Unaccustomed as I am. . .

I've never given a public speech in my life, so it goes without saying that when I finally did so, yesterday at the Tokyo Vocal Jazz Appreciation Society, I presented it in a language with which I have only the most superficial of comprehension and fluency. . .Japanese. I later learned that each time I MEANT to say "hakkutsu" (i.e., "Producer John Hammond discovered. . .etc."), instead I said "hakkotsu" which means "rotting skeleton."). I got laughs several times. Hope it was in the right places.

Here is an English translation of the beginning of my talk and the program for the day. For the remainder of my time in Tokyo, herein I will post portions of my program

Tokyo Vocal Jazz Appreciation Society - Sunday December 10, 2006
“One Shot Wonders” presented by Bill Reed

The one thing that every one of these artists that I will be playing for you this afternoon have in common is that they recorded only one album bearing their name, and mostly between 1955 and 1960. This was the time when rock music was coming along and beginning to commercially blow every other kind of recorded music out of the water. Another thing that all these singers have in common is that they were uncommonly talented. But it was all to no avail. Most continued to perform---many on the Holiday Inn and Playboy Club circuits---or teach music, but some gave up music altogether. They were simply born too late. I have done my best to track down the whereabouts or the outcome of these singers, but in a couple of instances they seem to have just fallen off the edge of the earth. The first singer I’ll play this afternoon is Marlene Cord. She is a prime example of what a friend of mine in the U.S. calls the Lost Ladies of Dot Records. That powerful little independent label seemed to specialize in One Shot Wonders of the female variety. They include: Althea Gibson, Easy Williams, Dori Howard, Carol Jarvis (45 rpm only), Sue Evans and the singer Ill open up with today, Marlene Cord

MARLENE CORD (VO) p fl ds b (Dot DLP-3081)
1. [I Could Write a Book] (Richard Rodgers - Lorenz Hart)
2. [Mad About the Boy] (Noel Coward) '
rec. 1957 in Chicago

FLO HANDY (VO) guitars: Carl Kress, George Barnes
“Smoky and Intimate” (Carney LPM 201)
1. [No Moon at All] (Redd Evans - David Mann)
2. [Fine and Dandy] (Kay Swift - Paul James)
rec. 1957 in NYC

LAURIE ALLYN (VO) quintet, 12 piece big band, 10 member string section on some tracks. Red Mitchell b, Mel Lewis ds, Pete Candoli tpt, Al Viola gt, others; arr: by Marty Paich
“Paradise” (V.S.O.P. # 111)
1. [All I Need is You] (Peter DeRose - Benny Davis - Mitchell Parrish)
2. Surrey With the Fringe On Top] (Richard Rodgers - Oscar Hammerstein)
rec. 1957 in Hollywood

BILL BLACK (VO) g b unk
“Down in the Depths” (Cellar Door/SSJ YKCJ-304)
1. [Down in the Depths (on the 90th Floor)] (Cole Porter)
2. [So It’s Spring] (Wayne Arnold - Tommy Wolf)
rec. mid-1950s, ?

FRANCES LYNNE (VO) French horn, 2 x tpt 2 x various reeds, (i.e. as, ts, six strings) p b ds Prod arr cond by Mike Abene; John Handy ts; Herb Steward as ts; Johnny Coles tp, others
“Remember” (Lark Records, no. #)
1. [Blue Prelude] (Gordon Jenkins, Joe Bishop)
rec. 1999 in San Francisco

ALTHEA GIBSON (VO) Doles Dickens Quartet
“Sings” (Dot 3105)
1. [September Song] (Kurt Weill , Maxwell Anderson)
rec. 1958 in possibly NYC

BETTY BLAKE (VO) septet arr: by Teddy Charles: ts tpt vb gt p bs ds
“Sings in a Tender Mood” (Bethlehem BCP 6058)
1. [Let There Be Love] (Ian Grant, Lionel Rand)
2. Love is Just Around the Corner] (Leo Robin, Lewis Gensler)
rec. 1961 in NYC

JANET BRACE (VO) quintet arr: by Don Elliott (tpt mello vb) and gt p bs dm
“Special Delivery” (ABC 117)
1. [Time After Time] (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn)
2. [You Forgot Your Gloves] (Ned Lehak, Edward Eliscu)
rec. 1956 in NYC

LYNNE TAYLOR (VO) orch. arr: by Buddy Weed: feat Billy Butterfield tpt, Barry Galbraith g,Arnold Fishkind bs, Stanley Webb flt, Bob Alexander tb
“I See Your Face Before Me” (Grand Award G.A. 33-367)
1. It’s All Yours (Arthur Schwartz, Dorothy Fields)
2. Haunted Heart (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz)
rec. 1957 in NYC

KEVIN GAVIN (VO) big band arr and cond: by Mundell Lowe: feat Clark Terry, Doc Severnson; Urbie Green tb; George Duvivier ds; Eddie Costa p; Mundell Lowe g; many others
“Hey! This is Kevin Gavin” (Charlie Parker Records PLP-8100)
1. Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me (Duke Ellington, Bob Russell)
2. Blame It On My Youth (Oscar Levant, Edward Heyman)
rec. 1962 in NYC

INEZ JONES (VO) Carl Perkins p, Oscar Moore g, Curtis Counce bs, Bill Douglass ds
“Have You Met Inez Jones?” (Omega Reel: OMT 7018 /Riverside RLP 12-819)
1. Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me (Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler)
2. Where or When (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart)
rec. 1957 in Hollywood

CORA LEE DAY (VO) big band arr: by Jerry Valentine; small group arr: by Jimmy Jones p; Barry Galbraith or Freddie Green g; ; Harry Edison tp; Illinois Jacquet ts; Osie Johnson ds
“My Crying Hour” (Roulette R52048)
1. I’m Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life (Cy Coleman , Joseph McCarthy)
rec. 1958 in NYC

NIKKI PRICE (VO) big band cond: by Fred Carlin or Joe Say feat Phil Woods ts, Dave Frishberg p
“Nikki” (Epic LN-24005)
1. Peel Me a Grape (Dave Frishberg)
rec. 1961 in NYC

GENE STRIDEL (VO) big band cond: by Marty Manning
“This is Gene Stridel” (Columbia CL 2115)
1. The Sweetest Sounds (Richard Rodgers)
rec. 1964 in NYC