Well, dear readers, as you know I’ve been taking out some of the CDs I’ve produced and I’ve been listening to them. You know my thoughts on the ones I’ve heard. I don’t like revisiting this stuff that much, but some of it I haven’t heard in almost twenty years, some even longer than that. It’s interesting to see how my perceptions of the work may have changed – I may not like something as much I thought I had, or I might like something more than I did back then. I’m basically happy with everything I did back then, but tend to hear things that I would do a little differently. But yesterday was especially interesting because I listened to two albums I haven’t heard since they were done and mastered. One of them was the first of a series and did really well – it brought back a genre I love and people just went with it, as I hoped they would. The other album was done about three years later because I wanted to do the kind of album I hadn’t done before – that one was a disaster, sales-wise, all due to the incredibly stupid path that Varese Sarabande was going down. This album should have been a smash, a big-band swing album when big-band swing was all the rage again thanks to Brian Setzer, and an album arranged, orchestrated, and conducted by a legend in the field, Buddy Bregman. Instead, they did NOTHING. They just shoved it out there as they were shoving out all their stuff in the late 90s. Their stupidity would reach epic proportions soon after this CD when they cut me loose. The idiocy of THAT move could not be bigger. Had they been patient for two more short years, Varese would have owned the Broadway cast album market, for that is when the sea change happened and producers began paying for the albums rather than the labels. Instead, they owner was myopic and two of our imitators were the benefactors. And the stupidity, in my opinion, continued to take them right into the toilet.
The latter album, simply titled Swing, surprised me. I didn’t remember anything about it, but it is a kind of amazing album. Everything about it – the arrangements, the incredible band (best musicians in LA), and the sound of it – so clean and perfect, really. I was, in fact, shocked by how great it is. It can be had from third-party sellers on Amazon for pennies (literally pennies) and I cannot recommend it highly enough if you’re a fan of great swing music. Buddy Bregman was the real deal – worked with Ella and Bing and all the greats. Technically it’s probably in the top ten of stuff I did.
The other album was, of course, Passion in Jazz. It was a project no one, including my close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim, thought could work or would be interesting to anyone. But I grew up loving jazz covers of shows – in my day, they were done for practically every show including flops and sometimes I liked them better than the cast albums themselves. Once I found Terry Trotter I knew I’d found the perfect guy to do this. I remember vividly going to his house (at that time he literally lived two houses south of where I am now) and hearing his ideas for the album. And he was really collaborative and if I asked him to rethink or go in a different direction there was never any argument – he listened, understood why I was saying it, and then came up with sheer brilliance. We gathered at Track Recording on Vineland in North Hollywood to make the record. I’d already met the rest of the trio – Tom Warrington on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. I was thrilled to have Joe – he’d been the great Bill Evans’ drummer for Bill’s last period before his untimely death.
We had an amazing piano brought in – Terry got it from David Abell for just the cartage fee. Vinnie had everything laid out in the room perfectly and we got started right on time, which was not always the case with Vinnie. We did sound on all three, then they ran down the first piece – I don’t remember what we began with, it may well have been the opener, Happiness. And I turned to Vinnie about a minute in and said, “How did you do that? How did you mic this so perfectly?” The sound was unbelievable – pure and simple and stunning. I literally would not allow him to touch a knob because perfect is perfect and you never want to screw with it. That day we did half the tracks and the following day we did the other half. I told everyone that the board and set up could not be touched by anyone, and sure enough the second day was as perfect sounding as the first. I knew we’d just done something completely magical.
Joe Gastwirt, my mastering engineer, heard it and he, like me, thought it was brilliant sounding and he did not do very much at all other than smooth out level differences between the tracks. As Cole Porter would say – it was just one of those things.
We sent it to Sondheim who, if I recall correctly, was a little confused by it but enjoyed it. I explained about jazz and the structure and he listened and I think he was happiest when Terry was on the melody rather than improvising around it. We got it out before the cast album and it sold incredibly well and people absolutely were blown away by it. I was told that at the Passion opening night party they played our CD. So, how was it listening to it exactly twenty years later? I’ll tell you how it was – it blew me away, too, and it is an absolutely perfect album and a GREAT jazz recording that could be put up against ANY jazz recording, sound-wise – it’s that good. Just one of those things. Can’t explain why. Magic happened. We did five other Sondheim shows in jazz and they’re all great but not a one of them has the magic that Passion in Jazz has, not one of them has that SOUND. If you don’t have it you are really missing out on something special.
Other than that, yesterday was a perfectly weird day. I got six hours of sleep, got up, was groggy, answered e-mails, forwarded some orders, had a telephonic conversation, did some work on the computer, and got dressed. I’d been told the plumber would be coming in the afternoon, so I went just before noon and got some bacon, eggs, and toast. Just as the food arrived I got a text saying the plumber was on his way. Thanks for the notice. I knew he was coming from Santa Monica and would be at least twenty minutes, so I wolfed down the food – it was good but I don’t like eating quite that quickly. I got the check, paid, and was home twenty minutes later. The plumber showed up about fifteen minutes after that. He saw the problem – an ancient pipe that had rotted and had holes in it. He was here about two hours, got everything fixed, cleaned, and all is well, washer-wise. It was much cheaper than I would have thought.
After that, I picked up a couple of packages then came back home. I had a call from Richard Sherman who asked if he could come over today and play me something and I, of course, said of course – who wouldn’t? I did a two-and-a-half mile jog, then I did some more work on the computer and sent out an ask for what will be our final cast member – just one to go. Then I sat on my couch like so much fish.
Last night, I watched a Blu and Ray from France that contained an American motion picture entertainment entitled Sweet Charity. I don’t know why I missed seeing the film back when it came out, so the first time I ever saw it was when I purchased an adapted scope dye transfer print of it. That version had been shorn of about twenty minutes and I didn’t see the full version until, I think, the laser disc came out. While Bob Fosse is obviously enjoying his new toys, he’s kind of flailing about trying to figure out what works visually and what his style is. So, there’s some great stuff and there’s some stuff that’s just not good at all. But the reason the movie works, and it does work completely and wonderfully, is Shirley MacLaine. A lot of people complain about her and I can’t imagine way. Some, I suppose, are annoyed that Gwen Verdon didn’t do it – well, that would have been an absolute disaster. MacLaine is everything you’d want from Charity Hope Valentine – she’s funny, she’s cute as a button, she’s endearing, she’s filled with heart and emotion and she really makes you feel for the character – that is because from the beginning of her career she’s just been a consummate SCREEN actor. The rest of the cast is terrific right down to the smallest player and that includes Bud Cort. One can’t say enough about John McMartin, who recently passed away – he is absolutely perfect as Oscar and delivers the classic Neil Simon lines brilliantly. And most of the funny lines are Simon’s, although Peter Stone has smoothed out a lot of stuff and contributed a few of his own. It’s funny to me that four short years later I’d be sharing a stage with John McMartin AND Bud Cort.
As to the ending, the real ending, it’s perfect – how can it be anything else other than what it is and be true to the story? The “happy” ending, included here, is HORRIBLE. There is some guy who seems to live in a world all his own, who swears the film played in New Zealand or Australia with the happy ending – I’m not sure I believe that at ALL – but here that ending was previewed and thrown out because everyone saw that it was completely wrong. Fellini had the right ending, the musical almost had the right ending (I’ve never liked the Fairy Godmother or whatever that is) and Peter Stone betters the show ending – since the movie firmly takes place back when it was shot, the love child ending works just great and is very touching thanks to Cy Coleman’s gorgeous theme (that theme is not from one of his songs but wholly original to the film’s score and it’s a beauty – I do think he must have heard the hugely popular Mason Williams album that had Classical Gas on it, because his end theme is very similar to the track Sunflower, both in melody and arrangement and especially its feel.
So, it’s a very nice transfer with, I think, room for improvement, but who knows? The film has a huge number of opticals and most of them look much better than they have any right to. Color is completely accurate and lovely and the sharpness outside of the many opticals is fine. The two-channel stereo is very robust, although a couple of things in the mix sound really off to me, but they’re minor. I can’t imagine Universal in the US won’t get around to this at some point, but then again they just sit on Flower Drum Song and Thoroughly Modern Millie, so who knows. All in all a good purchase and I’m very happy to have it.
I then watched De Palma, a new documentary about the filmmaker. Actually I’m not sure I would classify this as a documentary. It’s literally a long interview with De Palma, with clips. There are no fanboys or critics pompously pontificating, so that’s actually refreshing. And De Palma is charming, honest, and has some eye-opening anecdotes. It moves along very quickly for its approximately 110-minute run time. De Palma, for me, has always been a mixed bag – I really love Carrie and Phantom of the Paradise and parts of Obsession, and I’m fond of Sisters. After that, I run hot and cold. I know its irritating, but I don’t like Dressed to Kill or Body Double (I actually loathe Body Double), I like parts of Blow Out, I enjoyed The Untouchables, even with its excesses, and I enjoyed the first Mission: Impossible. Everything else usually falls into the disappointment category, although there are usually one or two things that are fun along the way. But this oral history is a lot of fun and I recommend it. After that, I relaxed and listened to music.
Today, I’ll be up by ten at the latest, I’ll eat, then Richard Sherman will be here around one-thirty. I don’t know how long he’ll be here. Once he’s gone, I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, and, if we’re finally cast, I’ll finish choosing the last of the songs and get everyone their music.
Tomorrow is lots to do then I’m supping and seeing a community theater production of Parade. Not sure what’s happening on Friday but something is. I’m hoping Saturday can be a ME day, then Sunday I have a work session with Kay Cole and John Boswell.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, eat, jog, have a visit with Richard Sherman, hopefully pick up packages, choose the last of the songs and get everyone their music, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have rediscovered to really top notch albums.