A Modernist

Merry Christmas, Baby (1947)

2011-12-24T09:35:00.000-08:00

The original. Recorded in Los Angeles, California and released by local, indie (yes, they were called "indies" back then as well) label Exclusive Records near the end of 1947. It was both a local and national hit, reaching the number 3 spot on Billboard's "Most Played Juke Box Records" chart. Guitarist and bandleader Johnny Moore was the brother of fellow guitarist Oscar Moore, the latter of whom was peaking in popularity with The King Cole Trio at this time. Johnny's similarly styled cocktail combo, The Three Blazers, had a distinctively more dominant blues edge due in no small part to vocalist/pianist Charles Brown. The Moores and Brown all originally hailed from Texas and eventually all settled in the Los Angeles area. In fact, Moore's trio (rounded out by Eddie Williams on bass) arrived on the West Coast intact and took the place of The King Cole Trio on the Atlas Records roster when Cole and Co. jumped shipped for Capitol Records. The Three Blazers were tremendously popular on the West Coast, particularly on Central Avenue in Los Angeles. Black-owned Exclusive Records picked them up and shared in their success after the trio's few discs with Atlas went nowhere. Brown, frustrated by Moore's headstrong manner of running the combo, left for a solo career in 1948 and The Three Blazers never really recovered in spite of a string of excellent piano men and singers - as well as Oscar Moore joining the group as a second guitarist after he had been eased out of the King Cole Trio.

Merry Christmas, Everyone.

Executive Suite (1954)

2011-12-06T08:44:00.001-08:00

"Eventually, everything connects." - Charles Eames

The missus and I spent Sunday afternoon at the beautiful Rafael Theater in downtown San Rafael. The occasion? A screening of the new documentary on Charles & Ray Eames.

The theater was originally built in 1920 as The Orpheus. A fire in 1937 forced a temporary closure, but the subsequent renovations resulted in the art deco beauty that the current theater still retains. The Rafael originally operated from 1938 until the 1989 earthquake, at which time it again closed. 11 years later it re--opened and currently is operated as a non-profit by the California Film Institute.

The documentary, EAMES: The Architect and The Painter, by Jason Cohn and Bill Jersey has been in production for the past 6 years or so and premiered earlier this year at The Mill Valley Film Festival. It very much exceeded my expectations and I happily recommend it. It currently has a limited run, is scheduled to be shown on public television later this month and will be out on DVD shortly thereafter.

The quote from the film that has stayed with me is the one that provided an introduction to today's weblog. Eventually, everything DOES connect. This is something I have experienced time and time again in both life (in general) and over the course of writing this blog (to be more specific). Case in point: the 1954 film Executive Suite.

Executive Suite was referenced in passing by the Eames documentary as an early illustration of the cultural notoriety of Charles Eames. It clearly shows that Hollywood, if not mainstream America, did have some sense of postwar modernism if even at its most basic level. Focusing on what happens to a Pennsylvania furniture manufacturer when it's CEO passes away without leaving a successor, it is an interesting film that obvious had a major influence on the Coen Brothers The Hudsucker Proxy (perhaps my favorite film of theirs). Interestingly, the DVD commentary is by Oliver Stone who professes the influence the film had on his own Wall Street.

There are interesting aspects and Easter eggs galore in this film. Edward R. Murrow provides the opening narration. Second unit was shot on location in New York City. It's one of the only major studio films ever shot that lacks a musical score. Producer John Houseman (yes, THAT John Houseman of Mercury Theater and Smith-Barney fame). Shelly Winters. But (and this is where it gets interesting) there are also several other connections to a few of the topics that I have covered before on this weblog.

William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck on the set of Executive Suite, 1954

William Holden, of course, has been mentioned here at A Modernist before. While he was shooting Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn in the Spring of 1954, Executive Suite opened in theaters in April. In my previous post, I focused on Holden's wardrobe in Sabrina - more specifically the Ivy League look of his "playboy" character. Here again in Executive Suite, Holden spends much of this film in 3/2 sack suits and button-down shirts. Hardly a playboy, this character is a creative innovator - an artist working in a commercial context. He spends his time sketching ideas. He has a home studio with is very obviously based on someone's visit to the Eames studio in Santa Monica. He gives a rousing speech at the film's end that (rather succinctly, I should add) makes the case for modernism. If you don't mind spoilers, you can watch the scene in question here. It really does give some historical context to what people like Eames, Eero Saarinen, and (perhaps to a lesser extent) George Nelson where striving for.

June Allyson and William Holden, Executive Suite, 1954

And of course, the connections don't stop there. Executive Suite was directed by Robert Wise. Wise, of course, later went on to direct I Want To Live! in 1958 (featuring a musical cameo by Gerry Mulligan) and perhaps one of the best late period-Noir films Odds Against Tomorrow which starred Harry Belafonte as a jazz musician caught up in one really bad situation. But more to the point Wise co-directed the film of West Side Story in 1961 with Jerome Robbins. And how I managed to make it through my last post without mentioning either is beyond me. But, eventually, everything connects!

Directors Robbins and Wise on the set of West Side Story, 1961

Postscript: Although it took me years to realize it, I've known the films (which the new documentary gives ample time to) of Charles & Ray Eames for years. Like many of my generation, I grew up seeing 1977's Powers of Ten in school in both Middle and High School. It still fascinates me.

West Side Story film trailer (1961)

2011-11-20T13:55:00.001-08:00

West Side Story (1961)

Animated "teaser" trailer by Eyvind Earle, supervised by Saul Bass

When I was a child, I used to love spending time flipping through my parents modest LP collection. I was fascinated by the format: the photos or illustrations on the front, the long text on back, the titles on the spines, and the smell. Yes, the smell. They just intrigued me. I seldom listened to them (I don't think I was allowed to, but I don't necessarily recall that being a negative thing.). I was content to just flip through and looked.

One of these LPs was the original film soundtrack recording of West Side Story. It was probably my mother's. The bold stark red and black cover is fairly well burned in my brain. Oddly enough, I don't recall hearing it played around the house. Chicago? Sure. Steely Dan? Of course. But no West Side Story. Perhaps this added to its mystique.

Columbia LP OL 5670, released October 1961

Years later I finally saw the film in its entirety, but I never really went back and connected the LP with the film. I think this is largely due to the graphics of the film. Wonderful as they are, they don't have a direct connection with the LP jacket art - something of an anomoly in the second half of the 20th Century.

Opening Title

Sequence Details Here

Closing Title
Full Sequence Here

The titles in the movie were credited to the great Saul Bass. And, of course, you know Saul Bass. He did it all and more. Interestingly he was also credited with "visual consultation" on West Side Story. My mind can't help but wondering if he had any input on the color palate of the film. With all of the talent tied up in the production of this movie I would expect not, but with little to work with it does raise questions. I am also curious about the "photographic effects" credited to Linwood Dunn. This could very well relate to the opening sequence, but again I don't have much information to go on. If anyone has some good links on this, I would love to hear from you.

Fast forward to last week when I heard a recording from the original Broadway cast recording of the musical. It was a random occurrence on a JetBlue flight from JFK back home to San Francisco. I was knocked out by the performance and hit YouTube for more (and, yes, eventually ordered a copy of the disc so that I may listen to it properly). Over the course of YouTubin' I stumbled upon the clip at the top of this post. It's very early example of a teaser trailer that was produced by Eyvind Earle in anticipation of the film's Autumn 1961 release. The original 1957 Broadway production had a very successful run of 732 performances and production of the film did garner some press at the time, so there was some expectation in advance of the movie hitting the theaters.

Earle (1916-2000) was an interesting character whose design career spanned both Coasts and several disciplines. His chronology reads like a modernist's dream: film, advertising, commercial design, and the fine arts. He even did a stint with Walt Disney during one of the latter's most interesting periods. I'll leave it up to you to follow the links to go into deeper detail, but highlight two of personal interest to me. First of all he created the Welch's Grape Juice stand mural in Fantasyland. Another childhood memory of mine is making sure we always went here for grape juice. Why? First, I loved grape juice. Second, I was fascinated by the mural behind the counter! Obviously inspired by the Beethoven segment of 1940's Fantasia, it featured figures from Greek mythology - another childhood interest of mind. This was a Disneyland visit ritual for me and my family (along with going on The Pirates of The Caribbean first) until Fantasyland was remodeled in 1983.

Welch's Grape Juice mural by Eyvind Earle, Disneyland, 1955

Behind the scenes, it turns out Earle did not get along terribly well with his Disney cohorts. More to the point they resented the carte blanche Walt gave him on Sleeping Beauty. Produced from 1951 until 1958 and finally released in January of 1959, it was a tremendous visual departure from anything that had come before it (or has come since). And once one dig's into Earle's visual style, one will easily see how much he was responsible for the final look of the film in spite of "only" being the film's Color Stylist and Background Director (long-time Disney-man Ken Anderson was ostensibly the film's Art Director). Again, it is animated film that has long stood out from the Disney canon for me, mostly as it was so odd. I think it may be high time for a repeat viewing.

Side note: the score to Sleeping Beauty was mostly based on Tchaikovsky's ballet of the same name, again hearkening back to Fantasia.

Early concept painting for Sleeping Beauty background by Eyvind Earle, early-1950s

By the time Sleeping Beauty was released, Earle had been eased out of Disney and begin freelancing around Los Angeles. He re-kindled his relationship with United Artists (going back to 1934) and ended up working on the film trailer for West Side Story for them. And therein is the illusive LP graphic! If I had to hazard a guess Bass provided some of the basic imagery, perhaps including the main title block, while much of the remainder is the work of Earle's. To back this up and as a comparison, here is a 1961 television commercial for Chevrolet by Earle that strongly parallels the trailer.

Chevrolet television commerical by by Eyvind Earle (1961)

Although I have yet to read it, Earle wrote an autobiography. Coincidentally, the first ever book on Saul Bass was just published earlier this month. Again, I have yet to see/read it, but it certainly looks enticing. Sleeping Beauty was restored and re-released in 2008 and is available on most popular formats. West Side Story is enjoying a resurgence in popularity due to its revival on Broadway and beyond, but the originals are still pretty much untouchable.

Detour (1945)

2011-11-11T07:48:00.001-08:00

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

Written by Martin Goldsmith and Martin Mooney

Cinematography by Benjamin H. Kline

Music by Leo Erdody

Full details here and here.

First a commercial. If you have a good, local video rental shop - such as mine, Lost Weekend Video - get out there and see if you can rent a copy of this movie (or any movie for that matter). They need your patronage, your legs need the exercise, and the film is going to be more enjoyable on something other than a computer. Now on to today's feature...

Some time ago, local film critic Mick LaSalle, published his short-list of essential Film Noir titles. More recently, I have been dutifully working my way through the movies I have yet to see. Detour is on that list. Seeing that it was not available at my local and that I didn't want to shill out the cash/waste resources for a copy on the 'Bay (nor has it been featured recently in San Francisco's EXCELLENT Noir City Film Festival), I hit the 'net looking for some options.

Much to my surprise, the entire film (and a decent print at that) is available for viewing on YouTube. Yes, YouTube home to a million low-res time wasters. I feel as if some corner has been turned.

All that aside, sit back and get comfortable. Released by PRC in November of 1945, you can enjoy the film right here or click over to the 'Tube if you want a little more control over your screen.

Milton Resnick, David Amram, & Friends (1956)

2011-10-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I came across the photo above on someone's Tumblr or Flickr or Friendster page. OK, it wasn't Friendster. After a little research I was able to confirm that it was photographed by James Burke for Life magazine some time in 1956. I say "some time" as I have found that the dates are not always accurate in the Life archives, so although it claims December of that year, let's not etch that in marble. OK? At first glance, there is SO much to just plain dig going on here: jazz musicians, abstract expressionist art, loafers, desert boots, and people just having a good time. I posted this shot on my Facebook wall which illicited some positive comments from like-minded souls the world over. It's just a neat encapsulation of why so many of us continue to dig deep into the past for inspiration. So let's dig a little deeper.

Untitled, Milton Resnick, 1959

The main subject of the photo (at least in terms of the assignment Burke was on for Life) was artist Milton Resnick who can be seen dancing with the brunette in fur and heels to the far right of the photo. Resnick has a fascinating biography and in art historian circles is considered one of the major figures of Abstract Expressionism. Curiously, his posthumous popularity has sagged in recent years and he is seldom mentioned in the same breath as Pollock, de Kooning, or even (my personal favorite) Kline. But he was a big part of the 10th Street scene of the 1950s and 1960s.

E 10th Street by James Burke, 1956

The 10th Street thing was a loose collaborative of artists and galleries located on the Lower East Side on and around East 10th Street in Manhattan. Some, like the Phoenix Gallery, still exist but for the most part they thrived from roughly 1952 to 1962. Live/work space was plentiful and rent was cheap, so many of the more progressive artists of the day gravitated to the locale and provided a significant alternative to the upmarket Midtown galleries. Long before SOMA. Long before Chelsea. Note: I wish I could identify more of the artists in the photo above. In addition to Resnick , the only one I am fairly sure of is Franz Kline (black hair and 'stache). If you recognize others, please leave a comment below!

David Amram, Five Spot Cafe, 1957 by Burt Glinn

Back to the main photo. I am fairly confident that the man blowing the French horn is David Amram. Cast your peepers on the photo above shot a year later at the Five Spot Cafe (which is located just a few blocks South of E 10th in the Bowrey at 5 Cooper Square). Same guy, right? If you ain't hip to Amram, get hip. Not only did he have some serious Beat Generation ties back in the day, but he is still going strong in 2011 performing monthly at the Cornelia Street Cafe in Greenwich Village; a living link to the past. I'm only slightly going out on a limb when I say the remainder of the group performing at Resnick's house party is the Amram-Barrow Quartet. Tenor sax man George Barrow hooked up with Amram in 1955 by way of Charles Mingus. The group was rounded out by Arthur Phipps on bass and Al Harewood on drums. They were regulars at The Five Spot and recorded for Decca Records in 1956 or 1957. Of course, this all makes sense as The Five Spot was a favorite of the 10th Street crowd.

Jazz Studio No. 6, The Eastern Scene, Amram-Barrow Quartet, 1957

One final note of admiration regarding the photo. As I mentioned before, be sure to check out the clothes. It's such a cool mix of Bohemian, Ivy League, and contemporary fashion styles of the time. It's always eye-opening to see real candids from this time period (as opposed to movies or magazine ads, that is) to see how folks really dressed. Only Gerry Mulligan made wearing desert boots while blowing a horn look cooler!

J.Press Polished Cotton Ivy League Trousers (2011)

2011-10-01T22:30:00.000-07:00

Legendary Ivy League haberdasher J.Press (started in 1902 on the Yale University campus - a fuller account of which can be found here) are currently stocking their contemporary equivalent of an obscure but iconic piece of clothing: the Ivy League trouser. It's available in both tan cotton twill and charcoal super 110 worsted wool. How do they shape up? We'll get to that in a moment, but first what the hell is an "Ivy League trouser"?

The notion of putting a cinch or buckle on the back of men's trousers just below the waist was not an Ivy League invention. In fact it goes back at least to the late-1800s as partly evidenced by Levi's Vintage Clothing's recent 1878 reissue (above). It is a detail that crops up every few years in the early 20th Century, but by the end of the Second World War it was a trend that had not been revisited since perhaps the 1930s.

Sometime in the early-1950s, clothes-makers re-introduced the detail as part of the emerging post-war "Ivy League" trend. The above ad is from a 1954 issue of Gentry and is the earliest reference to this detail in the Ivy context I have seen so far (source: Ivy Style blog). Most photographic evidence of the back buckle from this era shows its presence on chinos, so it is especially interesting to see this ad mention both worsteds and flannels.

The back buckle (often referred to these days as a "buckle-back") became so synonymous with Ivy style that "Ivy League trousers" became the generic term for any flat-front, straight-leg trouser with this detail - although it did most often refer to chinos or polished cotton twills. The trend itself lasted almost 10 years. By the early 1960s the trend seems to have gone to the wayside, yet again. If you are interested in a good discussion of the matter, follow this link. Historic side-note: I just recently learned that chinos were also known as "suntans" early on - particularly by WWII and Korean War vets - obviously the moniker did not stick (see the below 1956 illustration for a reference).

But let us return to the present. Back in June 2009, the Ivy Style blog carried this piece on the back buckle. And although it took a couple of years, retailers did pick up on the detail. There are a couple of options out there. NYC's Thoroughstitch has produced a very handsome pair of chinos - unfortunately the initial run is sold out and they've been unable to give me an indication of when it will be re-run. Somewhat surprisingly, Levis brand Dockers is doing a version - although the rise is (not surprisingly) geared towards a more contemporary crowd that doesn't quite seem to know where a man's waist is located. Regardless for the right body shape and weight, this US-made garment could be a good, affordable option.

Which brings us back to the J.Press trousers. They too, are made in the USA - by Martin Greenfield, no less, for Press. Good news indeed. The polished cotton twill is a step-up from the military-style Cramerton cloth chinos of which there are so many good options to choose from these days. Nearly perfect for dressing up without looking like you are adhering to casual Friday conventions. They sit at the true waist - perhaps a little high for some (at first) and with no concession to current mainstream trends, but they look good (and, dare I say right) when paired with a button-down and odd jacket. There are some nice details. The slanted pockets drop about half-an-inch from the 1.5" waist-band, which is a detail typically only seen on some vintage items. The straight-leg width measures 10" at the knee and just over 9" at the cuff, which certainly puts them in the provenance of "classic" if you read books such as these.

Postscript: if you have read this far, might I recommend this link for a little more on the origin of the buckle on khaki chinos.

John Hermansader for Blue Note (1953-1955)

2011-09-10T09:31:00.000-07:00

Graphic artist John Hermansader provides a direct link between early European modernist thought and a later mid-century icon of American modernism. Hermansader was born in 1916 near Reading, Pennsylvania. 3 years later Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus in Weimar, Germany. Hermansader, probably in his late-teens or early-20s, went to Memphis to study design (possibly at the Memphis Academy of Arts). The Bauhaus moved to Dessau in 1925 and then to Berlin in 1932 before being closed due to political pressure from the German National Socialist Party. Hermansader continued his design studies at the New Bauhaus in Chicago, which was founded by ex-Bauhaus instructor László Moholy-Nagy in 1937 and existed for just a year before being reopened by Moholy-Nagy as the Chicago School of Design and eventually being incorporated as part of the Illinois Institute of Technology.

After his studies, Hermansader returned to the East Coast by the end of the 1930s. He established his own design firm in New York City sometime in the 1940s and continued fostering his interest in contemporary jazz music which had reached back for some time. Through his friend and fellow designer Paul Bacon, he was introduced to the fold of the burgeoning Blue Note Records outfit. With the introduction of the 10-inch vinyl LP in 1948 and the accompanying need for sleeve design, Blue Note was faced with the challenge of how to present their catalog of music in a competitive and original manner. The first Blue Note microgroove 10-inch LPs were released in 1951 with striking, extremely modern covers by Bacon. Hermansader contributed his first designs to the "modern jazz series" in 1953 and was associated with the record label for the next 2 years.

Blue Note shifted focus to 12-inch LP releases in 1955. By this time, a young designer named Reid Miles had taken a position with Hermansader's firm as the latter's assistant. While it is quite possible that Miles contributed to some of the 10-inch LP designs credited to Hermansader (a fairly common practice in the design world), he almost certainly had a significant contribution to the first 12-inch LP designs that bore Hermansader's credit.

With these last designs, Hermansader ended his association with Blue Note and passed the torch to his Miles, who was hired directly by Alfred Lion at the label. Although Hermansader reportedly designed some LP covers for Riverside Records, his work in this field quickly tapered off. By most reports he lived an interesting a full life before passing away at the age of 89 on July 4, 2009.

More, please? Be sure to read my entry on musician and visual artist Gil Melle for more early Blue Note LP images.

Miles Davis and The Ivy League (1954-1958)

2011-08-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Miles, 1956

Photo by Herman Leonard

Blue blazer, grey flannel trousers, and a soft-roll button down striped oxford shirt with a wonderful roll to the collar

After several recent weblog entries and Facebook "conversations" (quotes intentional, I still don't buy into the notion that social media is true conversation as I appreciate the term), I've been doing some research on Miles Davis dalliance with Ivy League style in his clothing choices. Fortunately, it's been somewhat easy to put a timetable to matters. It seems to start "sometime in 1954" according to this article. Yes, I did just cite RL Magazine as a reference, but their source is Charlie Davidson who ran (and still runs) the legendary Andover Shop in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This makes sense. Miles returned to New York City at the very tail end of Winter in early 1954. He was for the first time in at least 4 years clean, having quit heroin cold with the help of his parents in St. Louis. After a quick trip to the West Coast and and extended stay in Chicago to get his chops back in shape, he hit New York hard recording for both Blue Note and Prestige records within weeks of his arrival. It would only stand to reason that Miles was on the hunt for some new threads and maybe even a new identity of sorts. Yes, this is conjecture, but anyone who has dealt with any kind of substance abuse knows well the desire to find some new skin as part of the process. Ivy League style was definitely a known trend by 1954 and obviously appealed to Davis.

Miles, March 1954

Hackensack, New Jersey

Recording for Blue Note Records, photo by Francis Wolff

Note the beef-roll penny loafers a la Sebago; trousers are possibly chinos but could also be gaberdine from the way they are hanging

The end of the stylistic time period is a little more difficult to pinpoint. Part of the challenge is the lack of photographs of Miles 1954-1958. It is well to remember that Davis was far from the icon he is today. Even in terms of popularity he was vying with the likes of Chet Baker and Dizzy Gillespie for much of the decade (although he did top the Down Beat Reader's Poll for trumpet in both 1955 and 1957). All that said, there is definitely more than a couple of photographs that do illustrate his often celebrated association with the style.

Miles, 1956

Underneath the Cafe Bohemia awning, Greenwich Village, NYC

Seersucker sack jacket, a bold gingham or madras shirt, and a ton of cool

For more photos from this night, click here

What is a little more discernible is when Miles moved on. By 1958 the might advertising machine of Columbia Records (who signed and recorded Davis in 1955, but did not release his first LP on that label until 1957) was in full swing and the camera shutters were clicking at an impressive speed for a jazz man. Music aside (as it is never 100% about the music), it could be very well argued that Columbia was instrumental in building Miles the man up to the icon status he was by the mid-1960s. At the very least, they certainly were a big help in boosting his profile. But I digress. My point is that by 1959 (or possibly as early as 1958), Miles style begins to show a distinctive, tailored Continental flair. I want to address this in a little more detail in a coming entry, but it is interesting to note that this much-more personalized style is one associated with Davis for nearly the next decade - certainly until the late-1960s. In retrospect, Miles Ivy Style lasted maybe 4 years tops which is remarkably brief considering how often one may see it referenced.

Newport, 1955, by Photo by Herman Leonard

It is not discernible in this photo by Miles is sporting a seersucker blazer, checked button-down club collar shirt, and a University stripe bow tie. And, yes, I am working on a detail shot.

William Holden (1954)

2011-08-19T14:41:00.000-07:00

Dig, if you will, this beautiful 1954 color photo of silver screen legend William Holden...

I am sure some of you have seen it before. But take another look. Soak it in. There is a lot of good things going on. First, some background. This was shot during production of Billy Wilder's feature film Sabrina some time in 1954. The film was released in early September, so we can speculate it was Spring or so. Every reference to it says it was shot on Wall Street and the background bears this out. Unfortunately, I've yet to find a photo credit, so please do let me know if any of you out there have this information. A couple of words about Holden's role in Sabrina if you have never seen the movie. In it, Holden portrays a "playboy" type, the younger of two brothers. Interestingly, the film-makers chose not only to equip him with Nash-Healey roadster (also known as "America's first post-war sports car"), but also to outfit him primarily in an Ivy League-styled wardrobe in much of the film and attendant promo stills.

Fortunately, I was able to dig up a couple of other photos from the same shoot. What primarily concerns me here is Holden's clothes. Quintessential American Ivy League Style at Mid-Century! For starters, I would like to enter the first photo as evidence that the sack suit is a boxy, unflattering cut. Depending on the angle this particular example even veers towards slim. Custom suitmaker Jonathan Behr reckons it is a J. Press suit and presents his reasoning here. Regardless of the maker, it's a well cut 3/2 sack with a perhaps a bit more shoulder padding than one might expect - but, hey it's 1954! Zoot Suits were still a recent memory, so we'll go easy on him. Otherwise, all of the requisite Ivy hallmarks are there: button-down soft roll collar shirt, regimental stripe tie, and moccasin (possibly Bass Weejuns, my mind is not 100% on this point yet) loafers. Add to that a nice straw fedora and a TV-fold pocket square, plus just the right amount of color contrast for some élan.

Oh, did I mention the film co-starred Audrey Hepburn? If you can take your peepers off Audrey for a moment or two, be sure to check out some more of those details in Holden's ensemble.

Time Magazine had named William Holden the Top Star of the year in May of '54, so one can only imagine the influence his style had on the American male populace when the film was released in the Autumn.

Side Note A: Now would be a great time to point out that 1954 was also the year the Miles Davis adopted the Ivy League look, at least according to this article. Photographs pretty much bear this out.

Side Note B: As a contrast, Mark Robson's equally fine film Phffft! released just around the same time as Sabrina features Jack Lemmon, in a starring role, trying to shake his square image to show his ex-wife (played by the wonderful and underrated Judy Holliday) that he can be a playboy. His square duds are other great examples of Ivy style, while his "playboy" image includes such frivolities as a striped waistcoat and a mustache! The end result has definite Continental flair, which is a nice historical example of this then emerging style trend. It just so happened 1954 was something of a watershed for that look as well. Read on, if you are interested.

The Subject is Jazz: Swing (1958)

2011-08-06T23:15:00.000-07:00

Produced in New York City by National Educational Television for classroom use and in conjunction with the National Broadcasting Corporation for broadcast. If you had a television in 1957-1958 and were lucky enough to get one of the affiliate stations, this is a sample of what you would see Friday night at 5 PM.

I've been reading series host and pianist Billy Taylor's Smithsonian Jazz oral history transcript available here. Just follow the link and scroll down to Dr. Taylor. There were so many good things about Billy and The Subject is Jazz is just one of them. Check out the clips, read the transcript, and check out some of Taylor's recordings (many of which are available on iTunes).

Side note: this series features the wonderful guitarist Mundell Lowe, a personal favorite and probably one of the last dozen or so living musicians to have played with Charlie Parker.

High Society (1901-1959)

2011-07-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

One of the pitfalls of learning about American jazz music of the 20th Century is that it is conducted in retrospection. In looking back, it's often difficult to see, hear, and feel the currents that propels the music forward. Also there is the historian's tendency to look for patterns and once establishing said patterns filing subject matter accordingly. Read enough jazz history books, for example, and one might walk around with the nothing that the Modern Jazz of the 1940s has nothing to do with the original Jazz music as created in New Orleans decades earlier. Of course this was not helped at all by the "modernists" versus the "moldy figs" debate during the bebop era. Hype for sure, but it does belie the American cultural tendency to always be looking for the next big thing, often at the expense of what came before. What I have here is a wonderful musical example something that flies in the face of that kind of thinking. Sit back, read on, and be sure to dig the sound clips.

In 1901, a fellow by the name of Porter Steele composed a song for marching band ensembles titled "High Society". Now at the turn of the last Century marching bands were some of the more popular bands of the day, performing everything from said marches to light classics. They were mainstream and ordinary folks dug them. Fair now. But down in New Orleans, a clarinetist and guitarist by the name of Alphonse Picou was instrumental a developing a new style of music, which later came to be known as jazz. Picou, a contemporary and sometime bandmate of the legendary Buddy Bolden, adopted Steele's "High Society" for this new sort of combo and improvised a clarinet line based on the piccolo part of Steele's composition. Picou was later cited as a big influence by such players as Johnny Dodds and Jimmy Noone and "High Society" might very well be his lasting contribution to music as we shall see. Unfortunately, there is no early recording available featuring this first adaptation.

The first jazz recording of "High Society Rag" (retitled) was on June 22, 1923 by Kid Oliver's Jazz Band. Although recorded in Chicago (for Okeh Records), it featured such NOLA stalwarts as Dodds and Louis Armstrong (cornet). In fact, it is safe to say that it is a fairly authentic recording of classic hot New Orleans jazz...

The arrangement supposedly is fairly close to Picou's adaptation most importantly Dodds clarinet line. In fact, dig the little riff he plays at about 2:17. Go ahead. Go back and listen again. Now the more astute heads among you may already recognize the riff. But let's move forward a few years...

1937 and Benny Goodman is the recently crowned "King of Swing". I am not going to spend my time arguing the validity of this title, but I will say that jazz music was reaching its commercial zenith in terms of mainstream popularity and "Swing" was on the tip of every music journalist's pen. Goodman was an extremely popular bandleader at the time both through live appearances and regular radio broadcasts. To his great credit (and perhaps discrediting American social values of the time), Goodman hired pianist Teddy Wilson in 1935 and thereby was the first significant white bandleader to appear in public with a mixed band. A year later he further challenged the color barrier by hiring Lionel Hampton in the vibraphone. Benny had chops, could swing - plus he had the drumming genius of Gene Krupa. Needless to say, it was a good band. Now dig this clip of Benny and the band in 1937 (introduced by Rudy Vallee!). Be sure to listen closely when Hampton comes in for his solo - about 52 seconds into the clip...

Did you hear it? Yep. "High Society" again. With a little more swing and sounding more than a little more modern. So with that in mind let's move forward another 8 years...

On November 26, 1945, Charlie Parker entered WOR Recording Studios in New York City to record his first session as a leader. It was later issued as Charlie Parker's Reboppers on the indie small group swing and bop specialist label Savoy. His contracted pianist, Bud Powell, was a no-show; he was having trouble with his horn; and his trumpeter (19-year-old Miles Davis) was struggling with the tunes. Any yet he managed to record not 1 but 3 widely acknowledged modern jazz classics on the session, one of which was something of a magnum opus and one of the most explosive examples of modern jazz improvisation captured on disc to that date - and was rarely equaled in the years after. Check out "KoKo" paying particular notice to Bird's alto at about 1:18...

HIGH SOCIETY! Yet again. From jazz to swing to bop. Where could we possibly go from here?

One of he biggest jukebox hits of 1947 was a double-sided modern jazz tenor battle featuring two of the music's more swinging Lester Young disciples. "The Chase" recorded in June by Dexter Gordon & Wardell Gray for Dial Records managed to interpolate the "High Society" riff we have been looking at into the the full melody of the song! Dexter also takes it about as far as anyone could in the opening bars of the his solo (yes, he solos first). It's a beautiful evocation of what Central Avenue in Los Angeles probably sounded like on a good night in the late-40s and a great way to end this post...

OK, not quite. Just to bring it all back home, let's go back to Alphonse Picou with this rare clip of him near the end of his life in 1959 playing - yes, you guessed it - his own solo on "High Society"....

D'Andrea Guitar Plectrum 351 (2011)

2011-06-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Near the end of last year, I was in Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto trying to sort out a few spare parts for my recently purchased 1947 Epiphone Broadway guitar. It just so happened that the fellow helping me was luthier Steve Saperstein - something completely unbeknownst to me at the time. I had just recently gone down the rabbit hole of guitar picks and after spending far too much time on the Internet had decided the take the plunge and purchase a very expensive imitation tortoise shell plectrum.

Aren't they all tortoise shell, you ask? Well, interestingly no. Guitarists started using plectrums (similar to what pluck the strings in a harpsichord) some time in the 1800s and one of the early substrates that found favor was actual tortoise shell. But this material was expensive, somewhat fragile and eventually became illegal to use in 1973. At the same time that guitar players started picking the strings with things other than feathers or fingers, what later became known celluloid was first invented in England. In the spirit of the Industrial Age, it was soon being used for every item imaginable and by 1872 was known as celluloid in the USA.

Anyhow back to Palo Alto last year. Being somewhat insecure, I asked Steve what he thought of this expensive imitation tortoise shell pick. In fact, the older generation of jazz guitar men (or so I had read), swore by their old tortoise shell picks for its tone, feel, and durability. Well, Steve kind of blew the picks off and handed me a D'Andrea Pro Plec saying, "I've always been able to get a good sound out of these." Well, at less that $10 for a dozen it was a fraction of the cost of the other pick and frankly it had substance and both felt AND looked good. Sure, why not? I figured I would give it a try. I liked Steve, he seemed knowledgeable, and it was just a minimum risk.

I've been using the picks ever since. I just love them. Steve was right, one can get a really nice sound out of them. Not one to gush, but they might be the best pick I have ever used. And, yes, I have tried quite a few.

But there is something else about this item that would appeal to folks on a broader level. The picks are manufactured by D'Andrea in New York. You can (and should) read about their history here, but I will summarize. 1922, Luigi D'Andrea is credited with the first use of celluloid for guitar picks. Yes indeed, what became the predominant guitar pick material can be traced back to this company, not too long ago. The company developed scores of different shapes over the years, but is also credited with developing the most common shape used, their number 351 (see the photo above). Unfortunately, I could not find a date associated with this shape, but it surely was early on as nearly every pick maker had adopted the shape by late-1950s. Perhaps most surprisingly in this day and age, the company is still owned by the D'Andrea family and still make the picks here in the USA of celluloid material imported from Italy.

Gil Mellé, Graphic Artist (1953-1956)

2011-06-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Native New Yorker Gil Mellé has a very interesting role in the history of 20th Century American music. As a composer and instrumentalist he is responsible for some of most thoroughly modern music released on Blue Note Records in the early 1950s. As an amateur sound recordist and audiophile (before there was even such a term), he was the man responsible for re-introducing and securing the legendary sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder into the Blue Note fold. On top of all of this, he was also a visual artist, reportedly one whose art was shown in galleries in New York City in the 1950s. What can be substantiated is the album cover designs he created for both Blue Note and Prestige Records during this time. I've plundered the wonderful archives of the Birka Jazz Archives to collect the majority of Mellé's designs below. Be sure to also read Marc Meyer's JazzWax piece on the man as a musician, as well as Marc's follow-up post here.

Side Note: the above Blue Note discs originally were released between 1953 and 1955 and were 10-inch Long Playing records. The Prestige platters were all released in 1956 in the newer 12-inch format. Both microgroove formats played at 33 1/3 revolutions per minute and were initially only available as monaural selections. RIAA guidelines of course applied.

Side-Side Note: for those of us that grew up in the television syndication age in the latter portion of the 20th century, might know Mellé for his intro theme to Rod Serling's Night Gallery.

Addendum (9/9/11): I found a couple more Mellé designs on another cover site. Enjoy.

White Oak Denim (1905-?)

2011-05-22T15:14:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, on on May 20, 2011, Levi Strauss & Company celebrated the 138 anniversary of being awarded United States Patent Number 139, 121. This "Improvement in Fastening Pocket-Openings" is widely heralded as the birth of blue jeans, not only an American classic if there ever was one, but also a clothing icon.Contrary to latter-day publicity materials, San Francisco-based Strauss missed the California Gold Rush, but he most certainly sold garments to prospectors and beyond once production was active in the 1870s. For several decades, "Levis" (as we tend to call them now) were the provenance of West Coast workers from ranches to factories. But gradually, exposure to the garment grew. For example, the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition featured a hall where Levi's employees actively created garments.

In the 1930s, with Westerns riding high in the box office, the Dude Ranch fad/craze brought many Easterners in direct contact with genuine cowboys. What could be a better souvenir than a pair of the denim trousers that nearly every ranch-hand worth his boots could be seen wearing? The 1940s then saw an influx of folks of all classes, creeds, and colors into San Francisco, the greater Bay Area, and California thanks to both the armed forces as well as the war production effort. By the end of the Second World War, it is safe to say that Levi's were fairly well-known, if not well on their way to becoming ensconced in the cultural consciousness.

I celebrated Levi's achievement early this year by purchasing a brand new pair of Levi's Vintage Clothing line's 1947 501XX Selvedge Jeans at one of my favorite local merchants, Unionmade. Perhaps somewhat prohibitively pricey, they are impeccably and accurately fashioned after the surprisingly slim and modern cut of the 1947 501s. It would seem, by any measure, that Levi's Strauss & Company have firmly re-established themselves on the competitive (if not slightly overcrowded) premium denim scene.

Apart from what the attention to detail, two major things struck me about these particular reissues. First, they are made in the United States. And by made I mean: milled, cut, and sewn here in the United States. In fact, with a little research it turns out the cutting and sewing for these as well as some less pricey items from their regular line (such as 501s and 505s) are being cut and sewn in Los Angeles. Yes, that's right. Back in California after several decades in other states and countries!

But most impressive is the quality of the denim. It's quite simply some of the nicest I have ever come in contact with. It looks right. It feels right. And that's because it IS right! It turns out Levi's has been using Cone Denim from North Carolina. And not just any denim from Cone, but their premium White Oak denim that features unmistakeable narrow selvedge courtesy of original vintage shuttle looms. What more is that the White Oak Plant has been producing denim since 1905, which surely must be some sort of record. Compound this with the fact that the White Oak Mill has been supplying Levi's with denim since 1915 results in a pair of jeans that really are something special.

Herein lies a huge appeal to me. In so many ways a historic reissue is, by design, a period piece. But considering the source of the fabric and the continuum of its history, this is transcended in a no small way. And at the end of the day, the garment is still a piece of work wear more akin to other modern functional classics such as an Eames molded plastic chair rather than a museum treasure or mantlepiece.

Here's a brief video that focuses on another one of White Oak's customers, Raleigh Denim, but it does have some very cool images of the plants and the looms in action. Here's hoping those looms keep moving another 106 years!

Raleigh Denim: Handcrafted in North Carolina | UNC-TV from David Huppert on Vimeo.

Ellingtonia: Fred Guy (1946)

2011-04-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today, April 29th, is the 112th anniversary of the birth of Duke Ellington. Frankly it should be celebrated MUCH more than it is. However, I will spare you a rant. Instead I encourage you to turn off this computer right now and go play a Duke Ellington record. Or listen to the Duke on your computer while you read this (WKCR 89.9 PM New York City devotes their entire day's programming to Duke all day long today). Even better, go toiTunes and gift some music to someone else you know that might not have any Ellington in their collection.

I thought I would use the occasion as an excuse to post a photo of Duke's long-time guitarist (and banjoist before that), Fred Guy, who was associated with The Maestro's organizations from 1925-1949.

Fred Guy

October 29 or 30, 1946

The Aquarium Restaurant, New York, New York

Photographed by William Gottlieb

Let's start with the musician, Unfortunately, a painfully small amount of information is available on Guy. In short, he was born in Georgia just a month shy of 2 years before Ellington and grew up in New York City. He worked on his own as well as with Joseph C. Smith's dance band before joining Duke Ellington's Washingtonians in the Spring of 1925. Interestingly, he replaced the former bandleader of Duke's band, Elmer Snowden. Side note: Snowden has a San Francisco connection as he ended up in the Bay Area in the early 1960s and played with Turk Murphy! But back to Fred. As a couple of online writers have noted, his banjo playing is much more notable in many respects on the early Ellington sides if only because he is much more audible. Once he switched to guitar in the early 1930s he fell into the role of the classic swing guitarist, often felt more than heard on those old shellac discs. He is on most of Ellington's recordings during this era and can be seen in most of the few film clips of the orchestra. He departed from the group at a time when less and less big bands (the few that were left, I should qualify) were using a guitarist in their ranks. Duke never replaced him and to my knowledge never worked with another guitar player on a regular basis. Guy reportedly ended up in Chicago and managed a ballroom in the 1950s, although I have yet to turn up any specifics. He passed away in the year of my birth 1971.

The date of the photo is accurate within a day due to other shots from the same session. The late, great William Gottlieb photographed several wonderful shots of the Duke and his men this evening, all of which are available via the Library of Congress site. What helps determine the date is the presence of Django Reinhardt in several shots, who had just arrived in the United States and would soon appear with the Orchestra. We can thank the Django fanatics for providing a date.

Speaking of Django, Gottlieb snapped a couple of shots of the legend playing what turns out to be Fred Guy's archtop. For some time, these photos were a red herring for Djangologists as it was thought to have been a guitar he used, but it would seem these shots were just for the photographic occasion.

The guitar, itself, is a Levin. Never heard of it? Neither had I. At one point of time it was thought to have been Stromberg or Epiphone oddity, it was a Levin De Luxe circa 1937-1939. Another interesting point, Levin was a Swedish manufacturer, although the founder Herman Carlson had traveled to the United States at the beginning of the 20th Century and learned his craft there. But how the heck did Fred end up with it? If I had to hazard a guess, he picked it up on Duke's 1939 European tour.

By the way, you can purchase this VERY guitar on eBay. I am not kidding. Fred Guy's guitar is on eBay as I type this. Unbelievable.

Not much has survived the ages about The Aquarium Restaurant. It was located at 701 Seventh Avenue at 47th Street. A quick visit to the address courtesy of Google reveals that while the old building still stands, a sbarro now occupies the space. I won't even go into how many kinds of wrong that is. The slight balm though is the presence of Tad's Steaks next door.

One final aside. Check out the positioning of the guitar in the above photo. To contemporary guitarists, it might seem a little odd, but it is classic swing guitar positioning. In short this was a way a for un-amplified guitarists of this era to not only hear themselves but to be heard by the band and dancers. For more on this topic, head on over to Jonathan Stout's well-written and researched Swing Guitar Blog. Jonathan is quite a student of history when it comes to swing guitar and is currently performing with one of my favorite West Coast combos, D.J. Bonebreak's (yes, the drummer from X) Bonebreak Syncopators.

Happy Duke's Day Everyone!

American Optical Flight Goggle 58 (1958)

2011-04-21T03:03:00.000-07:00

American Optical Eyewear, Inc. has been making eyewear right here in the US of A since 1833. It can trace its origins back to William Beecher in 1826 and you can read their full story here. Other interesting date-related facts worth reading about include their first sunglasses (1876), their introduction of Ulta-Violet protection (1913), and polarized lenses (1940). But perhaps AO, Inc. is most well-known for their association with the US military.

The design of the ubiquitous "aviator" sunglass generally credited to Ray Ban is, its classic egg-shaped glass favored by pilots around the time of the Second World War. Interestingly, pilots did not wear sunglasses while flying at this time, so their popularity had to have been reserved out of the cockpit. The most well-known Ray Ban man at the time? General Douglas MacArthur, of course.

A quick sidenote: the earliest hipsters (and I mean that in the true sense of the word), I have seen sporting aviators are in this photo of Afro-Cuban musicians in NYC from the late 1940s. By the way, that is Arsenio Rodriguez in the dark suit and tie in the center and Machito on the far right. Legendary bandleaders both.

But I digress.

American Optical, too, was producing and supplying aviator sunglasses to the military during World War II. In fact, they had been supplying sunglasses to the military as far back as the First World War, long before Ray Ban existed as a company. It was a fairly common practice for the quartermaster of any given branch of the military to source common goods such as these from multiple suppliers - take a look at the history of military watches some time for ample examples.

1958 saw the introduction of a newly-designed aviator sunglass courtesy of American Optical. And for my money, it is a design classic that surpasses the Ray Ban aviator. Its semi-rectangluar lenses have become almost as iconic as its egg-shaped predecessor. Living up to the modernist axiom of form following function, Flight Goggle 58 (as it was initially known) was/is streamlined and to the point. Their popularity quickly eclipsed that of the other aviator style for much of the subsequent decade, perhaps reaching a figurative and literal high point when they were the first sunglasses on the moon in 1969.

Jim Irwin (in blue) with fellow astronauts Alan Bean, Charlie Duke and Bruce McCandless before the July 1969 Apollo 11 launch.

Over the years, the popularity of the 58s has waxed and waned, but they have definitely seen an upsurge in popularity, again as an alternative to the egg-shaped aviators that ever Tom, Dick, and Supermodel seems to be sporting these days, irregardless of social status, political views, or face shape. But the 58s are around. Look for the discerning gentleman. And you can (in part) thank Don Draper while you are at it...

I will leave you with one piece of advice. If you get the itch for a pair, don't settle for any cheap (or expensive) imitations. You can purchase a pair of genuine American Optical Flight Goggle 58s (now called Original Pilot Sunglasses) direct form AO here. They are still made right here in the USA, with every customization option imaginable (within the confines of good taste of course). Be sure to order direct from them, it's worth the few extra dollars to know exactly what you are getting.

Brooklyn Goes To San Francisco (1956)

2011-04-14T02:04:00.000-07:00

Cool, short featurette (ask Grandma about that one) from 1956 featuring plenty of San Francisco scenic shots. This was part of a series of short films written and directed throughout the 1950s by Arthur Cohen. Other destinations in the series included Las Vegas, Detroit, Cleveland, and Rome. But who is Arthur Cohen you might ask?

Well, most of you know Arthur Cohen. Born in Brooklyn in 1913 as Fivel Feldman. Feldman took the surname Foster from Foster Avenue in Brooklyn, Phil Foster in fact - but was seemingly also known as Arthur Cohen throughout his early career. Although he started off as an actor, for the most part he was a standup comedian and eventually made his way into film and television. However, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Frank De Fazio on Laverne & Shirley. You know, as in Laverne's dad!

Bird at The Three Deuces (1948)

2011-04-08T15:59:00.001-07:00

Recently, the wonderful Phil Schaap has posted several more installments of his (almost) daily radio show, Bird Flight on WKCR, to his online radio pagehere. Now if you are a fan of Charlie Parker and you are not familiar with Phil, I cannot urge you strong enough to give him some ear time. There are few people on the face of this earth that are able to marry such enthusiasm and scholarly knowledge of The Great One (Bird, with apologies to Wayne Gretzky).

The episode in particular that has caught my attention is from February 2, 2011 - incidentally his 41st Anniversary broadcast. You can listen to it here. Do note that you can download these for private use. In fact, I strongly suggest dropping it on your iPod/iPhone and taking a long walk outside. But I digress...

The gist of this particular installment is the argument offered that in March of 1948, Charlie Parker was at the peak of his musical prowess and his combo at that time - Charlie Parker and The All Stars - were never to be bettered. Highly subjective of course. But Schaap not only provides aural evidence by way of the Dean Benedetti recordings of the combo recorded at The 3 Deuces in NYC on 52nd Street. On top of that he has the written testimony of combo member Miles Davis, plus first-hand recollections from both Lennie Tristano and Tal Farlow, both of whom played interval combos opposite Parker's headlining combo at The Deuces. Bird at the top of his game? Perhaps. Give it a listen and give it some thought.

Subjective opinions aside, the most is compelling. Bird is easily in one of his most fluid and energetic modes and the excitement is still palpable - in spite of the low fidelity of the recordings (or computer speakers for that matter).

Here are a few images I trawled to give Schaap's narration some visual reference...

First, here is 52nd Street, in color, courtesy of photographer William Gottlieb in 1947 or 1948. We are looking East towards 5th Avenue. The 3 Deuces is on the South side of the street on our right...

Next, here is a close-up of the Deuces during the very engagement in question...

Next a somewhat familiar but still beautiful shot of Bird in flight, again courtesy of Gottlieb, quite likely shot during the same 1948 engagement...

Low res, I know, but here is a fairly rare shot of the All Stars on stage at the club. Nice bow tie, Miles. In fact, notice how everyone is wearing light-toned suits...

And finally, here is a shot of The Bill Harris-Charlie Ventura combo included only to show everyone just how damn small that stage was at The Deuces. Wow! I will never complain about a lack of square footage on a gig again...

Note: Schaap's broadcast does include the entire set of recordings from the March 31, 1948 date in question. Just be patient, he will get to them. It's just Phil's way of doing things.

Style File No.1

2011-03-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

My 2010 year-end bonus was a gift card: a significant amount of money to shop at Sak's Fifth Avenue with. Downtown San Francisco features a 4-story Sak's men's shop with a wide variety of items, brands, etc. Unfortunately for me, I quickly learned two things. First, what I thought (and still think, frankly) was a significant amount of money really wasn't compared to the prices at the shop. And, second, SO much of these high-end goods were made offshore in countries well known for - let's just say, lesser quality goods. No, I have been not living under a rock. And, no, I am in no way a jingoist/nationalist/etc. But I do appreciate well crafted items, whether they be a pair of shoes or an archtop guitar. And I do like the notion of supporting businesses here in the USA (and California and San Francisco, for that matter) particularly in these days of The Great Recession. So, try as I might, I just couldn't bring myself to spending all of that money on an overpriced designer sweater made down the street from where my ragged Land's End cable-knit shawl collar sweater was hobbled together on the cheap. So after several visits, I finally used the money towards a pair of cool Oliver Peoples sunglasses. Of course, I had to pony up some cash to make up the difference. The model is called the Sheldrake.

Two things I should say about Oliver Peoples. First, they retail for WAY more money than I care to pay for sunglasses. But the aforementioned gift card eased that pain. Second, they are very well made (in Japan). My reading glasses which I have had for maybe 15 years or so are by the same maker and they have held up quite well. In fact, I can think of very little that I have had for that duration of time that has held up similarly.

The Sheldrake is supposedly "inspired by Andy Warhol" - although he was furthest from my mind when I saw them and tried them on. Well that's an exaggeration. Lady Gaga was perhaps further from my mind when I saw the pair of Sheldrakes and tried them on. More of an immediate connection was Miles Davis on the cover of his 'Round About Midnight LP or any number of musicians Francis Wolff photographed while recording for Blue Note. They have that later-1950s/early-1960s look down to the keyhole nose opening. Heck, they aren't even too far off from what President Kennedy was often photographed wearing.

Where am I going with this? Well, the whole experience above is one of the reasons I have been thrift shopping more and more as of late. There are some wonderful clothes being produced out there. I can even afford some of them these days. But I still don't feel right about dropping all that cash. Plus there is something intrinsically socially conscious about recycling clothing. I've started to think of what I use and refuse as "my pile." In other words, when I shuffle off this mortal coil, I am going to leave a pile of material possessions. How big is that pile going to be? Will people be able to use what's in that heap? Something to think about - or at least something that I think about.

Today's trawling was fairly rewarding. For a mere $23.98 total, I managed to pick up a couple items of note...

1960s Bass Weejuns. Size 10 1/2 B. The older brick red burgundy color, well before Bass switched to that kind of awful burnished brush-off finish. Made in the USA naturally, well before Bass started production of their shoes in Central America. OK, to be fair, they are too narrow for me, but I have already found a friend who wants them. With some basic cleaning and a "bullet" shine from my friends down at A. Shine & Co., they will be things of beauty.

Navy blue 3-button sack blazer. Tropical-weight wool, 3/4 lined. Tailored by Southwick for Lew Ritter. Ritter had his origins in 1936 in New York City, and eventually expanded to Los Angeles in the early-1950s. To the best of my knowledge the shops have all closed. But back to the jacket. It needs a few days airing outside, but Spring is indeed here and there is no rain in the forecast until the weekend. Add a new set of buttons and I will be ready for mocktails.

I might never need to step foot back into Sak's again.

Spring Is Here

2011-03-21T22:57:00.001-07:00

Kim Novak, circa early-1950s

Photographer Unknown

Joe Morello (1929-2011)

2011-03-12T15:53:00.000-08:00

"Take Five" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet

Jazz Casual

Recorded & Produced for television by Ralph Gleason & KQED

San Francisco, Calif., U.S.A.

Rest in peace, Joe.

George Shearing (1919-2011)

2011-02-14T21:11:00.000-08:00

At the age of 91, pianist Sir George Shearing has passed away. May he rest in peace. In addition to his formidable talents a modern jazz piano player, he was responsible for introducing such names as Don Elliott, Denzil Best, Cal Tjader, Toots Thielemans, and Armando Perazza to the record buying public at large due to his successful string of records on MGM and Capital during the 1940s and 1950s.

For a taste of the Shearing Sound, near the beginning of its life, dig these 1950 film recordings of his quintet featuring Chuck Wayne (guitar), Don Elliott (vibraphone), John Levy (bass), and Denzil Best (drums) just burning in the coolest manner possible through 4 tunes. Elliott recently had replaced original Quintet vibraphonist Marjie (aka "Margie") Hyams. Levy would soon leave to manage the group, to be replaced by Al McKibbon. Best, of course, was the composer of "Geneva's Move" (aka "Move") as well as numerous other early bop tunes. And what can one say about guitarist, Chuck Wayne? Nimble, inventive, and fluid. It's music like that that continues to inspire me to practice my craft!

Side Note: most references to these clips claim they are soundies made to be viewed in bars and nightclubs on Panorams, but the fact that they were filmed in 1950 dispute that claim. It is more likely that they were meant to be shown in movie houses in between feature length films. Regardless, the Jazz on Film site reports that there is a 5th song out there from the same session, "I'll Never Smile Again". Let's hope it surfaces some time soon.

The Record Player (1939)

2011-01-29T23:18:00.000-08:00

Original painting by Karl Hofer (1878-1955)

Oil on canvas

Currently at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

An example of "degenerate art" according to the ruling party of Germany at the time. Hofer painted the above in Berlin during a period when he was officially barred from either painting or exhibiting.

Art Ford's Jazz Party (1958)

2011-01-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

If you lived in the greater New Jersey area in 1958 and could get your self to a television at 9 PM on Thursday night, you could catch Art Ford's Jazz Party. A 90-minute program, broadcast by WNTA-TV on Channel 13, it lasted from May 8th until December 25th of that year. In an era where television was good to jazz music in general and particularly to Modern Jazz, it offered a unique mix of musicians from nearly all streams of the music - from New Orleans through Swing, plus some Modernists. Recorded sessions were reportedly conducted without rehearsals or set-lists and featured rare glimpses of both legends and obscure stylists.

A kinescope transfer of most of the September 18th broadcast is currently up on YouTube and below for your viewing pleasure. Several other clips have surfaced over the years in varying degrees of quality. What I like particularly about this episode is the appearance of guitarist Mary Osborne, who is sadly overlooked by many if not most jazz historians due in no small part to her relatively small recorded output, and perhaps more so due to the fact that she was a woman. She was one of Charlie Christian's most talented disciples and actually knew the legend during his lifetime. She definitely deserves more ink, virtual or otherwise, so in addition to reading this month's Vintage Guitar magazine, do your self a favor and search around the 'net a bit.

Guitar Geek Note: it looks to me that Mary is playing an extremely rare Stromberg G-5 made in the early-1950s in ridiculously small batches. It could be one of only a dozen of these guitars made. There are some beautiful photos of a slightly earlier, but similar, Stromberg here. Add to that the rarity (and admitted something of an oddity) of a Gibson-manufactured "finger rest pick-up" (aka the Ted McCarty Pick-up) being used to amplify the guitar, and you have quite a sight (and sound) indeed. Incidentally, Jason Lollar is making a reproduction of the McCarty Pick-up for those that might be interested. Enjoy!

Personnel Note: be sure to click through to the 'Tube for some fairly detailed personnel notes as well as some interesting comments. If you want a more concise listing of personnel, click here and scroll down to September 18, 1958.

The Vogue Theater (1939)

2011-01-07T01:01:00.000-08:00

The Vogue Theater, 1948

3920 Sacramento Street, San Francisco CA USA

Photographer Unknown

One of San Francisco's sole remaining single screen neighborhood movie theaters (the grand Castro Theater, which will soon feature the wonderful Noir City film festival, being one of other notable movie houses in this category), The Vogue Theater on Sacramento Street near Presidio Avenue has been in operation since 1910, second only to The Mission's Roxie. Opened as The Elite and briefly known as The Rex, it was rechristened The Vogue in 1939 and has remained as such ever since.

The missus and I used a early-weeknight showing of the Coen Brothers True Grit to check the theater out. It truly is a neighborhood theater in all of the best ways. Minimal (1?) staff, simple but appropriate appointments and conveniences. The theater is beautifully renovated and reflects its early 20th Century pedigree in styling and little details such as the etched glass door windows leading to the auditorium. There is a small amount of historical memorabilia on the lobby walls, well worth a few minutes of your time en route to the restroom. After reading a couple of less than favorable Yelp reviews, I had some concerns about the sound system, but it was fine. Folks don't realize that contemporary movies are over-mixed and geared towards the highest common denominator (that's why you are always riding the volume control when you watch a DVD at home). I will most likely have to rent True Grit again to catch some of the dialog, but frankly that is probably Jeff Bridges fault not the theater's.

So what differentiates the Vogue? Well, it focuses on first runs, something a of rarity with these old movie houses anywhere. The Castro has picked up on this trend and I do applaud them for that, especially as they have fairly discerning taste when it comes to programming. More and more, I've been giving more thought as to where I want to spend my money. If I am gonna fork over $10 to see a Hollywood first-run production, I want to have some control over who profits from the transaction. Think of it as a locavore's approach to commercial consumerism. The extra time and planning it took was minimal and it made for all that much more of an enjoyable evening. Support these places while they still exist!

Billy Taylor (1921-2010)

2010-12-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

The Subject is Jazz, 1958

Rest in Peace, Dr. Taylor

San Francisco (1961)

2010-12-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our good friends over at Oddball Film & Video, there is this amazing color Cinemascope film in circulation over at YouTube. Small thrills abound! For example you can see my childhood favorite, Alioto's Hofbrau, at 1:42 in the clip. One of the more interesting segments (to the architecture fan in me, at least) is about 4:36 into the clip where the pavilion building at One Bush Street is revealed to be a Bank of American branch. The Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill designed Internationalist icon (again, to me) was built in 1959 and this is the earliest I have seen of how the pavilion was used. It is currently home to E*TRADE, although I am still holding out hope that one day I can open my fancy "Four Seasons" (NYC eatery) inspired restaurant in that space. OK, I am only half-kidding.

What really strikes me about this film is not so much what has changed in the past 50 odd years, but rather how many recognizable landmarks, buildings, etc. are still part of the fabric of contemporary San Francisco. We can mourn the loss of the Transbay Terminal (birthplace of many an embarrassing white-boy blues anthem, including at least one of my own) but take some degree of refuge in the fact that compared to so many US Cities, many of San Francisco's landmarks are still living and breathing entities. Now if you excuse me, I have an appointment with my lawyer downtown in The Flood Building...

James Moody (1925-2010)

2010-12-10T07:34:00.001-08:00

Metronome Record Album, Sweden, 1950

Image courtesy LP Cover Lover

Rest in Peace, Mr. Moody.

The Subject Is Jazz: Cool (1958)

2010-11-23T18:39:00.000-08:00

1 of 13 thirty-minute episodes broadcast on WNBC television in New York City in 1958 featuring musical director and pianist Billy Taylor. These are slowly re-emerging thanks to YouTube and Billy Taylor himself. There are so many great things about this episode: Taylor, Lee Konitz, Warne Marsh, Don Elliott (on horn AND vibraphone!), discussing the Lennie Tristano influence...the list goes on. Still I have to admit that I keep coming back to it for Mundell Lowe's beautiful understated playing. Once you have digested his playing, check out his D'Angelico complete with DeArmond pick-up and an Ampeg "Fountain of Sound" amp. Did it get any better? Of course I could probably write an entire other column about the suits alone. At any rate, sit back and dig what real "Cool" jazz is all about.

Platform Bed (1949)

2010-11-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Platform Bed (detail)

Design by George Nelson, Herman Miller, 1949

For the Arts & Architecture Magazine Case Study House Program

Willie Mays (1958)

2010-11-03T14:36:00.000-07:00

April 13, 1958

Willie Mays is welcomed by San Francisco

Montgomery Street, Southbound

The Joe Tex Show (1969)

2010-11-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

Stockholm, Sweden, 1969

Madrid, Spain (same tour)

2 television programs featuring Joe Tex and his gigging band have been making the rounds on YouTube. Both probably recorded sometime in April 1969 in Stockholm and Madrid, respectively. The first has been uploaded to the site several times before but never in this quality. While the set-list is nearly identical and the sound quality a bit lackluster on the Spanish performance, it's Joe Tex! Of course watching both is worth your time.

Seals Stadium (1958)

2010-10-17T01:01:00.000-07:00

April 16, 1958

Photo by George Place, courtesy of the SF Public Library

San Francisco Giants first home game

Seals Stadium, 16th (top) and Bryant (right) Streets, San Francisco

Don't worry, I am not taking things in a whole new direction over here. I just wanted to give a nod to not only the San Francisco Giants, but also to the legacy of the San Francisco Seals at whose stadium in the Mission the Giants played for the first couple of seasons. What really got me interested in the topic, was this EXCELLENT post over at Burrito Justice, which will be of particular interest to those of you Missionites out there. I love "chasing ghosts" and these guys are after my own heart.

While you are at it. Did you know that The Mission had its very OWN baseball team at one point of time? And no, I am not talking about the Seals again. True story. The Mission Reds. Read a bit about them here. Who knew?

Solomon Burke (1940-2010)

2010-10-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)

A good discography of his original releases...

...Red Kelly's excellent biographical weblogs entries on the man here and here...

...and one of his best (and fairly unknown) Atlantic recordings...

Solomon Burke, the King of Rock and Soul, was a true one-of-a-kind. I honestly don't think that anyone really knows what we lost when we lost him over the weekend. He is the stand-out in Peter Guralnick's compendium of stand-outs, Sweet Soul Music. He is the only voice that could fill the void left at Atlantic when Ray Charles left for ABC-Paramount. Heck he even beat Ray Charles to the Country & Western punch with his first hit, a 1961 recording of a Willie Nelson tune. I shall eternally regret every time I passed by the opportunity to see him perform (and there were a few).

Now do your self a favor and go download his version of Dan Penn's "Uptight Good Woman" - heck, go buy a copy of the original 1969 single on Bell. Although his Atlantic Records stretch provides much of the basis of his legacy, his 1969 sessions for Bell Records cut down in Muscle Shoals are pretty damn near perfect and completely unbelievable at times. They might even be some of the best records cut that year anywhere. Maybe. His version of "Uptight Good Woman" is a perfect reading of the tune, made all that much better by Penn's harmony vocal. This is soulful music of the highest order and a duet that is on par with Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls doing "Bring It On Home To Me". It's that good. Seriously.

Goodbye Baby. Baby Goodbye.

Miles Davis (1956)

2010-10-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

There is a GREAT sequence of color photos of Miles Davis available over at Corbis taken by photographer Marvin Koner. Koner most likely shot these in June 1956 at Cafe Bohemia in Greenwich Village, New York, NY.

Cafe Bohemia was located at 15 Barrow Street between West 4th and 7th Avenue South. The Barrow Street Ale house currently resides in the location. A very historic stretch of Manhattan - bohos Steve McQueen and Jason Robards reportedly rubbed shoulders with sundry beat poets at the nearby Louis Tavern. According to a June 13, 1956 article in The Village Voice, the genesis of the cafe as a jazz venue directly involved Charlie Parker. Parker was crashing at poet Ted Joan's apartment at 4 Barrow Street in 1955 and frequented the bar across the street (favoring Brandy Alexanders). The bar/cafe had been owned by lifelong Villager, Jimmy Garofolo, since 1949 who had tried to pay the bills by utilizing the space as everything from a restaurant to a burlesque house. After being thrown out for drinking without any way to pay his tab, Parker offered to play a gig at the Cafe Bohemia. Garofolo didn't know Bird from Adam, but took him up on his offer and advertised the gig which attracted A LOT of attention from the hipsters and jazz fans. Unfortunately, Parker died on March 12, 1955 before he could play the gig, but the interest stirred up by the booking encouraged Garofolo to take his chances with using the space as a jazz venue. Within the year, Charles Mingus had recorded a disc there for his own Debut Records as had Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for Blue Note Records. By 1956 it was one of the top jazz clubs in New York City.

Miles Davis has only recently signed to Columbia Records at the time of these photos and had yet to have his debut LP on that label released. In fact, he had just (on June 5) completed his second of three sessions at Columbia's famed 30th Street Studios which would yield 'Round About Midnight, the disc that the label would release on March 18, 1956. Davis was in his ascendancy. He had been clean for a number of years, made something of a "come-back" at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival, and had been leading one of his first steady combos in quite a while. More to the point, he was leading a combo which later became known to the cognoscenti as "The First Quintet" featuring Davis, John Coltrane (tenor sax), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). The group had debuted at the Club Las Vegas in Baltimore on September 27, 1955 and made their New York debut at Birdland in mid-October of the same year, during which time the Columbia Records deal was sealed. It was also during this period that the group recorded over 6-albums-worth of material for Prestige Records - the independent label Davis was leaving for major-status Columbia. Cafe Bohemia was something of a home base for the Quintet throughout 1956 as it played several extended engagements there throughout the year.

What photographer Koner (who seems to have only been freelancing for Columbia at the time) captured in the above photos - including the last one, which was cropped and used on the cover of Miles's Columbia debut - is a vibrant immediacy that is so often lost in archival black and white photos. Now, don't get me wrong - I LOVE black and white photography - as well as old photos in general, but seeing Miles and John Coltrane in glorious 1956 color just brings them to life as people, rather than historical characters. And of course any fully illustrated chance to catch a glance at Davis's sartorial stylings is ALWAYS welcome. Dig that rolled sack seersucker jacket and Madras plaid casual sport shirt. Well "casual" and "sport" in the 1956 sense of the words, at least. Ivy League indeed. It's also the details the suck me in: the red fluorescent stage light, the Cadillac-grill Shure microphone, the sunglasses Miles is wearing...

Here's a clip of what the Miles David Quintet sounded like "live" in Philadelphia a few months after the photos were taken (Bandstand USA radio broadcast from the Blue Note Club on December 8, 1956):

Tony Curtis (1925-2010)

2010-09-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rest in Peace, Tony Curtis

Pictured above with his ex-wife Janet Leigh

Alvin Robinson (1937-1989)

2010-09-11T07:45:00.000-07:00

1964 Promotional Photograph

Photographer Unknown

Alvin Robinson. Al Robinson. Shine. All names point back to one of the best voices in New Orleans Rhythm & Blues - who just never quite made it - but who left behind a string of excellent singles, some of them as close to perfect as you'd ever want to get. No less than Jerry Lieber, who produced a couple of Robinson's singles, stated in Hound Dog (his autobiography with Mike Stoller) that he would, "...put Alvin up against Ray Charles, James Brown - you name 'em." Now THAT is really saying something.

I first heard Robinson round about 1990 or so. I had recently moved to the San Francisco-Bay Area and was spending most of my weekends over in Berkeley with scene its self-styled mods. Now these weren't your average suburban kids in parkas listening to Two-Tone and 80s power pop that I had grown up with - they were the closest thing (in my mind's eye at the time, at least) to the my understanding of what the original mod thing was all about. Needless to say much of my weekend soundtrack consisted of 1950s-1960s R&B, from Chicago blues to soul music. At some point of time I got the gumption to ask one of the top DJs, Seth "Soul" Roehl, to make me an R&B compilation. What he delivered was 90 minutes of some of the best music ever recorded. Cheekily titled, "British Bashers", it consisted of original versions of tunes covered by 1960s UK groups such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Spencer Davis Group, etc. And somewhere on this cassette tape were not one by TWO tunes by the great Alvin Robinson: "Let The Good Times Roll" and "Something You Got."

"Something You Got" was an easy one. I knew the tune well. Van Morrison and Them had covered it on their second LP that my girlfriend at the time had. Chris Kenner had written it and scored a minor hit well before I was born, so perhaps it was already in my subconscious thanks to oldies radio. Why Seth chose to include the Robinson version - I don't know - I just chalk it up to excellent taste. "Let The Good Times Roll" was a little more obscure - or so I thought. I soon found out that the tune (as recorded by Robinson) had been a long time favorite of California R&B revivalist Ron Silva going back to his days with The Crawdaddys in the 1980s. Silva, at the time, was performing alongside Bart Davenport and Xan McCurdy (both of whom later played with me in The Loved Ones) in a R&B combo called The Driving Wheels. They walked the line between 1960s British style and American source material. Silva had quite an affinity towards New Orleans R&B, although where and when he discovered this fairly obscure single remains unknown to me and is perhaps a topic for another time. No matter. The point is, I was hooked.

[OK, one more tangent and then we will get back to Robinson. Interestingly I DID know the tune "Let The Good Times Roll" really well at the time. But I knew it as "Come On, Part 1" written by Earl King and recorded by Jimi Hendrix in 1968. In fact, I had covered that version along with John Kent (yes, another Loved One) in one of our suburban garage bands in high school. Being somewhat literary minded at the time, I was puzzled by the songwriting credit of Earl King. I knew the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe poem "The Erl-King" and a little bit about the mythology around it, but couldn't connect the lyric with the poem. Frankly, I just thought it was something Hendrix wrote and that the credit was one of those 1960s cosmic jokes that I had heard about. Little did I know at the time. More on Earl King some other time]

And finally back to Alvin Robinson. So why is he on my mind today? Well, one of the best weblogs around on New Orleans music, home of the groove, recently posted an excellent piece on the man. I HIGHLY recommend that you read that here. Robinson was partially featured in an earlier H.O. the G. post here. And fortunately his legacy has not gone unrecognized elsewhere by some of the best bloggers around. In fact, two of my favorites have spilled some virtual ink in his name. Red Kelly over at The "B" Side gave him the usually Red Kelly customary and very in-depth treatment here. And a couple of years before that, my friend Larry Grogan who runs several excellent music blogs, provided this nice overview of his Lieber & Stoller recordings which you can find here. Which takes us back to my intro paragraph and means that's all I got to say on the matter...for the time being.

Now kick back and listen to a few tunes by the man...

9/15/10 Update - Second part of the home of the groove spotlight has been posted here.

Chitlins Con Carne (1963)

2010-09-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

Kenny Burrell, Rudy Van Gelder Studio, January 8, 1963

Photo by Francis Wolff

Last night, master guitarist Kenny Burrell treated me and the remainder of the packed house in attendance at Yoshi's, Oakland, to an encore performance of his classic blues line "Chitlins Con Carne." It was an inventive, heartfelt, blues-laden performance that is still ringing in my soul this morning. And although it may well be his most well-known composition (thanks, not in the least, to Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1991 cover version), this was the first time I had seen Kenny perform in the in the half-a-dozen or so times that I have seen him play live.

The tune was originally recorded on January 8, 1963 in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey at Rudy Van Gelder's mecca of modern recording studio. The single session yielded no less than 9 titles, 1 LP (Midnight Blue), and 2 singles. Fairly productive by anyone's standards. Drummer, Bill English, and bassist, Major Holley, were members of Kenny's regular combo at the time. Conguero, Ray Barretto, recorded regularly with Burrell around this time - but to the best of my knowledge, did not perform with him in night clubs. Tenor sax man, Stanley Turrentine, was of course a very active member of the Blue Note stable at the time of the recording and had recorded alongside Burrell several times in the years surrounding the session (my long time Jimmy Smith favorite Back At The Chicken Shack being just one notable example).

Like most of the titles recorded that day/night, "Chitlins Con Carne" was penned by Burrell and is an exercise in how to really play the blues. It's funky rhythm doesn't quite adhere to any particular Latin pattern, but between the clave-feel and the congas, it is achieves a really unique effect. Both Burrell and Turrentine are at their smoky, late-night best. Kenny's tone is unmistakeable even though this was well into the period when he was experimenting with a wide array of guitars (backing up the statement that it is truly all in the fingers). On this particular session he was playing what appears to be a Gibson L-5 and very likely played through a Fender Deluxe that Van Gelder reportedly kept on hand at the studio.

Dig it.

Time & Life Building (1959)

2010-08-04T14:38:00.000-07:00

1271 Avenue Of The Americas

New York, New York 10022

Like so many others, I am a HUGE fan of the weekly soap opera Mad Men. Yes, it's a soap opera, although perhaps the most existential one to ever hit the airwaves (and, no, Dark Shadows does not count). My enthusiasm is somewhat odd as I can count the hours per week that I watch television on one hand and with few exceptions have yet to get sucked into many of the serial dramas that have been all the rage ever since The Sopranos changed the vernacular of water cooler conversation in 1999. I will admit was attracted me most to the series was the style and portrayal of the era. The transition years from as the 1950s became the 1960s, and more specifically "pre-Beatles" America, has long been an interest of mine - so I guess you could say I was a target audience of sorts. But what has kept me interested since the series began 3 Summers ago (and, yes, I did watch the first season premier "live" when it happened), is double-whammy of excellent screen writing and a meticulous attention to detail about which I have found very little to complain about over the course of 3 seasons.

One of those wonderful little details was this season's first episode in-passing reveal that the new firm is renting office space in the Time & Life Building. The actual building, built in 1958 and ready for occupancy 1959, would have been fairly new in November 1964 - which is the time frame this season begins. The building was the first of several buildings designed for an expansion of Rockerfeller Center. The Time & Life building was designed by the Rockerfeller family architect, Wallace Harrison. Originally, Time Inc. occupied 21 of the 48 floors, so the notion of an upstart advertising agency renting one of the floors is very much in keeping of the reality of the historic building.

Fortunately, the glass, aluminum, and limestone building is fairly well-preserved - including the lobby area. One of the notable characteristics of the design (and perhaps what many New Yorkers would recognize it by) are the swirling designs on the sidewalks and in the lobby which, in true International Style, were patterned after the sidewalks bordering the beaches of Rio De Janiero's Copacabana Beach. Murals by Josef Albers and Fritz Glamer still grace the lobby walls.

But before you get too obsessive over a fictional historical dramatic soap opera, AMC has yet to reveal which floor Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce are occupying.

Gene Ludwig on vinyl (1962-1987)

2010-07-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

I recently mentioned the passing of the one of the great, unheralded masters of the Hammond organ, Gene Ludwig. Although he was fortunate to enjoy some latter-day recognition, his name is not one often associated with the legends, but he truly possessed the chops to sit at their table. My childhood friend, John Kent (drummer for The Loved Ones and my own Nick Rossi Set), was the first person to hip me to Gene - slipping me a copy of his 1964 Mainstream LP Organ Out Loud sometime in the mid-1990s. I was floored and continued to pick up his discs where I could. I quickly figured out that much of his early discography consisted of 45s on various local independent labels, which endeared Ludwig even more to me.

A new weblog has been launched here devoted to "keeping record of Pittsburgh's unrecorded recorded history." Their inaugural post is dedicated to the vinyl discography of Gene Ludwig which spans 1962-1987. Many of the discs are illustrated and the site is VERY rich in information. On top of that, there is a sister site on YouTube which features many of the recordings, so you can get yourself a taste of Gene's excellent playing.

Side Notes: I was fortunate to play a role in helping set up a gig for Gene at Club Deluxe up on The Haight here in SF a few years ago, which was his first San Francisco performance in a LONG time. It was a truly ear-opening show. A couple of years later, Gene (without notice) called up onstage to play a tune with his trio at Jazz at Pearl's in North Beach. Nobody knew it at the time, but that was the last time I played the Hammond organ "live." Regardless, the experience was a swift kick in the behind - in the best way possible - and I will always remain grateful to him for that. Finally, while we are dishing out credit, I should mention that in addition to hipping me to Gene, John Kent was also the person responsible for turning me onto Willie Mitchell's unbelievable body of work as a bandleader. Thanks John, wherever you are.

Bermuda Palms (1967)

2010-07-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Bermuda Palms

737 Francisco Boulevard

San Rafael, California

The above postcard was taken from this Flickr photostream and is dated 1967. Judging from the cars in the lot the photo was taken MUCH earlier. The caption on the rear reads:

California's Las Vegas - a complete hotel resort. Coffee Shops - Cocktail Lounges - Banquet Rooms - Ballrooms for Dancing - Auditorium - Swimming Pool.

Perhaps. Many seem to remember The Palms as a fairly sleazy spot in a not very nice part of San Rafael in the 1970s-1980s. But it did certainly have a colorful history well before that time.

In 1955, Robert Mitchum was hired by John Wayne's production company to star in Blood Alley which was partially filmed in San Rafael. According to Lee Server's Mitchum biography, the actor had driven up to the hotel, where the production had booked several rooms, from Palm Springs in his Jaguar. Mitchum was reportedly (and violently) not happy with his initial room, so was upgraded to a room about the film's director. The actor was in a celebratory mood and with several friends and kept the director up for much of the night. A minor fracas occurred between the actor and director which was later blown out of proportion by the press and Mitchum was dropped from the film.

In 1962, San Francisco MUNI Driver and soon-to-be record label owner, W.C. Stone, "discovered" Doug Cox (guitar & bass guitar), John Allair (Hammond organ & piano), and Pete Lind (drums) appearing in the cocktail lounge as the resident Doug Cox Trio. Stone was floored and took them under his wing, released 3 singles (re-christened The Cals, using the first letters of each of their last names) by the group on his fledgling Loadstone Records label. They also became something of a house band for the label's R&B singers, with Allair sometimes providing arrangements.

By the late-1960s the hotel ballroom that once had hosted performances by the Duke Ellington and Count Basie Orchestras was known as The Citadel (and later Pepperland), presenting the likes of The Sons of Champlin, The Grateful Dead, and Big Brother & The Holding Company. A decade later it was more well known for its transient residents and links to the drug and skin trades.

The Bermuda Palms is now a Motel 6.

Gene Ludwig (1937-2010)

2010-07-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Jerry Bird, Gene Ludwig, Randy Gelispie (1964)

Rest in Peace, Gene

Mel Torme and Lacoste (1956)

2010-07-12T04:44:00.000-07:00

Vocalist, drummer, composer, and actor Mel Torme was 30 years old at the time of this LP cover photo. By this time he had already written what would become his most famous composition "The Christmas Song" and had attained some degree of notoriety as the leader of a vocal ensemble (Mel Torme & his Mel-Tones) with Artie Shaw's Orchestra and as a solo singer. Born in Chicago, he had started to spend an increasing amount of time in Los Angeles during the late-1940s. He had his first (and only) number 1 hit in 1949 with "Carless Hands" on the then independent label Capitol Records. The following year his California Suite was the first 12-inch LP released on that label. His association with Bethlehem Records began in 1955, important not only for the music it produced but for the fact that Torme was able to pick his own material and arrangers. He chose, wisely, Marty Paich who parlayed the cool jazz sounds of the Miles Davis Nonet and the Gerry Mulligan Tentet into his own outstanding Dek-tette. Although he briefly had had a television show in the early-1950s, he (much like Astaire) adding acting to his resume the year after this LP.

The Lacoste brand was 23 years old at the time of this LP cover photo. Founded by a retired tennis player, by 1939 it had developed a reputation within its native France as a high-quality garment, but it's production was interrupted by the Second World War. In 1951, the company not only began exporting products (initially to Italy), but it also added a range of colors alongside it now semi-famous white "chemises." The following year, Lacoste polo shirts made their first appearances here in the United States, initially licensed by American businessman Vincent Draddy through his Izod organization. Draddy bolstered the reputation of the brand by making sure his friends such as President Eisenhower and Bing Crosby were seen wearing Lacoste polos.

Unlike Torme, Lacoste would have to wait until the 1980s to reach its peak in popularity.

Brioni Roman Style and the origins of the Continental Look in the USA (1954)

2010-07-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

In a series of recent conversations with a friend, I found myself describing the Continental Look to him but lacking a distinct sense of its history and origin. Sure, I knew that it's popularity rivaled the Ivy League look here in the United States by the early 1960s and in many ways had as much stylistic influence on the next few years as the English look (both of which would briefly eclipse Ivy by 1966 or so) - but apart from hunches and suspicions that was about it.

So, where to start? Well, what most of us know as Continental Style is also known as Italian Style due to its origins in Italy. Narrow lapels, a slightly pronounced shoulder, 2-buttons, and a shorter slim silhouette both in the jacket and trousers. But where did this style get its start? A good argument can be made that it all starts with Brioni Roman Style. Opened by tailor Nazareno Fonticoli and businessman Gaetano Savini in 1945 in Rome's Via Barberini, the shop quickly established itself a top-end retailer of hand-made suits. One can easily speculate the effect a shop like this might have had on the more sartorial-minded G.I.s celebrating the end of the Second World War in Rome, but more importantly the shop jumped to the head of the pack in pace-setting post-war Italian style. Seven years later, Brioni again innovated with not only its first fashion show, but the first fashion show anywhere to feature a male model as the primary focus on the catwalk. Similar presentations in nine U.S. cities in 1954, were quickly followed by the establishment of a New York shop. By the following year, the clothing line was not only featured in Life Magazine, but could be found in larger fine retailers in many major cities in the States. The Continental Style had arrived.

A second, concurrent major influence during this time period was cinema. Roman Holiday won the best picture for 1953 and was a huge popular favorite due in no small part to performances from Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. But it also was the first American film shot entirely in Italy (Cincetta Studios, Rome) and was very likely the first exposure many people had in this country to any sense of Italian style - albeit in brief flashes and through the lens of director William Wyler. By the end of the decade, American movie stars filming in Rome was fairly commonplace as was American stars (such as Cary Grant) buying clothes at Brioni's now world headquarters in the Eternal City. But the cultural attention to Italian style may have hit a peak in 1961 when Fellini's La Dolce Vita was released in US movie houses. Another popular success, it showcased a much more articulate and vivid portrait of true Continental style. (Side note: both Paul Newman and Henry Fonda were early considerations for roles). By this time, taste-makers in Esquire, Playboy and beyond were proudly touting the joys of Continental Look.

One final nod must be made to some of the musicians of the time period, particularly jazz musicians such as Miles Davis. Always sartorially astute, once he cleaned up in 1954, Davis's attention to clothing and style seemed to shift into overdrive. He had already been an early adapter to and trendsetter of Ivy League style among his peers. His LP jackets were gaining notoriety often as much as showcases for his wardrobe as they were for the music contained therein (just ask clothes horse Eric Clapton who has pointed to Davis as a massive early style influence) and his 1956 disc Workin showed him wearing a custom tailored jacket with a distinct Continental influence. By the end of the decade the look was pervasive among both jazz and R&B musicians and eventually won out with the latter group, becoming the look of "soul" music through 1968.

Bal Tabarin (1943)

2010-06-10T03:03:00.000-07:00

Hands-down, no questions about it, one of my all-time favorite San Francisco spots is Bimbo's 365 Club on the Northern edge of North Beach. I have been to few locations anywhere that have been both so well historically well-preserved and run as a vibrant business. Of course, it doesn't hurt that it's a night club and a TRUE night club at that complete with white table cloths, a coat check, and bath room attendants.

One of the interesting things about the club is that, while it is one of the longest running night spots in the City, it has only been Bimbo's since 1951. The Bal Tabarin was opened at 1025 Columbus Avenue in 1931 by ex-bandleader Tom Gerun. Gerun's orchestra was known around town for "hot jazz" (in a City very WELL known for hot jazz). Taking it's name from a Parisian nightery home to a can-can troupe, it was a standard night club of the era featuring dinner, dancing, and entertainment featuring (of course) a floor show. A typical night would see a bill of 3 or 4 acts plus a line of eight dancing girls. Most of it's notoriety outside of the City at the time was perhaps due to the "live" broadcasts from the stage courtesy of NBC (whose West Coast radio operations were based on SF from 1927 until moving to LA in 1938). The building itself remains a gem. With exteriors and interiors designed by Timothy Pflueger, it reflected art deco design in transition, closer perhaps to what was called Streamline Moderne. Incidentally, Pflueger who would also go on to design The Top of The Mark in The Mark Hopkins Hotel and The Cirque Room in The Fairmont Hotel was also responsible for the post-Prohibition renovations of the Bal Tarabain in 1933. Four years later, dancer Ann Miller reportedly was "discovered" by Lucille Ball at the club while performing.

Unfortunately, I don't have much information as to why the club changed hands. It seems to have been successful through the 1940s. As always, I welcome any contributions from any of you out there.

Be sure to check out this Flickr Photostream for some great guest shots in the club.

Dennis Hopper (1936-2010)

2010-06-03T04:27:00.000-07:00

Photo by Frank Worth, Hollywood, 1955

Rest in Peace

Daphnis et Chloé (1912) and Artistry in Rhythm (1943)

2010-05-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Messrs. Merriam and Webster define serendipity as "the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for." So, how does this grab ya? I made a fairly last-minute decision to attend the San Francisco's Symphony performance this past Sunday afternoon. Stravinsky, Bernstein and Ravel were on the bill and the sound of modern classical music performed live by a symphony orchestra never fails to really thrill me. Seriously. At any rate, I set out by foot to the symphony hall early in the afternoon with the intention of buying whatever ticket I could get my hands on. Arriving at the box office I was told that "rush" tickets were available for a mere $20. What more, I could sit front row center, if I so chose. Yes, I did choose. Once I was settled in my seat, the program notes informed me that the Stravinsky piece would not be performed due to performer visa/immigration problems. Well OK, I thought, Lenny and Maurice would have to see me through.

Michael Tilson Thomas (or MTT if you are into the brevity thing) made his typical grand entrance at the appointed time and promptly informed us that while the Stravinsky chorale would not be performed that he would be treating us all to a 3-movement "Ode." Yes, a treat indeed. What more, this particular piece featured a middle section originally written for the Sir Laurence Olivier film version of Jane Eyre. It would seem Igor yearned to break into the film composing game, something I never knew about the Russian genius. It was an excellent, if brief, piece of music which was followed by Leonard Bernstein's ...

The second half of the program held the biggest surprise though. Maurice Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé was originally written as a ballet and was the longest piece of music the composer wrote. Its dynamics really need to be heard to believe, while it ran the whole gamut of musical emotion. I am being serious here people. I will 'fess up to nodding off at one brief moment, when the clarinets and harps lulled me into a beautiful deep submission. In fact, I found myself daydreaming - wondering what it would be like to have "lounge seats" at the symphony where an afternoon lie down would not be frowned upon. But I snapped to, made sure the conductor did not notice my transgression and focused back on the music. Yes, I could almost read the music of the first violinist who sat a few feet from me.

And then I made a connection.

What was that riff? OK, motif as the long-hairs would call it. But where had I heard that before?

Hear it? Listen closely. I did. And then it hit me.

OK, so the above may not be the best performances of the pieces in question, but you get the idea. Of course, once I got home I hit the Google machine and several pages made mention of the relationship between the two pieces of music. I just love the serendipity of it though. Perhaps it is time to go back and give Stan Kenton's Orchestra a little more ear time? Perhaps.

Hank Jones (1918-2010)

2010-05-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

January 6 or 11, 1961

Reeves Sound Studios, New York City

Riverside Records Session

Photo by Bob Parent, courtesy of Getty Images

Rest In Peace, Mr. Jones

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings at The Apollo Theater (2010)

2010-05-13T03:01:00.000-07:00

Harlem, New York, NY

Photo by Ryan Barkan

There are some more excellent pics here, including The Dap-Kings sporting continental cross-over ties, which of course get my whole-hearted seal of approval.

Turk & Hyde (Yesterday & Today)

2010-05-06T01:01:00.000-07:00

What I love about the JazzWax blog is the way the author manages to convey his enthusiasm about his subject matter. I nearly almost "walk" away from the blog with the desire to download the tracks he mentions, be it a known quantity like Charlie Parker with Lennie Tristano or someone who I never thought to be up my street like Helen Merrill or Joe Mooney. Marc also does a great job illustrating his posts. Take this post for example. Sure, I like Shelly Manne. In fact, nearly every time I hear him play I think, "Man, is this guy under appreciated and sadly forgotten." Well, Marc addresses exactly that and does so quite well. If you are a fan of the jazz music, I strongly recommend you make this blog a habit.

I nabbed one of Marc's photos (apologies to the copyright holder, but there is a purpose to all of this)
Thanks to miracle products over at Google we can see just exactly what the same spot looks like today. What a shame.

The Tenderloin (as that particular neighborhood is known) has been San Francisco's skid row certainly ever since I have been in the City (1989). There's always been a few good bars and nite spots to attract the likes of me, but overall it's pretty rough going and a pretty grim reminder of the cost of urban living.

The MGs (1962)

2010-04-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

I recently rented and watched Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story and was somewhat disappointed. Chips Moman, Lewie Steinberg, and Packy Axton all got the short shrift to say the least. After grousing a bit on Facebook, I gave it a lot of thought. Admittedly, I do know quite a bit more than the average person about Stax and it's history, but my fear is that through these "definitive" statements, some folks often just end up getting marginalized - no disrespect intended to any of those involved with the documentary (or any other attempts to tell the story). So here are a couple of bits I culled over the years about the legendary Stax house band...

The MG's (or M.G.s or MG's or M.G.'s - all these variations appeared on their early singles and LPs) were "formed" in June 1962. While the actual date is unknown (early Stax session logs are not very helpful it would seem), it was recalled by participants to be a rare-for-the-label Sunday session. The focus was to be Billy Lee Riley who may or may not have recorded a couple tracks with a pulled-together backing band consisting of Booker T. Jones (Hammond organ), Steve Cropper (guitar), Lewis Steinberg (bass), and Al Jackson, Jr. (drums). All had done recording work for the label, but it was quite possibly the first time the four had played together as a quartet with no additional musicians. In fact, the first call drummer may not have been Jackson. Howard Grimes who appeared on a number of early Stax sessions - including a number of Mar-Keys recordings, missed the phone call for the session.

MG has come to be stand for "Memphis Group" in many of the official bios and blurbs. But the footnote version is a little more complicated. Initially, "The MGs" referred to the British sports car. Yes, a bit eccentric for the early 1960s in Tennessee, but true all the same. In fact, the instrumental combo who proceeded The MGs was named The Triumphs after producer Chips Moman's British sports car. Once "Green Onions" took off and the pick-up group had been established as a bona-fide recording act/house band (and not to mention, once Moman was out of the picture) - perhaps as late as the Al Bell era - publicity started to carry the more widely-known definition. In fact, if anyone knows the first mention of this, I would love to hear from you via the comments section.

One final note. Bass man Lewie Steinberg (pictured above, far right) played on every Booker T & MGs recording through the end of 1964 including both of their first 2 LPs. Lewie is still with us, living in Memphis. Wouldn't it be GREAT to read a full length interview with the man himself? His involvement in Memphis music goes deep, long before the Stax-era. Again, if anyone knows of any good links to Steinberg, please let me know.

Steve McQueen (1963)

2010-04-12T16:40:00.001-07:00

Life Magazine has just released some previously unpublished photos of the legendary Steve McQueen. There are some great candid shots (including a glimpse of an Eames recliner in LA home) and some cheesecake for the gals, but this photo is the one for me. Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, The Jazztet, Sintra/Basie. As if the guy needed to be any more hip?

Al Caiola (1955)

2010-03-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Deep in a Dream - The Guitar of Al Caiola

Savoy Records, 1955

Recorded in Rudy Van Gelder's parent's living room

Basic Black (1967)

2010-03-10T23:34:00.000-08:00

My good friend Audrey Moorehead hipped me to the fact that this short film is finally making the rounds on the 'Tube. Shot by famed photographer, William Claxton, it is utterly groundbreaking in so many ways. And although it leans more towards the "Swinging 60s" than my tastes usually run, there is an undeniable joy in the imagery that is infectious. Read here for a little more background from Clax himself on the piece.

More from The Count & His Sextet (1950)

2010-03-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

Plus a little something extra for ya!

One O'Clock Jump (1950)

2010-02-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

By Count Basie & his Sextet. Filmed by Universal-International and released in 1951 as "Sugar Chile' Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet".

That, friends, is the legendary Wardell Gray on the tenor saxophone taking 2 nice choruses of the blues. Savor it. This film is the only surviving footage of Gray performing live. I have seen a few precious seconds of a home movie in which you can see Gray for a few frames, but this is pretty much it. For further interesting reading on Wardell, check out this blog entry from a while back.

Fire In The Evening (1929)

2010-02-18T06:06:00.000-08:00

By Paul Klee

Oil on cardboard. 13-3/8" x 13-1/4"

The Museum of Modern Art, New York

The Heartwood House (1949)

2010-02-11T05:59:00.000-08:00

There is a GREAT entry over at JazzWax combining 2 of my favorite topics: modern architecture and modern jazz. Jump over here to read all about the Oakland, California house Beverley Thorne designed for pianist Dave Brubeck.

For further reading, here is an excerpt from Pierluigi Serraino's NorCal Mod. An excellent book that I would highly recommend for any appreciator of mid-century modern architecture, particularly those of you with an affinity for the San Francisco-Bay Area.

Jimmy Wyble (1922-2010)

2010-02-04T03:01:00.000-08:00

Guitarist Jimmy Wyble passed away last week. His is a pretty remarkable story. Not only was he a Western Playboy but he was a member of Red Norvo's trio/quartet/quintet for a good long stretch at the end of the 1950s. In fact, he is featured in glorious technicolor in Ocean's Eleven (1960).

As a memorial, I've posted a couple of clips that are very close to my heart. Both are from "Screaming Mimi" a 1958 Gerd Oswald film that definitely falls into the exploitation/"B" category. I've seen the film - watchable mostly for the scenery. This not includes a pre-La Dolce Vita Anita Ekberg, but also several exterior shots of the International Settlement neighborhood in San Francisco. More on that another time. For now, dig on Red Norvo and his quartet and savor the brief glimpses of Jimmy's playing.

Leonard Bernstein & Aaron Copland (1958)

2010-01-28T03:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Stupefaction for reminding me of Boing Boing, who then pointed me in the direction of some kind soul who posted several parts of Leonard Bernstein's EXCELLENT 1958 televised "Young People's Concerts". There is something pretty gripping about Lenny turning the podium over to composer Aaron Copland who then conducts what is perhaps his best known work.

Altec Lansing (1954)

2010-01-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

Pages from the 1954 Altec Lansing home audio catalog. High Fidelity.

1957-D, No. 1 (1957)

2010-01-14T01:01:00.000-08:00

Painting by Clifford Still

The Madison Time (1960)

2010-01-08T08:15:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with a yearning desire. A yearning desire to dance the Madison. Fortunately for both me as well as countless others out there who awoke with a disturbance in their minds, relief is just a few clicks away.

First, let's drop a coin in the jukebox and check out the Ray Bryant's hit.

Now, let's learn a bit about the history of the dance here.

Finally, in case you missed it, let's check out the dance steps.

Feel better? Yeah, me too.

Willie Mitchell (1928-2010)

2010-01-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Rest in peace.

Merry Xmas (1950)

2009-12-24T11:53:00.001-08:00

This Christmas, sit down with your egg nog by the fire, and dig into the amazingly true story of the legendary Korla Pandit. "People talk about adversity..."

Slam Stewart Trio (1947)

2009-12-14T22:18:00.000-08:00

I had to re-post this here. The quality is very good (is YouTube FINALLY becoming a watchable medium?) and I have never seen it before. It gives a rare glimpse of Slam Stewart's late-40s trio that featured Beryl Booker on piano and vocals and John Collins on guitar. Stewart had previously been a member of the Art Tatum Trio with Tiny Grimes, which, like this combo, showed the undeniable influence of The King Cole Trio. In fact, it's hard to really grasp how influential The King Cole Trio were at their time. This clip was taken from the 1947 film, "Boy! What a Girl" that also featured musicians such as Big Sid Catlett. If you are interested in the trio check out this site.

San Francisco Municipal Railway 26 Valencia Line (1892-2009)

2009-12-05T12:36:00.000-08:00

Due to budget cuts, MUNI has discontinued the line, which had run in one way or another since 1892. Now I will 'fess up...I RARELY use the line, although I live just a block off of Valencia but I don't like seeing public services cut anymore than the next frustrated-socialist, 20-year Frisco resident (and, yes, I did just call it Frisco). The Citywide reactions have been interesting. For example, this is the first eulogy for a MUNI line I have read. Surprisingly optimistic, it does put forward a great idea of restoring the Valencia Street corridor to a light rail line (that would also allow cyclists). I actually like this idea. Extend those historic streetcars through the Mission. I don't know how traffic would be controlled and there are a lot of Valencia Street businesses and residents that might have other ideas. Perhaps it would even have a positive effect on the crime in my neighborhood. Who knows? Certainly food for thought. Thanks to Spots Unknown from whom I pilfered the above photo from 1943. Rest in Peace.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1957)

2009-11-12T07:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a hip tip from Ivy Style, here is a great shot of the patron (secular) saint of North Beach - and one of the last surviving Beat Poets - Lawrence Ferlinghetti. It is dated February 1957, San Francisco. It looks to be a theater of some sort based on the backdrop. But your guess is as good as mine. All of the shots from this Time magazine photo-shoot can be seen here.

The Blues Busters (1964)

2009-11-05T15:08:00.000-08:00

This is a VERY cool and interesting clip. I first heard the song via Italian-American "blue-eyed soul" man Steve Alaimo. Digging through the crates at Rooky's record shop off of Fillmore one day, owner Dick Vivian, put this one on the hi-fi saying that he knew I would love it. He was correct. Released in the US on ABC-Paramount Records in 1964, it was a rare early example of a US ska disc cut by Alaimo and featuring a solid, swinging backing (Capitol Records studio, NYC, perhaps?). A few years later I got my ears on the original version by Jamaica's Blues Busters - equally cool and groovy. The Blues Busters are still one of my favorite acts from this era - perhaps because of their slightly more overt soul/R&B influence. The above clip is from a wonderful 1964 documentary This is Ska! which my pal Domenic Priore hipped me to years ago. I would LOVE to see someone get a hold of the original film and put it out on DVD, Blu-Ray, or whatever format they come up with next. But the real inspiration behind this post is the fact that I am off to LA this weekend to appear with Ron Silva & The Monarchs opening up for LA's kings of classic ska, Hepcat. See how it all ties in now? I thought so.

The Staple Singers (1962)

2009-11-02T13:32:00.001-08:00

As a young boy, being raised as a Roman Catholic, I celebrated November 2nd as "All Souls Day". I must admit the succession of days around this time of year confused and (maybe) frightened me (a bit). Let's see. You have the secular holiday Halloween, proceeded by the pagan holiday Devil's Night and followed by the Holy Day of Obligation All Saints Day. After this is all over (and the sugar crash has faded away) comes All Souls Day, a day during which we were supposed to pray for the souls of all of the departed. Phew! That's a whole lotta hoodoo for one weekend. So this All Souls Day I am focusing what my soul needs. And I am thinking that entails some pre-crossover Staple Singers. Any suggestions on where to start?

Smarties [US Version] (1949)

2009-11-02T11:00:00.000-08:00

A little background on what is still my favorite Halloween candy. Courtesy of idsgn.

House Of Shields (2009)

2009-10-27T07:58:00.001-07:00

Design by Carlos Perez

Soul/Food! (2009)

2009-10-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Design by Carlos Perez

Shutterbug Friday (2009)

2009-09-25T07:41:00.001-07:00

If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats is not only the name of a Charles Mingus composition, but it is also the name of one of my favorite photo blogs covering a wide array of topics, but regularly featuring some great jazz shots. Today is Shutterbug Friday over there and they are featuring the photography of Blue Note Records' Francis Wolff in a series of several cool shots - many of which I have never seen. The latter statement does have some heft as I have made it my business to see as many of these photos as possible. Wolff took the above photo of the legendary (and my personal favorite) drummer Max Roach at Rudy Van Gelder's first studio in Hackensack, NJ on December 16, 1956 on a Sonny Rollins recording session. An alternate shot from the same session is for sale here, through Mosaic Records for those you who got the news that the recession is over and were looking to spend a little cash.

Why Don't Ya, Do Right? (2009)

2009-09-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Charlie Parker (1920-1955)

2009-08-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Charles Parker, Jr.

Born August 29, 1920

Kansas City, Kansas

On today, the 89th anniversary of Bird's birthday, there are so many Parker-related topics I could riff on, but I wanted to talk a little bit about Dial Records - a record label that inexorably linked with the great musician.

Dial Records was founded in Hollywood in 1946 by UCLA alumn, jazz enthusiast, ex-Merchant Marine, pulp fiction writer, and Tempo Music Shop proprietor Ross Russell. Much has been written in praise and critical of Russell - but the simple fact remains that he was responsible for recording some of the most well-known Charlie Parker performances on disc. Tempo was located at 5946 Hollywood Boulevard, between Gower and Bronson right in the heart of Hollywood (don't go looking for the building now, it's a car lot). After witnessing the now legendary Dizzy Gillespie-Charlie Parker performances at Billy Berg's in December 1945 and inspired in part by Milt Gabler's Commodore Records/Record Shop, Russell began the label in early 1946 with what was supposed to be a session from the Gillespie-Parker combo. 16 jazz sessions, nearly all focusing on modern sounds, were recorded through 1948. After that time Russell focused on 20th Century Classical music. Several years later (1953) he even released a few folk and calypso discs. In 1954 the label folded and he sold the jazz masters which have since been reissued countless times. Parker died the following year.

The label was financially backed by Marvin Freeman, an attorney Russell had befriended while both were students at UCLA. Freeman was also responsible for the label's name, taking it from The Dial literary review, an influential transcendentalist journal published from 1840 to 1929. His law expertise was instrumental in seeing that Bird ended up in Camarillo State Hospital rather than harsher incarceration after his notorious 1946 breakdown. Freeman sold his share of the label to Russell sometime in late 1946.

Proto-beat artist, Wally Berman, was responsible for the record label's distinct and remarkably modern design - although it did clearly echo the journal which gave the label it's name. Berman was a Tempo Music customer and designed company letterhead as well as the canary and sepia label. In addition to credits for all of the performers on the disc (not standard practice on 78 records), the label bore the legend "Contemporary American Music" which was a bold (albeit true) statement for a jazz record company in the mid-20th Century.

Nick Rossi Trio (2009)

2009-08-23T09:03:00.000-07:00

Design by Carlos Perez

After a several month hiatus from club gigs, I am pleased to announce my new jazz trio featuring myself on guitar, Eli Sundelson on Hammond organ, and old-friend Ben Wayne on drums. Those of you familiar with my recent long-term group, the Nick Rossi Set, will find the transition an easy one as we are treading some of the similar ground. My new combo is a straight-up and straight-ahead classic format organ trio. I am excited about several monthly residencies that we will be taking up in and around the Bay Area, the first of which is the last Wednesday of the month at the newly opened Coda here in the Mission. Our first set will be at 9 PM and our second will be around 10.30 PM or so.

This is the first of 2 musical projects I will be focusing on this Indian Summer/Early Autumn. There is much, much more to come.

Dolores Street (1958)

2009-08-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

Looking North from 24th Street

San Francisco, California

Courtesy of the SF Public Library via Burrito Justice

Los Angeles (2009)

2009-07-25T07:46:00.001-07:00

Beverly Laurel Motor Hotel (1965)

Designer/architect unknown

The Hollywood Palladium (1940)

Gordon Kaufman

Restored 2008

The Ennis House (1924)

Frank Lloyd Wright

Currently on the housing market, asking $15 million

Julius Shulman (1910-2009)

2009-07-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the LA Times obituary. Here is a nice oral history of one of his most well-known photographs.

Rest in Peace.

Una sull'altra (1969)

2009-06-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

Dig this clip from Lucio Fulvi's 1969 thriller.

Right, I know. Yes, that's foxy Marisa Mell pulling the change-r-oo in the ladies room. And, yes, that's Riz Ortolani providing a score that sounds like Zal Yanovsky jamming with Oliver Nelson's orchestra. But the real star of the clip is Eero Saarinen's TWA Flight Center at New York's JFK airport. There are a couple of great shots of terminal back when it was first a functioning building. Just beautiful.

I did have the opportunity to pass through the hollowed halls of this architectural masterpiece just once. It was 1998 and I was en route to Barcelona, Spain experiencing an unexpected lay-over in the terminal. It was remarkably well preserved and I, frankly, thought I was in a dream. When I think about the events of the past decade or so which really opened my eyes to great design, this was certainly one of the most important ones.

Of course the happy ending to this post is not only can you now fly out/in to Terminal 5 again thanks to JetBlue, but you can also get your shoes shined there by my favorite San Francisco-based shine company, A. Shine & Co. Book your flight now!

Happy Birthday Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (June 17th)

2009-06-17T10:11:00.001-07:00

Photo by Arnold Newman, 1946

Or Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский if you are so inclined. Born June 17, 1882 in Oranienbaum (renamed Lomonosov in 1948), Russia. Died April 6, 1971 in New York, New York.

I must admit that I hadn't given much ear time to Stravinsky's music until a few years ago when (somewhat on a lark), the missus and I attended a performance of the SF Symphony conducted by MTT. The highlight of the program by far was an earlier 20th Century piece from Stravinsky. It at once sounded both completely foreign and familiar. Now after having listened to much more of his work, I am struck by how much of an influence on popular music he was. What I mean by that is how much he influenced music that many of us take for granted - film scores. To call his work "cinematic" is actually inappropriate as he was composing long before our contemporary notion of cinema. And yet, you can hear the Stravinsky-influence in so many film scores from the 1940s through today. Of course, this is not only notable contribution to culture - modern classical and jazz music both absorbed his influence greatly. The latter has grown into somewhat legendary status with no less than Charlie Parker famously name-checking the Russian-born composer often as one of his favorites. Bird reportedly also had the opportunity to play for the man himself in 1951.