Mike, Buddy and Anthony

Last week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed Mike Love of the Beach Boys for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Mike's family was financially comfortable growing up in the Baldwin Hills section of Los Angeles. His father worked for his father, who had started a lucrative sheet-metal business that outfitted ship galleys during World War II and then suburban houses during the post-war boom. [Photo above of Mike Love, courtesy of Mike Love via Facebook]

At Mike's house, family singalongs were common, and his Uncle Murry—his mother's brother—often brought his boys along, Brian, Carl and Dennis. Then in 1961, Brian ran into a neighborhood friend, Al Jardine, and they started to put together a vocal group inspired by doo-wop and jazzy pop vocal harmony groups like the Four Freshmen.

Here are the Four Freshmen in 1957 singing Graduation Day...

Here are the Beach Boys in 1964 singing the same song, with Brian Wilson on falsetto..

And here's the trailer to The Beach Boys documentary streaming on Disney+...

What I'm watching.

Sugar (2024)—Colin Farrell plays John Sugar, an L.A. private detective, in this neo-noir, mystery-drama series. Sugar is a huge film buff, so scenes are often interchanged with black-and-white clips of old films that fit the scene. In other words, L.A. never changes for the private detective. Sort of Chinatown meets The Maltese Falcon and Lincoln Lawyer. The sucks you in. Thanks Ernestine! (Apple TV+)

Here's the trailer...

Killing Eve (2018-2022)—Yes, I'm still working through Season 4. Many distractions and lots of other upcoming stuff to watch in advance of interviews. Dark, comedic British spy thriller starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, who is easily one of today's finest actresses. (Netflix)

Here's the trailer to Season 4...

I also had an opportunity to watch the upcoming series The Day of the Jackal (coming in November) and the films The Good Half (June) and Kevin Costner's Western Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter 1 (August).

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)
• Ripley—(2024/Netflix)
• Scott & Bailey (2011-2016/Prime)
• Turn: Washington's Spies—(2014-2017/Prime)
• Unbelievable—(2019/Netflix)
• Under the Banner of Heaven—(2022/Hulu)
• Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
• The Watcher—(2022/Netflix)
• The Way Home—(2023-current/Peacock)
• Who Is Erin Carter—(2023/Netflix)
• The Woman in the Wall—(2024/Showtime)
• The Veil—(2024/Hulu-FX)
• WPC 56—(2013-2015/Britbox)
• 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)
• Blackout (2022/Netflix) 
• The Bricklayer—(2024/Netflix)
• The Commuter (2018/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)
• The Little Things—(2021/Netflix)
• Man on Fire—(2004/Max)
• Manchester by the Sea—(2016/Prime Video)
• 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)
• The Beach Boys—(2024/Disney)
• Carole King: Live in Central Park—(2023/PBS)
• The Comeback—(2005 and 2014/Max)
• Cunk on Earth—(2022/Netflix)
• Cyndi Lauper: Let the Canary Sing—(2023/Paramount+)
• Facing Nolan—(2022/Netflix)
• Five Came Back—(2017/Netflix)
• Kate Hepburn: Call Me Kate—(2023/Netflix)
• The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
• 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here

Jazz Loft. Last week, Michael Reilly sent along a painting (above) he did of the New York building that housed W. Eugene Smith's loft between 1957 and 1965, where jazz musicians came by and were recorded and photographed.

Al Harewood. Following my post last week on Pat Britt, I heard from pianist Harold Danko, who played with the drummer. Harold will be at the Rochester International Jazz Festival this Sunday (June 23/go here) and at New York's Zinc Bar on June 25 (go here). [Photo above of Al Harewood]

Buddy Rich. Last week, I came across two killer videos of the Buddy Rich Big Band.

The first features Rich on the Tonight Show With Johnny Carson in 1974 playing Nutville with the Tonight Show band. As Buddy said after leaving the drums, the chart was put on the stands that night and the band sight-read them. Here's Nutville, composed by Horace Silver and arranged by band trumpeter Greg Hopkins.

As Bill Kirchner points out, "the soloists are Lew Tabackin on tenor saxophone, Conte Candoli on trumpet and Ross Tompkins on piano. Note that at 0:39, Rich looks at the bass player and exclaims, 'Oh, look who that is!.' That’s because Joel DeBartolo was a former member of Rich’s band.

And here's Bill Reddie's Channel 1 Suite. in 1978. (Just click on the "Watch on YouTube" link in the embedded box below to be taken to the site for playback)...

Denny Zeitlin. Following my post on Denny's new album, Panoply, I heard from pianist Roger Kellaway:

Hi Marc. A beautiful piece on Denny. We have known each other since 1959. In the mid-'60s, Denny was at our house playing my piano, and I had visions of orchestrating the sounds that I was listening to. The closest that I came to that was conducting his score for “Invasion of the Body Snatchers." Gregg McRichie was the orchestrator. Denny is an amazing talent. And, in fact, I just got his new CD in the mail yesterday. Another Zeitlin adventure!

And here's the wonderful François Zalacain, owner of Sunnyside Records, Denny's label...

Hi Marc. Great way to introduce Denny Zeitlin to those readers of your great blog that are not familiar with his art. I am amazed at the daily informative output of Jazzwax. How you do it as there are only 24 hours in a day?

Little Anthony. Here's Little Anthony and the Imperials singing Hurt So Bad in 1965...

Harold Land radio. On Sunday (June 23), WKCR-FM's Sid Gribetz will host a five-hour Jazz Profiles retrospective of West Coast tenor saxophonist Harold Land. Tune in from anywhere in the world and listen live from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET) by going here.

And finally, here's Corinne Drewery, with Swing Out Sister, in 1992 singing Am I the Same Girl. Barbara Acklin was first to record the song, but there wasn't much chart traction. So producer Carl Davis removed her voice from the track and replaced it with a piano solo by Floyd Morris. Re-issued in November 1968 as Soulful Strut, the song was credited to Young-Holt Unlimited. The single climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard pop chart.

Here's Young-Holt Unlimited's hit...

And lastly here's Dua Lipa with Elton John at Dodger Stadium last year. Elton sang Cold Heart while Lipa sang Rocket Man. Genius!...