Late Night Chicago Radio - Frankie Laine, Buck Clayton and a lot more

When it approaches those wee small hours when you want to relax with a glass or a lass with a cup that cheers then Denny Farrell is your man. His Late Night Chicago Radio show is unbeatable - it's magic! His laid back, punctuated by silence, drawl as he introduces the tracks is jazz as it is spoken. He brings it into the bedroom but, even if you're alone, you don't sleep - this is better than sex (well, maybe almost ...). Even Willis Connover was never quite this cool!

I don't tune in every week but, when I do I curse myself for what I've missed. This guy knows where it's at and there ain't no Emperors struttin' around in the all together!

Last night's show had tracks by Ray Brown, Andre Previn and Joe Pass. Neal Hefti, Lionel Hampton, Michael O'Neill, Gerry Mulligan and Buck Clayton.

The latter track, That Old Feeling, had Buck and a gang of his buddies including Urbie Green  giving Frankie Laine the jazz boost he needed after pop stardom had removed him from his early days with Muggsy and that classic Oriole/Mercury version of Georgia on my Mind where Manny Klein blew a trumpet introduction that sent all other versions into North Dakota and beyond.

Laine took over from Sinatra then Sinatra took over from Laine and then Elvis took over from both of them only to be edged out by the Beatles and so the story goes... yet now, when someone says Elvis,  I say, is that Presley, Costello or a guy who works down the chip shop?

The album, Jazz Spectacular by Buck Clayton and Frankie Laine is one of the all-time vocal/jazz classics and I much appreciate Danny for playing it - if he hadn't I'd have requested it!

Lance