This should be worth a listen: The "Yakety Sax" man himself, Boots Randolph is putting out an album of jazz standards.At 79, Boots Randolph has played with everybody from Elvis and Buddy Holly to REO Speedwagon. And he's put out scores of albums, covering pop, country and gospel. So why not serve up some standards?
The track list includes tunes by Charlie Parker (Billie’s Bounce), Mink ('Round Midnight) and Basie (Stompin’ at the Savoy), plus (the inevitable) Nature Boy and, just for grins, Take Me Out to the Ballgame.
A Whole New Ball Game drops on June 12 from the good folks at Zoho.
Speaksing of Yakety Sax, I think it's good to be reminded that there was a time when a instrumental could become a mega-smash-hit. Yakety Sax hit the charts in 1963 and stuck around for a year, in the process working its way into the culture. The song remains a comic safety net for every one from Benny Hill to The Daily Show.
Here's a live performance featuring Boots, Chet Atkins and Ray Stevens (and introduced by a vaguely reptilian Ralph Emery).
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Speaking of Benny Hill, this video must qualify as one of the most sacrilegious (and hilarious) uses of Yakety Sax. Apologies in advance.
That Boots Randolph should be brilliant. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteOh, by the way, you're going to H-E-Double-Toothpicks for linking to that Passion video.