Geri Allen's Tribute To Mary Lou Williams On The Kansas City Film Set

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In 1997 Clark Terry was originally scheduled to perform on live and on record with Jon Hendricks.  When Clark Terry was too ill to perform Wynton offered his services. 01:17 When Jon said I can't pay you near your kind of money.  Wynton said, "Mr Hendricks do me a favor..when we talk.. NEVER  mention money to me.  It'll be my pleasure and my honor to be on the same bandstand as you."
2:00 "Wynton we gotta do this scat number and Wynton said, "No no Mr Hendricks I don't do that!" 02:35 Wynton makes his scat singing debut (against his will).  03:13 Jon Hendricks,"All jazz instrumentalists can scat."

All B&W photos by Bob Hershon

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Interview conducted  44 years ago in SF---00:00 Despite playing with DexterGordon, John Coltrane, Roland Kirk and Sonny Simmons still unknown.00:48 Interview begins--why more women don't pick the instrument up and obstacles when they do. 01:59 Playing an instrument is a gift it has nothing to do with who or what you are 02:53  "Everything is separating. That's why I call my group unity.  We could all learn from each other." Things have changed now but at the time she was breaking new ground for others to follow.  Unfortunately around 20 years later in 1998 her career was cut short by a series of strokes.  Unable to play live, she spent her last years in an assisted living facility in Olympia Washington.

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(1984) Mr. T Talks about his books and what he wants to pass on to kids. Grew up in The Robert Taylor Housing Project. In the 1990's your chance of  being a victim of violent crime there was 1 in 10. https://bit.ly/ChicagoGangHistoryRobertTaylorHomes . But he found a way out, a way to excel. Mr. T starts the interview what he wants for kids
 In the interview he talks about his book The Be Somebody Kid and he wrote to tell kids to hold their head up and not be ashamed of being poor. 


 "Success is getting a kid off drugs, off the corner and, back in school, back to loving his parents.  Then that book is a success to me. You are in the spotlight so what you do will influence kids. 

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Duane Eddy traces his musical history from the beginning 00:22 learning guitar from his father. All the players he worked with from 00:37 Steve Douglas, 01:15 Lee Hazelwood to backstage jams with Chuck Berry and James Burton. 06:42 Duane deals with the British Bands taking the spot light "I needed the break" Released an album in England never made it to the states, 08:56 He talks about 1962 Duane Eddy Guild Guitar  Later on Drummer Hal Blaine gets Duane a group together with Ry Cooder and Steve Douglas  15:41 Duane remembers being on the same shows with James Burton, Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.  At the end hit link to hear Duane play with Ry Cooder.

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Geri Allen recorded this interview with me on the movie set of Robert Altman's Kansas City.  Where she played  Mary Lou Williams and paid tribute to her words and music. 
Digging thru old interviews .... On the film set for the Altman movie Kansas City I watched an amazing band  playing the role of legendary jazz musicians who frequented the jazz scene there: Among them Mary Lou Williams (Geri Allen),  Lester Young (played by Joshua Redman), Coleman Hawkins (Craig Handy), Ben Webster (James Carter), Count Basie (Cyrus Chestnut), Hershel Evans (David Murray), Freddie Green (Mark Whitfield), Walter Page (Ron Carter), and Jimmy Rushing (Kevin Mahogany), Christian McBride, Olu Dara, Russell Malone, Don Byron.
It wasn't so much who they were playing but what and how well they played.  Some of my favorite moments were never released....just jams as the musicians started improvising between takes...Like Russell Malone starting a tune with Christian McBride and then Ron Carter joins in.

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In 1962 John Casavettes battled the studio system to create a film that would question assumptions and portrayals about what disabled children can do and where they should reside. 
00:27 John Cassavetes about the difference between his vision for Child is Waiting and Kramer's. Burt Lancaster  joins Judy Garland (Judgment at Nuremberg the year before)  in filming. 
01:26 Burt Lancaster (father of a disabled child in reality) battles for the disabled child  in the film. 02:53  John Casavettes talks about his struggle to make a film that does justice to the disabled child.  05:09 Producer Stanley Kramer said use actors not disabled for the films biggest scene.
06:49 United artists tells Casavettes "You"ll never work for us again."  John Casavettes was fired before the final edit.
I worked in  treatment facility for autistic and abused children (Burt Center). Discovered a child labeled disabled was the victim of abuse.California government defunded our center.  Then worked for Family Service Agency of SF and once again our funds were removed gave up started on radio and went to music school (my first A EVER dyslexic) made my money as health club director.  So anyone who can stick it out in this battle for a child's dignity hits a chord in me,

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Robert Altman talks about working with composers like John Williams, Mark Isham and other musicians and performers to create music for his movies.
Excerpts from movies McCabe and Mrs Miller, Images, Gingerbread Man, Cookie's Fortune,  illustrate the way he works.

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Wayne Shorter talks about his musical beginnings and the understanding school teacher who changed his life. He then moves on to illuminating the softer side of Miles Davis.  Max Roach talks about creating a game changing drum pattern in Un Poco Loco and the struggle to record the The Freedom Now Suite for when freedom, true freedom wasn't yet a reality.  Guitarist Jim Hall remembers Bill Evans. Edwin Hawkins talks intense criticism from the church and others when Oh Happy Day became a hit  Darryl "the munch"Jones continues the dialog about Miles explaining that the grief that Miles got for recording songs like Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" was short sighted and undeserved.

Originally broadcast and produced at SMC Radio (Santa Monica College)

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Ray Bradbury talks about his beginnings as a writer and his personal connection to two stories Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes then moves on to talk about converting his stories for the silver screen.  He goes into depth about what is involved when you convert one of your own stories into a movie and contrasts  with his work as screenwriter for the movie Moby Dick.   
Having written and published scores of poems Bradbury talks about how poetry can pave the way for the compression of ideas and images a movie needs.  He then ends with the best advice for how young writers should navigate their career without breaking their spirit or their heart.

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