Jazz Tonight

- [Voiceover] Jazz Tonight is supported by Keith Ubben.

Welcome to Jazz Tonight, featuring Benny Benack III, with your host Christian Wiggs.

I am onto all of your tricks, boy Benny, if you slip up (jazz music) - [Voiceover] Please welcome your host, Christian Wiggs!

(gentle jazz music) Looking out Across the nighttime The city winks a sleepless eye Hear her voice Shake my window Sweet seducing sighs Get me out Into the nighttime Four walls won't hold me tonight If this town Is just an apple Then let me take a bite If they say why, why You tell 'em that it's human nature Why, why Does he do me that way If they say why, why, why You tell 'em that it's human nature Why, why does he do me that way (jazz music) Reaching out To touch a stranger Electric eyes are everywhere Reaching out I touch her shoulder She likes the way I stare If they say why, why You tell 'em that it's human nature Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say why, why, why You tell 'em that it's human nature Why, why does he do me that way?

I like livin' this way I like lovin' this way Way Way Way Way (jazz music) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) That's Matthew Maldonado on the tenor saxophone.

Looking out across the morning The city's heart begins to beat Reaching out I touch her shoulder I'm dreaming of the street They say why, why You tell 'em that it's human nature Why, why does he do me that way?

If they say why, why, why You tell 'em that it's human nature Why, why does he do me that way?

I like livin' this way I like lovin' this way Way Way Way Way (jazz music) Way Way Way Way (audience applauding) Austin, Texas, how you feeling this evening?

(audience applauding and cheering) Oh my gosh, it gives me long awaited and such pleasure to welcome you to the very first episode of Jazz Tonight.

My name is Christian Wiggs.

I am your host.

Give it up for this Big Band.

(audience applauding and cheering) One person who often goes overlooked that is on this side of the camera is the person who is directing all of the musical traffic that's going in and out.

The single best conductor and music director in the United States.

That is the great Danny Jonokuchi conducting.

(audience applauding and cheering) All right, well it's come to that point where I'd like to introduce my very first guest on the very first episode of Jazz Tonight.

He's an Emmy-nominated trumpet player who is known the world over in playing all the four corners of the world.

Please give a very warm Austin welcome to trumpeter, composer, lyricist, extraordinaire personality, Benny Benack III.

(jazz music) (audience applauding) - How's it going, Austin?

How you doing, ladies and gentlemen?

When Romeo met Juliet she simply drove him mad But like a fool he loved her just the same I met you and took the bait Now my heart's held captive while I wait I just can't shake this vibe I'm feeling so alive Like a comet in the sky You flashed across the stars and I From then on I never stood a chance Loving you can be so cruel Left alone and I'm just a fool No one makes me feel this way but you Late at night and I can't sleep Eyes wide open counting sheep When I close my eyes it's only you Doesn't matter what I do Can't deny it I know it's true Your love is irrepressible Long ago when I was dreary and I was feeling blue Then one day I met you dearie now I know that love is true If you go and run away It would be my darkest day I don't think I'll ever break your spell I have tried to stem the tide But my feelings I just can't hide Your love is irrepressible Take it away!

(jazz music) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) (light jazz music) That's how to play the bass.

Mr. James Suter back there.

Give it up!

Long ago my days were dreary and I was feeling blue Then one day I met you dearie now I know that love is true If you go and run away It would be my darkest day I don't think I'll ever break your spell I have tried to stem the tide But my feelings I just can't hide Your love is irrepressible Well you're detestable Yet so caressable You're reprehensible Yet indispensable You're indefensible Yet irreplaceable My dear, it's so clear It's elemental that you're instrumental Your love is irrepressible (jazz music fades) (audience applauding and cheering) Thank you very much.

Look who it is?

Mr. Christian Wiggs.

Well, hello.

- Benny Benack III, ladies and gentlemen.

(audience applauding and cheering) Oh, Benny, how are you, man?

You spend about 300 nights on the road a year at least.

How does it appeal to be back in the Lone Star State?

- Man, you know I always have a blast when we come down here with you and I have to say, I like what you've done with the place in the studio here.

What do you say folks?

This is pretty incredible.

(audience applauding and cheering) I wish they could have been here yesterday morning when we got in here.

This place like popped up.

They had a hundred people working on this.

What a sight to see.

(jazz music) - There is an especially meaningful and special aspect to us doing this here today too.

The fact that we're with PBS.

I mean, one of the most treasured icons of PBS was the great Fred Rogers.

And your grandfather, like there was a connection there.

- [Benny] My grandfather was very close with a very prominent jazz musician who is still with us today, who is a legend of jazz guitar and that is Joe Negri.

Folks know him as Handyman Negri from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

And in fact, Mister Rogers' was one of the greatest examples of sort of surreptitiously mixing in jazz to children and audiences where they didn't even realize the degree of quality of jazz music that they were getting.

My grandfather was featured on an episode of the show where Mr. Rogers goes to a music shop to get a trumpet lesson, and my grandfather is showing him the various mutes and plays trumpet.

And in that episode he plays duo with Joe Negri.

And now getting to do this for PBS really feels surreal given all of that connection.

(jazz music) - Without further ado, here is... - Won't You Be My Neighbor?

(jazz music) It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood A beautiful day for a neighbor Oh, would you be mine Could you be mine It's a neighborly day in this beautywood A neighborly day for a beauty Oh, would you be mine Oh, could you be mine I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like Benny I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood like Austin So, let's make the most of this beautiful day Since we're together, we might as well say Could you be mine Would you be mine Won't you be my neighbor Won't you please Won't you please Please, won't you be my neighbor (jazz music) (jazz music continues) - Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead, go ahead.

(jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) All the way from New York City, let's welcome, Robert Edwards, trombone.

(jazz music) (jazz music continues) Look at the band you got.

Give it up for the Jazz Tonight orchestra.

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you I've always wanted to make Jazz Tonight at Austin PBS In Austin So let's make the most of this beautiful day Since we're together we might as well say Could you be mine Would you be mine Won't you be my neighbor Won't you please Won't you please Please, won't you be my neighbor (jazz music) (jazz music continues) (audience applauding and cheering) - Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Benny Benack III.

(audience applauding and cheering) That's Robert Edwards on the trombone.

- Hey, Rob.

Yeah, Rob.

- And that's Thomas Wenglinski on the arrangement.

(jazz music) - A round for Christian Wiggs once again, ladies and gentlemen.

(jazz music) If at first you don't succeed These words you should heed No cause for alarm Stick with the chase, get back in the race Third time's the charm Your dreams are right for taking Mistakes you keep on making Don't sell the farm Stick with your heart No one's right from the start Third time's the charm Shooters got to shoot their shot You know you learn from every miss a lot If you're willing to fail life's lessons will avail The answers to the knot you've got So don't be doubting all the wisdom I'm espousin' I really mean no harm 'Cause I may have been wrong But I learned all along Third time's the charm (jazz music) That's right, once again, with Mike Sailor on the trumpet.

(jazz music) That's how you play some baritone saxophone.

Take it away!

(jazz music) One more time from this band, oh Shooters got to shoot their shot You know you learn from every miss a lot If you're willing to fail, life's lessons will avail The answers to the knot you've got So don't be doubting All this wisdom I'm espousin' I really mean no harm 'Cause I may have been wrong But I learned all along Third time's the charm Well let me tell ya Third time's the charm One more once!

Third time's Third time's the charm (jazz music fades) Oh yeah (audience applauding and cheering) Pretty, pretty good, ladies and gentlemen.

This is Londontowne featuring Andrew Gould.

(light jazz music) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music continues) Mr. Andrew Gould on the saxophone.

(light jazz music) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music continues) (light jazz music fades) (audience applauding and cheering) How about it for Andrew Gould on the saxophone, ladies and gentlemen?

Oh man, so exciting, man.

So exciting.

One of the tunes that I composed was for one of my heroes and I surmise every trumpet player back there and every trumpet player tuning in, the great Roy Hargrove, one of our heroes who unfortunately we lost far too early in the last couple years, but his legacy lives on.

- What's your Roy Hargrove story?

Well, like everybody else, I was down there in the clubs and there would be moments where if a tune was going by and somebody was scatting a little bit, there would be Roy to check you and make sure that you knew the chords.

I had a time where he was playing a tune, what's the name of the song?

(Benny vocalizing) Dedicated to You Dedicated to you.

And he was up there playing flugelhorn.

The piano player didn't know it.

And so I thought to myself like, ooh, I play a little piano.

I think I can hear it.

I can get through this.

So I kind of kick the other cat off the piano.

And this is somewhere on the smallest live stream archives.

You could see it.

And I'm up there on piano.

Now I'm standing feet away from my idol and I'm comping for him, and the A sections, I got it, I got it.

I'm so good.

I'm in there, Roy's playing.

I'm like, I got the chords, I'm good.

We get to the bridge and I realize like, oh, okay, I actually don't really know the bridge that well either.

So I kind of start like scatting a little bit on the bridge and like Roy kind of shoots me a look and, you know, he's playing the melody very intently while I'm clearly folding over the bridge at a moment like that.

- [Christian] Ugh, incredible man.

- [Benny] Yeah.

- [Christian] Incredible.

Ladies and gentlemen, here's Roylike.

(jazz music) - That's right, ladies and gentlemen.

And in the spirit of the great Roy Hargrove, we are going to continue on with a little bit of that musical mentorship because something that Roy Hargrove would've done is invite the next generation to come up and play with him.

And so back in our trumpet section there, on the end of the stage, you will see the great Kellin Hanas on the trumpet, ladies and gentlemen.

Now, Kellin is probably more viral and famous than all of us.

If you follow her @KellinHanasMusic on TikTok and Instagram, she's become a beacon of jazz in her generation.

Gen Z, if you will.

And so her and I are gonna have a little trumpet battle on this one.

What do you say, Kellin?

You ready for it?

I'll go first.

Let's go back to the top of the chart, cats.

(jazz music) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) (audience applauding) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) How about it with these guys, ladies and gentlemen.

(jazz music) How about it?

What do you say, Austin PBS?

How about it for Jazz Tonight Orchestra?

Now folks, it's firstly my favorite time of the evening because I get to enlist all of you, unwittingly you are now a part of the band.

You are our official PBS Austin Choir, ladies and gentlemen, and we planted a couple ringers in the audience, I know there's some singers out there, but I want everybody singing along.

We're gonna do a little call and response.

And, you know, in my travels around the world, I sort of am like, have a mental tally of like the jazz audience Olympics.

And I remember which audiences stick out and who sing the best.

You know, Trondheim, Norway?

They're incredible in Trondheim, Norway.

Buenos Aires?

They can sing.

Japan?

Don't even get be started on Japan.

So you guys, you have a big, big bar to clear.

And all of America is gonna be listening now, so I'm gonna turn the microphone around, and I want you guys to repeat after me.

Can you do that for me, Austin?

- [Audience] Yeah.

- All right, repeat after me.

Here we go.

(Benny scatting) (audience scatting) (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) Salt-Peanuts, Salt-Peanuts Salt-Peanuts, Salt-Peanuts (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) All right, I'm getting harder.

I'm getting harder.

(Benny scatting) (audience scatting) (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) (Benny scatting) (audience scatting) Aha Aha Aha Aha Austin Austin Say PBS PBS Jazz Tonight Jazz Tonight Jaja-Jazz Tonight Jaja-Jazz Tonight Oh yeah Oh yeah Come on Austin Austin - Give yourself a round of applause, ladies and gentlemen.

Not too shabby, take it away!

(jazz music) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) It's your Daniel Dufour!

(jazz music) (jazz music continues) (audience applauding and cheering) (jazz music) (audience applauding and cheering) Give it up for this orchestra!

- Man, I gotta say just very candidly that, you know, before the pandemic and whenever I was in college and I was just checking out all of the current cats on the scene, I mean, I heard this one trumpet player and this vocalist with the Steven Feifke Big Band singing, I've Got the World on a String, and I was immediately enamored and just checked out everything that I could and checked out that first record one of a kind.

And that person who was just, I was a diehard fan and just looked up so much to musically, became one of my closest friends, one of my brothers.

And it's just such a privilege to have him with me here tonight.

One more time for Benny Benack III.

(audience applauding and cheering) There's a wonderful tune that's a comical track, that it's a tune that you all know with some lyrics that you may not know, but it kind of inevitably became your theme song.

- That's right.

I first heard this song as a jazz student at the Skidmore Jazz Institute, a little summer camp.

And the late great James Moody, saxophonist, flutist, and scat, extraordinaire Moody's Mood for Love, right?

That was based off of his solo, probably the most iconic vocalese of all time.

And I heard Moody do it, and I said, ooh baby, I am gonna be singing this song for the rest of my days.

And sure enough, I pretty much have.

So it's not Pennies from Heaven, but it's aptly titled Benny's from Heaven.

A long time ago a first lieutenant named Spears Returned to the United States After being gone at war three years His wife said, welcome home, dear But since you've been gone, you see We've been blessed with a darling baby And a cute little one is he She took the baby in his arms And said, Benny is his name He said, Darling I've been gone three years Can't you explain So I won't seem so dumb Tell me where did little Benny come from Everytime he asked she'd say Benny's from heaven His face got red Still she said, ahh, Benny's from heaven He said, I've asked all the neighbors that do come around Not a single soul in all of Austin remembers Little Benny coming down Now, about a little thing like this Ordinarily Danny I wouldn't really bother But, from what I know of children They have gotta have a father And as I look at Benny I can plainly see Benny must be from heaven 'Cause he damned sure ain't from me Now baby can you help me to uncover The mystery of where this little boy has come from I asked the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker But nobody seemed to give me any answers I wandered around the town I went door to door I came up empty so I'm asking you for more I'm starting to think I'm being played the fool How could my darling sweetheart be so cruel I think that I'm going crazy and my mind is getting hazy Now, what in the world I know that you know that I know that That baby isn't mine So please help me out or without a doubt I'll surely lose my mind before the day is done Maybe I'm dying 'Cause baby I'm trying so hard to solve this mystery Help him solve it, Jazz Tonight Orchestra!

(jazz music) (jazz music continues) Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Tito Carrillo on the trombone.

(jazz music) Well everytime he asked she'd say Benny's from heaven His face got red Yet still she said Ohh Benny he's from heaven He said, I've asked all the neighbors in the town That come around Not a single soul tuning into PBS Remembers Benny coming down Now, about a silly little thing like this Ordinarily folks I wouldn't bother But, from what I know of children They have gotta have a father And as I look at Benny I can plainly see Benny must be from heaven Oh he really must be from heaven (Benny scatting) (jazz music) Benny must be from heaven Must be from heaven Benny must be from heaven 'Cause he damned sure ain't from me (Benny scatting) (audience applauding and cheering) True story.

True story, Christian.

That is how it transpired, folks.

(audience applauding and cheering) (jazz music) Some people have no town They're really strong for No, not me I know where I belong For I have seen it get dark From the top of the mark But that home again thrill didn't start The Empire State has a view that is great Got Manhattan in my heart The skiing I want I enjoy in Vermont But that home again thrill didn't start There's exercise plus on the rush hour bus Got Manhattan in my heart Only have to leave this town A day and then Then my restless heart will start to wonder when I'll be home again I search high and low But wherever I go There's no finer place on the chart Just give me two rooms Or the smoke, and the fumes Got Manhattan in my heart (jazz music) (jazz music continues) (jazz music continues) Only have to leave this town A day and then Then my restless heart will start to wonder when I'll be home again I search high and low But wherever I go There's no finer place on the chart Just give me two rooms Or the smoke, and the fumes Got Manhattan in my heart It's Manhattan In my heart (audience applauding and cheering) Benny Benack III!

- Christian Wiggs.

What do you say, Jazz Tonight?

(audience applauding and cheering) - Well, we've come to that point in the evening where we have one more tune for all of you.

(jazz music) From the pan of the great Diego Rivera at the University of Texas at Austin, here is Social Call.

- My brother Diego.

Happen to pass your doorway Gave you a buzz, that's all Not that I've thought lots about you I just thought I'd pay a social call Do you recall the old days We used to have a ball Not that I'm lonesome without you I just thought I'd pay a social call I lie I'd say That things are just swell But to tell the truth I haven't been too well But if you should try to kiss me - Don't worry about it, I won't.

I promise Benny I wouldn't stall Maybe we'll get back together Starting from this incidental Elemental Simple Social call Do you remember all the good times that we had My baby girl I'll never forget that you've got The greatest smile in the world, oh My sugarplum fairy, don't hold a grudge I simply had to say hello once more Now am I insane or do I really see a world Where you and I could be together, forever Wait buttercup, don't slam the door in my face Unless you really wanna spill my heart all over the place Well Since we've hung out like this I'm trying to break my habit of you But Since we were back together I suppose we should try to start anew Dear, what do you say Oh I can't take it My heart is breaking I'm laying it on the line If you can find it in your mind that there is just A little itsy, bitsy, chance that you might miss me Christian Wiggs give it a whirl Baby we played this game a thousand million times I should throw your heart in jail for all of its crimes You say that you love me and I think that it's true But why should I just sit at home awaiting for you When we're together It's always stormy weather And I really feel like sitting on a beach With you out of reach Whenever you smirk I get weak in the knees But if you're a jerk all tune out all of your please Well I suppose just one drink couldn't hurt But just one nothing more Nothing more I'm onto all of your tricks, boy Benny if you slip up I'll show you the door I must be crazy 'cause I'm coming around But if you do me wrong I'll run you out of this town I guess that I could give you one more chance now to show You can be the guy who'll love me everyday Never leave my side ever again - I love you, buddy.

I love you, buddy.

Come on.

You can crash on my couch anytime.

- I'll be there next week.

(jazz music) (Benny scatting) (Christian scatting) (Benny scatting) (Christian scatting) If you should try to kiss me Benny I promise I won't stall Maybe we'll get back together Starting from this incidental Elemental Simple social call (audience applauding and cheering) - Benny Benack III, ladies and gentlemen!

The Jazz Tonight Orchestra.

My name is Christian Wiggs.

Austin, Texas, you've been a dream.

This has been the very first episode of Jazz Tonight.

We'll see you again soon.

Goodnight.

Be safe.

(audience applauding and cheering) In the past five, 10 years, we've seen a huge jazz renaissance, like just a great new revitalized appreciation from audiences and musicians across the board.

- I think you hit the nail on the head.

It's been incredible to see this renewed vigor from younger audiences, and it's also led by young artists that have found a way to present this music to young people in a way that they understand.

Of course, Esperanza Spalding, her acclaim, and much more recently, Samara Joy, winning all of her Grammys and what she has meant to the music.

You have, of course, Jon Batiste with what he did on the Colbert Show, and now Louis Cato leading that band.

So you just have all of these iconic young figures pushing the music forward.

And as a result you see people around the world coming out in droves for these concerts and connecting on social media.

And it really does feel like the next generation of jazz appreciators and audience members and musicians are just here, and it's exploding and it's a really exciting time and this show is a huge part of that.

- [Voiceover] Jazz Tonight is supported by Keith Ubben.

(upbeat music)