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                        <H1><CENTER><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">Jonathan
                        &amp; Darlene Edwards
                        Talk!</FONT></CENTER></H1>
                        
                        <CENTER><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">by
                        Richard J. Pietschmann</FONT></CENTER>
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                        <BLOCKQUOTE><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>Editor's
                           note: In 1957, an album was released
                           called</I> Jo Stafford and Paul Weston
                           Present: The Original Piano Artistry of
                           Jonathan Edwards; Vocals by Darlene
                           Edwards. <I>Careful listening revealed
                           that both Jonathan and Darlene had an
                           uncanny knack for just missing beats,
                           falling a bit flat on notes -- if not
                           leaving them out entirely -- and
                           occasionally stumbling over timing, so
                           that either the singer or the pianist
                           periodically would have to race to catch
                           up with the other. Rumor had it at the
                           time that the Edwards were, in fact,
                           Stafford and husband Weston, re-creating
                           on wax a bit that they did as a joke at
                           small parties -- and the album became a
                           cult classic, to be followed by the likes
                           of</I> Songs for Sheiks and Flappers
                           <I>and, most recently,</I> Darlene
                           Remembers Duke, Jonathan Plays Fats.
                           <I>Except for a rare TV appearance, the
                           Edwardses have never toured in concert,
                           and what follows is, in fact, their
                           </I>very first<I> interview.</I></FONT>
                           
                           <P>&nbsp;
                           
                           <CENTER><FONT SIZE="+2" FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">The
                           very first interview with a true cult
                           duo!</FONT><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">
                           
                           <HR>
                           
                           </FONT></CENTER>
                           
                           <P><FONT SIZE="+2" FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>I</B></FONT><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">t's
                           hardly surprising that Jonathan and
                           Darlene Edwards owe their special fame to
                           the albums they so infrequently produce.
                           There have been but five (and one single)
                           over a quarter century. But, beginning in
                           1957 with the robust <I>Original Piano
                           Artistry</I>, the couple have tirelessly
                           challenged the conventions of popular
                           music, flaunting musical taboos and
                           surprising listeners. As a result, in
                           1960, they were awarded a Grammy for their
                           second album, Jonathan and Darlene Edwards
                           in Paris.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">The
                           Edwardses credit their special talent to
                           having roots in Trenton, New Jersey --
                           removed as it is from the restraining
                           contemporary mainstream -- and to
                           Darlene's late start in show business.
                           While Jonathan had played cocktail-lounge
                           piano for years in their home state and
                           was thoroughly schooled in the nuances of
                           popular music, his wife waited until their
                           children had grown and moved out of the
                           family home before singing professionally.
                           It was no simple matter, of course, for
                           such a unique musical vision as the
                           Edwardses' to endure until discovery, and
                           the Edwardses freely acknowledge that
                           their patrons, Paul Weston and Jo
                           Stafford, share equal credit for their
                           success. The Edwardses, in fact, still
                           reside at the Westons' home in Century
                           City, where we met.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">A
                           baseball game was on TV, but the sound was
                           turned off. Jonathan, restless and perhaps
                           a bit suspicious, paced and glared but
                           gave full answers to every question.
                           Darlene sat composed, hands folded in her
                           lap, and rarely spoke unless asked a
                           direct question. The couple began by
                           playing me their new single, an
                           imaginative rendering of the Bee Gees' hit
                           from <I>Saturday Night Fever</I>, "Stayin'
                           Alive." It is their first foray into
                           "contemporary" music after a lifetime
                           absorbed with more familiar pop and jazz
                           "standards."</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>There
                           are certainly some interesting things I
                           can hear in there that I haven't heard in
                           "Stayin' Alive" before.</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>J.E:</I>
                           I invented this thing called the "disco
                           rest," where halfway through the selection
                           I can play some of my own piano stylings
                           unencumbered by the rhythm of disco. Some
                           carping critics have said that I invented
                           this only so I have free rein for my
                           remarkable artistic abilities.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>Pretty
                           insensitive of them.</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>J.E.:</I>
                           Definitely. But the disco rest has worked
                           out beautifully, and the dancers get to
                           stand around and admire my
                           arpeggios.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>Were
                           there any special problems, Jonathan, that
                           you as producer encountered in reworking a
                           recent hit song?</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>J.E.:
                           </I> The band that played on the record
                           did the best it could, but the boys were
                           very frightened because they weren't
                           accustomed to dealing with 7/4 bars and
                           sudden changes in tempo which are part of
                           my style . . . my actual trademark.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>Well,
                           it's probably pretty difficult for any
                           musician to really follow you. After all,
                           you've invented your own style.</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>J.E.:</I>
                           That's true, and we've had other problems
                           in the past. We had to let Jack Sperling
                           go, one of the top drummers in the
                           country, because for some strange reason,
                           he found what I was doing to be
                           <I>funny!</I> He laughed -- actually
                           <I>cried!</I> -- and I had to let him go.
                           But then I found another drummer who
                           thought it was pretty normal, although I'm
                           not allowed to use his name.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>Great
                           artists in the vanguard <I>do</I>
                           sometimes shock and surprise
                           people.</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>J.E.:</I>
                           I suppose. I can remember pictures of
                           Wagner assaulting the human ear with an
                           icepick and hammer. I've felt like that a
                           lot of times myself. I've felt, too, that
                           I'm out in front of the world.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>What
                           about you, Darlene? How did you feel about
                           recording "Stayin' Alive"?</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>J.E.:</I>
                           Darlene resisted doing "Stayin' Alive."
                           She thought that the words were too fast.
                           But I was pleased because a lot of young
                           people now will know what the words are.
                           Although Darlene was out of breath most of
                           the session, she got through it okay.<BR>
                           <I>D.E.:</I> Well, I felt just as Jonathan
                           said. Some of the 7/4 bars tend to be
                           constricting, and they weren't suited to
                           my particular talents as a vocalist. I was
                           just trying to get through that song. I
                           didn't really have enough time to let my
                           vocal talents come through because there
                           were an awful lot of words. I think I'm
                           pretty well pleased with the result, and
                           if Jonathan is happy, so am I.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>I
                           know your fans are pleased with it. Have
                           you gotten much reaction?</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>D.E.:</I>
                           Quite a bit.<BR>
                           <I>J.E.:</I> The D.J., what's his name,
                           Dr. Demento. He loved it and plays it a
                           lot. But at the same time that he plays
                           out stuff he plays an awful lot of other
                           stuff that sounds funny to me. I sort of
                           resent our being in among that, rather
                           than on a real good rock 'n' roll program
                           where we belong. This Dr. Demento also
                           made some rather disparaging comments. He
                           thought we were great, but he called
                           attention to some things he thought were
                           mistakes that were really deliberate,
                           imaginative outpourings on my part.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>Maybe,
                           Darlene, this is the time to ask the big
                           question, the one many of your fans want
                           answered. Haven't lots of people accused
                           you and Jo Stafford of being the same
                           person?</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>D.E.:</I>
                           Really? Well, maybe the mistake is natural
                           because we've been houseguests of Jo and
                           Paul for many years.<BR>
                           <I>J.E.:</I> We live with them, you see.
                           There are times when the food isn't all
                           that great.<BR>
                           <I>D.E.: </I> But you understand that it's
                           all free.<BR>
                           <I>J.E.: </I> We're grateful to them, I
                           suppose, but, of course, artists aren't
                           supposed to be grateful. In the old days,
                           a prince or a baron would have a court
                           musician, and I've always felt we were the
                           Westons' court musicians, and they owed
                           us.<BR>
                           <I>D.E.:</I> They're our patrons.<BR>
                           <I>J.E.:</I> The only problem is, they
                           don't allow me to practice to the extent
                           I'd like to. He keeps wanting the piano
                           for some of the dumb things he does. Our
                           lights have been kind of hidden under
                           their bushel.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>Being
                           under the Westons' bushel -- is that the
                           real reason you haven't given an interview
                           in all these years?</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>D.E.:</I>
                           I think so. They're not really too much
                           for it, and what's the saying? Don't bite
                           the hand that feeds you!<BR>
                           <I>J.E.:</I> It's kind of like a family
                           having an uncle they don't think is rowing
                           with both oars, and he's kept in a back
                           room. Lots of times when media people have
                           come to the house, we've been asked to
                           stay in the bedroom or in the
                           garage.</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>To
                           get back to your music, Darlene, what are
                           your favorites out of all the songs you've
                           recorded?</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>D.E.:</I>
                           Well, I like the really, really chic
                           songs, which is really why I resisted
                           "Stayin' Alive." A lot of my favorites
                           were in the first album, like "You're
                           Blas&eacute;." Marvelous lyrics. And
                           </FONT><A HREF="../raclips/cocktails4_2.ram"><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva">"Cocktails
                           for Two."</FONT></A><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><BR>
                           <I>J.E.:</I> Songs that have
                           <I>rendezvous</I> and sophisticated words
                           like that.<BR>
                           <I>D.E.:</I> There are a lot of
                           sophisticated words, in "You're
                           Blas&eacute;": . . . You're deep just like
                           a chasm . . ."</FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><B>And
                           I must say, Darlene, that your delivery,
                           your phrasing, allows you to dwell on some
                           of those lyrics we might otherwise
                           miss.</B></FONT>
                           
                           <P><FONT FACE="helvetica,arial,geneva"><I>D.E.:</I>
                           I do, I really <I>do</I>, dwell on them,
                           too.<BR>
                           <I>J.E.:</I> Darlene really does handle
                           those sophisticated words well, and in the
                           future it might be a good idea for her to
                           do a whole album of Noel Coward. But I
                           personally am so pleased with all the five
                           albums that I couldn't be restricted to
                           any one choice. We were really bitter
                           about the <I>Sing Along with Jonathan and
                           Darlene</I> album, though, which is one of
                           the best technically we've done, but Mitch
                           Miller's "singalong" craze went right down
                           the tubes right after we put the album
                           out, and that destroyed its sales.</FONT>
                           
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