Ruth, Roger and Melanie

In the Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actress Ruth Wilson for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). You're most likely to know Ruth from the TV series The Affair (Prime and Paramount+) and Luther (TubiTV). Now she's in a riveting miniseries, The Woman in the Wall, a Showtime drama that focuses on an emotionally damaged woman who survived the cruelty of a Magdalene laundry in Ireland and her search for the child who was taken from her. [Publicity still above of Ruth Wilson]

Here's Ruth Wilson on her new Showtime miniseries The Woman in the Wall...

What I'm watching now. Here's what I streamed last week and enjoyed (I have spared you the junk I had to endure). Past recommendations appear in the list below the new entries, for a handy reference:

Last week...

Self Reliance—(2023). This film stars Jake Johnson as a guy who receives an invitation to win $1 million by taking part in a reality TV game on the dark web. For 30 days, he must outwit hunters attempting to kill him. Then he realizes there's a loophole. Believe it or not, this is a comedy thriller. Lots of fun with big twist ending. (Hulu)

Loudermilk—(2017-2020). A comedy-drama TV series starring Ron Livingston, who you'll recognize from Band of Brothers, in which he played Captain Lewis Nixon. In this series, Livingston is a cantankerous and acid-tongued, substance-abuse counselor in Seattle. Lots of fast lines and superb acting from a cast that is largely unknown. (Netflix).

Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012). Before the Reacher TV series came Lee Child's Reacher book series and then Jack Reacher, the movie. The action thriller film starred Tom Cruise and co-starred Rosamund Pike, Robert Duvall and Werner Herzog. The same premise as the series, just more compact and intense. (Paramount+) 

Past recommendations...

TV series

• The Affair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
• The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
• Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix) 
• Belgravia—(2020/Prime Video)
• Bosch—(2014-2021/Prime)
• Bosch: Legacy—(2022-current/Prime)
• The Crown—(Netflix)
• Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
• The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
• Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
• Feud (S1): Bette and Joan—(2017/Hulu)
• Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
• Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
• The Gilded Age (current/Max)
• Homeland (2011-2020/Showtime)
• Jane Eyre (2006/Britbox)
• Justified—(2010-2015/Hulu)
• Life & Beth—(Seasons 1& 2, 2022-present/Hulu)
• Lincoln Lawyer—(2022-present/Netflix)
• MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
• 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)
• American Gangster—(2007/Max).
• Armageddon Time—(2022/Prime)
• The Ballad of Buster Scruggs—(2018/Netflix)
• The Ballad of Lefty Brown—(2017/Netflix)
• Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
• Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
• The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
• God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
• Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
• Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
• Knight and Day—(2010/Roku)
• 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)
• Ordinary Angels—(2024)
• 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)
• Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
• The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
• Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
• The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)

João Gilberto. Last week, following my João Gilberto (above) Backgrounder post, I heard from marketing, public relations and entertainment executive Sue Auclair:

Hi Marc! Just read your missive about João. So funny about him. I worked that Boston show with the famous Freddy Taylor. It wasn’t that João was a complaining kind of guy. Instead, he was just very much disorganized and often missed planes and ran off in pursuit of whatever and got lost, leaving tour managers at a loss to find him.

When that Boston show was canceled, the promoter was quite ready with a hold on the following night (just in case)! Almost everyone with a ticket to the cancelled night returned to attend the second one because they loved him so much. Even on the second night, he missed a flight from Paris and arrived almost two hours late.

So we had to call a friend, a guitarist I knew from Argentina (Claudio Regazzi) and beg him to come in to Boston and play solo guitar for an hour or more to keep the audience happy while we raced to the airport to capture João. Hilarious stuff.

Alec Katz plays Bud Powell. I last posted about pianist Alec Katz (above) here. Last week, he sent along a clip playing Bud Powell's So Sorry Please and let me know that he will be recording an album later this year. For more on Alec, check out his site here. To dig Alec playing Bud, go here...

Fats Sadi. Regarding Fats Sadi's nonet album, I heard from Jef Somers last week in Belgium on the record's availability:

Hello Marc. Just for completeness’ sake, Sadi’s album was brought out by Lgloorecords, a small independent Belgian label. It is still available from them, both as a CD and a download. Go here.

Roger Kellaway and Melanie. Last week, I heard from pianist Roger Kellaway on his musical partnership with Melanie, the early 1970s singer-songwriter who died on January 23. Roger most notably played piano and/or arranged Melanie's albums Born to Be (1968), Gather Me (1971), Stoneground Words (1972) and half of Madrugada (1974):

Dear Marc, the passing of Melanie three days ago was very sad news. The last time we were together was in 2014 at the Apollo Theater for a tribute concert honoring the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' arrival in the U.S.

Melanie was a great talent. Every once in a while in the studios, we'd do an old standard together, and she had the most incredible jazz phrasing. Why? Because her mother was a singer and Melanie grew up on Billie Holiday records.

I had the good fortune to arrange, conduct and play keyboards on 3.5 albums for her. They were...

• "Born to Be" (1968). My favorites tracks are "Bo Bo’s Party” and “Mr.Tambourine Man”
• "Gather Me" (1971), which sold a half-million copies very quickly. The album included my chart, with prepared piano, on her hit, "Brand
  New Key." Other favorites include "Steppin'," "Ring the Living Bell,"
  "Center of the Circle" and "What Wondrous Love."
• "Stone Ground Words" (1972). My favorites are "Together Alone" and 'Here I Am," which features strings and a lovely tenor saxophone solo by Al Cohn. The story behind the third album's post-production involved doing all of the overdubs in one day because I was scheduled to leave after these sessions for the airport. So, we started in the afternoon, and by 2 a.m. the next morning, we were doing "Here I Am" with strings and Cohn. Throughout the evening, I had many players falling asleep while they were waiting to be called to record. Then sometime around 4 a.m., I had a car outside waiting to take me to the airport.
• "Madrugada" (1974.) I only did half of this album. But, I remember on one track I used four bassoons. I believe they were playing a folk melody from Serbi, which was the heritage of Melanie’s husband and album producer Peter Schekeryk. Peter loved the idea so much that he put the bassoons on the track four times and then, when this track was reviewed, I was accused of overwriting!

Peter’s style of recording was a bit unusual. We would start with Melanie live in the studio with piano, bass, drums and three guitars. We would record every single song. Peter listened back to all the tracks and picked out all his favorite improvised licks.

Then I'd write out those licks, and we'd all go back into the studio with Melanie and the rhythm section and record all of the tunes again, using Peter‘s favorite licks. This process seemed very bizarre to me, but that’s the way we did every single song on the 3.5 albums I did for Melanie. The moments I had with her were very special.

Here's Melanie's Brand New Key with Roger's piano...

Ulysses Owens Jr. and Generation Y—A New Beat (Cellar Music). This soul-jazz album is layered with funk and horn textures, offering up a different statement and execution on each of the nine tracks. Led by Ulysses on drums, the album is never dull and shows off what this group can do with different configurations of musicians and a singular sound, from bop to modal. The musicians joining Ulysses are Sarah Hanahan (as/1-7); Erena Terakubo (as/8); Benny Benack III (tp/1,3,6,7); Anthony Hervey (tp/2,4,5,8); Luther Allison (p/1,3,4,5,8); Tyler Bullock (p/2,8); Philip Norris (b/1-7); Ryoma Takenaga (b/8); and Milton Suggs (voc/6). This way when you listen, you'll know who's playing. I love this album. You'll find it here and at most major streaming platforms.

Here's Soulful...

Ray Gallon—Grand Company (Cellar Music). Ray is a wonderful pianist and, on his new album, he is joined by the esteemed Ron Carter on bass and Lewis Nash on drums. The fact that these two legends are with him should tell you all you need to know about Ray's confident and measured approach. All nine tracks bounce and turn sharp corners with grace, and Ron and Lewis dig in beautifully. You'll find this album here and on most major streaming platforms.

Here's Nardis...

Roy Eldridge radio. WKCR-FM in New York will present its annual "Roy Eldridge Birthday Broadcast" on Tuesday, January 30. The station will play the trumpeter's music for 24 hours (ET). You can listen from anywhere in the world here. [Photo still above of Roy Eldridge]

Phil Schapp radio. WKCR-FM in New York will present a memorial tribute to Phil Schaap next Friday, February 2, with archival re-broadcasts of some of his classic programs for 24 hours. Phil was one of the most knowledgeable jazz radio hosts and did much to build WKCR into a leading jazz educational medium. He also was one of the world's leading experts on Charlie Parker. You can read my interview with Phil here. You can listen from anywhere in the world here. [Photo above of Phil Schapp by John Abbott]

And finally, here's Bobby Hutcherson on vibes playing his composition Herzog, backed by Harold Land (ts), Stanley Cowell (p), Reggie Johnson (b) and Joe Chambers (d) at Juan les Pins, France, on July 25, 1969; the song is from Hutcherson's album Total Eclipse (1969)...