James Last, Bandleader, dies at 86

James Last in 1970

James Last, the internationally renowned German bandleader whose music was considered staggeringly accessible even by the standards of easy listening, died on Tuesday at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla. He was 86.

His death was announced on his website, jameslast.com.

A titanic, Teutonic Mantovani, Mr. Last was among the most commercially successful bandleaders of the postwar world. His albums, known for smooth, danceable arrangements of swing, pop, folk and classical standards, have sold tens of millions of copies and proved especially popular in Germany and Britain.

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Buddy DeFranco, 91, Versatile Jazz Clarinetist, Dies

Buddy DeFranco, the innovative clarinetist who rose from the remains of the swing era to forge new and lasting prominence as the instrument’s pre-eminent interpreter of bebop, died on Wednesday in Panama City, Fla. He was 91.

“Buddy is unique because he was really the only clarinetist who caught on to the new jazz language,” Dan Morgenstern, the jazz critic and historian, said in an interview in 2012. Unlike Goodman, Mr. Morgenstern said, “he had an ear to deal harmonically with modern jazz” — and unlike Shaw, who ultimately gave up playing, he was more consistent and more disciplined.

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Udo Jürgens, Austrian Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 80

Udo Jürgens, an Austrian-born singer and songwriter who became known as Europe’s Frank Sinatra as he helped define postwar popular music in the German-speaking world, died on Sunday in Gottlieben, Switzerland. He was 80.

“His songs always accompanied us and made us happy but sometimes offered solace and caused us to reflect,” President Joachim Gauck of Germany, a former pastor in East Germany, wrote in a condolence note to Mr. Jürgens’s daughter, Jenny Jürgens.

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Brasilia

Em terras Brasilianis, a primeira-dama Vilma Dusseldorf e Lula Molusco começaram a semana numa simpatia nunca visto anteriormente. Ninguém entendeu o que ocorreu até que Esse é o Cara Neves comentou: "deve ser o início do verão brasiliano que só virá em dezembro". Isso pensando que o brasiliano comemora tal data natalina com enfeites provindos da China em que Santa Claus veste flanela e veludo, calça botas e polainas para um temperatura que chega aos 40 graus !

Entre índios e macacos que circulam por todo o país, em todas as capitais dos estados, uma vez que, país civilizado que é Brasilianis, Vilma e Lula foram vistos apontando para um dos índios que andava de tanga e falaram : lá vai a minoria que nunca conseguirá um canudo ... apontando também para uma máquina de Coca-Cola que vende inteligência como se fosse uma universidade.

A população brasiliana que achava tudo engraçado lembrou que ano passado foi às ruas exigir troco para o ônibus. "Não foi apenas pelos 20 centavos, mas foi também por cinto de segurança nos ônibus, MP3 em cada cadeira e respeito aos idosos e gestantes que devem ocupar cadeiras especiais", falaram os líderes que estão na faixa etária de 15 e 16 anos, mas que se roubarem ou matarem continuarão ilesos sem serem deportados para a Prisão de Segurança Máxima de Brasília, capital do Estado de São Paulo.

E assim, Lula Molusco apontou seus quatro dedos da mão esquerda dizendo como o velho lobo Zé Galo : "vocês terão que me engolir", segurando um charuto cubano numa das mãos recém tirado do terno Armani que ele comprou no ABC, numa promoção de uma montadora de veículos da Hyundai.

Ai ai ai ... Que Brasília maravilhosa ! Ideal para o gringo tomar sol na praia bebendo caipirinha e falando que o país é um paraíso !

Johnny Mann, Leader of Easy-Listening Singers, Dies at 85

Johnny Mann, who won two Grammy Awards as leader of the clean-cut easy-listening vocal group the Johnny Mann Singers, died on Wednesday at his home in Anderson, S.C. He was 85.

The cause was heart failure, his wife, Betty, said.

In the 1960s and ’70s, as rock ’n’ roll exerted itself as the driver of a rebellious youth culture, Mr. Mann represented a stolid old guard, musically speaking.

With their gently driven rhythms and tightly controlled harmonies, Eisenhower-era hairdos and neatly natty attire, the Johnny Mann Singers were well scrubbed and tone perfect, recording more than 30 albums of college songs, Christmas songs, patriotic songs, Beatles songs and familiar tunes spanning several musical eras, from “Ol’ Man River” to “Chattanooga Choo Choo” to “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and “Mrs. Robinson.”

Along with Lawrence Welk, Mitch Miller, Ray Conniff and other bandleaders who offered popular melodies in palatable choral arrangements, Mr. Mann helped define a musical genre that was potently counter-countercultural.

Their first Grammy Award was for the 1961 album “Great Band With Great Voices,” recorded with the Si Zentner Orchestra. That album included the W. C. Handy classic “St. Louis Blues” and the sweetly hopeful romantic ballad “Baubles, Bangles and Beads,” from “Kismet.”

Their second Grammy, in 1967, was for “Up, Up and Away,” including not just the Jimmy Webb composition that gave the album its title, a hit for the Fifth Dimension, but also the Mamas and the Papas favorite “Monday, Monday” and “Somethin’ Stupid,” which Frank and Nancy Sinatra had turned into a popular duet.

From 1971 to 1974, Mr. Mann was the host of “Stand Up and Cheer,” a syndicated television variety show with a patriotic slant that also featured the Johnny Mann Singers, dressed in color-coordinated outfits, and guests like the Lennon Sisters, Andy Griffith, Trini Lopez and Bobbie Gentry.

From 1967 to 1969 he had been music director for “The Joey Bishop Show,” a late-night talk show on ABC that was meant to compete against “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” It featured Regis Philbin as Mr. Bishop’s Ed McMahon-style sidekick.

Before that, Mr. Mann was musical director for “The Alvin Show” (1961), the original animated series about three singing chipmunks (it was created following the success of a 1958 novelty record) who have since been revived in a number of television shows and movies.

John Russell Mann was born in Baltimore on Aug. 30, 1928, where his father, Elsworth, was a building superintendent. His mother, Lillian, his primary musical influence, taught piano and voice. After high school, Mr. Mann served in the Army during the Korean War, playing trombone in the Army Field Band.

After mustering out he moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as an arranger and music director for movie studios. In 1956, he was choral director for a short-lived variety show, “NBC Comedy Hour,” that led to the creation of the Johnny Mann Singers. In the late ’50s and early ’60s, the group recorded with Bobby Vee, Johnny Burnette, Walter Brennan and others. The group also became known for recording theme songs and jingles, especially for radio stations.

Mr. Mann’s first two marriages ended in divorce. In addition to his wife, the former Betty Weinmann, whom he married in 1983, he is survived by two daughters, Lori Susan Mann and Jennifer Lee Mann; a sister, Josephine Steciuk; and a grandson.

Vai, Vilma !

The president of Brazil, madam Vilma Düsseldorf is happy, with the third victory of Brazil in the World Cup Soccer. "Go that is yours, Tafarel" she recently told Hawk Bueno, a member of Brazil CNN. In the coming days, Vilma and Squidward intend to rehearse the dance birdie to win the Brazilian can animate the Brazilian for the October elections.

 A presidente do Brasil, madame Vilma Dusseldorf, está feliz da vida com a terceira vitória do Brasil na Copa Mundial de Futebol. "Vai que é tua, Tafarel" disse ela recentemente a Gavião Bueno, membro da CNN Brasil. Nos próximos dias, Vilma e Lula Molusco pretendem ensaiar a dança do passarinho para que na vitória brasileira possam animar o brasileiro para as eleições de outubro.

Die Paul Tanner, trombonist from Glenn Miller Orchestra

Paul Tanner, a former trombonist for the Glenn Miller Ochestra who played an unlikely role in the history of rock ’n’ roll when, using a device he helped invent, he performed the famous electronic accompaniment on the Beach Boys’ signature recording “Good Vibrations,” died on Tuesday in Carlsbad, Calif. He was 95.

Mr. Tanner’s path to the Beach Boys was both circuitous and serendipitous. He played and recorded with Glenn Miller from 1938 until 1942; served, like Miller, in the Army Air Forces during World War II; and, afterward, returned to the band when it was led by Tex Beneke. (Miller was killed in 1944 when the transport plane in which he was a passenger disappeared over the English Channel.)

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The Joe Smith Collection at the Library of Congress

More than 25 years ago, retired music executive Joe Smith accomplished a Herculean feat—he got more than 200 celebrated singers, musicians and industry icons to talk about their lives, music, experiences and contemporaries. In 2012 Smith donated this treasure trove of unedited sound recordings to the nation’s library.
The Joe Smith Collection contains over 225 recordings of noted artists and executives and is a veritable who’s who in the music industry. They include Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Ray Charles, Barbra Streisand, Little Richard, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Elton John, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Billy Joel, Sting, Tony Bennett, Joan Baez, James Taylor, Dick Clark, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, B.B. King, Quincy Jones, David Geffen, Mickey Hart, Harry Belafonte and many others. All types of popular music are represented—from rock ‘n’ roll, jazz, rhythm & blues and pop to big-band, heavy metal, folk and country-western.
While president of Capitol Records/EMI, Smith recorded 238 hours of interviews over two years, excerpts of which he compiled and presented in his groundbreaking book, "Off the Record," published by Warner Books in 1988. These candid and unabridged interviews have been digitized by the Library and initially are accessible in the Recorded Sound Research Center.
As an insider, Smith connected with the artists on a personal level, leading to some interesting revelations.
According to Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, "Smith’s career in music started in the 1950s at the dawn of the rock ‘n’ roll era. Following his graduation from Yale, Smith worked as a sportscaster and later as a disc jockey at WMEX and WBZ in Boston. He transitioned into record promotions when he moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and rose to legendary status in the industry as president of three major labels—Warner Bros., Elektra/Asylum and Capitol/EMI. Smith signed such notable artists as the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Van Morrison, Frank Zappa, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and the Eagles."

See and hear ...

Jobim unknown

Antonio Goncalves Filho, from the newspaper "O Estado de São Paulo
The soundtracks composed by maestro Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) for film, theater and television add two dozen titles, of which at least 80% are out of print. A real scandal when comparing treatment outside Brazil dedicated to other composers, such as Italian Ennio Morricone, who has composed more than 500 scores for film, of which 170 of them still in print by the Italian label GDM, created in 1970 - not considering the other labels.

Few know, for instance, the only track composed by Jobim for an American film, The Adventurers (The World of Adventurers, 1970), of which two themes - Children's Game and Dax & Amparo - would later be transformed, respectively, in the popular Raining Look at Roseira and Mary, and Sue Ann, derived theme Bed of Flowers for Sue Ann. The American label Varèse Sarabande now decided to resurrect the trail, but not the original. Just launched in the U.S. a new edition of the music of 'trashy' The Adventurers arrangements with American conductor Quincy Jones and Ray Brown Orchestra, conducted by himself.

Joined 42 years ago, around the time of the original soundtrack, which had arrangements by Eumir Deodato, the disc Quincy Jones is a raucous big band for a rereading of the smooth jazz compositions by Jobim. In other words, a stylish subversion of a tricky track, originally released by Paramount, co-producer of the film with the Avco Embassy. The original featured 13 tracks, four more than the record of Quincy Jones, who uses the name of Jobim to sell a counterfeit product: the track six (Coming and Going), for example, is an endless orgasm of actress Sally Kellerman (popular at the time because of the erotic Major Hot Lips in Mash) that does seem like a nun Jane Birkin on Je T'aime Moi Non Plus. There is a theme composed by Jobim, Ray Brown but probably inspired by the sexual acrobatics Yugoslav actor Bekim Fehmiu (1936-2010) in the film, directed by Lewis Gilbert and English elected as one of the ten worst in the history of cinema.

Tom Jobim was at the height of its popularity in the U.S. (with Frank Sinatra had recorded two years earlier) when he agreed to sign the song overproduction, based on a popular novel by Harold Robbins. The film was abjured even by his director, who consider it a monumental disaster (although photography of Claude Renoir, the son of the painter, and an all star cast, Candice Bergen Olivia de Havilland, past Ernest Borgnine and Charles Aznavour) . Loosely based on the life of the Dominican playboy Porfirio Rubirosa and diplomat, The Worlds of Adventurers, ambientando a fictional country in South America, Corteguay, is a typical American product that reduces all countries of the continent banana republics, where dictators follow the same rhythm of sexual adventures of the protagonist, a gigolo willing to avenge his father, killed by the regime of a despot.

The movie does not deserve a beautiful trail that is. Paulo Jobim, the composer's son and director of the Institute Tom Jobim, suspects that the father ignored the script (Lewis Gilbert and Michael Hastings). Regrets that Paramount has not reissued the original soundtrack on CD and reveals he bought for years for the institute's version of Quincy Jones, in an auction on the internet. The fact is that the composer did not repeat the experience in the U.S., where he recorded alongside maestros forgotten today, as vibraphonist Gary McFarland (1933-1971), who died poisoned. In your hard Soft Samba (1964), reissued on CD by a Japanese label in an edition for collectors, Jobim plays guitar to Beatles songs alongside Kenny Burrell, and movie themes from other authors (The Americanization of Emily, The Love Goddess and Mondo Cane).

The record companies over foreign resemble the Brazilian Jobim. You can find in stores Importers - albeit with some difficulty - to track the maestro Rio signed to Black Orpheus (Black Orpheus), by Marcel Camus. His ground zero in film, the disc just came out in 1959 on the initiative of jazz pianist and producer Dutchman Cees Schrama, being reissued by Verve 40 years later. The Brazilian record labels are not interested even in today relaunching classic tracks such as the films The Girl from Ipanema (Universal, 1967), Gabriela (RCA, 1983) and O Tempo eo Vento (Som Livre, 2003). If anything, keep in catalog records that entered Jobim songs written for films - as the award winning Chronicle Murdered House (four of them on the CD Matita Pere) and The Adventurers (two songs on the CD Stone Flower).

"Many of his tracks have not even be launched," says Paulo Jobim, who worked as an arranger with his father in some of them (The Girl's Side, Sleeping Brasa, Fonte da Saudade). One of the most beautiful, Port of Boxes (1962), debut film of Paulo Cesar Saraceni (screenplay with him and Lúcio Cardoso), brings two masterpieces of maestro (Ultimate Spring Waltz and the Port of Boxes), which will never be heard in its original form. "The master tape is lost, but the series Reviving managed to rescue the two aforementioned songs from the movie itself, although the sound comes mixed with dialogues of the film."

Jobim, who has grown accustomed to the arrangements of Claus Ogerman and German Eumir Deodato when he began recording in the U.S., do not sign the orchestration of many of the tracks that made ​​(the Gabriela was made ​​by Oscar Castro Neves, the Girl from Ipanema, by Luiz Eca, and Sagarana had as arranger Dori Caymmi). The (mis) The Adventurers of international experience should have marked the conductor, who preferred to bet on Brazilian directors friends such as Paulo Cesar Saraceni and Pedro de Moraes (son of Vinicius), who directed the short time in Mar 1971. "It's a movie in the middle Abstract past Arraial Cape with underwater imagery," defines Paulo Jobim, noting that its main theme is Matita Pere.

The listeners were not so lucky with other tracks international productions signed by Jobim. Their songs were used in Erotique, movie episodes directed by Ana Maria Magalhaes, Clara Law and Lizzie Borden. For the Danish documentarian Jorgen Leth he composed the score for his film Man at Play. There is a whole unknown Jobim ready to be rediscovered by record labels. It would not be a bad idea to gather all your tracks box.

Jobim desconhecido

Antonio Gonçalves Filho, de O Estado de São Paulo

As trilhas sonoras compostas pelo maestro Antonio Carlos Jobim (1927-1994) para cinema, teatro e televisão somam duas dúzias de títulos, dos quais pelo menos 80% estão fora de catálogo. Um verdadeiro escândalo quando se compara o tratamento dedicado fora do Brasil a outros compositores, como o italiano Ennio Morricone, que já compôs mais de 500 trilhas para o cinema, das quais 170 delas ainda em catálogo pelo selo italiano GDM, criado em 1970 - não considerando as demais gravadoras.

Poucos conhecem, por exemplo, a única trilha composta por Jobim para um filme americano, The Adventurers (O Mundo dos Aventureiros, 1970), da qual dois temas - Children’s Game e Dax & Amparo- seriam mais tarde transformados, respectivamente, nas populares Chovendo na Roseira e Olha Maria, além de Sue Ann, derivada do tema Bed of Flowers for Sue Ann. A gravadora americana Varèse Sarabande decidiu ressuscitar agora a trilha, mas não a original. Acaba de lançar nos EUA uma nova edição da música do ‘trashy’ The Adventurers com arranjos do maestro norte-americano Quincy Jones e a orquestra de Ray Brown, conduzida pelo próprio.

Registrado há 42 anos, na mesma época da trilha sonora original, que tinha arranjos de Eumir Deodato, o disco de Quincy Jones é uma estridente releitura para uma big band de jazz das suaves composições de Jobim. Em outras palavras, uma subversão estilosa de uma trilha delicada, lançada originalmente pela Paramount, coprodutora do filme com a Avco Embassy. A original trazia 13 faixas, quatro a mais que o disco de Quincy Jones, que usa o nome de Jobim para vender um produto falsificado: a faixa seis (Coming and Going), por exemplo, é um interminável orgasmo da atriz Sally Kellerman (popular, na época, por causa da erótica major Hot Lips, de Mash) que faz Jane Birkin parecer uma freira em Je t’Aime Moi Non Plus. Não é um tema composto por Jobim, mas por Ray Brown, provavelmente inspirado nas acrobacias sexuais do ator iugoslavo Bekim Fehmiu (1936-2010) no filme, dirigido pelo inglês Lewis Gilbert e eleito como um dos dez piores da história do cinema.

Tom Jobim estava no auge de sua popularidade nos EUA (tinha gravado com Frank Sinatra dois anos antes) quando aceitou assinar a música para a superprodução, baseada num romance popular de Harold Robbins. O filme foi abjurado até por seu diretor, que o considera um desastre monumental (apesar da fotografia de Claude Renoir, o filho do pintor, e um elenco all star, de Candice Bergen a Olivia de Havilland, passando por Ernest Borgnine e Charles Aznavour). Vagamente inspirado na vida do playboy e diplomata dominicano Porfirio Rubirosa, O Mundos dos Aventureiros, ambientando num país fictício da América do Sul, Corteguay, é um típico produto americano que reduz todos os países do continente a repúblicas de bananas, em que os ditadores se sucedem no mesmo ritmo das aventuras sexuais do protagonista, um gigolô disposto a vingar o pai, assassinado pelo regime de um déspota.

O filme não merece a bela trilha que tem. Paulo Jobim, filho do compositor e diretor do Instituto Tom Jobim, desconfia que o pai ignorava o roteiro (de Lewis Gilbert e Michael Hastings). Lamenta que a Paramount não tenha reeditado a trilha original em CD e revela ter comprado há anos para o instituto a versão de Quincy Jones, num leilão pela internet. O fato é que o compositor não repetiu a experiência nos EUA, onde gravou ao lado de maestros hoje esquecidos, como o vibrafonista Gary McFarland (1933-1971), que morreu envenenado. Em seu disco Soft Samba (1964), relançado em CD por um selo japonês numa edição para colecionadores, Jobim toca ao violão canções dos Beatles ao lado de Kenny Burrell, além de temas de filmes de outros autores (A Americanização de Emily, The Love Goddess e Mondo Cane).

As gravadoras estrangeiras lembram mais de Jobim que as brasileiras. É possível encontrar nas lojas importadoras - ainda que com alguma dificuldade - a trilha que o maestro carioca assinou para Orfeu do Carnaval (Black Orpheus), de Marcel Camus. Seu marco zero no cinema, o disco só saiu em 1959 por iniciativa do pianista e produtor de jazz holandês Cees Schrama, sendo relançado pela Verve 40 anos depois. As gravadoras brasileiras não se interessam nem mesmo em relançar trilhas hoje clássicas, como as dos filmes Garota de Ipanema (Universal, 1967), Gabriela (RCA, 1983) e O Tempo e o Vento (Som Livre, 2003). Quando muito, mantêm em catálogo discos em que Jobim inseriu temas compostos para filmes - como o premiado Crônica da Casa Assassinada (quatro deles no CD Matita Perê) e Os Aventureiros (duas músicas no CD Stone Flower).

"Muitas de suas trilhas nem chegaram a ser lançadas", diz Paulo Jobim, que trabalhou como arranjador ao lado do pai em algumas delas (A Menina do Lado, Brasa Adormecida, Fonte da Saudade). Uma das mais belas, Porto das Caixas (1962), filme de estreia de Paulo Cesar Saraceni (com roteiro dele e Lúcio Cardoso), traz duas obras-primas do maestro (Derradeira Primavera e Valsa do Porto das Caixas), que nunca mais serão ouvidas em sua forma original. "A fita matriz está perdida, mas a série Revivendo conseguiu resgatar as duas canções citadas do próprio filme, embora o som venha misturado aos diálogos do filme."

Jobim, que se habituou com os arranjos do alemão Claus Ogerman e Eumir Deodato quando começou a gravar nos EUA, não assina a orquestração de boa parte das trilhas que fez (a de Gabriela foi feita por Oscar Castro Neves, a de Garota de Ipanema, por Luiz Eça, e Sagarana teve como arranjador Dori Caymmi). A (má) experiência internacional de Os Aventureiros deve ter marcado o maestro, que preferiu apostar em diretores brasileiros amigos, como Paulo Cesar Saraceni e Pedro de Moraes (filho de Vinicius), que dirigiu o curta Tempo de Mar em 1971. "É um filme meio abstrato passado em Arraial do Cabo com imagens submarinas", define Paulo Jobim, lembrando que seu tema principal está em Matita Perê.

Os ouvintes não tiveram a mesma sorte com outras trilhas de produções internacionais assinadas por Jobim. Suas músicas foram usadas em Erotique, filme em episódios dirigido por Ana Maria Magalhães, Clara Law e Lizzie Borden. Para o documentarista dinamarquês Jorgen Leth ele compôs a trilha de seu filme Man at Play. Há todo um Jobim desconhecido pronto para ser redescoberto pelas gravadoras. Não seria má ideia reunir numa caixa todas as suas trilhas.

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Bye Bye ... RIP Ravi Shankar ....

RAVI SHANKAR, the Indian sitarist and composer whose collaborations with Western classical musicians as well as the Beatles and other rock stars helped foster a worldwide appreciation of India’s traditional music, died on Tuesday in San Diego. He was 92. 

Mr. Shankar died in a hospital near his home, his family said in a statement, adding that he had suffered from upper respiratory and heart ailments in the last year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last Thursday.

Mr. Shankar, a soft-spoken, eloquent man whose virtuosity transcended musical languages, was trained in both Eastern and Western musical traditions. Although Western audiences were often mystified by the odd sounds and shapes of the instruments when he began touring in Europe and the United States in the early 1950s, Mr. Shankar and his ensemble gradually built a large following for Indian music.

Mr. Shankar collaborated with the violinist Yehudi Menuhin and the flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal, and was a mentor to the jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane. But Western interest in his instrument, the sitar, exploded in 1965 when George Harrison of the Beatles encountered one on the set of “Help!,” the Beatles’ second film. 

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