Gene Puerling R.I.P.

Juat heard from a friend that Gene Puerling died last night. He was a moving force behind the Hi-Lo's. A giant of vocal jazz. Even though I never knew Puerling, like my friend I find myself similarly "devastated." By request, here's what is also one of my favorite Hi-Lo's tracks, Murray Grand's "April in Fairbanks."

Roomie cross-plug!

Here's a LINK to the current L.A. Weekly column by my good friend and constant traveling companion of the last 38 years, David Ehrenstein. However, the editors cut David's reference to the now major music star in Japan, the rap-styled but Enka-singing (the following is David's phrase) "one stop multi-cultural shopping center" JERO. CHECK IT OUT!
Go JERO!

A letter to cuzzin Rex

Did you know that?. . .singer Pinky Winters will do a single show (April 8) with pianist Richard Rodney Bennett at NYC's Metropolitan Room? That's after Marilyn Maye's early show. Pinky and RRB just won a Backstage Award as the best vocal duo (Take THAT Sonny and Cher!). Pinky is winging in to accept: "It all began for me back in my hometown of Michigan City, Indiana. . .."

Ms. Winters is also performing a Jerome Kern concert at the L.A. Jazz Institute on Thursday May 22 with Bob Florence. Also on tap for that 4-day fest---hold on to your wigs and keys!---are Annie Ross (singing Gershwin), Mark Murphy with a Porter trib, Helen
Merrill (mit 30-piece ork) and a Berlin program, and Tierney Sutton, and Jack Sheldon and big band recreating Shelly Manne's My Fair Lady album.

Then on Saturday a.m. there is a panel discussion moderated by little meMeME with all of the above individuals (save Sheldon). The general theme will most likely NOT be "Are you glad that Red China was finally admitted to the U.N.?" or "Did you get any
interesting mail today?" But. rather (and inevitably) something along the lines of... whither jazz singing? I think I'll call it "One Person's Jazz Singer. . .." (can be another's Robert Goulet). Or maybe I'll name it "To scat or not to scat." I haven't decided yet whether I'll need to carry a whip in order to maintain control.

Then Pinky Winters goes to Japan (again) the following month for a rather extensive tour. Alas, I don't get to go. Drat!

And speaking of matters Japanese. . .in the Fall, Kurt Reichenbach's "The Night Was Blue" album will be reissued in Japan (where there still exists a somewhat musically UNdumbed down populace unlike some other nations I might mention), followed by the release, also there, of his "Live" album.

What with all these elipses and parens, I'm beginning to feel just like Cindy Adams, so I best close for now.

Yers truly,
Cuzzin Billy

For me to know. . .

You'll never guess who THIS SINGER is in a million, billion years.