82-year-old veteran sex kitten Ann-Margret dropped Born to Be Wild, her first new album in over a decade, last month (her previous one - God is Love: The Gospel Sessions 2 – came out in 2011). My notes!
This is being referred to as Ann-Margret’s “first classic-rock album”, but her early sixties recordings brim with delights like the girl group-style “I Just Don’t Understand”, her sultry cover of Elvis’ “Heartbreak Hotel” and her interpretations of R&B songs like “Roll with Me, Henry” and “Jim Dandy”. Ann-Margret has always rocked!
On the wailing title track (a cover of the 1968 Steppenwolf song), A-M is backed by The Fuzztones – and it’s genuinely ferocious! (This isn’t her first foray into garage punk: “It’s a Nice World to Visit (But Not to Live In)” - her 1969 collaboration with Lee Hazlewood - still slaps hard).
The musical backing is grittier, brasher and more rockabilly than you might expect. (On “Volare” A-M is accompanied by Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats). “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” belongs on every festive Spotify playlist! Her efforts at doo wop (“Earth Angel” and “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?”) and “Son of a Preacher Man” are credible. (The latter won’t make you forget Dusty, but it compares favorably with Bobbie Gentry and Nancy Sinatra’s versions).
Best of all: “Somebody's in My Orchard” is slinky cocktail jazz loungecore with “blue” lyrics (“Somebody digs my fig trees / Someone loves their juice / That someone with that sweet juice / Ain't nothing but bad news ….”).
Less happily: duets with Pat Boone and Cliff Richard represent bad kitsch rather than fun kitsch. There’s frequently a whiff of Branson, Missouri and karaoke. Can’t help but wish A-M would find hipper collaborators and material. Not a fan of his but consider how Jack White produced late-period Loretta Lynn and Wanda Jackson albums. Not that A-M ever worried about “credibility” – her priority is to entertain. Finally: with the recent deaths of her contemporaries like Stella Stevens and Raquel Welch, the time to appreciate Ann-Margret is NOW! Next, we need comeback albums from Joey Heatherton and Connie Stevens!
Portrait of Ann-Margret by Chantal Anderson for The New York Times, March 2023
Sweet Charity • None Of Them Knew They Were Robots • Retrovertigo • The Air-Conditioned Nightmare • Ars Moriendi • Pink Cigarette • Golem II: The Bionic Vapour Boy • The Holy Filament • Vanity Fair • Goodbye Sober Day
Marc Bohan for Christian Dior Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1961 Collection. Viscountess Jacqueline de Ribes wears "Jazz Band" a black silk cocktail dress with a "roaring twenties" look.
Marc Bohan pour Christian Dior Collection Haute Couture Printemps/Été 1961. Vicomtesse Jacqueline de Ribes porte"Jazz Band" une robe de cocktail e nsoie noire au look "années folles".
Add blueberry syrup and vanilla extract to a warmed Irish coffee mug
Add English breakfast tea almost to the top and stir
Pour lightly whipped cream over the back of a barspoon to float on top
Notes
One of the most recorded standards in all of jazz lends its name to this delightful non-alcoholic nightcap. I find that the ideal amount of syrup varies from batch to batch and should be dialed in to taste.
If you've been waiting for the last minute to get your tickets for our Mardi Gras-themed after party at Belle Epoque - this is it. Dont miss out on the fun and fellowship, light hors d'oeuvres, live music from the Simon Burke Jazz Trio, and maybe, just maybe, a few suprises to boot! Come say "until next year!" in style - no tickets will be available at the door, so if you want to go, you need to get your tickets today.
As Seen on TV: Speakeasies and Jazz (NYC Nightlife places that YOU can VISIT!)
White Collar: (Season 4, Episode 13)
The episode is called “Empire City”. “Neal and Peter investigate Mozzie's claims of taxi cab forgery and money laundering which leads back to a jazz club owner”. Also, Diana goes undercover in the establishment to catch the culprit. She wore a memorable costume of a cigar girl. The Cotton Club is a pillar in NYC’s culture and history during the Prohibition and Roaring 20s era. First and foremost, it is a jazz night club that has live music, food, and cigars. Many celebrities attended the nightclub like Joe DiMaggio and Duke Ellington. The Cotton Club is still open today and taking bookings/reservations.
The episode is called “Last Call”. “The death of a bar owner takes Castle and Beckett back in time to the prohibition era.” The speakeasy in the episode is called “The Old Haunt” which doesn’t exist in NYC. From the episode, Castle and Beckett find an unknown tunnel which leads to a stash of rare liquor. But there are many secret speakeasies that are in plain sight around NYC. “Nothing Really Matters” is a bar/lounge under the 50st Downtown 1 subway station. The entrance of the speakeasy is very inconspicuous. Another speakeasy that is in disguise is “UES”, the front of the store is an ice cream shop but when the server asks a patron about the “storage room” and a secret door covered with ice cream pints will open. A patron can enter a bar that serves unique cocktails.
Add rum, pineapple juice and mint to shaker and shake vigorously with ice
Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a lowball glass over ice
Top with ginger beer and stir gently to mix
Carefully add Cherry Heering over the back of a bar spoon to create a gradient on the bottom of the drink
Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint
Notes
A cocktail called a Freddy Freeloader should not be work to drink. It should be, as my father would say, “a drink that can get you in trouble.” So enjoy responsibly, but I hope you will.