I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM, our Wyoming-based friend Irish Patti and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES — an exhibition entitled Degas: A Passion for Perfection will be at the Denver, Colorado art Museum through May 20th.
Degas on display to May 20AS A RESULT of demographic pressures, the Irish government is considering a plan to notably enhance retirement pension plan benefits for those who work past the normal retirement age.
xSchnauzers Rioting Outside Madison Square Garden Following Westminster Dog Show Defeat https://t.co/SQGNPdA8fGpic.twitter.com/Ci9s0cwG1h
— The Onion (@TheOnion) February 14, 2018PROGRAMMING NOTE — as I will be travelling for a long weekend, there will neither be a Friday C&J posting (nor a weekend Odds & Ends diary) on the Feb 23-25th weekend. Will return for the beginning of March.
THURSDAY's CHILD is among some surplus kittehs in the north of England … sent to greater London area where adoptable kittehs are higher in demand.
Southbound kittehYUK for TODAY — the jazz big band leader Ed Palermo has released a tribute album to both Frank Zappa and Todd Rundgren— and on the album credits, he lists Kellyanne Conway as …. “alternative executive producer”.
WHILE SOME ATTENTION IS PAID to the water crisis in big-city Cape Town, South Africa … inland northern Mozambique is seeing its rivers run dry, also.
FRIDAY's CHILD is (apparently) to appear in the new Netflix revival of the 90’s comedy Sabrina the Teenage Witch … except this time, Salem the Cat may well be an actual feline, not a mechanized one.
The new Salem the Cat?IF YOU HAVE EVER WALKED in Manhattan’s Little Italy (which seems to get smaller all the time) one sign you can’t miss is that of the 116 year-old Angelo’s Restaurant— if for no other reason than its large sign — which suffered a fire last night … and hopefully can/will be re-built.
BRAIN TEASER - try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC.
FATHER-SON? — two noted guitarists: California native Chris Isaak (“Wicked Game”) and the English-born (and partly NYC-raised) Mark Ronson (“Uptown Funk” … who performed with Lady Gaga at the Grammy Awards as seen on TV).
Chris Isaak (born 1956) Mark Ronson (born 1975)...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… actually, more of a salute to a songwriting team that is not well-known, but who wrote several tunes made famous at the time by Tommy Dorsey, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Dinah Shore .. which have become classics. Matt Dennis and Tom Adair had more lengthy careers working apart, but were honored posthumously for their work together.
Music composer Matt Dennis was born into a Seattle vaudeville family in 1914 (where he learned to play the piano). He made his way to Hollywood, performing in the Horace Heidt Orchestra and later in a band with future big band-era singer Dick Haymes. He also worked with the Stafford Sisters act on radio, and when the youngest of the trio was hired to be lead singer of Tommy Dorsey’s band in the late thirties: future star Jo Stafford convinced Dorsey to hire Matt Dennis as a composer and arranger.
Meanwhile, lyricist Tom Adair was born in Kansas in 1913, with his family moving to Los Angeles ten years later. He found work at an electric company as a clerk on the complaints desk, while writing poetry on the side — with some success, having several published in the Saturday Evening Post.
Matt Dennis was performing as a pianist/singer in a Hollywood nightclub in 1940, when he was approached by Tom Adair on his break … who introduced himself, told him his background and said he had song lyrics for him to use. Matt Dennis was unenthusiastic… until he read the lyrics Adair handed them. Dennis brought them home, and wrote the music to their first song, “Will You Be Mine?”
They went on to write several other tunes together — often discussing over the phone while Adair was still at his day job — many of which were performed by Tommy Dorsey (with vocalist Frank Sinatra).
Some of their best-loved songs were The Night We Called It a Day, plus Let’s Get Away From it All (which United Airlines used a snippet of in some of their advertising many years ago) and also Violets for Your Furs— written on the tablecloth while the two watched Billie Holiday sing at a nightclub on a cold night while wearing a fur coat — which became a staple of instrumental jazz bands. Their partnership (largely) ended when Matt Dennis went into the Air Force in 1942, working in the Radio Production unit.
After the war, Matt Dennis once again worked with Tom Adair in writing material for Dick Haymes. Then, Matt Dennis returned to club performances and recording several albums. One of his songs that he wrote with a different lyricist (Earl Brent) was 1953’s Angel Eyes— recorded by Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dave Brubeck and Ella Fitzgerald among others.
Matt Dennis continued to work in clubs and local Los Angeles TV shows through the 1960’s, and he died in 2002 at the age of 89.
Matt Dennis (1914 — 2002)While Matt Dennis was away during the war efforts, Tom Adair went on to work with Gordon Jenkins, who became his best friend (and as noted, Tom and Matt Dennis worked for a few years after the war).
Tom Adair did some work on Broadway, then turned his attention to television work. His work at Disney included lyrics for Sleeping Beauty and on the Mickey Mouse Club (for television).
He then wrote for TV shows, including the Tennessee Ernie Ford Show and then the Ann Sothern Show— where he met writer James Allardice, who became his TV show work partner. They worked together on several episodes of such shows as My Three Sons, F Troop, I Dream of Jeannie, The Munsters, Gomer Pyle and Hogan’s Heroes. Allardice’s sudden death in 1966 brought this chapter to an end.
Tom's career had slowed considerably by the mid 1970's, though he wrote lyrics to a 1971 TV cartoon Babar Comes to America and some occasional work for Disney. He was devastated by the death of Gordon Jenkins in 1984 and later was diagnosed with Alzheimer's— his wife listening patiently as he recounted imaginary conversations with departed friends. Finally he lapsed into silence, all the words having now fled and died in May, 1988 at the age of 74.
Tom Adair (1913 — 1988)In 2010, eight years after the death of Matt Dennis (and twenty-two years after the death of Tom Adair) the two were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame— together once again.
Of all of their work, my favorite by far is one they wrote early in their partnership, Everything Happens to Me— which is most often associated with Frank Sinatra (who had a 1941 hit with it, then re-recorded it fifteen years later with Gordon Jenkins) but has been recorded by many others. And while it is Tom Adair’s lyrics that truly make this special (as one writer noted, balanced between ruefulness and self-pity) …. Matt Dennis’ music has led to many instrumental versions (everyone from Thelonious Monk to Branford Marsalis). The complete package.
And my favorite rendition was by Chet Baker — now gone nearly thirty years.
I make a date for golf … and you can bet your life it rains I try to give a party and the guy upstairs complains I guess I'll go through life just catching colds and missing trains Everything happens to me
I never miss a thing ... I've had the measles and the mumps And when I play an ace .. my partner always trumps I guess I'm just a fool .. who never looks before he jumps Everything happens to me
At first my heart thought .. you could break this jinx for me That love would turn the trick … to end despair But now I just can't fool this heart .. that thinks for me I've mortgaged all my castles in the air
I've telegraphed and phoned and sent an airmail special, too Your answer was "Goodbye" .. and there was even postage due I fell in love just once .. and then it had to be with you Everything happens to me
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