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Documentary: Gabor Szabo, 'Rising' (1977)
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Gabor Szabo was one of jazz fusion's earliest progenitors and a fascinating player. The Hungarian guitarist, who emigrated to the U.S. in 1956, had a singular way of folding together Romani, Indian and rock music in the jazz idiom and seeking out sounds in world music. Szabo also embraced pop with a new level of sophistication. Gabor Szabo died in 1982 at age 45. In 1977, Larry Bock filmed a documentary film on Szabo for his master's project at USC. ...
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Documentary: Basie, The Kid From Redbank
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Three days into the week, I'm still hooked on Count Basie. What can I say. The sound, the feel, the simplicity and the prowess—no band was as influential in jazz over the decades. Duke Ellington was a towering figure with a singular band, but I think it's fair to say that he didn't influence nearly as many players, arrangers and bands as the Count. To this day, Basie brings pure joy. Today, here's an hour-long Dutch TV documentary from 1983... ...
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Bill Evans and Tony Bennett on TV
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
By October 1976, Bill Evans and Tony Bennett had recorded two albums of duets for Tony's short-lived Improv label. I've always had mixed feelings about the recordings. For me, it's strange to hear Evans as second fiddle to anyone and even stranger to hear Tony having to defer, musically, to his accompanist. But strangest of all, perhaps, is the contrasting personalities of Evans, the melancholy introvert, playing against Tony, the sunny-side-up optimist. For a long time, I've felt the two ...
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Roy Budd: Brit Movie Soundtracks
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
In the 1970s, London had a second Swinging decade. While most everyone is familiar with the music-fueled pop fashion scene of the first Swinging London of the 1960s, those outside of the U.K. are probably scratching their heads when I refer to Swinging London Part 2. Instead of a music takeover, this one was by the British film industry. Buoyed by the success of James Bond, the film industry in Britain went into overdrive turning out dozens of movies about ...
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Documentary: Johnny Dankworth
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Jazz in Britain has a glorious and robust past. From the 1920 and '30s up until World War II in 1939, jazz in the U.K. was largely sweet and hotel in dance-band style. Bands were formal and highly accomplished. Remember, Cherokee was by Ray Noble, the English bandleader, composer and arranger who recorded it first in 1938. He also wrote The Touch of Your Lips, I Hadn't Anyone Till You and The Very Thought of You among many other songs. ...
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Stella Stevens: Too Late Blues
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
Stella Stevens, who died last week at age 84, was all set to be a serious movie star in the early 1960s when the youth culture cut in. As a beach-blanket blonde, she wound up cast in many cute films aimed at the teenage market along with Westerns and secret agent movies. Her most recognizable role during this period was in The Poseidon Adventure in 1972. From there, TV took over, as she played characters in episodes on nearly all ...
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