This week on Jazz Spectrum – September 16, 2023

By Fritz Byers

The highlight this week, at least for a certain stripe of fan, are the three tracks you’ll hear from Evenings at the Village Gate, a new release documenting a fabled month-long stint at the Gate by John Coltrane and his working quartet, augmented by Eric Dolphy. The blog post immediately before this one reflects a few of my thoughts about the release and the musicians it showcases. The Coltrane signature tune, “My Favorite Things,” opens the show; “When Lights Are Low” and “Africa” open the third and fourth sets, respectively. (You can catch the other two tracks from Evenings – “Greensleeves”, another popular tune Coltrane turned into an improvisational playground, and “Impressions,” his enduring modal masterpiece – on Jazz Spectrum Overnight, midnight to 4.am. both weekend nights.)

What else? We can thank my friend and soon-to-be Jazz Spectrum contributing writer Rob Michaels for reminding me of the tenor saxophonist Booker Ervin’s 1965 recording, The Trance. In addition to having one of the most amusing covers in jazz LP history, the date features, in addition to Booker’s probing, plangent tenor, the pianist Jaki Byard, the drummer Alan Dawson, and, not coincidentally, the bassist Reggie Workman, who features prominently on the live Coltrane-Dolphy recording. As an exemplar of an exceptional recording, you’ll hear Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” which I chose not only for Booker’s tenor, which is both soaring and piercing, but also for Jaki Byard’s thoughtful solo, which I hear as a series of interrogations, paired with intentionally tentative answers. It’s my favorite solo of all the ones Jaki recorded, which is saying a good bit.

Finally, for now, this week’s Song of the Week is the Rodgers & Hart standard, “Isn’t It Romantic?”  In his foundational work, American Popular Song, published fifty years ago and still the defining work on the subject, the composer Alec Wilder declared, justifiably, that “Isn’t It Romantic?” is “a perfect song.” He would know.

First you’ll hear Jeanette MacDonald. She sang it in Love Me Tonight, the 1932 movie that introduced the song. The version you hear is different, and notably features different lyrics than were eventually standardized for the piece. Hers is a fascinating story. She was a true luminary in American arts as a celebrated actress, pop vocalist, and opera singer. She seems to have sunk from sight, but if you can, track down some of her singing. You’ll hear her strong soprano on this track.

Among the other versions of the tune, you’ll hear it the pianist Teddy Wilson, who, like Jeanette, was a fixture of 1930s American music; a rare and amusing vocal duet by two of the great jazz singers, Carmen McRae and Betty Carter; and the jazz harmonica player, Toots Thielemans, alongside the baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams. Toots is one of those musicians who, if he’d chosen a different instrument, would be vastly more appreciated for his ingenuity. Imagine hearing his work on “Isn’t It Romantic” played on, say, alto sax.