Even though I'm die-hard indie rock girl, 40s and 50s jazz is a secret passion of mine so working on this episode was quite a thrill! It was fun (and nerve-wracking) to try to find the right Louis Armstrong recording that matched the era as well as the band members we would have on-stage. Kudos to the Castle writers, who envisioned how beautifully "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" would work throughout three scenes and ultimately bring Castle the answer to the mystery. And a big thank you to Connie Boylan at ABC who worked tirelessly to cast the Louis Armstrong look-alike as well as period-perfect band members.
Louis Armstrong - I Can't Give You Anything But Love: Amazon :: iTunes :: Official Site
In order to have Tamala Jones (the actress that plays Lanie) sing "Comes Love" during the episode, we pre-recorded the track at a studio in the Valley. She was charming and funny! I think she was a little nervous but once she loosened up, man, she was channelling Billie Holiday and it was awesome! I'm not sure if ABC will make that track available to Castle fans, but meanwhile I'm recommending the Billie Holiday version if you like the song -- but Joni Mitchell does a great version too!
