“Good Evening Mr. & Mrs. America & All the Ships at Sea” and Tom Scott (135)

“Good Evening Mr. & Mrs. America & All the Ships at Sea” was composed by drummer John Guerin and recorded by Tom Scott and the L.A. Express for the 1975 album Tom Cat. The title references broadcaster Walter Winchell’s famous opening line. The track is a great example of 1970s jazz fusion, combining jazz harmony and improvisation with funk and rock rhythms. It is also a tune you rarely hear called at a jam session—and for good reason. Compared with most jazz standards, its form, melody, harmony, and rhythms are unusually demanding. The arrangement moves through several contrasting sections, including an extended solo form. Much of the piece is built around a funky bass line and unique chord movement. Later sections introduce dominant chords loaded with tensions, shifting meters of harmonic activity, challenging sixteenth-note figures, and unexpected movement. Guerin’s driving backbeat and Scott’s saxophone ultimately hold the complicated arrangement together.

Tom Scott and L.A. Express

The Jazz Real Book Podcast Vol. 2

Ben Allison Interview

Ben Allison is an American jazz bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator known for bringing a distinctive contemporary voice to the acoustic bass. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1966, Allison studied jazz at New York University before becoming an important figure in New York’s downtown jazz scene. In 1992, he co-founded the Jazz Composers Collective, an influential organization that provided musicians with opportunities to perform and develop original music outside the traditional jazz-club system.

As a bandleader, Allison blends jazz with rock, funk, folk, and contemporary classical influences. His playing emphasizes groove, melodic invention, and interaction rather than simply serving as a traditional rhythm-section foundation. He has recorded numerous albums, including Buzz, Cowboy Justice, Little Things Run the World, and Action-Refraction. Allison has also championed the music of overlooked jazz composer Herbie Nichols. His work demonstrates how the modern bassist can function equally as accompanist, composer, bandleader, and musical innovator.

“Golden Lady” and Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady,” from his landmark 1973 album Innervisions, represents everything that makes Wonder such an extraordinary musician. On the surface, it is a warm and uplifting love song, but underneath it is a sophisticated mixture of soul, funk, pop, rock, and jazz influences. Wonder’s inventive harmonies, memorable melodies, rhythmic feel, and use of keyboards and synthesizers give the song a sound that remains remarkably fresh.

“Golden Lady” also demonstrates Wonder’s strong connection to jazz. Although he has never been primarily considered a jazz musician, jazz harmony, improvisation, and musical experimentation have always been important parts of his work. That connection began early with The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie and continued throughout his career, including collaborations with major jazz artists. More than fifty years later, “Golden Lady” remains a great example of Wonder’s genius: sophisticated music that never sounds complicated, combining remarkable musicianship with an immediately memorable song.

Stevie Wonder

Soulive

The Jazz Real Book Playlist Vol 2