Author: Nick Francis

 

This is one of Fats Waller’s last performances, from the 1943 musical Stormy Weather. This film was a rare Hollywood production featuring a predominantly African-American cast. The 75 minute film was short on plot, but filled with cool music and dance (20 numbers) from some of the major artists of the time, including Waller, Cab Calloway, Bill Bojangles Robinson, The Nicholas Brothers, and the young and beautiful Lena Horne. And keep an eye out for jazz legend Benny Carter, playing trumpet in Waller’s band.

If you’ve got a few minutes, please check out this entertaining talk from David Byrne (Talking Heads) about the relationship between the creation of music and the places where they are heard. He explains clearly that what you hear is greatly influenced by where you’re hearing it.

It’s the Bill Evans Riverside Recordings, pressed on vinyl at 45 RPM. 22 discs for only $600.

This comes from a company called Acoustic Sounds, which caters to those with a real fetish for vinyl.

The question I have is this: can you really tell the difference between a record pressed at 45 than one pressed at 33.3?

Plenty of other disc pressings, and outrageously high-end audio equipment are available at their website.

A journalist visits the room of recently deceased jazz legend Hank Jones.

Did he cross the line by writing about it?

What do you think?

Blues fans—check this one out. Big Mama Thornton singing Hound Dog, with Buddy Guy.