McCallum moment
Jack Jones invited a party of 1,000 into his living room Saturday night.
It actually was a McCallum show, but it was one of his most intimate, relying solely on his vocal artistry. In the past, he’s performed with big orchestras and more video production. For this show, he added local friends Bill Marx and Pat Tuzzolino to his band.
Marx is the son of Harpo Marx, so Jones featured a clip of the famous stateroom scene from the Marx Bros.’ “A Night At the Opera,†featuring Jones’ father, Allan. It was Harpo’s 125th birthday, he said, so he sang a sweet “Send In the Clowns.†Then he featured Tuzzolino, taking a night off from his gig at Castelli’s Ristorante in Palm Desert, on guitar for the blistering blues “Dangerous Mood†by Keb Mo and desert resident Candy Parton.
Other highlights included the 75-year-old Rancho Mirage resident lending his own warm falsetto to “God Only Knows,†arranged for him by Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, and a final medley of “Imagine†and “From A Distance.†After singing “Nothing to kill or die for,†he sang “that’s my religion, too†instead of John Lennon’s anti-religion line. For Jones, it worked.
He and Marx pair up again Saturday for the Christmas Tree Lane benefit for ACT For MS at the Renaissance Esmeralda Hotel in Indian Wells. Info: (760) 773-9806.
