Passages

[hearthesilence]

First Quincy, then Lou Donaldson, now we've lost Roy Haynes.

Check out his solo during this London performance from November 14, 1966. (The quartet itself is pretty amazing - Stan Getz, Gary Burton and Steve Swallow.)

Another jazz great I deeply regret missing. Just last month, he was inducted into the Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame at Lincoln Center, but unlike fellow inductee Sheila Jordan (who performed a complete set at her induction despite a lingering flu), he was not present, which seemed like a possible sign that he wasn't doing too well. Still, at 99 years old, he went a lot further than most. Great on so many records, he didn't have that many under his own name until late in his career, and they were consistently good. (Praise is probably the best of them.)

[hearthesilence]

But Quincy's dry-run for WATW was Donna Summer's 'State of Independence', taking the Jon and Vangelis track and turning it into something euphoric. And Quincy compiled the greatest set of backing singers imaginable - Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Michael Jackson, Brenda Russell, Christopher Cross, Dyan Cannon, James Ingram, Kenny Loggins, Peggy Lipton, Patti Austin, Michael McDonald, and Stevie Wonder.

I love Donna Summer, but to be brutally honest, I think the album Quincy produced was possibly her worst one up to that point - they picked very weak material. I never liked "State of Independence," but I think the lead single, "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)," is a definite keeper. "Protection" isn't bad either, but I can see why Springsteen gave it away and held on to other songs like "Dancing in the Dark" and "Cover Me" instead.

[thirtyframesasecond]

But Quincy's dry-run for WATW was Donna Summer's 'State of Independence', taking the Jon and Vangelis track and turning it into something euphoric. And Quincy compiled the greatest set of backing singers imaginable - Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Michael Jackson, Brenda Russell, Christopher Cross, Dyan Cannon, James Ingram, Kenny Loggins, Peggy Lipton, Patti Austin, Michael McDonald, and Stevie Wonder.

I love Donna Summer, but to be brutally honest, I think the album Quincy produced was possibly her worst one up to that point - they picked very weak material. I never liked "State of Independence," but I think the lead single, "Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)," is a definite keeper. "Protection" isn't bad either, but I can see why Springsteen gave it away and held on to other songs like "Dancing in the Dark" and "Cover Me" instead.

Oh you can't compare this to the Moroder era (Bad Girls is a perfect double album), and in the post-Moroder era, Summer was more about great individual tracks ('This Time I Know It's For Real' is probably the best Stock Aitken Waterman production) than albums.

[JSC]

Timothy West. First saw him in Edward the King. Wonderful actor.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/ ... es-aged-90

[hearthesilence]

Sheldon “Shel” Talmy. He arranged and produced the Kinks’ early run of hits, including "You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night," the Who's first landmark recordings including "My Generation," and “Friday on My Mind” by the Easybeats. He also produced hits by Manfred Mann, Amen Corner, Chad & Jeremy and others and worked extensively with artists like the Creation and Pentangle, as well as David Bowie’s early singles.

This was shared on his Facebook account:

FAREWELL FROM SHEL

(We are gutted to tell you that the great Shel Talmy has left the building. He passed away peacefully at home yesterday after suffering a stroke over the weekend. We will have more information, and links to obituaries, shortly, but most importantly we want you to know that Shel thought the world of you, his FB followers and supporters, and to that end, some time ago he prepared the following statement that he would like shared now - preferably with 'You Really Got Me', 'My Generation', 'Friday On My Mind' or your choice of favourite ST production cranked in the background).

"Hi to all, and many thanks to all of you who have been reading my rock stories for all this time, it has been greatly appreciated!

Please note, that if you're reading this now, this is my final vignette, as I am no longer residing on this plane of existence, and have “moved on”, to wherever that may be.

I'd like to think there is something beyond where I was to where I am now, assuming that the millions of suppositions as to what is next, are accurate.

I'd like to think that I'm thoroughly enjoying my new “residence”, and that the countless rumors that there is a big working "studio in the sky" are true, and that we are, dare I say, making heavenly music!

I am also hoping that I am currently engaged in renewing relationships with a ton of friends and acquaintances, many of which go back for decades.

I've had a good run, and I am delighted it lasted as long as it did. I'm also delighted that I am told I have a legacy that will last even longer.

I look forward to meeting some of you in the future who are reading this, but LOL, don't hurry to get here, I'm not going anywhere!"