(Reprinted from the February 2023 issue of The New York City Jazz Record)
In the mid-1940s, musical polymath Billy Eckstine starred in Rhythm in a Riff, an on-screen musical about a determined, up-and-coming bandleader. Filmed in New York City, the movie contains several cuts of Eckstine conducting his seminal jazz orchestra, with lots of close-ups when he turns and sings to the camera in that deep, elegant voice of his. Astor Pictures distributed the film, produced for a Black audience, with an all-Black cast. Films like this—important documentation of early jazz—are out there, but they’re hard to find. Most of them have been lost.
Fortunately, you can watch select clips from Rhythm in a Riff on YouTube: Eckstine as he scats serenely through the bebop head of the film’s title song (“I Love the Rhythm in a Riff”), holds the band to a snappy pulse during an instrumental dance section (“Our Delight”), or looks over his shoulder and flashes a disarming smile at someone in the audience (“I Want To Talk About You”). There’s a surprising immediacy in that smile.
In honor of Black History Month, vocalist Catherine Russell offers up a single version of “I Want to Talk about You,” via Dot Time Records. Russell’s take on the historic ballad is silkier, more modern. But the bones are the same: honeyed changes and gentle swing in service to aspirational romance. And smiles all around: Proceeds from the release, available through the label’s website, benefit The Jazz Foundation of America. Then, the day after its launch, Russell and guitarist John Pizzarelli take to the road with their show honoring Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, stopping at Birdland for Valentine’s Week, Feb. 14-18.
The B side of Eckstine’s “I Love the Rhythm in a Riff” was the classic Songbook ballad “A Cottage for Sale,” by lyricist Larry Conley and pianist Willard Robison. Eckstine’s rendition, arranged for orchestra, rose to the top of the charts in 1945 and remains one of his most popular recordings. Singer Molly Ryan (who, like Russell, found a wider audience as a contributing vocalist to the HBO drama Boardwalk Empire) performs the tune on her latest record, Sweepin’ the Blues Away (Turtle Bay Records). Ryan excels at interpreting vocal jazz from the first half of the 20th century, and on this project, her lyrical understanding of this jazz niche conveys a much-needed optimism. Yes, Ryan’s optimism at times plays in contrast to the lyrics, as on the Conley/Robinson ballad and “The Folks Who Live on the Hill,” both about devolving relationships. But, as she asserts on the album’s final track, “If You Want the Rainbow (You Must Have the Rain)”: “Happiness comes double after a little pain.” We’re all about due.
Composer/singer/instrumentalist Darmon Meader also challenges the darker side of things on Losing My Mind (s/r), his second solo record of a career that spans at least three decades and almost 20 ensemble albums. A founding member of New York Voices, Meader brings a well-calibrated motion to these 12 selections of standards, popular hits, and originals. Alternating between trio and large group settings, his arrangements make for required listening—especially the Sondheim song that gives the album its title. A seductive Latin feel and dynamic vocals emphasize the still-beating hope that feeds all unrequited love.
For those celebrating partnership this month, there’s no dearth of romantic sets available. First, Dianne Reeves presents Love Is in the Air at JALC Rose on Feb. 10-11. Gregory Porter returns for his annual Valentine's Day Concert at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre on Feb. 11 and NJPAC on Feb. 18. Morgan James and guitarist-husband Doug Wamble stage Valentine's Day at JALC Dizzy's on Feb. 14. Ben Cassara sponsors a heavy-hitting roster of vocalists in Pangea’s A Jazz Valentine on Feb. 15, with Mary Foster Conklin, Jan Findlay, Alex Leonard, Louise Rogers, and Andrea Wolper. Finally, Kurt Elling guests with the Vincent Herring All-Stars at Smoke on Feb. 23-26.
A few footnotes: Soul/jazz singer Ledisi pays tribute to Nina Simone, born 90 years ago this month, at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 23. A few days after the Pangea gig, on Feb. 24, Conklin will release her latest Songbook collection, These Precious Days (s/r), at Soapbox Gallery. And pianist/singer Dena DeRose will play Birdland Theater on a rare trip to New York Feb. 24-26.