For The Wall Street Journal last week, I interviewed the Queen of Country, Reba McEntire, for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Reba is one of the hardest working women in show business today. In addition to recording and performing, she's a coach on TV's The Voice and stars in a new NBC sitcom, Happy's Place. Reba's work ethic began at age 5, hen she worked on the famiy's cattle ranch in Chockie, Okla. Spending time with her, I found her remarkably down to earth, lovely and open. [Photo above of Reba McEntire couresty of NBC]
Here's the Happy's Place trailer...
Here's Reba with Dolly Parton...
Also in the WSJ this week, my monthly Album@50 column for Arts in Review was on Suzi Quatro's Quatro album, released 50 years ago this month (go here). The album changed music history. As I wrote in the essay, the album and her tour with Alice Cooper left the jaws of female wannabe rock stars on the floor. [Photo above of Suzi Quatro courtesy of IMDb]
Suzi’s accomplishments were significant. She was the first woman in the 1970s to front a hard-rock band, play an instrument, sing lead, compose and gain international acclaim. In other words, she kicked down doors and women in the wings rushed through. The list includes Joan Jett, the Runaways, Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson, Blondie’s Debbie Harry, the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, and bassists Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads and Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s.
Oh, one more thing. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame doesn't seem to think much of women in rock. She still hasn't been inducted.
Here's Suzi at the dawn of hard rock, in 1973, singing 48 Crash...
What I'm Watching Now
My favorite streaming TV series, ranked...
- Babylon Berlin
- My Brilliant Friend
- Killing Eve
- The Crown
- The Americans
- Band of Brothers
- Landman
- Feud: Bette and Joan
- Downton Abbey
- The Blacklist
- Goliath
- The Gentlemen
- Turn: Washington's Spies
- Unbelievable
- Justified
- Lincoln Lawyer
- Voiceless (Bella da morire (2020/MHz)
Just viewed and highly recommended...
The Blacklist (2013-2023)—I'm up to Season 5 out of 10 and still hooked on this spy-thriller series. James Spader is fantastic as the man who knows where the bad guys are and, in action-packed scenes, does away with them with an FBI task force. Lots of other subplots going on throughout. An attention-holder. (Netflix)
Here's the Season 5 trailer...
Coming this fall and dug...
- Elsbeth S1
- A Man on the Inside S1
- Landman S1
- No Good Deed S1
- Interior Chinatown S1.
Worth watching...
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)
- Babylon Berlin (2017-2024/MHz via Prime Video)
- Band of Brothers—(2001/Netflix)
- The Bay (2019-current/BritBox)
- The Blacklist (2013-2023/Netflix)
- 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)
- Emily in Paris—(2020-present/Netflix)
- 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)
- Killing Eve—(2018-2022/Netflix)
- 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)
- My Brilliant Friend—(2018-current)
- 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 Heave—(2022/Hulu)
- Veronica Mars—(2004 to 2019/Hulu)
- Voiceless (Bella da morire—(2020/MHz)
- 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)
- Wilder—(2017-current)
- 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)
- The Great Lillian Hall—(2024/Max)
- 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)
- Lonely Planet—(2024)/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)
- Nobody Wants This—(2024/Netflix)
- Ordinary Angels—(2024)
- Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
- The Queen's Gambit—(2020/Netflix)
- Queenpins—(2021/Pluto TV)
- Reptile—(2023/Netflix)
- Ruthless—(2023/Hulu)
- The Secret: Dare to Dream—(2020/Netflix)
- Self Reliance—(2023/Hulu)
- Seraphim Falls—(2006/Netflix)
- Some Girl(s)—(2013/Amazon Prime)
- Somewhere in Queens—(2022/Hulu)
- The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
- Spy(ies)—(2009/Prime)
- The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
- Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
- The Two Popes—(2019/Netflix)
- Up in the Air—(2009/Max)
- 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)
- Jane Fonda in Five Acts—(2024/Max)
- Kate Hepburn: Call Me Kate—(2023/Netflix)
- Suzi Q: Suzi Quatro—(2019/Prime)
- The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
- 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here
Dionne Warwick. Found this clip last week. Still priceless...
Matthew Gee. Following my posts last week on trombonist Matthew Gee (here and here), I heard from vocalist Giacomo Gates, who sent along this clip of Eddie Jefferson's vocalese recording of Matthew Gee's composition Oh Gee!...
Reggie Workman is probably best known for his bass playing with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and the John Coltrane Quartet. Reggie is still performing, and now he, along with a team of young filmmakers and his daughter, are making a documentary about his life and contribution to jazz. Wynton Marsalis is the executive producer. But they need funds to complete the final interviews and take the results into post production. [Photo above of Reggie Workman by Anthony Dean]
You can learn more about the project and watch a trailer at Indiegogo by going here.
Here's Reggie with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in 1964 playing Clare Fischer's Pensativa...
Jazz art. A new site, The Jazz Dive, was just launched and features jazz-inspired art. Founder Allen Mezquida is the artist and an alto saxophonist who has played with Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan and Brad Mehldau. To view the site's art, go here. [Art above of bassist Eugene Wright by Allen Mezquida]
Righteous Rooster—Fowl Play (Shifting Paradigm). This very groovy Chicago organ trio combines the rich, wide sound of a Hammond from a 1960s Prestige session with more contemporary drums and guitar. The musicians are Henry Dickhoff on organ, Kenny Reichert on guitar and Luke Sagadin on drums. All six tracks are band originals and happening, and these guys clearly have spent some serious quality time listening to Don Patterson and Larry Young records. One of the best organ trio albums of the year. Can't get enough of it. To buy, go here.
Here's Groovin' on Claremont...
Don Messina and Rich Peare—Blues for Peter (New Artists). I last posted on bassist Don Messina in 2002 (go here). Don was a member of the Larry Bluth Trio. On this newly released album recorded in 2020, Don was paired with Rich Peare on classical guitar. The Peter in the album's title is guitarist Peter Prisco, with whom Rich studied guitar for years. The two terrific players here work though five standards and two originals. What I love about this album is that both Don and Rich are fully exposed and can't run for cover. They must fill the space with grace and improvisation while working together. The bass-guitar duo format is among the most difficult because stringed instruments can cover only so much sonic ground. In the case of these two, however, the results are exceptional and Tristano-like in delivery. As Don notes about Rich's playing style: "Rich plucks like he is playing Bach. No pick." To buy, go here. To listen, visit any major streaming platform.
Here's Strike Up the Band...
Irakli Louis Ambassadors—Smatcho (Market). In 2021, I posted about Alain Marquet's Jazz Museum in Paris. The friendly place is really a store with a lot of great jazz memorabilia and super-rare albums and 78s. In September, my Parisian friend, Gilles, went to see Alain near Sacré-Cœur, as he regularly does, and they sent me a lovely note and gift: this album. The recording features Irakli de Davrichewy on trumpet, Jean-Claude Onesta on trombone, Alain Marquet on clarinet, Jacques Schneck on piano, Philippe Pletan on bass and Sylvain Glevarec on drums. It's a lovely tribute to Louis Armstrong with all the heart and joy you'd expect from six top French jazz musicians who play together for fun. Dig Alain's warm clarinet! For more information on how to buy this rarity, email Alain in Paris: [email protected].
Here's Sleepy Time Down South...
And here's Moonglow...
Kristin Korb—Sweet Dreams (Giant Sheep). Denmark's Kristin Korb plays bass and sings beautifully. She also isn't afraid to re-interpret contemporary pop songs. On Sweet Dreams, she boldly turns 10 Eurythmics songs into jazz gems. The playlist includes the title track, Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves and I Saved the World Today. Kristin is also blessed with great sidemen: Magnus Hjorth on piano, Snorre Kirk on drums, Mathias Heise on harmonica, Karl-Martin Almqvist on saxophone, Steen Nikolaj Hansen on trombone and Yohan Ramon on percussion. Each song is transformed and elevated to something more interesting than the original. Neil Young's Don't Let It Bring You Down and Jackie DeShannon's Put a Little Love in Your Heart are here, too. Kudos to Kristin for taking on these songs, re-imagining them and creating a smart listen. To buy, go here.
Here's Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves...
Houston Person radio. On Sunday, Sid Gribetz will host a Jazz Profiles show on tenor saxophonist Houston Person, from 2 to 7 p.m. (ET) on WKCR-FM in New York. To listen in from anywhere in the world, go here.
Clifford Brown radio. On Oct. 30, WKCR-FM in New York will present its annual “Clifford Brown Birthday Broadcast,” playing the music of the trumpeter for 24 hours starting at 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 29. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.
And finally, here's 15 minutes of a terrific doo-wop radio show...