Nick, Chet and Louis

In The Wall Street Journal last week, I interviewed actor Nick Offerman for my House Call column in the Mansion section (go here). Best known for his comedic role in TV's Parks and Recreation and dramatic turns in The Last of Us, Nick and the new Mission: Impossible film, he stars in a stunning new film, Sovereign, coming next week. He plays an angry, anti-government extremist and conspiracy theorist who, with his impressionable son, slips into a tailspin. It's one of the finest films I've seen this year. [Photo above of Nick Offerman courtesy of Millikin University]

Here's the trailer...

What I'm Watching

New and watched this past week...

• Number 24—drama film on Norway's resistance movement during World War II (Netflix)

• The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox—(series/August/Disney+)

Worthwhile stuff that started or will start soon...

• Words of War (film/theaters)
• FUBAR 2 (series/Netflix)
• The Better Sister (Prime)
• Deep Cover (Prime film)
• The Gilded Age—Season 3 (starts June 22/HBO)
• Sovereign (July 11/film/theaters)
• Leanne—(July 31/Netflix)

My favorite streaming series, ranked...

1. Babylon Berlin
2. Adolescence
3. Sovereign
4. My Brilliant Friend
5. Good American Family
6. Killing Eve
7. The Crown
8. Mad Men
9. The Americans
10. Younger
11. Fleabag
12. Band of Brothers
13. The Sopranos
14. Enlightened
15. Friday Night Lights
16. Justified
17. The Promised Life
18. Feud: Bette and Joan
19. The Old Man
20. Downton Abbey
21. The Blacklist
22. Goliath
23. Julia
24. The Gentlemen
25. Turn: Washington's Spies
26. Unbelievable
27. Landman
28. Voiceless (Bella da morire)(2020/MHz)
29. Black Doves
30. Web Therapy

Archive: 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)
• The Bletchley Circle (2012/Britbox)
• 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)
• Enlightened—(2011-2013/Max)
• 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)
• Mobland—(2025/Paramount+)
• 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)
• Protection—(2024/S1/BritBox)
• 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

• Anna (2019/Tubi)
• 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)
• Life or Something Like It—(2002/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)
• 99 Homes—(2014/Roku)
• 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).
• Sicario (2015/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)
• The Stones and Brian Jones—(2023/Hulu)
• Suzi Q: Suzi Quatro—(2019/Prime)
• The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari—(2022/Netflix)
• 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris—(2007/go here)

Trumpets at the movies. Following my post last week on my 10 favorite trumpet solos in movie themes, I heard from composer, arranger and pianist Alan Broadbent:

"Loved your choices, Marc! When I was playing third keyboard on my only John Williams movie soundtrack date, for The River (1984), we were at Universal in Hollywood, at 8 a.m., when trumpeter Warren Luening (above) opened his part book to see he had a solo. He played it perfectly the first time through to an ovation by everyone in the studio. RIP Warren, who died in 2012."

Here's the track from The River (if you wish, move the time bar to 2:05)... 

More trumpets at the movies. Remarkably, I received quite a few emails last week asking if Chet Baker had played trumpet on movie soundtracks. Here are the four gorgeousl Baker solos and vocals he recorded for Italian films.

Here's Chetty's Lullaby... 

Here's So Che Ti Perderò...

Here's Motivo Su Raggio Di Luna...

And here's Il Mio Domani...

For the full story behind these Chet Baker clips, go here.

There's also the Italian Smog soundtrack from 1962...

Two Tonight Show clips from the Skitch Henderson (above) years...

Here are Steve Allen, Doc Severinsen, Charlie Shavers and Bobby Hackett...

And here are, from the left, saxophonists Don Ashworth (low-A bs), Sid Cooper (as), Hymie Shertzer (as), Al Klink (ts) and Tommy Newsom (ts)...

Full albums on YouTube. Last week, I heard from drummer Bruce Klauber about a YouTube page that features dozens of Blue Note, Prestige, Contemporary and a few Verve and Argo mono albums from the original LPs without ad interruptions. Go here.

Count Basie. Following my post last week on Count Basie: Live in Berlin in 1968, in which I mentioned Steve Galloway (above) on trombone, I heard from Peter Levin:

"Hi Marc. You might be tickled by this Steve Galloway (T.S. Galloway)-led pandemic-era performance." Go here...

Louis Armstrong radio. WKCR-FM in New York will host its annual Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast on July 4, starting at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on July 3 and airing for 24 hours. Pops (above) on the air! To listen from anywhere in the world, go here.

And finally, sweet soul is still being produced. Here's Can I Call You Rose by the Thee Sacred Souls, released in 2022...

 

And here's Billy Stewart singing Sitting in the Park from 1965...