Benny Goodman had Fletcher Henderson, Tommy Dorsey had Sy Oliver and Chick Webb had Edgar Sampson. All were super-hot black composer-arrangers in the 1930s and '40s who specialized in swing.
Yesterday I posted about Chick Webb. Today, a rare treat to swing you into 2025. I found Edgar Sampson's sole 12-inch album up on YouTube—Swing Softly Sweet Sampson: Edgar Sampson and His Orchestra. Recorded for Coral over three days in April 1956, the LP swings like mad.
The band and tracks
April 2 and 3...
Charlie Shavers, Jimmy Nottingham and Red Solomon (tp); Tyree Glenn and Lou McGarity (tb); Milt Yaner and Hymie Schertzer (as); Boomie Richman and George Berg (ts); Lou Stein (p); Allen Hanlon (g); Beverly Peer (b); Terry Snyder (d) and Edgar Sampson (arr,ldr).
Stompin' at the Savoy
I'll Be Back for More
Blue Lou
Lullaby in Rhythm
Hoopdee Whodee
If Dreams Come True
April 4...
Bernie Kaufman (as) replaces Hymie Schertzer
The Sweetness of You
Light and Sweet
The Blues Made Me Feel This Way
Cool and Groovy
Happy and Satisfied
Here'sSwing Softly Sweet Sampson: Edgar Sampson and His Orchestra in full, without ad interruptions. And dig the crazy chart for Lullaby in Rhythm at 12:54. Happy New Year!...
The King of Swing in the 1930s wasn't Benny Goodman or Count Basie. It was Chick Webb. The drummer fielded, managed and drove one of the best dance bands in the country and held court at New York's Savoy Ballroom, at 596 Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets in Harlem.
Webb's band was built to keep people dancing, and the swing he produced to do so was imitated while he was at the peak of his fame and for years after his death in 1939 at age 34. When Count Basie arrived in New York to face off against Webb at the Savoy in 1938, dancers heard a cooler, more laid-back style of swing compared with Webb's drum-driven forward-leaning and theatrical style. Goodman also wound up at the Savoy, with his more homogenized approach palatable with a mass youth market that liked to dance, just not quite as expressively or enthousiastically as those at the Savoy.
Born in 1905 in Baltimore, Webb fell down a staircase as a child in his family's home and crushed several vertebrae that required surgery. He never regained full mobility. His injury led to tuberculosis of the spine, resulting in his short stature and a deformed spine that made him appear hunchbacked.
As therapy, his doctor suggested he play an instrument to stay loose. Webb set to work as a paper boy and soon saved enough to buy a set of drums. His first professional gig came at age 11, in 1916. At 17, he moved to New York and led his first band in 1926. The Chick Webb Orchestra became the house band at the Savoy in 1931 and pioneered the swing style geared for keeping dancers on the floor. He began recording in the late 1920s, and by 1931, he was a national recording star.
Ella Fitzgerald joined Webb's band in 1935, which raised the band's popularity and demand. Despite his small stature, Webb would leave everything on the bandstand, which often left him gasping in pain at the end of each evening. In 1938, his health declined, and Fitzgerald took over management of the band.
Some of Edgar Sampson's arrangements for Webb were routinely used by Goodman to reach young white audiences. For example, his charts for Don't Be That Way (1934) and Stompin' at the Savoy (1936) were released in nearly identical form by Goodman.
To give you a sense of the potency and tight power of Chick Webb in the 1930s, here are 10 clips:
In the Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed celebrity chef and author Gordon Ramsay for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here), As hard childhoods go, Gordon's was up there. He moved many times in Scotland and England to avoid creditors and coped with a hard-drinking, womanizing father who couldn't hold a job but had aspirations of becoming a rock star, a dream that was far afield of his talent or discipline. Gordon managed to save himself by sticking with his mother, who cooked in the kitchen of a restaurant in Stratford-upon-Avon. Her influence and work ethic gave him the drive needed to develop a talent and to succeed. Gordon is the host of Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares: Road to Super Bowl LIX, premiering Jan. 7, and season 4 of Next Level Chef, starting Feb. 13. [Photo above of Gordan Ramsay courtesy of Jeff Niera/FOX]
Here's the trailer for Gordon's Fox series Kitchen Nightmares: Road to Super Bowl LIX...
My favorite streaming TV series, ranked...
Babylon Berlin
My Brilliant Friend
Killing Eve
The Crown
The Americans
Band of Brothers
Landman
Friday Night Lights
The Old Man
Feud: Bette and Joan
Downton Abbey
The Blacklist
Goliath
The Gentlemen
Turn: Washington's Spies
Unbelievable
Justified
Voiceless (Bella da morire (2020/MHz)
Black Doves
Web Therapy
Just viewed and highly recommend...
Black Doves (2024)—A fast-paced, six-episode British spy thriller series starring Keira Knightley. If the James Bond film franchise is looking for a Jane Bond, Keira is it. A special thanks for the recommendation from Ernestine. (Netflix)
Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans—(2024/FX, with streaming on Hulu)
Fisk—(2021/Netflix)
Friday Night Lights (2006-2011/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)
Lioness—(2023-current/Paramount+)
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)
The Old Man—(2022/Hulu)
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)
Web Therapy—(2011-2015/Fandango)
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)
TheBricklayer—(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)
The Family Man—(2000/Netflix)
Fury—(2014/Netflix)
God's Country—(2022/Hulu
Guy Ritchie's The Covenant—(2023/Prime)
I Used to Be Funny (2023/Netflix)
Jack Reacher (the movie)—(2012/Paramount+)
Just My Luck (2006/Paramount+)
Kill Chain—(2019/Max)
La Palma (2024/Netflix)
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)
Only Girl in the Orchestra—(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
Eydie Gormé. Last week, Larry Pluth sent along a clip of Eydie Gormé on the TV's Ed Sullivan Show in October 1963 newly posted at YouTube. Here's Gormé singing Just One of Those Things. She certainly turned a few young boys in the audience into fans...
Eliane Elias.Last week, Dave Thompson sent along a clip of the amazing Eliane Elias playing Desafinado at the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia, earlier this year. Go here...
Excellent jazz albums worth a listen via streaming or buying:
Terry Waldo—Treasury, Vol. 1 (Turtle Bay). Terry is one of the great ragtime and hot jazz pianists around today, and on this album he rolls out classics from the 1920s with his Gotham City Band. Extraordinary jazz played by a sophisticated ensemble. Impossible not to love this one. To read my interview with Terry, go here. For the album, go here.
Here'sAfter You've Gone, with Veronica Swift on vocal...
Andrew Hill—A Beautiful Day Revisited (Palmetto). The late great pianist recorded the tracks on this breathtaking recording live in 2002 with a sextet and an additional 10 musicians. Go here.
Thom Rotella—Side Hustle (High Note). The cool, lyrical swinging guitarist is backed on tracks by organ and drums, with special gusts Eric Alexander on tenor saxophone and Jeremy Pelt on trumpet. Go here.
And finally,here's Charles "Mighty Burner" Earland's recording of John Coltrane's Lazy Bird, with solos by tenor saxophonist Jimmy Heath, trumpeter Virgil Jones, guitarist Maynard Parker and organist Charles Earland from Black Drops (1970)...
Thank God for Europe and Scandinavia. If not for their government-sponsored TV stations, we'd never have intimate footage of American jazz stars in action. Today, two clips of the Bill Evans Trio in Stockholm, Sweden, in August 1964, with Evans on piano, Chuck Israels on bass and Larry Bunker on drums. Plus a bonus track:
Here's an extraordinarily intense rendition of My Foolish Heart...
Bonus:Here's audio of Bill Evans, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund playing Enrique Granados's Granados, with the San Jose Symphony Orchestra in 1975, sent along by Dave Thompson...
In 1967, Gilbert Bécaud began hosting French TV's Gilbert Bécaud Show, which was taped in different European cities. Bécaud was known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volt" due to his animated and energetic stage style. That year, in Germany, the variety show included two songs performed by João Gilberto on guitar and vocal, Pierre Le Marchand on hi-hat and Austrian tenor saxophonist Hans Koller.
A special thanks to Carl Woideck for passing along the two clips, which just went up at YouTube.
Here's Gilberto playing guitar and singing Samba Da Minha Terra, with Le Marchand on hi-hat...
And here's Gilberto and Le Marchand with Koller on saxophone playing The Girl From Ipanema...
It's Christmas Day and once again it's time for the Julie London Christmas album that never was. I started this tradition 10 years ago because, for whatever reason, the jazz vocalist never recorded an LP of holiday favorites. All we have is the B-side of a Liberty 45 released in 1957—I'd Like You for Christmas, written by her soon-to-be husband, Bobby Troup. Why she'd release a single side but not a full-blown LP remains puzzling, to say the least. [Publicity still above of Julie London]
So in 2014, I assembled all of her seasonal tracks for a faux streaming release of my own. As JazzWax readers know, London is a favorite of mine. She had a cool, sultry singing style that never felt forced. Her sophisticated, hip phrasing was deeply nocturnal and consistently relaxed. And she loved off-beat songs and aced them with a beckoning delivery and terrific range backed by seemingly effortless vocal power. Her movie-star looks have nothing to do with her appeal. It's her underappreciated jazz voice and hip phrasing that knock me out. [Photo above of Julie London]
Did London avoid a holiday album because recording one would be square? Probably. Or did her label, Liberty Records, decide to avoid one to preserve her with-it dry-ice image? Or maybe she did record one but it's lost among dozens of other forgotten reels in some vault.
Whatever the reason, I decided in 2013 to gather her winter-themed tracks and playfully name the post Julie London Wishes You a Merry Christmas. On Spotify and YouTube, I see that others have taken my idea and turned them into playlists, going so far as to create a cover that looks as if London had recorded such an album. They even used my title and order of presentation. Makes no difference to me. Imitation is the most delightful form of flattery.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my readers. Now, here are eight tracks of Julie London that are perfect for today:
Here'sI'd Like You for Christmas with the Johnny Mann Singers and Mann conducting...
And here's London with Pat Boone singing Winter Wonderland on TV's Pat Boone in Hollywood in 1967...
Bonus: Now meet Miss Julie London, the queen of West Coast cool. The panel on TV's What's My Line in August 1959 tried to figure out who she was, but Julie managed to stump them all with a hipster patois, much to their frustration. Go here and move the space bar to 18:33...
Separately, my annual thanks to those who graciously alert me early about typos and errors in my posts, including Dan Podkulski, Michael O'Daniel, Bill Kirchner, Todd Selbert, Peter S.W. Levin, Carl Woideck, Larry Allen and Jeff Helgesen. Love you all, and readers should, too.
There's something about Glenn Miller's holiday broadcasts that seem timeless. Miller, of course, fronted two bands: His stateside orchestra from 1938 to early fall 1942 and then his Army Air Force Band from the late fall of 1942 to December 1944, when he perished over the English Channel flying from London to Paris. The latter band was more romantic and swinging, to keep nostalgia strong and spirits high. Both bands were oddly calming and comforting.
Here's the stateside Glenn Miller band on the radio at New York's Paradise Restaurant in the Brill Building on New Year's Eve in 1938...
Here's the stateside band on the radio at New York's Cafe Rouge in the Hotel Pennsylvania on December 21, 1940...
Here's the stateside band on the radio for its Sunrise Serenade broadcast from the Cafe Rouge on Christmas 1941, 18 days after America entered World War II...
Here's the Army Air Force Band on December 18, 1943...
Paul Desmond and the Modern Jazz Quartet appeared together on stage only once, on the evening of Christmas Day in 1971. What's remarkable is that the concert was taped and the second half released on vinyl in 1981. The combined sound together was heavenly.
Michael O'Daniel turned me on to the album, since I wasn't aware of it previously. He also sent along more information about the concert, since he was the one who presented it. At the end of this post, you'll find the album in full, without ad interruptions.
Here are Michael's recollections:
Hi Marc. In 1971, my wife and I were living in New York, pretty much on a shoestring, trying to keep my fledgling artist management company afloat after a three-year financial roller coaster. The Modern Jazz Quartet was one of my first clients.
At the time, we lived in the much lamented Great Northern Hotel at 111 West 57th St., just off 6th Avenue. Its back entrance was on 56th St. Erroll Garner lived at the Great Northern. Duke Ellington periodically recorded there at Fine Recording on the first floor. The hotel was both a domicile and a revolving door for musicians, due to its proximity to Carnegie Hall and Nola Studios. The 13-story Great Northern was demolished in the late 1980s to make way for the Parker Meridien Hotel.
Paul Desmond lived right around the corner from us, at 77 West 55th St., on the corner of 6th Avenue. I knew him personally from his Dave Brubeck Quartet days, and we were still in touch periodically. At the time, Paul had not made a live appearance since the Brubeck Quartet disbanded in late 1967. But he had recorded three albums under his own name. Actually four, one of which was issued after he had passed away in 1977.
The MJQ had already begun performing annual Christmas concerts in New York, and I produced their 1970 performance with the Canadian Brass Quintet at Carnegie Hall. Thinking about what to do for an encore, it struck me that the combination of Desmond's ethereal alto sax, John Lewis's understated accompaniment on piano, Milt Jackson's vibes, Percy Heath's bass, Connie Kay's drums, and the overall chamber jazz feel of the MJQ would produce magic. All of these guys were at the top of their game.
So in the fall of '71, I called Paul and asked whether he would consider performing live with the MJQ. He immediately said yes. Next, I called John Lewis and asked, "You're going to do a Christmas concert again this year, right?" He said, "Yes, but we haven't finalized anything yet." I said, "What would you think about Paul Desmond as a special guest?" John said "That would be perfect."
So I booked Town Hall for Christmas night. We ran a few small-space ads in The New York Times, put up some flyers and posters including one at Paul's favorite hangout, Elaine's, on the upper East Side. The concert was completely sold out in advance.
The MJQ opened with a set of their own. Paul joined them after the intermission. My personal favorite from their collaboration is "La Paloma Azul" ("The Blue Dove"). Later when I started teaching music, I used that tune as a textbook example of how much can be said, musically, in just two or three choruses.
Listening to the way they took the tune out still makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The audience obviously felt likewise as they erupted in applause before the song ended.
I was not aware until several years later that the concert had been taped by John Lewis, who obviously knew it would be special. John and the recording engineer took the feed from the Town Hall sound system.
The recording was originally released on vinyl and then picked up by Bob Thiele's Red Baron label for release on CD. Red Baron went out of business in 1996, soon after Bob's death that year. Since then, there have been several digital releases. I wish someone would pick up the master and keep it active in their catalogue.
Given the state of my finances then, I should not have presented that concert. But there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity. Fortunately, I was able to book the venue without putting up a deposit, and I got the ads placed and the printing done on credit. It was an unforgettable evening and remains one of my top-5 experiences as a presenter—made even more so by the chocolate-chip cookies my wife, Sylvia, baked to feed the musicians after the show.
As a pre-holiday gift to all JazzWax readers, here's the full album of the gorgeous Desmond/MJQ collaboration Michael presented...
A special thanks to Peter Levin for the added information on Fine Recording.
In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actress-comedian Lisa Kudrow for my House Call column in Mansion (go here). Lisa is so much more than her role as Phoebe in TV's Friends. She steals every series and film she's in. Her new one is terrific—Netflix's No Good Deed. But also catch her in Web Therapy and The Comeback. Priceless. [Photo of Lisa Kudrow above courtesy of Netflix]
Also in the WSJ this week, my December Album@50 essay was on Joe Walsh's So What, his third leadership album before joining the Eagles in 1975. The album features Walsh's raspy voice and powerful guitar and keyboards. He was joined by several members of the Eagles, since they shared the same producer. What isn't as well known is that many of the songs by Walsh were written following the 1974 death of his 2-year-old daughter, Emma, following a head-on collision while his wife was driving her to nursery school in Boulder, Colo.
And here's Walsh playing lead guitar and singing his composition Life in the Fast Lane with the Eagles...
My favorite streaming TV series, ranked...
Babylon Berlin
My Brilliant Friend
Killing Eve
The Crown
The Americans
Band of Brothers
Landman
Friday Night Lights
The Old Man
Feud: Bette and Joan
Downton Abbey
The Blacklist
Goliath
The Gentlemen
Turn: Washington's Spies
Unbelievable
Justified
Voiceless (Bella da morire (2020/MHz)
Just viewed and highly recommend...
The Family Man (2000)—A very sweet holiday movie with Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni about how a fateful decision in an airport changed a couple's life and how Cage's character winds up with her anyway, or so it seems. A perfect fireplace movie. (only at Netflix until Dec. 31).
La Palma (2024)—I'll tell you up front that I'm a sucker for tsunami films. Like The Impossible (2012), with Naomi Watts, this limited mini series from Norway (dubbed in English) involves a vacationing family and an impending tidal wave expected following a volcanic landslide. Dumb in places, the series still is gripping. It's not based on a true story but it takes place in La Palma, on the tip of the Canary Islands. (Netflix)
Just My Luck (2006)—A madcap, sweet film about a gal who has all the luck and a guy who has none and the crazy things that happen when good fortune changes hands. Starring Lindsay Lohan (before all the nonsense, when she was still a rom-com rock star) and Chris Pine. (Paramount+)
Films and series I have seen and their start dates and platforms...
A Man on the Inside S1 (Now/Netflix)
Interior Chinatown S1 (Now/Hulu)
No Good Deed S1 (Now/Netflix)
American Primeval S1 (Jan. 9/Netflix)
Back in Action (Jan. 17/Netflix)
Zero Day (Feb. 20/Netflix)
Millers in Marriage (Feb 21/Netflix)
Recommended series, films and documentaries...
TV series
TheAffair—(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)
Friday Night Lights (2006-2011/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)
The Lioness (2023-current)/Paramount+)
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)
The Old Man—(2022/Hulu)
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)
TheBricklayer—(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)
I Used to Be Funny (2023/Netflix)
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)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra (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
Martial Solal. Last week, following my post on the late Martial Solal, bassist Chuck Israels sent along an email:
Hi Marc. I’ll miss Martial. He was not only an incredibly quick musician, he was also a rapid-fire wit who was full of puns. My French is pretty good, but not good enough to have gotten most of Martial’s humor. A while back, he won an award from "Diapason," a French classical-music magazine based in Paris. I was there with him because a Bill Evans re-issue had also won an award. He accepted the award as if it was a prize for having found a parking space in the densely crowded Trinité section of the city. Maybe you had to have been there, but it was lighthearted, unpretentious and gracious. Typical Martial.
Walter Davis Jr. Following my post on Walter Davis Jr.'s album Davis Cup, I heard from photographer Rob Rosenbaum:
Hi Marc. Hope this finds you well, Thanks for shining a light on Walter and this brilliant album. Truly a study in perfection. I don’t like using the word "underrated," since it could be applied to most anyone. But in Walter’s case, I can make an exception.
Walter was also a friend. He called me the California Flash because I would show up at a gig without any notice while on one of my many trips between L.A. and New York in the 1980s. We were first introduced by drummer J.R. Mitchell, who also made it possible to sit down with Walter for an exhaustive interview.
It turns out that Walter didn’t grant many of these, so you and JazzWax readers might be interested in browsing the transcript I posted on Walter’s Wikipedia site last year. I miss him dearly. He showed me what humility was all about. To read Bob's interview, go here.
Art Pepper. Craft Records has released Art Pepper's Intensity on 180-gram remastered vinyl. The LP was recorded for Contemporary in 1960 and released in 1963. It's part of Craft's Contemporary Records Acoustic Sounds series. Pepper was backed by Dolo Coker on piano, Jimmy Bond on bass and Frank Butler on drums. You'll find the vinyl here.
Music to my eyes. Each week, I receive upward of 10 emails like the one I've included below from Andy Halpern. They make this crazy project called JazzWax worthwhile. If all I did was make Andy happy by turning him on to jazz artists who were previously unknown, then I've done my part:
Hi Marc. As I sit here this evening enjoying a glass of vino and listening to "Kelly at Midnite," I am compelled to send this email of thanks. Your JazzWax newsletter is fantastic, and I eagerly look forward to reading it each and every day. With your guidance and expert curation, my knowledge of jazz has increased exponentially, and I have become a fan of many artists who I was blissfully ignorant of prior to reading. Thank you for enhancing my life through your musical recommendations. Happy Holidays.
And finally. I wanted to share holiday videos from four favorite female vocalists who are also JazzWax friends, not to mention the great musicians who are accompanying them:
Here's pianist Alan Broadbent accompanying Georgia Mancio. Alan wrote the music and Georgia the lyrics...
Here's Diana Panton singing Christmas Kiss, backed by Don Thompson on piano, Reg Schwager on guitar and Neil Swainson on bass. The song was composed by Don with lyrics by Diana...
Here's Samara Joy, with Antonio McLendon, singing The Christmas Song...
And here's Meredith d'Ambrosio singing The Christmas Waltz, accompanied by pianist Hank Jones...
Where to buy or hear: Georgia Mancio's two albums with Alan Broadbent—Songbook and Quiet Is the Star—can be found here and here; Diana Panton's Christmas Kiss can be found here; Samara Joy's A Joyful Holiday can be found here; and Meredith d'Ambrosio singing The Christmas Waltz can be found on her album Little Jazz Birdhere. All are also available on streaming platforms.
Earlier this week, I posted on Art Pepper's Gettin' Together, featuring the glorious piano of Wynton Kelly. For this week's Backgrounder, I figured I'd give you another round of Kelly by posting one of my favorites: Kelly at Midnite, recorded for Vee-Jay Records in 1960.
We can thank producer Sid McCoy for mixing each member of the trio so they'd stand out as sonic equals. This lets you listen and focus on each individual player at any given moment thanks to the audio quality—Wynton Kelly's piano, Paul Chambers's bass and Philly Joe Jones's drums.
Being able to hear each musician loud and clear lets you appreciate how remarkable they were while soloing and interacting with each other. Kelly was one of jazz's most elegant players, Chambers was a swinger and Jones was provocative and impossibly clever.
Here'sKelly at Midnite, without ad interruptions...
Marc Myers writes regularly for The Wall Street Journal and is author of "Anatomy of 55 More Songs," "Anatomy of a Song," "Rock Concert: An Oral History" and "Why Jazz Happened." Founded in 2007, JazzWax has won three Jazz Journalists Association awards.
