"All The Things You Are" on the Tonight Show

[DowneyDiSampson]

Am I the only fan who remembers their appearance on The Tonight Show where they did "All The Things You Are" as an instrumental trio? It was really good! I also recall that they discussed wombats with another guest on that particular show. Johnny was hosting that night. It's the only Tonight Show appearance I know of that has not yet appeared on YouTube. Does anyone else remember this?

 

[newvillefan]

It’s news to me, not heard of this performance before. Who was the third musician and what year do you reckon it was broadcast?

 

[A&M Retro]

I remember it! I think it was 1972. Can't remember the third musician for certain, but I'd bet on Bob Messenger.

 

[DowneyDiSampson]

It’s news to me, not heard of this performance before. Who was the third musician and what year do you reckon it was broadcast?

I'm not sure who played bass. Sorry. I'm not sure about the year, either.

 

[DowneyDiSampson]

I remember it! I think it was 1972. Can't remember the third musician for certain, but I'd bet on Bob Messenger.

Wow! You are the only other fan I've ever spoken with who remembers this appearance.

 

[John Tkacik]

According to the MUSICAL LEGACY book, they appeared 4 times on the Tonight Show prior to 1973.
September 18,1970; November 13, 1970; June 30,1971; and November 5,1971.
My educated guess is that they performed at least CLOSE TO YOU in September 1970; WE'VE ONLY JUST BEGUN in November 1970; RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS in June 1971; and SUPERSTAR in November 1971.

 

[newvillefan]

According to the MUSICAL LEGACY book, they appeared 4 times on the Tonight Show prior to 1973.
September 18,1970; November 13, 1970; June 30,1971; and November 5,1971.

Theoretically it could have been any of their appearances on the show that they performed this instrumental. There’s nothing to say it was definitely 1971 or 1972.

 

[Song4uman]

@Chris May do you know??

 

[John Tkacik]

Theoretically it could have been any of their appearances on the show that they performed this instrumental. There’s nothing to say it was definitely 1971 or 1972.

There are YouTube videos online of their appearances in 1973, 1977, and 1978. None of these other videos show them performing this song.

 

[John Tkacik]

There are YouTube videos online of their appearances in 1973, 1977, and 1978. None of these other videos show them performing this song.

To me at least, it seems unusual that they would perform a "one-off" number that has not publicly appeared anywhere else in their catalogue of either live performances or studio recordings up to now.

 

[newvillefan]

There are YouTube videos online of their appearances in 1973, 1977, and 1978. None of these other videos show them performing this song.

No, but just how many other appearances did they make on the show in other years that haven’t been catalogued? That’s what I meant. Just because it’s not on YouTube doesn’t mean there aren’t performances that haven’t been listed (or posts online) somewhere.

To me at least, it seems unusual that they would perform a "one-off" number that has not publicly appeared anywhere else in their catalogue of either live performances or studio recordings up to now.

It might not have been a one off number. They were known to occasionally do more than one song on some chat show appearances.

 

[Chris May]

@Chris May do you know??

I’m not familiar with it either…

 

[masqueraded]

Well they did do flat baroque in some 72 shows and early 76 in Japan so maybe?

 

[Without A Song]

Perhaps someone could ask Richard about this song. See if he recalls him and Karen performing this tune on "The Tonight Show."

In addition to knowing the answer to that, I'd be interested in learning if he has any footage of their earliest appearances on that program. With rare exceptions NBC didn't start preserving "Tonight Show" episodes until 1973.

 

[DowneyDiSampson]

To me at least, it seems unusual that they would perform a "one-off" number that has not publicly appeared anywhere else in their catalogue of either live performances or studio recordings up to now.

It wasn't the only song they performed that night. When they finished and went over to Johnny, he said "Well, that was something a little different."

 

[Chris May]

I’ll ask Richard what he remembers about it.

 

[newvillefan]

It might not have been a one off number. They were known to occasionally do more than one song on some chat show appearances.

It wasn't the only song they performed that night. When they finished and went over to Johnny, he said "Well, that was something a little different."

Leaving this here ^^^

 

[Another Son]

Am I the only fan who remembers their appearance on The Tonight Show where they did "All The Things You Are" as an instrumental trio? It was really good! I also recall that they discussed wombats with another guest on that particular show. Johnny was hosting that night. It's the only Tonight Show appearance I know of that has not yet appeared on YouTube. Does anyone else remember this?

As an animal lover, the clue as to the year when Karen and Richard made this appearance might be in the creature they discussed. Wombats are unique Australian marsupials. Given that Carpenters toured Australia in May, 1972 and were known to have visited a wildlife sanctuary, (Karen elsewhere discussed holding a koala), it may have been soon after this.

If you’re interested, wombats are amazing creatures! They are incredibly strong, stocky creatures that weigh about as much as a ten-year-old child. Like most marsupials, they are born when barely formed, after only three weeks of gestation in the womb. They then crawl as a little hairless worm-like thing to their mother’s pouch where they attach themselves to a teat and spend another seven months forming into the creature that we recognise.

Wombats are so tough that, if a car hits them on the open road, it’s possible for them to roll the car, (so the story goes). If a dingo is chasing them and they make it to their burrow, they stand just inside their burrow with their backside facing outwards and their back legs apart, their stout bodies otherwise blocking the entrance. When the dingo pushes its head into the burrow between the wombat’s legs, the wombat brings its butt down hard on the dingo’s skull. The wombat’s tail bone is so tough that it can crush a dingo’s skull and kill it.

Dingoes are a type of wild dog introduced to Australia by the Australian Aboriginal people thousands of years ago.

Because wombats dig massive burrow complexes and eat grass, unfortunately, they have been decimated by pastoralists and now exist in only small numbers.

I’ve been lucky enough to see wombats in the wild. They are beautiful creatures.

I can understand how Karen and Richard would have been fascinated by and enamoured with wombats enough to discuss them with Johnny Carson.

Sorry about digressing from the music but when I saw the mention of wombats, I had to expand!

 

[DowneyDiSampson]

I hate to burst your wombat-shaped bubble () but I'm quite sure that Joan Embry of the San Diego zoo was another guest that night. If I recall correctly, she had a wombat with her, which spurred the discussion.

 

[Chris May]

Forgot to circle back on this. Richard said they definitely played this on the earlier appearances.

 

[Walkinat9]

Forgot to circle back on this. Richard said they definitely played this on the earlier appearances.

That is so fascinating to know, thanks Chris! I think it's the first time I've heard this song mentioned as one that they performed as a trio (I only knew the song from a 1955 recording by Helen Forrest). I wonder what it sounded like by Karen & Richard & bass player as a trio...the style, the tempo...

Would be great if Richard would perform it again some time live, or record it as a jazz piece, with a trio

 

[Walkinat9]

I hate to burst your wombat-shaped bubble () but I'm quite sure that Joan Embry of the San Diego zoo was another guest that night. If I recall correctly, she had a wombat with her, which spurred the discussion.

Thanks for mentioning Joan's name, DowneyDiSampson. I did some searching and found this TV listing in a Long Beach newspaper from November 5, 1971:

Karen & Richard may have done the trio performance to illustrate what they sounded like about 5 years earlier?

Btw, Joan was born less than a year earlier than Karen. Apparently this was her first appearance on the Tonight Show, according to this Facebook page.
If you click on the image there, you can watch a montage of some of her appearances on Johnny Carson's show, on YouTube.

Terribly difficult I suppose to find video of this particular show, but it would be great if some Carpenters fan out there had at least managed to record their appearance from this date on audiotape


Greg

 

[Nemily]

Terribly difficult I suppose to find video of this particular show, but it would be great if some Carpenters fan out there had at least managed to record their appearance from this date on audiotape

Greg

All The Things You Are is such a great jazz song with a lot of great trio and quartet versions (the definitive vocal IMO is Ella Fitzgerald). The Nov 5 Johnny Carson appearance was with only Bob Messenger on Upright Bass as the Jazz Trio (Newsletter #7). I would very much love to hear that segment, also. I bet it was great.