In these extraordinary and uncertain times of COVID-19, with venues closed and live performance at a halt, NiteLife Exchange is reaching out and covering the effect the crisis is having on performing artists.
Will Friedwald is a journalist, writer and reviewer who covers the jazz and nightlife beat for publications such as the The Wall Street Journal. He also is the author of many books on music and popular culture, including the award-winning A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers, Sinatra: The Song Is You, Stardust Melodies and his upcomingStraighten Up and Fly Right: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole. He has written over 600 liner notes for compact discs, received ten Grammy nominations and appears frequently on television and in documentaries.
Friedwald, whose knowledge of music is encyclopedic, also collects film and television clips, many of them rarities. His “Clip Joints” feature showings of his various clip collections. The latest edition of “Clip Joint” will live-stream on Monday, March 30 at 7 pm. Please scroll down to view the details.
NiteLife Exchange (NLE) asks Will Friedwald (SM) Six Questions:
NLE: How is migrating “Clip Joint” to the web going? Are you using Zoom? Other?
WF: Yes, I’ve started doing a new series called CLIP JOINT LIVESTREAM, and even changed the name (at least temporarily) of the Facebook group page. For those who don’t know, I have done these shows at a variety of locations around New York (including the prestigious Film Forum) and the world, and also smaller, more intimate events, what I call “The Clip Joint Uptown Invitational” at the “Clip Joint Uptown Screening Room” (aka the Upper Manhattan Literary Society and Chowder Social Club), which can hold a maximum of about 15 people. In transmuting the process to live-streaming via Zoom, I am continuing to do events under the umbrella of official organizations, such as my Broadway Mixtape series for JASA and a new series for the New York Adventure Club.
And I’m also doing completely free events for friends and anyone else who wants to participate. The centerpiece of those is what I call “The Monday Mostly Music Marathon—Live By Request,” which will take place every Monday for the foreseeable future. This series is completely programmed spontaneously, on the fly, by the attendees and myself, and includes the widest range of musical performers imaginable— jazz, Broadway, cabaret, traditional pop, country, as well as rock and classical, and is distinguished by a kind of compelling randomness that puts all these musical genres on a level playing field. Anyone reading this is welcome to join.
NLE: As a man-about-town, how are you spending your days at home?
WF: I’ve always spent my days at home. I haven’t had a job outside of my home since I worked for Tower Records in 1984. (I had hair then—believe it or not.) What’s unusual for me is spending evenings in the apartment. If I had my druthers I’d be heading to a club or a show every evening about 6:30. At the height of my reviewing career, I was generally at two or three jazz or cabaret events a night. I distinctly remember that in 2014 I spent a total of four nights home all year. In the last three weeks, I have spent more nights at home than I have cumulatively over the last 20 years, since the start of the current century.
Anyhow, I’m happy to say I purchased a couple of exercises machines right before the current crisis, so, thankfully, even though I have to stay home, I can at least simulate outside activity, and I can keep my body in motion while I’m taking in every episode I can find of Ed Sullivan, Dean Martin, the”Kraft Music Hall,” and “The Hollywood Palace.”
NLE: What do you miss most during this forced isolation?
WF: Birdland! Or the more general answer is human contact. I’m sure everyone has the same response to that question.
NLE: Is there a project you can finally turn your attention to with more time on your hands (presumably)?
WF: Hard to say—I have always worked from home, for the last four years on a desk custom-crafted for me by the generous Mr. David Rosen. I’m currently doing what I can to prepare for the publication of my current book, Straighten Up and Fly Right: The Life and Music of Nat King Cole, officially published on May 1 by Oxford (hopefully not postponed by the current crisis), and working on a proposal for the book to hopefully come after that (which which be #11), and I have another story for The Wall Street Journal that’s due, and am putting together “Clip Joint” live-stream presentations for both JASA and the New York Adventure Club.
NLE: Some say digitally-based entertainment will gain a foothold that will define a future age of culture; do you agree? What is your take on this possibility?
WF: That’s a logical conclusion to come to. However, I would never make the mistake of trying to predict the future; who knows how long this mess will last? I’m reminded of the fortune tellers in Dante’s Inferno, who had to spend eternity with their heads on backwards because they had the temerity to try and predict the future, when only God knows what’s going to happen next.
NLE: What’s your recommended playlist (audio or video) for folks in quarantine?
WF: One playlist I’m particularly happy with is the Apple Music Big Band essentials list; I recommend Apple Music in general, overall, they have the most choices and the widest range of any of the streaming music services. (No prejudice there, of course!)
• • • • • • • • •
CLIP JOINT LIVESTREAM—in line with the current situation, “Clip Joint” is now being live-streamed via the ZOOM platform, making it easy for virtual attendees to access “Clip Joint meetings” on line at:
JASA at: https://www.jasa.org/nextact/sundays-at-jasa
New York Adventure Club at: https://www.nyadventureclub.com/
Here’s the log in information:
Will Friedwald is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: CLIP JOINT livestream #4: MONDAY MUSIC MARATHON (by request!)
Time: Mar 30, 2020 at 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/242746348
Meeting ID: 242 746 348
Here’s a video that shows how to download and install the ZOOM client software:
ABOUT “CLIP JOINT”: A LIVE VIDEO MUSIC MIXTAPE
Since he first started using the term “Clip Joint” in 2014, Will Friedwald has given these unique video music presentations all over New York City (The Film Forum, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The 92nd Street Y, JASA, The Friars Club, The Players Club, The New York Hot Jazz Festival, The Triad Theater (Stage 72), The Laurie Beechman Theater, the American Popular Song Society) and the world (Los Angeles, Barcelona, Washington DC, The Newport Beach Jazz Party, CineCon). Curated by Friedwald, “Clip Joint” is a full-length presentation (average length, 90-120 minutes) that covers the entire range and spectrum of musical performances as documented on film and video: both classic and contemporary, from jazz and Broadway to rock and pop to country & western, blues, opera, comedy and novelty songs, world music, and the Great American Songbook. Each presentation features both familiar classics and oddball surprises, in every genre, and the majority of the material is not otherwise available via either YouTube or home video.
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