Just finished viewing the documentary ‘Tis Autumn: The Search For Jackie Paris. I couldn’t help but to wonder how many other great jazz vocalists there are in the grainy past who fell into relative obscurity. I guarantee you, there are basements all over this world that secretly hold worn and dented cardboard boxes filled with dusty 45s that are nothing less than aural gold. Yet, with the passage of time and the never ending introduction of new talent and changing tastes, these hidden gems could remain forever undiscovered. How do we find them? I can only hope that like some ancient Egyptian artifact, someone will dig them out one day.

Jackie Paris deserved the fame he so craved. His voice is inimitable and immediately recognizable. But fortune and fame eluded him. It has eluded many.

Trust me, there were other Sinatras out there. There were other Nat Coles and Tony Bennetts. Why God seems to allow the light to shine on some and not on others is well beyond my comprehension. That is something I’ll never understand. It seems unfair to me. But to me, life is not about fairness. It’s about a whole lotta luck with a dollop of determination.

If you dig jazz, jazz vocals and jazz history, rent this film. It won’t change your life, but it will cause you to wonder. And if nothing else, you will hear one of the greatest versions of Skylark ever put on wax.