Music Spotlight

We’ll open by saying everyone must rush right out and buy the new Byrds’ album, “Younger Than Yesterday,” on Columbia. Every track is a gem. You won’t regret it. We’d like to hear from readers who dig this album. The new Beatles’ album is called “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and it should have been released in May. / England’s Pye Records has scheduled the release of Monkee Davy Jones singing Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me, Baby.” / Tom Jones is negotiating a movie contract with an undisclosed American film company. / The Stones have sold three million records in Germany alone. / Herman’s Hermits will tour here for six weeks in July. / Leonard Cohen, poet, author, off-and-on singer, songwriter from Canada, has an excellent novel out for ninety-five cents called “Beautiful Losers.” / The Magicians have been reunited since leaders Garry Bonner and Allan Gordon wrote “Happy Together” for the Turtles. / If financial terms can be arranged, Georgie Fame will make an album with Count Basie. / When Sid Caesar did his updated “Haircuts” routine on his TV special, he looked like Sonny & Cher rolled into one. / The Yech Award goes to “Dry Your Eyes” by Brenda & The Tabulations. Best Record this month is Otis Redding’s “I Love You More Than Words Can Say.” / Compare the song “Alfie” by Dionne Warwick and Cher and see if you can figure out why Cher had the hit. / Jazz musicians put down rock, but most of the rock songs we’ve heard as performed by jazz groups are horrible. / “The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band” album on Liberty is very nice, especially a track called “Dismal Swamp” where a banjo and mandolin play counterpoint. / Newport, Rhode Island’s busy festival summer will begin with the Newport Jazz Festival. The 14th annual world-famed jazz event will be held on the dates of June 30, July 1, 2, and 3. The following talent has already been signed: the big bands of Count Basie, Buddy Rich, and Woody Herman. Vocalists Nina Simone, Joe Williams, and Sarah Vaughan will be present, as will the groups of Dave Brubeck, West Montgomery, Miles Davis, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Herbie Mann, John Coltrane, the Modem Jazz Quartet, John Handy, Thelonious Monk and a million others.