In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed chef Eric Ripert for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section on growing up in France (go here). Several weeks ago, I went down to Eric's Manhattan restaurant, Le Bernardin, to chat in his office about childhood—how his mother helped him develop a refined palate and the emotional issues he had to deal with after his parents divorced. [Photo of Eric Ripert at his Le Bernardin restaurant in Manhattan by Matt Furman for The Wall Street Journal]
SiriusXM. Last week I was on SiriusXM's Feedback (channel 106) taping an hour-long show with co-hosts Nik Carter and Lori Majewski on Janis Joplin and Big Brother & the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills album from 1968. The show will air five times in the coming two weeks: This Monday, December 24, at 8 and 11 a.m. (EST) and on Tuesday at 2 a.m. It also will be re-broadcast at 8 a.m. on December 29 and 30.
Nat King Cole was the first male pop star of the LP era. Before any of his contemporaries, Cole's 10-inch albums were massive hits, and the revenue generated by their sales had a great deal to do with Capitol expanding to the Capitol Tower in 1954. Here's Cole singing Unforgettable...
And, of course, here's The Christmas Song...
Back to 1950s Italy. Wish there were something decent on TV that was dramatic and intellectually stimulating? There is. I rarely watch TV (no time) but I managed to binge a new series in two sittings. It's called My Brilliant Friend, and it's the best television I've seen since the Sopranos. Season 1 of My Brilliant Friend features eight episodes. The series is based on the novels of Elena Ferrante and focuses on the relationship between two girls growing up in the suburbs of Naples, Italy, in the 1950s. You'll find this engaging series on HBO on Demand (free).
Here's the trailer...
And here's a little backgrounder...
Jaki Byard. Following my post last week on pianist Jaki Byard, Duff Bruce sent along a link to Byard's appearance on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz series on NPR. Go here.
Carpenters. If you dig the brother and sister duo who dominated 1970s pop, you'll be happy to know that an album has just been released of hits by Karen and Richard Carpenter backed by the Royal Philharmonic. The orchestral arrangements and piano parts are by Richard Carpenter. To me, it's probably the best of the Royal Phil treatment albums. Here's Rainy Day and Mondays...
The album is available at Spotify or here.
What the heck: Here's Billy Eckstine and Sarah Vaughan singing I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm for Mercury in 1957, with a band arranged by Hal Mooney...
Oddball album cover of the week.
To the best of my knowledge based on a little research, Tee-Kays was a Canadian maker of canvas sneakers in the 1970s...
