You Love Me,” her joyous original “Wrap Up Some Of That Sunshine,” a cooking “Happy Talk,” and a duet with Sprague on a heartfelt version of “Say It Over And Over Again.”
Karrin Allyson should never be taken for granted. She remains one of the greats.
Harry Connick Jr. has long been one of the most popular of all jazz-oriented artists. He performed before large crowds at the Hollywood Bowl for three straight nights around the July 4th holiday.
First, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by Thomas Wilkins played a set of music, some of it celebrating July 4th. Their set was comprised of “America” from West Side Story, the overture to George Gershwin’s Girl Crazy, an atmospheric and somewhat dark reworking of Duke Ellington’s “Solitude,” William Schulman’s “Chester” which was composed around the time of the American Revolution, a medley of tunes saluting the Armed Forces, and “America The Beautiful.” Wilkins’ informative spoken introductions were a highlight.
After intermission, it was Harry Connick Jr.’s turn. He started with some solo piano that includes some stride a la Thelonious Monk. Next he was joined by five horns, a rhythm section (including organist Andrew Fisher), and some of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra musicians. Connick was his usual charming self, making witty ad-lib comments and stretching himself on piano. However his voice was sub-par and rusty, as if he had not sung in recent times. He half-spoke some of the lyrics and the tone of his singing sounded a bit tired. He largely made up for that with his witty and good-natured storytelling. Connick performed such numbers as an instrumental trio version of “It Had To Be You,” “September Song,” “Just The Way You Look Tonight,” and “I Love Paris.”
However the highpoint of the evening was the spectacular fireworks show. With the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra musicians performing a patriotic medley that climaxed with “The Stars And Stripes Forever,” the fireworks were perfectly timed to the music and were dazzling.
After all of that, Harry Connick Jr. came back to the stage and performed an overly loose and somewhat messy version of “Bourbon Street Parade” with his musicians that nevertheless served as a joyous ending to the night.
DAN WEINSTEIN AND AL MCKIBBON
Back in 2003, multi-instrumentalist Dan Weinstein and bassist Al McKibbon (1919-2005) got together in the studios to record an album of duets, Conversatin.’ McKibbon was a versatile bassist equally adept at bop, swing and Latin jazz. His playing with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band during 1947-48 made it possible for the innovative percussionist Chano Pozo to fit in well with the orchestra. The bassist passed away two years after these recordings and the performances were never released, until now.
The unique duets are now available on You Tube. The ten songs feature Weinstein on viola and trombone. He also takes an occasional vocal and sometimes overdubs additional trombones and violas to fill in the ensembles and the backgrounds. The duo performs colorful versions of “Blues For Higgy” (for J.C. Higginbotham), “Nice Work If You Can Get It” (which has some hot viola playing), “How Long Has This Been Going On,” “Chelsea Bridge,” “East Of The Sun,” “Beautiful Love,” “Solitude” (on which Weinstein plays tuba), “Just Squeeze Me,” “Too Marvelous For Words,” and a string-filled “I Hear A Rhapsody.” The underrated McKibbon is well featured, Weinstein adds variety with the arranged ensembles and his skill at several instruments, and the results are quite musical and easy to enjoy.
Hopefully this timeless music will someday be released on CD.
Every jazz musician needs a well-written press biography, every CD (and even downloads) deserves informative liner notes, and important events benefit from press releases. I write all of these and more at reasonable rates. Please contact me at 661-678-3542 or at scottyanowjazz@yahoo.com for further information about my services. My latest book, Jazz Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist (My Jazz Memoirs) is available at www.amazon.com
I have a new book that is available from amazon.com. Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist. It is subtitled My Jazz Memoirs and is my 12th book and first in a few years. I discuss in an often-humorous fashion my early days and discovery of jazz, my period as the jazz editor of Record Review, the story behind my involvement with the All Music Guide, and I reminisce about some of my adventures as an amateur musician. Included are vintage interviews with Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea, and Maynard Ferguson, encounters with Clint Eastwood, summaries of the Monterey and Playboy Jazz Festivals (including a full-length review of the 1985 Playboy Festival), memories of other events (such as the IAJE Conventions), and brief snapshots of many memorable club and concert performances. There is also background information about my other books, evaluations of the jazz critics who inspired me early on, and my thoughts on jazz criticism which includes advice to up-and-coming jazz journalists. Rounding out the book is a chapter on how the jazz writing business has changed over the past 50 years, and appendixes that include the jazz greats of the past, 86 jazz giants of today, 21 young performers to look for in the future, jazz books and DVDs that everyone should own, and a dozen enjoyable Hollywood jazz films.
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