The Lenny Breau Show – 1966
Lenny Breau
A rare television show with the guitarist as the star
Click here to Support Jazz on the Tube
Lenny Breau (1941-84) was a brilliant and versatile guitarist who played jazz, country music, flamenco, and even classical.
He began playing guitar when he was eight and was a bit of a prodigy, making his first recordings when he was 15 and having careers in jazz and country music during his all-too-brief life.
In 1966 in his native Canada, he hosted the Lenny Breau Show for a few weeks on television.
This is the Aug. 12, 1966 program with Breau (joined by the unseen Bob McMullin Orchestra) soloing on every song including pop tunes of the era and features for singers Judi Singh, Karen Marklinger, and Yvette Shaw.
Breau performs “Downtown” (with all three singers), “Gotta Move” (Marklinger), “There’s A Boat That’s Leavin’ For New York” (Singh), “Night Train,” “I Can’t Sit Down” (Shaw), “Let’s Go Where The Grass Is Greener” (Singh), “West Coast Blues (Shaw), “Yesterday,” “Time For Love” (Marklinger), and “Anyplace I Hang My Hat” (with all three singers).
The brilliance of Lenny Breau shines through on each number.
-Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald