Hey, y’all! Hope you’re doing your best. It’s Tuesday again, and we’re back on the air this week! Read on down to learn more about what we’re playing tonight on datafruits.fm!
Talkie Time : Rocky Fortune - Oyster Shucker At The Fifty Fathoms / Rocket Racket
"hey man can i bororw twenty bucks" -- this guy, probably
Francis Albert Sinatra was no stranger to either acting or radio–the crooner had multiple incarnations of fifteen- to thirty-minute variety programs throughout his career and a good many fantastic films. My favorite of his radio roles, though, is his role as Rocky Fortune, a jack-of-all-trades who’s got plenty of nuthin’ and a nasty habit of bumbling his way onto crime scenes as the prime suspect.
You’d think that’d make for an entertaining romp–hell, we’ve had at least a few shows that roughly fit that bill on the program before. Fact is, though, Fortune isn’t as well-written as those aforementioned programs, and the biggest draw the whole thing is that it stars The Chairman Of The Board as a murder-busting layabout. That’s it.
But, you gotta admit, that’s a helluva draw. There isn’t a role alive that the Sultan of Swoon couldn’t make compelling, and Sinatra’s got a knack for playing lovable oafs. Hell, one of my favorite films of all time is literally ‘what if the whole damn Rat Pack re-enacted Robin Hood in mob-rule Chi-town", and it’s a blast.
Thankfully for Rocky Fortune, and thankfully for all of us, you can’t keep Ol’ Blue Eyes down.
We’ve got two episodes for you this evening. First off, it’s “Oyster Shucker At The Fifty Fathoms” (originally airing on October 6, 1953) in which ol’ Rocky gets himself a job. Will the job involve oysters? Some shucking, perhaps? Well, you’ve got three guesses, and if the first two are wrong I’m going to be very disappointed in you.
Next up, it’s “Rocket Racket”, which originally aired on March 23, 1954. In this one, Rocky gets sold on a job that promises him ten grand and a trip to the moon. He quickly re-learns the ol’ lesson that, if it looks like only a paper moon, a canvas sky, and a bouncable check, it proooooobably is.
We’ve got ourselves a swingin’ session tonight on Talkie Time. Hope you can join us.
The Jazz Program: Frank Lowe - Inappropriate Choices / Bodies And Soul / Fresh
No, we won't be playing this one tonight, but if "no-wave meets Oingo Boingo" sounds like a good time for you, this might be a rare groove worth huntin' down.
Alice Coltrane. Billy Bang. Rashied Ali. Don Cherry. Hell, even the nihilistic no-wave act DP And The Greys. New York City sax master Frank Lowe’s career hit quite a few beats, and all of them are fantastic. We’ve got a few of his more danceable records for you this evening.
Our first one’s got New York Free Jazz written all over it. It’s Frank Lowe and the Saxemble’s Inappropriate Choices, released on German label ITM Pacific in 1991, and features Lowe and fellow NYC saxophonist Michael Marcus on composition duties.
After that, we’ve got Bodies And Soul with the Frank Lowe Trio, released on CIMP’s Spirit Room series in 1996. I do want to add here that if you enjoy some good ’90s free improvisation, and you have some extra space on your record shelf for a completionist run, the Spirit Room series of releases is a quality one to start collecting.
Finally, we’ve got Fresh, released in 1975 on Arista Records and re-issued in 1995 on UK label Black Lion Records. This one brings together some fantastic musicians from my home city of STL and my current city of Chicago–with Charles Bobo Shaw and Joseph Bowie both being from STL and Lester Bowie being a founding member of the Art Ensemble Of Chicago–along with some of New York’s finest as well.
It’s well worth a listen, as are all three of these records. Hope you can make it in tonight; you’re in for a treat.
That’s all for this week! Thank you so much for reading, and I do hope you enjoy tonight’s show.
Speaking of which: if you’re reading this the day of, and you can make it in tonight, you should come hang out in the chat with us on Datafruits! We’ve got a good crowd of folks in the chat every week, and whether you have a suggestion for a future show or just want to hang out and chat with fellow jazz enjoyers, you’re welcome here with us.
You’re all amazing and don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not. Stay safe out there, and I’ll see you back again next week. Same time, same station: on datafruits dot fm..