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Interview: Mike Stoller (Part 1)
A few weeks ago I traveled to Los Angeles for the Wall Street Journal to interview Mike Stoller at his home in the Hollywood Hills. My conversation with rock 'n' roll's first successful songwriter—with hits dating back to 1951—appears in today's paper (or go here). [Photo of Jerry Leber and Mike Stoller by David Attie for Vogue's ...
Burt Bacharach: Top of the Pops
When I visited with Burt Bacharach at his home back in October for my Wall Street Journal interview, we spoke about the Gershwin Prize he was due to receive in May. Burt seemed a bit stunned by the enormity of the award and generous in praise of the others who had won previously. On May 8, ...
Corky Hale: The Swinging Harp
Around the time that Corky Hale became a first-call studio harpist in Holloywood in the mid-1950s, she recorded two superb small-group jazz albums: Herbie Harper and Corky Hale Plays George Gershwin and Vernon Duke. On both 1955 albums, Corky was featured playing the harp almost like a guitar—displaying a swinging technique, gorgeous chord phrasing and smart ...
Nelson Riddle + Phil Silvers
Jazz historian Dan Morgenstern told me about this LP when I interviewed him for my Wall Street Journal piece on the history of Taps last week. We were talking about the influence of Taps and bugle calls on jazz and popular song. “I seem to recall a Phil Silvers album, where he's in his Sgt. Bilko ...
Music Discoveries of the Week
For the past two weeks, my overloaded schedule has kept me from reviewing CD and DVD discoveries in my Weekend Wax Bits roundup—which goes up early on Saturdays. So I figured why not present the reviews today—on a Tuesday: When vocalist Tessa Souter mentioned to Tetsuo Hara, owner of Venus Records, that she dug Steve Kuhn's ...
Putting Gil Evans in His Place
Gil Evans was a slow arranger. He tended to agonize over charts—at times missing deadlines as he pushed to make bigger impressionistic statements, set off more romantic contrasts or simply wound up entangled in revisions. In some cases, his focus on the music overshadowed the need to keep an eye on the clock. Hal McKusick's and ...
'Taps' Turns 150 Years Old
Taps—the American bugle call that today is played solemnly at memorials and soldiers' funerals—has a fascinating history. In today's Wall Street Journal (or online here), I write about why the 24-note song was conceived in 1862 and how it evolved over the years. In the longer online version at WSJ.com, I also include rock and jazz ...
Tony Scott: New York, 1953
Tony Scott is an acquired taste, much like squid-ink pasta or amaro. At first, the sound of his clarinet will seem uneven, as though you're listening to someone who just started to play the instrument. If you're used to hearing the well-paced, round sounds of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Buddy De Franco, then Scott's lurching, ...
A Jazz Version of Kean
On November 2, 1961, the musical-comedy Kean arrived at The Broadway Theatre on Broadway between 52nd and 53d Streets to positive reviews. The show's book centered on the salacious life of 18th century Shakespearean actor Sir. Edmund Kean, and Robert Wright and George Forrest wrote the words and music. But before Kean made it to Broadway, ...
Pepper Adams + Zoot Sims
On December 11 and 12, 1968, three different styles of jazz converged in one New York recording studio—and the result was flammable. The session leader was baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams [pictured above], who was paired for the first and only time with tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims. The little-known album would be called Encounter! (Prestige), and the ...
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In Tribute To...
John Coltrane At 100: A Global Perspective
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Live Review
Detroit Jazz Festival 2026: A Gathering in a Great Jazz City
Profile
Sequoia Snyder: Growing in the Light of the Masters
Interview
Jasur Khalilov: From Falak to Fusion
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The Discreet Charm of Tete Montoliu
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