Wednesday's Child

I found it in an antique store on South Lyndale.

A true vintage LP, Atlantic 1245, in very good condition. I wasn't familiar with the artist, I bought it on a whim- for the cover photo- if for no other reason. Putting it on the turntable, the sounds of a light voiced young woman came over the speakers, singing show tunes and standards. the arrangements were sparse, intellectual, cool jazz. Tres chic. It has merited the coveted "album sleeve protector" for many years.

The host of the late night jazz program on the local public radio retired a few months ago. A reedy octogenarian with a hint of sadness in his voice, he would expound at length on all things related to pre-fusion jazz styles. His program would usually be supplemented with interviews with major and minor jazz figures, including tape recorded or phone conversations. One such interview was with the arranger of Atlantic 1245, an old friend who had fallen on hard times; in it the two veterans traded war stories from the trenches of the music business.

Finally, I got a little bit more of the story. The Girl Singer and the Jazz DJ had been married to each other once, in New York City back when this record was made, and had two daughters together. They eventually parted. Somehow, for me at least, this artifact tied the loose ends of their stories together.

Atlantic 1245 Patty McGovern with Thomas Talbert.


There was evidently a CD re-release of this disc, in Japan. Good luck finding it, or the original vinyl.