In The Wall Street Journal last week, I interviewed actress Kristen Bell for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Kristen is a superb actress—in comedy and drama. Yes, she has been in her share of rom-coms and holiday comedies. But she brings enormous fizz to every role she plays in sophisticated comedies and dramas, and her 1,001 expressions are priceless. [Photo above of Kristen Bell in The Wall Street Journal by Josh Telles]
Here's Kristen in a smart comedy, Queenpins, which came out in September...
Here's Kristen in a drama, The Lifeguard (2013)...
And here's the trailer for her new, dark-comedy miniseries, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window. You won't believe the twists at the end of this one...
Also in the WSJ, my essay on Al Green's groundbreaking album, Let's Stay Together, which celebrates its 50th anniversary on January 31 (go here). The album transformed male soul, from music that had emphasized sexual prowess and virility to songs showcasing sensitivity and caring about women's needs.
Here's the title track...
SiriusXM. Last week, I was on Feedback with host Nik Carter and guest host Chris Molanphy from Slate and the Hit Parade Podcast to talk about my "Anatomy of a Song" on the Lumineers (photo above of courtesy of Time After Time co-writer Rob Hyman, who was on his way to his studio when he snapped it). If you missed the show, here's the broadcast...
This Wednesday on SiriusXM, I'll be with Nik and Lori on Feedback to talk about the 50th anniversary of Al Green's groundbreaking Let's Stay Together album, released on January 31, 1972. You won't want to miss this one. Tune in at 9 a.m. to SiriusXM's channel 106.
Ernestine in Los Angeles, above, sent along a photo of her copy of Rock Concert: An Oral History, which had just arrived.
Héctor in Uruguay, above, reading Why Jazz Happened—with JazzWax on his laptop screen!! A double! And Art Kane's 1958 A Great Day in Harlem photo on the wall. Photo above courtesy of María, Héctor's wife.
Thanks to journalist Matt Zoller Seitz for including me in his superb Vulture essay on the late critic and author Terry Teachout, who died on January 13. To read, go here. [Photo above of Terry Teachout, courtesy of Terry Teachout]
Music break. Dave Thompson, who plays piano in the style of Bill Evans, sent along a practice session, in which he recorded an extraordinary rendition of Without a Song. [Photo above of Bill Evans, courtesy of Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid / Elemental Music]
Go here....
Mid-century jazz album covers by graphic artists have been corralled by Craig, host of the U.K.'s Fishink design blog. For Craig's post and more images like the one above, go here.
An Oscar Peterson documentary is coming to Hulu. The film, Oscar Peterson: Black + White, is directed by Barry Avrich and will be released on the streaming platform on February 15. Here's the trailer...
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. Lee Prout alerted me to a chronology of the drummer, which features quotes interspersed throughout. Go here. [Photo above of Art Blakey by Francis Wolff (c)Mosaic Images.]
Boston FM radio, anyone? Chris Cowles, host of Greasy Tracks on WRTC-FM in Hartford, Ct., devoted his show recently to the documentary WBCN and The American Revolution, which looks at the evolution of the early and influential Boston FM station. Chris spins music and interviews the film's producer-director Bill Lichtenstein. Go here. For context, go here. Watch the documentary on Amazon Prime here.
Phil Schaap radio. To honor and preserve the memory of the career of the late jazz host and educator Phil Schaap, WKCR will present a 126-hour marathon radio tribute broadcast, beginning Tuesday, February 1, at 6 p.m. The marathon will remain on the air continuously for five additional days through midnight on Sunday, February 6. Phil died on September 7, 2021 at age 70.
The tribute will touch on all aspects of Phil’s career, but especially his hosted radio broadcasts. The station will play Phil’s shows from the WKCR archives, such as Traditions In Swing, Birthday Broadcasts, Phil’s interviews with jazz legends, Bird Flight (which focused daily on Charlie Parker), and excerpts from the station's festivals. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
And finally, here's lead singer Antone Lee "Chubby" Tavares performing Check It Out with Tavares on TV's Soul Train...
