Steve, Eydie and Jon-Erik

This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed actor Steve Buscemi for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Steve talked about growing up in East New York, Brooklyn, before moving to the suburbs of Valley Stream, 10 miles east. As he said, "It was as if my parents had said, 'We’re moving to Long Island,' crossed the border and went, 'This is good enough.' ” [Photo above of Steve Buscemi]

Here's Steve in Boardwalk Empire...

Here's Steve in Reservoir Dogs...

And here's Steve in The Sopranos...

SiriusXM. Last week, I reunited with Lori Majewski (above), host of the fabulous Fierce Women in Music show on SiriusXM. Lori had me on to talk about Joni Mitchell and the singer-songwriter's best-selling album, Court and Spark, which turned 50 earlier this year. For six years, I was on SiriusXM monthly with Lori and Nik Carter on their Feedback show to showcase my monthly Anatomy of a Song column. Now Lori is on her own, focusing on women in music, a glorious subject.

To listen to my hour-long conversation with Lori and previously unheard clips from my interview with Joni at her house in Los Angeles in 2014, go here.

Podcast. I also was on Classic Conversations, a podcast hosted by Jeff Dwoskin (above), to talk about pop culture and TV theme songs of the 1960s and early 1970s and what made them so addictive. To listen to the 41-minute show, go here.

What I'm watching.

Last week...

Scott & Bailey (2011-2016)—I'm up to Season 2 and I'm hooked on this series. Fast-paced British crime drama 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/Netflix)
Facing Nolan—(2022/Netflix)
Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here

Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Following the death of singer Steve Lawrence on March 7, I heard from Larry Pluth...

Hello Marc. I hope you were able to see the recent PBS broadcast of the TJ Lubinsky musical retrospective of the late, great Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme. Your recent postings of Eydie Gorme vocals were an excellent representation of Eydie's remarkable talent. Since then, the "Ed Sullivan Show" team uploaded another video to YouTube of Eydie singing "One Note Samba" from May 26, 1963.

Her classic "Blame It on the Bossa Nova" album was a perfect early '60s mix of pop, Latin and jazz, and the sound was interpreted magnificently by Eydie. All the songs are standouts. I love Johnny Pacheco's flute on "Dansero." The lyrics by Jon Hendricks for "Desafinado" are superior and far more poetic than those written by Gene Lees.

My favorite track was "One Note Samba." Eydie's vocal was thrilling with her trademark opening and closing vocal flourish. Her scat singing was delightful. And Clark Terry's trumpet adds spice to this Jobim standard.

Back in the day Eydie, Carol Burnett and Beverly Sills were close friends. It was Sills who said that Eydie could hit the high note better than an opera singer. To this day, Eydie remains my favorite singer and "Blame It" my favorite album, which led me to explore Brazilian music, now my favorite kind of music.

Check out the 1967 album "Steve & Eydie, Bonfa & Brazil," with all Luis Bonfa songs. Bonfa is on the guitar and the arrangements were by Eumir Deodato. Wow—four musical legends performing sublime Brazilian ballads and up-tempo tunes.

Here's Eydie Gorme on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1963 singing One Note Samba...

Here's Steve & Eydie, Bonfa & Brazil, track by track with ads...

Stanley Turrentine. Just for kicks, here's the tenor saxophonist playing Sunday in New York...

Jon-Erik Kellso and the EarRegulars: Live at the Ear Inn (Arbors). The Ear Inn is down at 326 Spring St. in New York. The bar features jazz regularly, most notably by the superb trumpeter Jon-Erik Kellso and the EarRegulars. It would be too easy to call them a throw-back band that specializes in jazz from the 1930s and '40s. Instead, they are a bunch of guys who dig deep into these songs and bring a very contemporary feel to jazz history. Jon has been recording since 1991 and has more than 100 albums under his belt, all of them top-notch. The EarRegulars feature Jon (tp), John Allred (tb), Evan Christopher (cl), Jay Rattman (as), Scott Robinson (ts,tarogato,alto Normaphone), Matt Munisteri and Chris Flory (g), and Neal Miner and Pat O'Leary (b). This album was recorded live in January 2023 and is terrific. Like chefs who recreate meals from vintage menus, Jon-Erik and the EarRegulars take you back in time without boring you to tears. You can hear and feel their love and drive to recreate the energy and soul of lost music. For more on Jon-Erik Kellso, go here. You'll find the album here or on streaming platforms.

Here's Indian Summer...

Dan Penn: The Inside Track on Bobby Purify (Last Music). Ben Moore was the second Bobby Purify, a stage name for the first Bobby Purify—Robert Lee Dickey, the cousin of James Lee Purify. It was a stage name because the original R&B duo was known as James & Bobby Purify (I'm Your Puppet in 1966 was their biggest hit). For billing, James and Bobby Purify sounded a lot better than James Purify and Robert Dickey. After Robert retired for health reasons, James worked as a solo until he was introduced to Ben Moore by Dan Penn, a producer at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala. Moore toured with James as Bobby Purify and eventually began recording solo. His last album project was The Inside Track on Bobby Purify. All of the songs were co-written by Penn, who had pulled in Purify to record them in 2004. But before he could tour, Moore lost his sight to severe glaucoma and left music behind. He died in 2022. Now, Last Music has released not only the fully produced album but also Penn's demos. It's a beautiful release that surely would have resurrected Moore's career. Sadly, it never saw the light of day. A must-own for anyone who loves traditional soul. You'll find the album here and on most major streaming platforms.

Here's Forever Changed...

Chief Keegan—The Piles High Club. More great news from Ireland: A spring-loaded jazz-funk band called Chief Keegan. Lucky Dublin! Comprised of organist/pianist Luke Dunford, guitarist Mark Dudley, bassist Alan Elliott and drummers Cian Hanley and Tommy Gray, this group has enormous punch. I have to assume that when pub-goers are enjoying a pint while these guys are on stage, no one cares if it has been raining for a week. Chief Keegan's new album will send your spirits soaring. Huey Lewis and the News meets the Average White Band. You'll find the album here and on most major streaming platforms.