Recommended Reading

I've written about Ricky Riccardi in previous posts. He is the Archivist at the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Queens, New York, and earlier this year Pantheon brought out his book about Armstrong: What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. The book, which I recently read (in advance of interviewing him about it, on "Radio Once More"), is terrific, and can be found at the following amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/What-Wonderful-World-Magic-Armstrongs/dp/0307378446/

Here, too, is the link for Ricky Riccardi's popular Armstrong-related blog:

http://www.dippermouth.blogspot.com/

New Doris Day CD

A new CD by Doris Day is being released. While the CD’s release date in the US has been reported as being December 2nd, it will be available on amazon.com on December 6th (and on the Barnes & Noble site, bn.com, a week later). (A shorter version of the CD appeared in the UK in September; the US version contains an additional song.)

Of the thirteen recordings on the CD, most were recorded in the mid-1980s (and were produced by Ms. Day’s late son, Terry Melcher), but were never released. (A few of the songs, the UK-based website “Discovering Doris Day” notes, were aired on Ms. Day’s 1980s TV show, “Doris Day’s Best Friends.”) Another of the recordings was made for a 1970s Doris Day TV special, and a few others are previously-released Day songs. The UK website also notes: “All proceeds from the American release of the album will go to Ms. Day’s animal welfare organisation, the Doris Day Animal Foundation (DDAF).”

Terry Melcher, Ms. Day's son, passed away in 2004. He is perhaps best known for his work with the 1960s group The Byrds; he produced the group’s early recordings, including “Mr. Tambourine Man,” and “Turn, Turn, Turn.”

Here are two stories about the new Doris Day CD, from the “Discovering Doris Day” website:

http://www.dorisdaytribute.com/blog/2011/09/02/my-heart-album

http://www.dorisdaytribute.com/blog/2011/11/10/doris-days-best-selling-album-my-heart-receives-a-us-release-on-december-2-2011

The CD’s amazon.com link is:

http://www.amazon.com/My-Heart-U-S-Doris-Day/dp/B00656C6KK/

In addition, here is the web page of the Doris Day Animal Foundation:

http://ddaf.org/dd/

The Raymond Scott Orchestrette, @ Lincoln Center

The New York-based group, formed by Irwin Chusid (Raymond Scott archivist, and producer of Raymond Scott CDs), is appearing at New York's Lincoln Center on Thursday (December 1st).  Admission to the performance is free.

http://new.lincolncenter.org/live/index.php/atrium-raymond-scott-orchestrette-dec-1-2011

http://raymondscott.com/orchette.html

http://raymondscott.blogspot.com/

Tom Wicker

Journalist Tom Wicker has died, at age 85.

Here is the obituary from The New York Times, the paper for which he wrote for many years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/tom-wicker-journalist-and-author-dies-at-85.html?pagewanted=1&ref=obituaries

"Van Camp's Little Show," NBC, 1950-1951

The advertisement, below, is for Van Camp's foods, and appeared in the magazine Woman's Day, either in 1950 or 1951.  The ad refers to the television program sponsored by the Stokely-Van Camp company, Van Camp's Little Show, which starred the singer and actor John Conte (the program was also known as John Conte's Little Show).  The musical program, fifteen minutes long, aired Tuesday and Thursday evenings on NBC, from 1950-1951.  My mother was a regular guest vocalist on the program, in 1951.

In the close-up image, one can see the phrase "Look-Listen-Enjoy" (it is used in reference to the television show); the phrase is a variant of the slogan which was employed by the company at the time:  "Heat-Eat-Enjoy." The "Heat-Eat-Enjoy" slogan also appears in the advertisement, above the box of "Tenderoni."

Carly Simon, three videos

Here are a few terrific performances by the enormously talented Carly Simon; the first two are from a concert in Central Park, and broadcast by ABC, in the early 1970s.  The first song is "Anticipation," written by Simon.  The second song, written with her frequent songwriting partner Jacob Brackman, is "That's The Way I Always Heard It Should Be"; I think it is one of the more beautiful songs which came out of the rock era, and this live performance, by Simon, is particularly beautiful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDJ_Mz8ftqI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux7HgO9QhAc&feature=related

The last video is from a live performance by Simon in 1995, in New York's Grand Central Station.  It is of the song "Haven't Got Time for the Pain," also written by Simon and Jacob Brackman.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4HLHuS3hkw


(First two videos: copyright Ron Delsner. Third video: copyright Milding Inc.)

Jack Benny and Gisele MacKenzie

During my weekly radio program tonight (on the Internet station "Radio Once More"), a listener from Canada mentioned (on the station's Facebook page) Canadian singer (and Hit Parade star) Gisele MacKenzie, and her well-known appearance on Jack Benny's television show in the 1950s. (I unfortunately don't know the year of the appearance.)  The listener later posted a YouTube link featuring the performance, in which Benny and MacKenzie played a violin duet of the song "Getting To Know You." The performance is very funny, very charming, and quite wonderful. 

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3cc0HlO7so