VR & The Café Beaujolais Band

Bassist Putter Smith is one of Charlie’s oldest friends. They met after Charlie arrived in Los Angeles in the late 1950s. Starting in the 1980s, Charlie would call Putter to sub for him at his CalArts teaching gig. He played on Charlie’s 2002 American Dreams CD. Putter spoke at both the L.A. and NYC Charlie memorials.

VR & The Café Beaujolais Band’s CD Lost And Found was recorded in 2002. It was released in 2004. It features Putter on bass, guitarist Dave Koonse (father of guitarist Larry Koonse), trumpeter Stacy Rowles (daughter of pianist Jimmy Rowles) and the beautiful vocals of Putter’s wife, Verna Rose. It’s one of several CDs and LPs in Charlie’s collection that feature Putter. Solid, Jackson.

In this Substack podcast I listen to albums and cassettes from the collection of my father, the late jazz bassist Charlie Haden. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing. I’m writing a book of Memoires about life, death, jazz, slowcore, and survival. The address is joshhaden.substack.com.

VR Smith & the Café Beaujolais Band

Lost And Found (2004)

VR Smith - Vocals

Putter Smith - Bass

Stacy Rowles - Trumpet, Fluegelhorn

Dave Koonse - Guitar

1. Everything I love (Cole Porter)

2. I’ll Only Miss Him (Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cohn)

3. Out Of This World (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)

4. You Are There (Dave Frishberg, Johnny Mandell)

5. While We’re Young (Bill Engvick, Alec Wilder, Morty Palitz)

6. Lost And Found (Kent Glenn)

7. The Man I Love (George & Ira Gershwin)

8. Heart’s Desire (Dave Frishberg, Alan Broadbent)

9. The Touch Of Your Lips (Ray Noble)

10. Gentle Rain (Luis Bonfa)

11. The Meaning Of The Blues (Bobby Troup)

12. All Through The Night (Cole Porter)

Front cover, VR & The Café Beaujolais Band, Lost And Found, CD. From the Estate of Charlie Haden.

Back insert, VR & The Café Beaujolais Band, Lost And Found, CD. From the Estate Of Charlie Haden.

All words & images © 2024 Josh Haden, except where noted. All rights reserved.