Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed comedian Kenan Thompson for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Kenan is the longest-tenured cast member of Saturday Night Live after joining in 2003. He co-stars in Good Burger 2 and is the author of When I Was Your Age (Harper), a memoir. [Photo above of Kenan Thompson courtesy of NBC]
Here's Kenan as the grandpa and Eddie Murphy as the dad on a sketch from SNL...
What I'm watching now. Here's what I streamed last week and really enjoyed (I spare you the junk I had to endure). Past recommendations appear in the list below the new entries for a handy reference:
The Crown—The series' final 10 episodes are tender and epic. If you haven't watched The Crown, stop making excuses and start at the beginning. It's easily one of the finest series ever made for television. (Netflix)
Ordinary Angels—A feature film coming in February starring Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson. A hairdresser works hard to help a down-and-out widower save his daughter's life. That's as much as I can say. It's a wonderful movie with superb acting. (Lionsgate)
Life & Beth—Season 2 of the drama-comedy series starring comedian-actress Amy Schumer. Due early next year. (Hulu)
The Gilded Age—Wrapping up this quaint drama about robber-baron life on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue in the late 1880s and the social-climbing schemes their wives and conniving offspring hatch and try to execute. (Max)
Past recommendations...
TV series
- The Affair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
- The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
- Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix)
- The Crown—(Netflix)
- Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
- The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
- Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
- Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
- Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
- Jane Eyre (2006/Britbox)
- Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
- Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
- 1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
- 1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
- Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
- Pieces of Her—(2022/Netflix)
- Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
- Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
- Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
- Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
- Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
- The Woman in the Wall—Due in January (Showtime)
- Yellowstone—(2018-present/Paramount Network)
Films
- The Accountant—(2016/Hulu)
- Armageddon Time—(2022/Prime)
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs—(2018/Netflix)
- The Ballad of Lefty Brown—(2017Netflix)
- Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
- Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
- The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2018/Prime)
- God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
- Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
- Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
- Last Night in Soho—(2021/Prime)
- Last Seen Alive—(2020/Netflix)
- Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
- MI-5—(2015/Max)
- The Mule—(2018/Netflix)
- The Night Agent—(2023/Netflix)
- Nobody—(2021/Prime)
- Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix
- The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
- Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
- Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
- Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
- The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
- Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
- The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
- Wonder Wheel—(2017/Prime)
Documentaries
- Aftershock: Everest and the Nepal Earthquake—(2022/Netflix)
- The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
- Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
- The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
Next week, the fourth annual JazzWax Film Festival. I've selected a great mix of movies and surprises, so get that bottle of white or pot of tea ready for a cozy evening.
Angela Donna Lee D'Elia. From my past posts, many of you already know my friend Gilles D'Elia, a superb art photographer and jazz lover in Paris. His daughter is a beautiful flutist. Her middle name, Donna Lee, says it all. Gilles sent along a video clip, but before I show it to you, he also sent along something else:
There is a very famous French poem by François Villon that talks about staying at home during Christmas in Paris. The poem dates from 1456!
Sur le Noël, morte saison,
Que les loups se vivent du vent,
Et qu’on se tient en sa maison,
Pour le frimas, près du tison
It's difficult to translate into English, but it would go something like this:
At Christmas, cold and bitter days
When wolves live on the wind
Within this house a person stays
By warming fires, the winter logs ablaze.
The day is dawning in Paris as I write this, and you will read this email when the day dawns in New York!
This is why I love corresponding with Gilles. He's the heart and soul of Paris!
Here's Angela Donna Lee D'Elia in concert in Paris several months ago...
Oscar Peterson on synths? Here's the pianist in his studio...
Cher and Carol Burnett spoof each other. Here they are...
This song never gets old. Here's Marilyn McCoo and the 5th Dimension singing Burt Bacharach and Hal David's One Less Bell to Answer. The 5th Dimension still don't get sufficient credit for being the greatest vocal group of the 1960s...
Another? Here's Up, Up and Away...
One more? Here's California Soul...
Can't stop. Here's Wedding Bell Blues...
And here's Marilyn McCoo and Florence LaRue of the 5th Dimension with Dionne Warwick singing a medley of each other's hits...
David Thompson—The Studio Sessions. Many readers who enjoy Dave Thompson's piano in the style of Bill Evans have emailed me asking if Dave has released an album of his studio tracks. The answer, now, is yes. His new album is entitled just that. Solo pieces that will be familiar to you: Alice in Wonderland, Without a Song, Turn Out the Stars, But Not for Me, Nature Boy, Waltz for Debby, We Will Meet Again, Quiet Now, Bill's Hit Tune and Dave's own Waltz for You. You'll find Dave's new album here.
Here's Waltz for Debby...
Here's Bill's Hit Tune...
And Waltz for You (for Marjorie)...
FM Radio Archive. You can access the following performances for free on your computer. How? Just follow my instructions. And a special thanks to Kim Paris [Photo above of Bill Evans and Tony Bennett courtesy of Craft Records]...
Donald Byrd—is featured on a 1973 WBCN-Boston broadcast from the Jazz Workshop. Go here.
Bill Evans—we have two recordings, one from 1975 with his trio and another from 1976 with Tony Bennett. Go here.
Marvin Gaye—played at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, on a 1979 concert broadcast on NHK Radio. Go here.
Art Blakey—played at Keystone Korner in San Francisco on New Year's Eve in a NPR broadcast and is also featured on John Rogers' "Tribute to Art Blakey" on KJAZ in 1990, four days after his passing. Go here.
Tony and the holidays. I miss Tony Bennett most around the holidays, since it's his voice I think of when this time of year rolls around. Unlike most other pop voices, there's a certain level of cool and cheer in that voice, and you feel he's really with you emotionally rather than simply recording or appearing in a video. So in tribute to Tony, I offer up three holiday clips:
Here's I'll Be Home for Christmas...
Here's Winter Wonderland...
Here's I Love the Winter Weather/I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm...
And one from Johnny Mathis, another great guy and a wonderful interview...
