When you've been blogging for almost four years and the post you're working on will be your 688th, I guess it's not surprising if you find yourself thinking; haven't I written about this guy before? That thought flitted through my mind as I began to put together a tribute to British singer Matt Monro. After … Continue reading Remembering Matt Monro
Category: Jazz
Turns Out Mr. Lucky . . . Wasn’t
During my teen years, I was a little unfocused about my musical tastes. Actually I was unfocused about most everything in those days, but we're talking about music here and one thing I do remember is how much I liked the Henry Mancini brand of jazz on the TV's Peter Gunn. The music from that … Continue reading Turns Out Mr. Lucky . . . Wasn’t
Spring Is For Slithering
Spring is -- er -- springing to life all over the place. On my lawn, the first fresh green tendrils of crabgrass are beginning to bravely peek through the dead leftover leaves. Cracks in the driveway are starting to sprout with joyful weeds that look so healthy they might eventually grow legs and walk around. … Continue reading Spring Is For Slithering
Happy Bunny Day
Like most holidays, Easter has evolved into a day with various meanings for a lot of different people. To keep it simple, I thought I'd just focus on cute little bunny rabbits. Buddy Rich - "Cotton Tail"
Remembering The Liltin’ Miss Tilton
Although I've often written about various Songbirds -- the ladies who sang with the big bands -- in no way should it be assumed that I've done so with any kind of priority or ranking. In fact, their stories are all equally fascinating to me, even though some ladies might have found more lasting fame … Continue reading Remembering The Liltin’ Miss Tilton
Gabor Szabo – Connecting Hungary To Hollywood
As strange as it might sound, I apparently have something in common with a celebrated Hungarian guitarist who died almost 30 years ago. Gabor Szabo, who made a pretty big splash for a couple of decades starting in the Sixties, was inspired as a child by watching American cowboy movies starring Roy Rogers -- who … Continue reading Gabor Szabo – Connecting Hungary To Hollywood
Vikki Carr – One Of Carson’s Cohorts
On the occasion of the recent dust-up over NBC's Tonight Show, including an eviction of Conan O'Brien and ascension by Jay Leno, my thoughts turned to the history of the show. Specifically, the years during which Johnny Carson made a regular practice of turning over the reins to a parade of 'guest hosts'. The occupants … Continue reading Vikki Carr – One Of Carson’s Cohorts
Bop For The People – Charlie Ventura
Bop -- or bebop, to use its full name -- has never been my favorite kind of jazz, but I do enjoy it more now than I once did. I came to big band music long after its heyday anyway, so my acceptance of bop was delayed but it did eventually occur. Part of the … Continue reading Bop For The People – Charlie Ventura
Johnny Desmond – The Forgotten Italian Crooner
I probably should start with an apology about the title of this piece, because implying that Johnny Desmond is forgotten is a little misleading. Even though his name might not be as familiar as some singers from the past, he is still fondly remembered by many fans. But that being said, I did forget to … Continue reading Johnny Desmond – The Forgotten Italian Crooner
In Memory Of Platters Long Gone
I've probably written about this before, but I was thinking today about all the good records that have passed through my hands and moved on, maybe even ending up in platter heaven. (Which creates the question; do bad records go in the other direction?) I guess it started when I ran into a 50-year-old picture … Continue reading In Memory Of Platters Long Gone
Geezer Music Club 