Jenna, Wanda and Gene

In The Wall Street Journal last week, I interviewed actress Jenna Elfman for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Jenna co-stars in season 3 of AMC's Dark Winds. [Photo above of Jenna Elfman on Dark Winds by Michael Moriatis/AMC]

Here's the trailer...

What I watched...

Sicario (2015). Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin and Emily Blunt co-star in Taylor Sheridan's debut screenplay—an action crime thriller that pits a secretive, rules-breaking U.S. special-forces unit against a vicious Mexican drug cartel. (Netflix)

Here's the trailer...

In a Lonely Place (1950). This psychological noir stars Humphrey Bogart as a tortured Hollywood screenwriter (is there any other kind in the movies?) who has a serious anger-management problem, and Gloria Grahame, his one-expression love interest who has emotional baggage. Not the greatest film ever made but still odd and edgy, especially with Bogart at the helm as an anti-hero. (Tubi/free)

Here's the trailer...

My favorite streaming series, ranked...

1. Babylon Berlin
2. My Brilliant Friend
3. The Promised Life
4. Killing Eve
5. The Crown
6. The Americans
7. Younger
8. Band of Brothers
9. Landman
10. Friday Night Lights
11. The Old Man
12. Feud: Bette and Joan
13. Downton Abbey
14. The Blacklist
15. Goliath
16. The Gentlemen
17. Turn: Washington's Spies
18. Unbelievable
19. Justified
20. Voiceless (Bella da morire (2020/MHz)
21. Black Doves
22. Web Therapy

Future stuff I liked that has started or will start soon...

• Dark Winds S3 (now/AMC)
• Long Bright River (March 13/Peacock)
• Good American Family (March 19/Hulu)
• Alto Knights (March 21/film)
• The Better Sister (May 22/Prime)

Recommended series, films and documentaries...

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)
• Black Doves (2024/Netflix)
• 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)
• The Dropout (2022/Hulu)
• Elizabeth 1 (2005/Max)
• 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)
• Il Commissario Manara (Inspector Manara) (2009-2011/MHz)
• 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/Max)
• The Night Agent—(2023-present/Netflix)
• 1923—(2022-present/Paramount+)
• 1883—(2021-2022/Prime)
• The Old Man—(2022/Hulu)
• On Call—2025/Amazon Prime)
• Outlander—(2014-present/Netflix)
• The Perfect Couple—(2024/Netflix)
• Poldark—(2015-2019/Prime)
• The Promised Life—(2018/MHz via Prime Video)
• Reacher—(2016-present/Netflix)
• Ripley—(2024/Netflix)
• Scott & Bailey (2011-2016/Prime)
• The Spy—(2019/Netflix)
• 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)
• Younger—(2015-2021K/Netflix)

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)
• Enrico Piaggio - Un Sogno Italiano (An Italian Dream) (2019/MHz)
• 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)
• Killers of the Flower Moon—(2023/Apple+)
• 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/assorted platforms)
• The Pledge—(2011/Peacock)
• Purple Hearts—(2022/Netflix)
• The Queen—(2006/Paramount+)
• 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)
• Spy(ies)—(2009/Prime)
• The Stranger—(2022/Netflix)
• Toscana—(2022/Netflix)
• The Two Popes—(2019/Netflix)
• Up in the Air—(2009/Max)
• Woman in Gold—(2015/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)
• Tsunami: Race Against Time—(2024/Hulu)

Wes Montgomery. Following my post on guitarist Wes Montgomery last week, I heard from jazz singer and Indianapolis native Wanda Stafford:

Hi Marc, How lucky was I to have had the extreme opportunity to sing with Wes. I would go to his gig every Saturday at the Turf Club in Indianapolis, and then I got to work with him and his trio for my very first paying gig at another little club called the Hub Bub. He and his brother, Buddy, and I became very good pals. They both visited me in San Francisco after I moved here in 1967.

When they visited, Wes asked where we could get some good biscuits and gravy after his gig at the Matador. Sadly I had to tell him there wasn't any place in town that served "Indiana food."

Wes died shortly after that, and Buddy and I remained good friends. We even worked together a few times in the San Francisco area. I definitely owe my sense of swing to Wes and Buddy. It’s ingrained in me deeply from listening to them since I was a teenager.

Johnny Richards. Following my post on composer-arranger and bandleader Johnny Richards, I heard from composer-arranger Jeff Sultanof:

Hi Marc. I'm always happy to see anything on Johnny Richards. Figures you would post something. Excellent choices. I was amused to see something for Kenton's "Innovations" orchestra. He wrote another piece for Kenton's classical-oriented orchestra that was never played by the band that I'm hoping to get hold of from the Kenton collection.

I'm not sure if you've read my multi-part Substack series on Richards, from 2022. Todd Selbert put me in touch with Johnny's niece, the daughter of his brother bandleader Chuck Cabot. Johnny's history was all wrong in publications for years, so a new bio was needed.

Go here, here, here, here, here and here.

Artemis. Following my post on Renee Rosnes and Artemis, I heard from Mark Rabin [photo above of Artemis at New York's Village Vanguard on Thursday]:

Hi, Marc. Artemis is scheduled to perform at Todd Barkan's Keystone Korner Baltimore on Thursday March 18, 2025. Livestream tickets are only $15 (go here).

Streaming music worth a listen.

Alexander Brott—The Aesthetic Attitude. I last posted about guitarist Alexander Brott when his album Leon's Lullaby came out. Here's Mozaic, from his earlier release, The Aesthetic Attitude, where he's joined by Stefano Doglioni on bass clarinet, Ari Roland on bass and Keith Balla on drums...

Ramiro Sentido—Sentido. Here's Canto Triste from Ramiro's album, Sentido...

Eric Comstock (piano/vocals) and Barbara Fasano (vocals)—four-time winners of the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs' MAC Award for Major Duo Artists of the Year—have a new album out: Painting the Town. Here's Just One of Those Things...

Bianca Rossini's new album is I've Been Alone. Here's the title track...

Ornette and Bix radio. WKCR-FM in New York will present its annual Ornette Coleman and Bix Beiderbecke Birthday Broadcasts, back to back. The double-headers will air this Sunday and Monday. The Ornette tribute starts Saturday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET) and runs all day and night Sunday. Then the Bix tribute takes over for 24 hours, all day and evening on Monday. To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.

And finally, two individual solo ballads by tenor saxophonists from You Talk That Talk! (1971), one by Gene Ammons and the other by Sonny Stitt. Ammons plays The Sun Died and Stitt plays what I would argue is his finest rendition of Body and Soul.

Here's Ammons playing The Sun Died...

And here's Stitt playing Body and Soul...