In The Wall Street Journal this week, I interviewed actor Theo James for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Theo currently stars in Netflix's The Gentlemen, and he previously co-starred in the second season of HBO's The White Lotus. [Photo above of Theo James in The Gentlemen, courtesy of Netflix] Here's Theo in the trailer for The Gentlemen... And here's Theo in the trailer for Season 2 of The White Lotus... What I'm watching. Last week... WPC 56—(2013-2015). In the English Midlands of the 1950s, a woman becomes the first female police constable and has to navigate ..read more

Nearly all of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's concerts must have been memorable events for those lucky enough to attend them. Her gospel energy, robust blues and jumping swing all combined to set audiences' knees fanning. One of Tharpe's most compelling concerts captured on film was her May 7, 1964 performance held on the platform of the former Wilbraham Road Station in Manchester, England. The station had closed six years earlier, but for the concert, it was temporarily re-named Chorltonville and made up to look like a backwater station in the American South. The audience arrived by train from cent ..read more

Sister Rosetta Tharpe began recording on the electric guitar in 1941 at her first studio session for Decca with Lucky Millinder's band. She was one of the first true fusion artists, combining multiple styles of music in her delivery. At this point in time, hundreds of thousands of black Americans were on the move. Many were leaving the rural farms of the South and Southwest for better-paying manufacturing jobs near cities up North and out West, where their lives weren't at the same level of risk. By the late 1930s, war was raging in Europe and Asia with the rise of global fascism. In early 1 ..read more

As I've posted in the past, Art Tatum in many ways is the father of the post-war jazz piano. His spectacular speed, love for jazzing up the American songbook and torrents of improvised ideas all would inspire pianists and other instrumentalists who followed. Today, we tend to think of Tatum exclusively as an artist from the 1930s and '40s. And while the pianist certainly became a force during this period, he also made superb recordings in the early 1950s, leading up to his death in 1956 at age 47. During these later years, Tatum worked with a trio—guitarist Everett Barksdale and bassist Slam ..read more

Not all West Coast jazz of the 1950s was shaded by the relaxed influences of the Los Angeles suburbs and the Pacific Ocean. Black jazz artists brought their own artistic perspectives to the studios and clubs, forged through migration from the South and Southwest, living in the Watts and South Central sections, and trying to stand out as musicians in a city with heightened segregation and racism. Among the finest black jazz musicians in Los Angeles in the 1950s was tenor saxophonist Harold Land. Born in Houston, his family moved to San Diego, Ca., when he was a child. His first recording as ..read more

Coming this Saturday, April 20, for Record Store Day, is a new three-LP set by Sonny Rollins—Freedom Weaver: The 1959 European Tour Recordings. Released by Resonance Records—the nonprofit label co-led by George Klabin and Zev Feldman—the album features for the first time all of the known recordings by the Sonny Rollins Trio performed while on tour in Europe between March 2 and 11 in 1959. The CD and digital formats will follow on April 25. Having listened to all three formats, the sound is sterling. The trio featured Sonny on tenor saxophone, Henry Grimes on bass and three different drummer ..read more

This week in The Wall Street Journal, I interviewed Kyle MacLachlan for my "House Call" column in the Mansion section (go here). Kyle is in a new futuristic series called Fallout. [Photo above of Kyle MacLachlan in Fallout by JoJo Whilden/Prime Video] Here's the trailer... And here he is with James Corden... A special thanks to WPIX hosts Dan and Hazel and producer Marcia for having me on their morning show live last week to talk about my book, Anatomy of 55 More Songs. Go here... What I'm watching. Last week... Who is Erin Carter? (2003)—British crime thriller about a British-born schoo ..read more

For those in the know, Johnny Alf has long been thought of as the father of the bossa nova. Whether that statement is completely accurate or whether he was merely a significant influence has been hotly debated over the years. Even if the Brazilian singer-songwriter wasn't the bossa's earliest pure exponent, his softly romantic, Johnny Mathis-like vocal style, his jazzy sense of swing and his rich melodies certainly held sway over many of the artists who would become identified with the bossa nova movement, such as João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Carlos Lyra, and others. The recording t ..read more

In early 2008, just months after I started JazzWax, I listened to Yusef Lateef's 1968 album The Golden Flute and fell in love with it. So much so that I wanted to interview him. But when I went to his site, I came face to face with a black-and-white photo of Yusef set under an ominous sky. Yusef seemed to be put out, glaring at the lens (photo below). Daunting, for sure, but I called him anyway. We spent an hour on the phone, and Yusef turned out to be a warm and lovely guy, nothing like the image in the photo. Which is true of most jazz greats. The cool detachment is really part of the mus ..read more

Record Store Day is coming on April 20. In celebration of vinyl retailers who spin music in their stores, answer music questions authoritatively and were instrumental in helping to launch the LP revival of the past 10 years, record labels are releasing special vinyl releases this year that are available only at your friendly neighborhood retailer on the 20th. After that date, you'll have to turn to the aftermarket for them. I'll be featuring some of my favorites leading up to the 20th. At your local record store, look for two Cannonball Adderley double-LPs of previously unissued music from ..read more