Bonus Mini Post: A few thoughts on July 4, lists in The New York Times, and other pertinent topics.
It is the best of TIMES and the worst of TIMES.
This started as a Substack note, but I started writing and before too long, I realized it was way too long for that. So, here it is. I rushed this out somewhat faster than the usual post, I want people to read it while Independence Day 2026 is still in memory yet green, so I apologize in advance for any typos and boo-boos. Thanks as always to Elizabeth Zimmer!
The New York Times is hardly failing; the only person who thinks it is, as we know, is 47. And to be fair, if there’s one thing he actually knows about (and it probably is the only thing) it’s failure. (47 has a black belt in failure, so perhaps we should not dismiss his opinion on the subject.)
The only instance when I have been inclined to agree with 47 was when the NYT recently published that instantly infamous list of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. I won’t go into that, other than to note that the NYT, which is a great newspaper that has covered the art form known as the American Musical Theater comprehensively—and, generally, accurately—from even before its inception, has apparently decided that theater music should not even be a part of the discussion. Screw you, Marc Shaiman & Scott Wittman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jason Robert Brown, Adam Guettel, Stephen Schwartz, Michael R. Jackson, Craig Carnelia, Andrew Lippa, Frank Wildhorn, Rupert Holmes. (Not to mention Lee Adams, who will turn 102 next month, and John Kander, who will turn 100 next year. God Bless them both!) (Apologies to any worthy living composers of theater music whom I have inadvertently omitted.)
One more griping point about the NYT songwriter list: I am glad to see that the very knowledgeable Jody Rosen was included in the songwriter’s jury, but disappointed that they did not decide to invite John McWhorter, who knows more about great songs than any 12 other columnists at the paper-of-record put together.
I had a different reaction to the NYT podcast The Daily this past Sunday, July 5, when they consulted a quorum of NYT contributors to pick what they consider to be the “most American” entries in a vast range of categories, from art to music to politics to science to sports and other forms of culture. (I was disappointed that neither Jody nor John was consulted, but okay.)
Joshua Barone was asked to select the “most American” piece of classical music. I think most of us, starting with me, would have gone with “The Rhapsody In Blue.” (Now that’s the obvious, even predictable choice.) But Mr. Barone selected Aaron Copland’s “Rodeo,” which is a respectable and commendable choice. Not my choice, but I won’t argue with it.
Jon Caramanica was asked to select the most “American” popular song. He actually won me over to his point of view, although, apparently he seems to have only considered popular songs from about 1970 or later. Thus no “The House I Live In,” “Strange Fruit,” or “God Bless America.” But okay. At first, my hackles went up when he picked what he admitted was a second rate rap number (I hesitate to use the word “song”), “Trump Trump Baby” by Forgiato Blow.
But, to my surprise, he makes a convincing case for it. This rather despicable, thoroughly non-musical piece of expletive deleted does a credible job in encapsulating everything that’s wrong with our great country in the miserable age of 47. This selection hardly gives us the best of America, in fact, it’s precisely the opposite, But, unfortunately, Mr. Caramanica is correct, the rapper (“Mr. Blow?”) holds up an accurate mirror to our dystopian era. Lousy music and lousy politics go hand-in-hand. 2026 is not the time for “Ballad for Americans” or “Ol’ Man River,” this is the moment, unfortunately, for “Trump Trump Baby.” (I will do everyone a favor and not link to it. If you really feel you have to listen to “Trump Trump Baby,” you are officially on your own.)
If you want a great song that offers a more positive message—and by a living songwriter yet—might I suggest “Put on a Happy Face” by Lee Adams and the (recently) late Charles Strouse, introduced by a great living musical artist, Dick Van Dyke in the 1960 Bye Bye Birdie. (I’m also including Tony Bennett’s hit single below; “Smile, bubbe, it’s your birthday!” And in fact, Tony’s 100th birthday is very soon indeed.)
Sort of related: I already shared this as a Substack note, but here is a recent Wall Street Journal story of mine, and this covers all of my candidates for the title of the most American songs ever written, although admittedly I didn’t see fit to include any rap numbers. (If I had, my choice would have surely been “Ghetto Anthem” by Jay Z, which incorporates Charlie Strouse and Marty Charnin’s “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” or possibly “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mixalot, because, frankly, who doesn’t like big butts? I can not lie.)
The following item is not at all related, except to show the glory of American music even in the era of McCarthy (who was still in office in 1956). This is my latest story in the Journal.
Seventy years ago, on the afternoon of July 7, 1956, the Duke Ellington band bus pulled into Freebody Park in Newport Rhode Island and that night, the orchestra played what the Maestro considered to be the most impactful concert of his career. This date goes down in history alongside George Gerswhin and Paul Whiteman at Aeolian Hall in 1924 and Benny Goodman at Carnegie in 1938, and is even more important, in retrospect, than any of Ellington’s own series of annual concerts at Carnegie. Shortly after midnight, the full band launched into “Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue”; halfway through, tenor saxophone colossus Paul Gonsalves gave out with the “Wailing Interval.” Lo and behold, when he finished his solo, 26 choruses and six minutes later, the whole world had changed.
You can read it about in today’s Wall Street Journal.
A few more recent jazz and musical theater stories:
More Ellingtonia: I Like the Sunrise (Hannah Gill & Robbie Lee)
Crazy For You at the Goodspeed Opera House
La Cage Aux Folles at City Center Encores!
And lastly, my most recent episode of Sing! Sing! Sing!, which is a “Jazz Goes Broadway” mixtape of different interpretations of the score to West Side Story. It’s amazing how many there are, how many of these songs found their way into the cultural bloodsteam—a three-hour show is hardly enough to even skim the surface. This is in celebration of a great concert on Tuesday July 14, for those of you lucky to be in the San Diego area, which will feature a double-bill of jazz treatments of the classic Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim score: first the always highly entertaining bassist and bandleader Jennifer Leitham with her trio, then the KSDS Jazz Orchestra will play the amazing Johnny Richards arrangements of the 1961 jazz masterpiece, Stan Kenton’s West Side Story. (I, for one, have no idea how they’re going to handle the mellophoniums!)
To hear my show, click here.
For the playlist, click here.
And most importantly, for tickets click here
Over the next five Tuesdays, I am doing a comprehensive zoom series on the life and music of our favorite centennial celebrant, the legendary TONY BENNETT! To register (and it’s very reasonable) click Here:
Coming Next: Summer Time is Comedy Time
Jackie (Mason) and Me: In Honor of The Jackie Mason Musical, written by his longtime partner, Ginger Reiter, and starring his daughter, Sheba Mason, in a limited run in New York. At the Actor’s Temple Theater July 25-26. For Tickets and more info, click here.
Very special thanks to Elizabeth Zimmer, Rob Lester, & Dan Fortune for their expert proofing, hey!) Special Thanks again to Daniel Weinstein, Jordan Taylor, & Rob Waldman.)
Slouching Towards Birdland (Will Friedwald’s Substack) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Sing! Sing! Sing! : My tagline is, “Celebrating the great jazz—and jazz-adjacent—singers, as well as the composers, lyricists, arrangers, soloists, and sidemen who help to make them great.”
A production of KSDS heard Saturdays at 10:00 AM Pacific; 1:00 PM Eastern.
To listen to KSDS via the internet (current and recent shows are available for streaming) click here. Here is the running list of recent shows.
The whole series is also listenable on Podbean.com; click here.
SING! SING! SING!
Jazz Goes Broadway! West Side Story
(SSS #205 2026-07-11)
Listen: + Playlist:
Judy Garland sings Harold Arlen (SSS #203 2026-06-27)
Listen: + Playlist:
July 4th Special—Great American Cities in Song (SSS #204 2026-07-04)
Listen: + Playlist:
Miles Davis @ 100: Sketches of Broadway (2026-06-24)
Listen: + Playlist:
200th Episode Special! Friedwald’s Favorites & Wilsci’s Winners
(SSS #200 2026-06-06)
Listen: + Playlist:
Miles Davis @ 100 | “Miles Ahead”
(SSS #202 2026-05-30 )
Listen: + Playlist:
Bobby Darin @ 90 | “By Request”
(SSS #201 2026-05-23)
Listen: + Playlist:
Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing University:
A Special video Session: Sinatra in the Sixties (click to view)
With Seton Hawkins & Will Friedwald (Thursday April 2, 2026)
Bing Crosby Birthday Special—Ultimate Broadway Songbook
(SSS #199 2026-05-16)
Listen: + Playlist:
The Sacred Music of Duke Ellington—Then and Now
(SSS #198 2026-05-09)
Listen: + Playlist:
TONY BENNETT REMEMBERED ON NY1
a video interview with Stephanie Simon and Will Friedwald 2023-07-23
Click Here
Cinco de Mayo:
The Ernesto Lecuona (and Margarita Lecuona) Songbook
(SSS #197 2026-05-02)
Listen: + Playlist:
Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn, Johnny Burke, & Jule Styne Songbook(s) (SSS #196 2026-04-25)
Listen: + Playlist:
SLOUCHING TOWARDS BIRDLAND is a Substack newsletter by Will Friedwald. The best way to support my work is with a paid subscription, for which I am asking either $5 a month or $50 per year. Thank you for considering. (Thanks as always to Arlen Schumer for special graphics.) Word up, peace out, go forth and sin no more! (And always remember: “A man is born, but he’s no good no how, without a song.”)
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Slouching Towards Birdland (Will Friedwald’s Substack) is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
you are correct, I shouldn't have disparaged Eisenhower ... without him, we would all be speaking German right now! There are a lot of reasons to praise Eisenhower. I will amend the story (on the page). And musically speaking, he not only celebrated Rodgers and Hammerstein but also presided over a Republican party that invited Nat King Cole to sing at their convention. So I slouch corrected. thank you for pointing that out to me.
Your “Baby Got Back” comment made me laugh out loud. Thank you for that. There aren’t a lot of laughs these days.