Hi All: Because of space limitations a portion of my Anything Phonographic column in the December issue of In The Groove had to be deleted. This is my Annual Gift Wish List column. Because there are some superb items (The FABULOUS Jazz Icons DVDs; the Sinatra set which brings back his "big band days") and some worthy causes (the Music Makers DVDs and CDS of early blues performers which provide food and housing to this group of performers from the 1930s and 40s still living), I wanted to share those sections with you.
They are copied below. There were so many great discoveries last month that all of them wouldn't fit. I hope you find some goodies here and support these projects. Steve Ramm For the young (and young at heart) ?Following up on Poetry Speaks, published by Sourcebooks last year, is their children?s version, Poetry Speaks to Children, a book of poems, old and new, that includes a CD with 52 of the verses read (mostly) by their author. Some are modern poets while others like Robert Frost, Ogden Nash, and Langston Hughes may reach out to your kids more than the printed page. (And J.R.R. Tolkien reads a short poem from Lord of The Rings!). The book/CD?s one failing is lack of biography or background on the poets. (Available at most booksellers.) For the Jazz Fan ? Every video release I?ve covered from Reelin? In The Years Productions (the American Folk Blues Festival for example) has been historic and well done. Their latest project is no exception. Jazz Icons (TDK) is a series of recently discovered European TV broadcasts of jazz legends that have never been released in the US. Each one captures the artist at the peak of their performing career. Of the first nine titles, three are musts for readers of this column. Ella Fitzgerald: Live in ?57 & ?63 presents the earliest known full concert footage of the singer from 1957 at a concert hall in Belgium. She?s backed by Herb Ellis, Jo Jones and her then-ex-husband bassist Ray Brown. She was really ?on? that night. Wait?ll you hear her scat on ?It Don?t Mean a Thing?. Six years later she was recorded in a TV studio in Sweden, this time with a smaller band and is she ever having a good time! Louis Armstrong: Live in ?59 was captured in Belgium along with his All Stars in the only known complete filmed concert. Just one month after this performance he suffered a heart attach and was never up to this level again. Count Basie: Live in ?62 was taped in Sweden, and this too is the earliest know complete concert of the 18-piece band. Buddy Rich, Dizzy Gillespie, and Chet Baker are among others in this series. Grab some of these for yourself, and give some as gifts to your jazz friends. You won?t go wrong. The audio and video ? and really detailed liner note booklets - make these DVDs essential. I can hardly wait for the next wave of Jazz Icons. (Available at most music stores.) Cookin? up the Blues and some Gypsy Jazz ? A few years ago a mentioned a series of books and CDs titled Menus and Music. At this year?s Gift Show I picked up a couple of their new products that will make great gifts for yourself or to share with your friends. First up is Cooking With The Blues, a box containing 16 colorful recipe cards (on heavy glossy cardboard so they?ll survive the kitchen) for soups, slaws, New Orleans style dishes and desserts along with a CD of newly recorded original blues tracks by the Danny Caron Band featuring the legendary Charles Brown on piano and vocals. Bistro: Swinging French Jazz packs a 250-page book of French Bistro recipes- along with mouthwatering photos- into a box with a CD of some great gypsy swing, in the style of Django Reinhardt, by the Metronote Quintet (with the great Frank Vignola on guitar along with some other fine Bay Area musicians.). Sharon O?Connor, who compiles these sets, has the right idea and they make a great holiday gift. (_www.music-cooks.com_ (http://www.music-cooks.com/) or major gourmet stores). For the Ultimate ?Old Blue Eyes? Fan ? I always enjoyed Frank Sinatra when he swung with a big band. The guy knew his music and he respected his musicians. So I?ve always been partial to his pre-?My Way? days. I?ve been having a great time lately listening to ? and watching ? the new 4-CD/1-DVD box set Frank Sinatra:Vegas (Reprise/Rhino) just for that reason. Each CD captures a full late night show of Sinatra (two from the early 60s; 2 from the 80s), most of which have never been released before. Disc 2 has ?The Chairman? backed by Count Basie and his Orchestra. The DVD has a never-aired gig that was made for a documentary that was never finished. The sound quality is high for a live recording. If you?d a Frank fan ? or know someone who is ? this is the gift for them. Give the Gift of Music and ?Make A Difference? ? To wrap up this month, I want to squeeze in two wonderful and worthwhile projects which you can support and hear some great music as well. The Putumayo label has already donated over $1 million from CD sales to the New Orleans relief effort. For Christmas they have two CDs I urge you to check out. New Orleans Christmas features 11 upbeat tracks by The Dukes of Dixieland, Ellis Marsalis, and Banu Gibson & The New Orleans Hot Jazz among others. A portion goes to Habitat for Humanity. New Orleans Playground will help you share the jazz and fun of the Big Easy with Kermit Ruffins, Clifton Chenier and Buckwheat Zydeco among others. It benefits the Children?s Museum. (Available nearly everywhere.) I mentioned the Music Maker Foundation last year as well. This non-profit helps older and overlooked blues musicians get housing and medical care as well as get them out performing. They just issued two CD/DVD sets Drink House to Church House Vol. 1 and 2 with some great performances by some fabulous performers you?ve probably never heard of but should. Each of the volumes is available for $25 donation or both for $45. And they come beautifully wrapped. Check them out and sign up for their newsletter at www.musicmaker.org
