Jonathan, Billie and Chet

In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed Jonathan Pryce for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Jonathan currently co-stars in 3 Body Problem, a Netflix sci-fi series. [Photo above of Jonathan Pryce in The Crown, courtesy of HBO]

Here's Jonathan in The Two Popes...

Here's Jonathan in The Wife...

And here's Jonathan as Prince Philip in The Crown...

What I'm watching.

Last week...

Facing Nolan (2022)—A superb documentary on professional baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan who, before he retired at age 46 in 1993, held 51 Major League records, including seven career no-hitters. A special thanks to James Engelbrecht for making me aware of the documentary. (Netflix)

Here's the Facing Nolan trailer...

Scott & Bailey (2011-2016)—Fast-paced British crime series featuring two female police detectives who investigate murders in Manchester, England. A glance at the BritBox line-up of series will tell you that Britain seems to crank out detective sagas all year long. Many fall short because the writing is dull or you just don't get pulled in. This series and others mentioned in earlier posts are the exception. (BritBox)

Here's the Scott & Bailey trailer...

Previously watched and recommended...

TV series

• The Affair—(2014-2019/Hulu)
• Alaska Daily—(2022/Prime)
• The Americans—(2013-2018)/Prime)
• Anatomy of a Scandal—(2022/Netflix)
• Apples Never Fall—2024/Peacock)
• Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix) 
• The Bay (2019-current/BritBox)
• Belgravia—(2020/Prime Video)
• Blue Lights—(2023/BritBox)
• Bosch—(2014-2021/Prime)
• Bosch: Legacy—(2022-current/Prime)
• The Crown—(2016-2023/Netflix)
• Cherif—(2013-2019/Prime)
• Dark Winds—(2022/AMC)
• The Diplomat—(2023/Netflix)
• Downton Abbey—(2020-2015/Prime)
• Feud (S1): Bette and Joan—(2017/Hulu)
• Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans—(2024/FX, with streaming on Hulu)
• Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
• The Gentlemen—(2024/Netflix)
• Godless—(2017/Netflix)
• Goliath—(2016-2021/Prime)
• The Gilded Age—(current/Max)
• High Water—(2022/Netflix)
• 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)
• Loudermilk—(2017-2020/Netflix)
• MI-5, the Series—(2002-2011/BritBox)
• Monsieur Spade—(2024/AMC)
• Murdaugh Murders: The Movie, Parts 1 and 2—(2023/Lifetime)
• 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 Watcher—(2022/Netflix)
• The Way Home—(2023-current/Peacock)
• The Woman in the Wall—(2024/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)
• The Dig—(2021/Netflix)
• Eiffel—(2021/Prime)
• Enola Holmes 1 and 2—(2022/Netflix)
• The Equalizer 1, 2 and 3—(2014-2024/Prime)
• Fury—(2014/Netflix)
• God's Country—(2022/Hulu)
• Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
• Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012/Paramount+) 
• 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)
• The Secret: Dare to Dream—(2020/Netflix)
• Self Reliance—(2023/Hulu)
• Seraphim Falls—(2006/Netflix)
• Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
• The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
• Spy(les)—(2009/Prime)
• The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
• Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
• The Two Popes—(2019/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)
• Cunk on Earth—(2022/Neflix)
• Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
• The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
• 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go h

Billie Holiday. Following my post on a Billie Holiday (above) documentary last week, I received the following from Roger Cotterrell in London...

Hello Marc. Thanks for this interesting post. You may know Julia Blackburn’s eloquent book "With Billie" (2006), which is largely made up of clever assemblages and reworkings of Linda Kuehl’s interview transcripts and other research materials. I bought the book here in London about 15 years ago and thought it was an excellent piece of reconstruction, given the jumbled and massive collection of taped and documentary sources from which it was written.

And this from Lee Prout...

Marc, your posting yesterday re: Linda Kuehl’s amazing research on Billie Holiday, and her untimely (and unresolved) death, was uncharted territory for me. It motivated me to do some research of my own that led to this critique by Kim Nalley on Kuehl and the Billie documentary based upon Kuehl’s research.

I'm not familiar with the author, who resides in the Bay Area, but she is apparently a highly regarded jazz vocal talent in her own right and was given her first break by Michael Tilson Thomas. I thought her post had substance and was worth sharing.

Chet Baker & Strings was recorded in 1953 and 1954, and released in 1954. It remains a beautiful marriage of trumpeter Chet Baker's relaxed tone and arrangements by Marty Paich, Johnny Mandel, Jack Montrose and Shorty Rogers. Last week, I found the photo above of, clockwise from top left, Marty Paich, Johnny Mandel, Jack Montrose and Shorty Rogers on the Facebook page of Kirk Silsbee.

Here's I Married an Angel, arranged by Marty Paich...

Here's Shorty Rogers arrangement of Why Shouldn't I?...

Here's Jack Montrose's arrangement of You'd Better Go Now...

And here's Johnny Mandel's arrangement of You Don't Know What Love Is...

Ian Carey—Strange Arts (Slow & Steady). I've known Ian from the earliest days of this blog. The San Francisco Bay Area trumpeter has come a long way, and his new album is easily his most ambitious and finest. His group, Wood Metal Plastic, is a septet that combines horns and strings with bass and drums. The songs are all originals, and what makes the music interesting is that violinists Mia Bella d'Augelli and Alisa Rose and cellist Jessica Ivry not only provide a silky backdrop but also are cut loose to do their thing. The strings are joined by Ian on trumpet and Kasey Knudsen on alto saxophone, Lisa Mezzacappa on bass and Jon Arkin on drums. Ian's pieces were influenced by his father's artwork, and five of the seven musicians are women, giving the works a special intensity. The music is compositional but shifts between jazz and atonal playing. Be sure to give this one a listen. You'll find the album here or on streaming platforms.

Here's Rain Tune...

Here's the septet six years ago...

Sarah Vaughan radio. This coming Tuesday and Wednesday (March 26 and 27), WKCR-FM in New York will present a 48-hour marathon broadcast celebrating the centennial of vocalist Sarah Vaughan. Her music will be played around the clock, starting on Monday night at 11:59 p.m., and then all day and night Tuesday and Wednesday. Listen from anywhere in the world by going here.

Here's Sassy singing An Occasional Man from the album In the Land of Hi-Fi backed by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Ernie Wilkins...

Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Here's a stunning arrangement of I Should Care from another great album in hi-fidelity: The Fabulous Dorseys in Hi-Fi...

And finally, here's Redbone performing Come and Get Your Love onTV's Midnight Special in 1974...