Rifftides

Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...

Search Results for: Wesla Whitfield

Wesla Whitfield, RIP

Wesla Whitfield, a singer of uncommon talent, taste, musicianship and courage, died yesterday in St. Helena, California. Her husband and accompanist of more than three decades, the pianist Mike Greensill, announced her passing. She had been under treatment for bladder cancer and was recently in hospice care but died at home. She was 70. I once wrote,

Whitfield is often billed as a cabaret singer…but with her time sense, phrasing and inflection, the fuzzy border between cabaret and jazz disappears.

Here, in November of 2015, she sings two songs by Harry Warren at a memorial service for her record producer and friend Orrin Keepnews. Her accompanists are Mike Greensill, bassist John Wiitala, drummer Lorca Hart and the Kronos String Quartet.

Over the years, Ms. Whitfield and Mr. Greensill have been the subjects of several Rifftides posts. To read some of them, go here.

For a thorough review of Wesla Whitfield’s life, including the incident that put her in a wheelchair, and for an assessment of her talent, see Daniel Slotkin’s article in today’s New York Times.

CD: Wesla Whitfield

Wesla Whitfield, Mike Greensill Trio, The Best Things In Life

Wesla Whitfield plugs her current of understated energy into a diverse collection that encompasses “The Best Things in Life Are Free” from 1927, “Bein’ Green” from Sesame Street, and “Walkin’ After Midnight” from the Patsy Cline hit parade. There are also standards by Loesser, LeGrand, Arlen and Frishberg, among others. Whitfield is often billed as a cabaret singer, but with the rhythm section of pianist Mike Greensill, bassist John Witala and drummer Vince Lateano supporting her time sense, phrasing and inflection, the fuzzy border between cabaret and jazz disappears. Nat Cole’s “Errand Girl For Rhythm” is a case in point.

Weekend Extra: Whitfield And Greensill

[contextly_auto_sidebar id=”sMGM8cG08ryrXOYHzEgAZ4vXksuVIp6M”]

Like any good independent self-promoting professional, Mike Greensill sends occasional email messages about what he and his wife, Wesla Whitfield, are up to. He’s a pianist. She’s a singer. They live in WeslaW-MikeGreensill-HRCalifornia’s Napa Valley, near San Francisco. Now and then they fly to New York City to work at Joe’s Pub and Carnegie Hall, among other places. Mr. Greensill’s most recent communiqué contained a link to a song of the kind in which they specialize——established, familiar, classic——songs that if you’re writing about them and don’t include the phrase “Great American Songbook,” you get a call from ASCAP.

When they’re at home in Napa, the Greensills often appear at a club called Silo’s, conveniently placed just down the road from their house. That’s where she sang the Gerswins’ “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” complete with verse and one of the world’s longest sustained, in-tune, closing notes.

You may have noticed that Ms. Whitfield sings seated in a wheelchair, and wondered why. She tells the story in this segment from a 1994 broadcast of CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood.

More about Wesla Whitfield and Mike Greenstill at her website and his.

Weekend Extra: Jeepers Creepers, It’s A Tour De Force

We have all been victims, or beneficiaries, of cranio-melodia-repeatis syndrome. The tune I haven’t been able to get out of my head for several days is “Jeepers Creepers,” the 1938 Harry Warren-Johnny Mercer hit premiered by Louis Armstrong in the film Going Places.

Jeepers CreepersThe movie had been out for about a minute-and-a-half when Ethel Waters went into the studio for the first big cover recording. Through the 1940s and ‘50s singers including the Mills Brothers, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Paula Kelly, Toni Tennille, the Al Belletto Sextet and probably a dozen others followed suit. In recent years, videos of the song by Wesla Whitfield and Nikki Yanofsky have been memorable for different reasons.

There have been at least dozens of instrumental versions, among them this 1954 interpretation by the Dave Brubeck Quartet in their first big Columbia album. Gratuitous information: the Brubecks chose to play it in B-flat rather than the original A-flat.

“Jeepers Creepers” or—more accurately—its chords and structure, stuck in the minds of jazz composers. Jimmy Guiffre used them as the basis for the Woody Herman classic “Four Brothers,” Charlie Parker for “My Little Suede Shoes” and Dizzy Gillespie for “Tour de Force.” In the summer of 1987 Gillespie gathered several of his trumpet protégés for a performance of his brainchild at Wolf Trap Farm Park in Virginia. We borrowed the Great Performances video from Wynton Marsalis’s website. Dizzy introduces the trumpeters. The rhythm section is Walter Davis, Jr., piano; Eddie Gomez, bass; and Ignacio Berroa, drums.

Have a splendid weekend.

Oh, if you wonder what’s memorable about the Whitfield and Yanofsky videos, go here and here. With the Whitfield, you get a twofer.

Weekend Extra: Nobody Else But Kern

[contextly_auto_sidebar id=”l9zHFPSrBgX9qziE9L514OculJzaOSJV”]

Jerome KernJerome Kern (pictured) wrote his last song nearly 70 years ago, but the freshness of its melody, hipness of its harmonies, surprise of its extended form and charm of Oscar Hammerstein II’s lyric make it seem perpetually new. Jan Clayton sang the new song, “Nobody Else But Me,” for Kern’s and Hammerstein’s 1946 Broadway revival of their 1927 masterpiece Show Boat. Lou Dinning had the vocal in Paul Weston’s popular early recording. Among the countless musicians entranced by the piece since then have been Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz, Tony Bennett, Bill Evans, Jimmy Raney, Joe Pass, Irene Kral with Junior Mance, and Pinky Winters with Lou Levy and Monty Budwig.

A visit to YouTube can turn up versions of the piece by amateurs posting home videos as well as performances by seasoned professionals. In the latter category, one of the most recent features the team of Wesla Whitfield and her pianist husband Mike Greensill. It was filmed at last fall’s Allegheny Jazz Party, with guitarist Howard Alden, tenor saxophonist Harry Allen and bassist Kerry Lewis sitting in. They include the verse, a wonderful idea.

Whitfield and Greensill made “Nobody Else But Me” the title song of a 2006 CD.

While we’re at it, let’s listen to one of the great instrumental versions of Kern’s song. Here’s Stan Getz with Jimmy Rowles, piano; Bobby Whitlock, bass; and Max Roach, drums.

That Getz album includes some of his best work from the mid-1950s, with a variety of stellar sidemen.

Have a good weekend.

The Oak Room Farewell

Visits to New York won’t be the same now that the Algonquin Hotel has closed the Oak Room. Since Ben Bodne sold the hotel in 1987, it has changed hands several times and is now operated by the Marriott chain as one of its high-end properties. With each change, another layer of the Algonquin’s mystique seems to evaporate. The Oak Room existed as an elegant dining and listening post for only 32 years of the hotel’s 110-year history, but from its opening night it was one of the most important New York showcases for singers. In announcing its demise last Thursday, general manager Gary Budge noted the room’s importance but said, ”…with declining guest counts, it seemed like the appropriate thing for us to do right now.” After a general renovation of the hotel, he said, the Oak Room would not reopen. For an appreciation of the room’s history and impact, see this Stephen Holden article in The New York Times.

The Oak Room never made a point of distinguishing between cabaret and jazz; in any case, that line is clear only when considering singers like Julie Wilson and Andrea Marcovicci, out-and-out cabaret stars. Among the performers featured there who could be described as jazz, cabaret or both were Sylvia Syms, Tierney Sutton, Wesla Whitfield, Barbara Carroll, Jack Jones, Sandy Stewart, Mary Cleere Haran, Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Feinstein and Daryl Sherman. Ms. Stewart sang at the Algonquin several times accompanied by her son Bill Charlap at the piano. Ms. Whitfield appeared with pianist Mike Greensill and bassist Michael Moore. Ms. Sherman became a latterday favorite in the Oak Room, sometimes working with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon. Here’s a part of their tribute to Johnny Mercer. The video is a bit fuzzy. The interpretation and verve are not.

I wonder if the Marriott folks might be persuaded to change their corporate mind about eliminating a cultural treasure. The improving economy could get those guest counts back up.

Correspondence: Orrin Keepnews

Responding to the Rifftides review of the Cannonball Adderley CD in the current batch of Doug’s Picks, its producer writes:

A somewhat important point needs to be made about the current ownership of a significant, if relatively small, segment of the records produced by Orrin Keepnews. I’m in a pretty good position to know about his work, since that’s who I am. From 1953 to until the end of ’63, Bill Grauer and I were Riverside Records. I produced records; Grauer handled business matters. Then he died, following a heart attack. After having helped in the rise of such artists as Monk, Adderley, Montgomery, Bill Evans, Milt Jackson, Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Heath, Wynton Kelly and a few dozen others, Riverside (and assorted subsidiaries, mostly Jazzland) disappeared beneath the waves of a substantial bankruptcy.
A few years later, I started again, as Milestone Records, developed with considerable assistance from pianist-and-sometime-producer Dick Katz. From 1972 until 1980, Milestone and Riverside and I were all part of Fantasy, where I worked with such remarkable artists as Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Bobby Timmons, et al. Having departed from Fantasy in 1980, Ieaving past labels behind, I eventually could point with pride to Landmark Records, which included Bobby Hutcherson, Mulgrew Miller, the Kronos Quartet, Wesla Whitfield. Somewhat confusingly, Landmark was only distributed, not owned, by Fantasy; therefore, it passed through other hands and — unlike just about everything else that once was mine, did not eventually end up owned by the Concord Group.
Currently, much of my energy is being devoted to a project under the auspices of Concord. Known as the “Keepnews Collection,” it involves remastering, additional performances, and thoroughly expanded annotation of some of the original productions described above. Of course you understand all this, but I much appreciate your lending me some space in which to attempt to explain these creative but confusing matters to your jazz-loving audience.
Best regards,
Orrin

Listeners’ Choices, Part 4

Ah, well, over the weekend so many more of you responded to the request for your current listening choices that we can’t wrap it up today after all. If you wish to understand the genesis of these listings, go here. But–I am sorry–it’s too late to contribute. At some point, we have to get back to business as usual, whatever that is, so the arbitrary cutoff is hereby imposed. The final batch will appear in tomorrow’s Rifftides edition, or whatever you call a blog installment.

·The most recent things on my listening agenda:

Kronos Quartet: Plays Music of Bill Evans and Monk Suite.

Jack Sheldon: California Cool
Jack Brownlow
Seattle, Washington, USA

·Bob Brookmeyer’s most recent New Art Orchestra collection, Spirit Music, which has, no surprise, great brass arrangements and performances, and demonstrates that Europeans can swing.
A couple of recently remastered good ole’ good ones: The Complete Studio Recordings of the Gerry Mulligan Sextet, featuring, among others, Messrs Brookmeyer and Art Farmer; and the Mosaic box of the Phillips/Verve Dizzy Gillespie small group recordings, which is the best Father’s Day present I’ve ever received.
I’ve also been playing Magnus Lindberg’s Clarinet Concerto, simply one of the most engaging pieces of new “legit” music I’ve heard in a long time. Finally, for the obvious reasons, I’ve been listening to Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s recording of the Bach cantatas BVW 82 and 199. Those who have never heard Ms. Lierberson’s angelic voice do not know what they are missing. RIP.
Steven Marks
Potomac, Maryland, USA

·I find as I get older that I’m listening more and more to the music that first turned me on to jazz and not so much to what’s currently being released. So today it was Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra on Decca (1936 to 1938) featuring a couple of my favorite tunes that nobody does, “Ev’ntide” and “Lyin’ To Myself”. Also Carmen McCrae Live at Donte’s, with Jimmy Rowles giving a master class in the art of the accompanist.
Mike Greensill
St. Helena, California, USA

Mr. Greensill has himself given a few master classes as the accompanist to, among others, Wesla Whitfield.

·I discovered your site just by coincidence while I googled George Mraz’s Morava. Currently I listen to Abbey Lincoln’s The World Is Falling Down (thanks a lot, Gary Giddins!), with stellar playing from Clark Terry and the late Jackie McLean. Also on the desk is the wonderful Mary Stallings with her Live at the Village Vanguard , including great playing and arrangements from Eric Reed . When will be there a follow-up from this great but neglected singer? Yes, and last but not at least there is Paul Reddick, a great Canadian singer, songwriter-poet and harmonica player. I saw him recently in a small club in Leverkusen (thats close to Cologne, Germany) playing and singing his heart out for 6 (!) listeners. His albums Rattlebag and Villanelle are marvelous stuff and offer great production and guitar playing from Colin Linden. Oh yeah, did I mention Otis Rush with his intense 1976 live recording just recently reissued by Delmark?.It’s a gas and an all-time-classic!
Clemens Zahn
Cologne, Germany

·Two weeks ago, I finally obtained a copy of Woody Herman’s Verve LP Woody Herman ’58 that has some Bill Harris solos, among others, with most of the writing by Gene Roland, but there is also a Bill Holman original and one by Al Cohn called “Try To Forget.”
I have also been listening to a couple of CDs that I recently acquired. One is the latest by Henry Francis’ small swing group The Swing Legacy. Superb in all respects, as was the first disc by this swinging jump band issued around 1999. Sound samples and ordering info at www.swinglegacy.com.
The other CD is called “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans” and features music from the University of New Hampshire’s Traditional Jazz Series. Proceeds from sales go to Music Cares, Hurricane Relief 2005, and American Library Association, Katrina Relief Fund. Learn more at http://www.izaak.unh.edu/nhltj/. It is $20 well spent.
Russ Chase
Kendall Park, New Jersey, USA

·Da Vida Bella – a two-CD set of wonderful solo piano performances by 30 great players from Gerald Wiggins to Gerald Clayton. The album includes a lovely “If You Could See Me Now” by Alan Broadbent, a take-no-prisoners version of “A Night In Tunisia” by Patrice Rushen and tracks from, among others, Kenny Barron, Dick Hyman, Dave Grusin, Cedar Walton, Bill Mays, Roger Kellaway, Bob Florence, Clare Fischer and Mike Melvoin, who also produced this marvelous collection. This album was recorded as a tribute to dedicated fan and patron David Abell, and released in conjunction with a concert in his honor June 2005 at UCLA. It now serves as a touching and fitting memorial, since David died in March. As far as I know, Da Vida Bella has not been released commercially and is available only from Friends of Jazz UCLA with proceeds going to the David Abell Scholarship Fund for the Jazz Studies Program. For info: e-mail Susan Townsley or call (310) 206-3269.

Also on my turntable or in the CD player this past week:

Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band – Now Hear Our Meanin’

Bruce Brown (pianist/singer/songwriter and one of the world’s great undiscovered talents) – Love Finds You

Pat LaBarbera Quintet featuring Randy Brecker – Crossing The Line (Jazz Compass)

Sandi Shoemake – Sophisticated Lady

Mulgrew Miller – With Our Own Eyes

Charles Lloyd Quartet (with Gabor Szabo, Ron Carter and Tony Williams) – Of Course, Of Course. This 1965 Columbia album was out of print for years and was never reissued on CD…until recently. Mosaic has just released it as part of their new ‘Singles’ series.
Dick McGarvin
Van Nuys, California, USA

·I’ve been totally immersed in the 4-CD set, The Dutch Jazz Orchestra Plays the Music of Billy Strayhorn in preparation for a course I gave this past week at the Chautauqua Institution. This is the music that the musicologist Walter van de Leur uncovered in the 1990s. Most of the music is original compositions for jazz orchestra, but there is
one full CD of gorgeous Strayhorn arrangements of standards. If you like Billy Strayhorn’s music with Ellington, you will be richly rewarded by these works which, for the most part, were never recorded or performed during Strayhorn’s lifetime.
Peter Luce
Rochester, New York, USA

·Gerry Mulligan meets Johnny Hodges, with Claude Williamson, piano, Buddy Clark, bass, Mel Lewis, drums, July 1960. A profoundly beautiful recording–“Shady Side” as the supreme gem among gems. This won’t be dated until music itself is.
Peter Bergmann
Berlin, Germany

Finally in this penultimate group of listeners’ choices, we have an essay from Larry Kart, one of our most esteemed and penetrating critics. It’s a pleasure to have him aboard.

·I’m working my way through a biggish batch of Hep label reissues of 1939-53 big band material — Teddy Wilson from ’39, Charlie Barnet’s 1947 Town Hall Concert, three by Sam Donohue, ’49’-53 Claude Thornhill, Jimmy Dorsey from ’46, et al. So far I’m struck by how unique, fine, and still fresh the latish Thornhill material is (does anyone know who among Lee Katzman, Tom Patton, and Chuck Speights takes that lovely-eerie trumpet solo on “Oh You Beautiful Doll”? — it’s worthy of Bobby Hackett or Tony Fruscella); by the sheer fieryness of that ’47 Barnet band (with Clark Terry and the stratospheric yet sweet-toned Jimmy Nottingham in the trumpet section, and swinging drummer Dick Shanahan); the distinctive, throaty-reedy timbre of the Donohue band, and the classiness of featured trumpeter John Best in the band’s U.S. Navy version (his sectionmates were Conrad Gozzo, Frank Beach, and Don Jacoby); the humane warmth of the Dorsey band (I like Jimmy on alto especially) and the fact that on a track from July 1944, “All the Things You Ain’t,” trombonist Sonny Lee’s solo makes use of the “Salt Peanuts”
figure — this from a date that included a chart, “Grand Central Getaway,” that Dizzy Gillespie wrote for the band). And there’s lots more.
Thinking these thoughts, I also began to think about the life-stories behind this music — the various interactions between these leaders, their audiences, and the larger worlds (the music business, and the external social-historical world as a whole) in which these music makers made their way. About Barnet, who sank his heart and much of his ample inheritance into his bands and also into his taste for high living (no regrets for him, it seems); about Wilson (whose marvelous 1939 band failed to make its way commercially); about Donohue (whose service band was felt by many to be was superior to Artie Shaw’s [which Donohue had taken over and remade] and Glenn Miller’s but who belatedly entered a post-war market without his core musicians because of the Navy’s point system of discharges); about the equivocal, vulnerable temperaments of Dorsey and Thornhill and the relatively early deaths of those two and Donohue; about the two AFM recording bans, the wartime entertainment tax that lingered on afterwards and did much damage to live music, etc. What if we had the power to preserve and protect in all this what was worth preserving and protecting, while shunting aside or even destroying all that threatened what was lovely and living here? Perhaps to even ask the question — given the weight and the sometimes ghastly connectedness of all that we know was at stake here, not to mention all that was at stake or connected to what was at stake here that we aren’t or can’t be aware of — is a form of absurdity.
Larry Kart
Highland Park, Illinois, USA