Editor's Note: From the Fireside

Let me begin by sharing a touching email that arrived from a reader last week:

Thank you for JazzWax each day. I just wanted you to know why we upgraded to a paid subscription. For me and my wife, what you do is much more than a blog.

We live in rural Idaho, where it’s quiet and peaceful. We like quiet and peaceful, but the trade-off is we often feel cut off from everything, especially in the winter, when the sun sets so early. For us, JazzWax is a welcome, daily communication from the outside cultural world.

Even more important, it’s a burst of positive joy that we need five days (or six, depending on your mood) a week. Your posts always include history, context, insights and, of course, music clips. I write because I wanted you to know how much these clips and posts mean to us and how they raise our spirits each day. You deserve the money. Please don’t stop.

If you’re loving JazzWax, upgrade to paid and love it five to six days each week. What did you miss this week? Plenty: My review of John McLaughlin’s new album, Music From Abandoned Heights; for Thanksgiving, two hours of early mood music from Paul Weston, the father of easy listening; and jazz versions of Steely Dan’s Black Friday on Black Friday.

In addition, when you upgrade to paid, you’re telling me the blog has value, and I’m motivated to work harder to bring you music and history each day that you may not know but will surely brighten your day.

Upgrading to paid is easy—Find the “Upgrade to paid” button on any post or in the “Manage subscription” section of your account settings. Give it a click, choose a paid plan.

Now, a note and some fun:

Easy access—If you’re a paid subscriber, the fastest way to access the site is by going to JazzWax.com. It’s still Substack, but a faster way in. To make your life easy, I simply had my JazzWax.com URL point to my Substack log-in page.

What I watched and liked this week:

Train Dreams—a touching film about a logger at the turn of the 20th century and the ups and downs of his life over the course of 80 years. No serial killers, dystopian science fiction plot twists or revenge. Just a film about a human being and what he witnesses and experiences. Wonderfully acted, a beautiful script and rich cinematography. A big thanks to Peter Saenger. (Netflix).

Here’s the trailer…

Cassandre—a French detective series that stars actors you can’t stop watching. And it’s in French, with English subtitles, so you can hear the glorious native tongue without the stilted English overdubbing. (MHz, via Amazon Prime)

Here’s a first-look trailer for Season 1…

Blue Lights (Season 3)—the first two seasons of this British police drama series have been excellent. Now we have Season 3, another superb installment. I just wish they could turn around these seasons quicker. Blue Lights takes place in present-day fictional Blackthorn police station in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (BritBox)

Here the Season 3 trailer…

Here’s the rest of my film and series favorites:

My top 34 favorite films and series, ranked...

1. Babylon Berlin

2. Adolescence

3. Sovereign

4. Landman

5. My Brilliant Friend

6. Nouvelle Vague

7. Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox

8. Good American Family

9. Killing Eve

10. The Crown

11. Mad Men

12. The Americans

13. Younger

14. Fleabag

15. Band of Brothers

16. The Sopranos

17. Enlightened

18. Friday Night Lights

19. Justified

20. The Promised Life

21. Feud: Bette and Joan

22. Feud: Capote vs. the Swans

23. The Old Man

24. Downton Abbey

25. The Blacklist

26. Goliath

27. Julia

28. Train Dreams

29. The Gentlemen

30. Turn: Washington’s Spies

31. Unbelievable

32. Voiceless (Bella da morire)

33. Black Doves

34. Web Therapy

ARCHIVE

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)

• Blindspot (2015-2020/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—(2022-2024/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 Heaven—(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)

• Number 24—(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)

• Train Dreams—(2025/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)

• Chet Baker: Let’s Get Lost (1988/Roku)

• 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)