I could go on all day about Jimmy Webb, who I think is right up there with the greatest American songwriters of what we could call the Second Great American Songbook. His songs cut across genre lines. In 2010 and 2012, I had the privilege of releasing two wonderful albums of duets with Jimmy and a multitude of guests, which lean Country/Americana. But Michael Feinstein has a remarkable album of Jimmy’s tunes, and Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny duet on The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, which refers to their (Mid) Western roots in a “Jazz” context. Jimmy and Charlie both native Oklahomans. The British author Dylan Jones has a fine book out about Wichita Lineman, and he and Jimmy are collaborating on a jukebox musical of Webb songs. When I was working with Steve Tyrell on his album of Bacharach songs at roughly the same time as Jimmy’s albums, I asked him why he never put any Webb songs in his repertoire. Steve’s reply, “Too hard for me!”
I could go on all day about Jimmy Webb, who I think is right up there with the greatest American songwriters of what we could call the Second Great American Songbook. His songs cut across genre lines. In 2010 and 2012, I had the privilege of releasing two wonderful albums of duets with Jimmy and a multitude of guests, which lean Country/Americana. But Michael Feinstein has a remarkable album of Jimmy’s tunes, and Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny duet on The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, which refers to their (Mid) Western roots in a “Jazz” context. Jimmy and Charlie both native Oklahomans. The British author Dylan Jones has a fine book out about Wichita Lineman, and he and Jimmy are collaborating on a jukebox musical of Webb songs. When I was working with Steve Tyrell on his album of Bacharach songs at roughly the same time as Jimmy’s albums, I asked him why he never put any Webb songs in his repertoire. Steve’s reply, “Too hard for me!”