MASKED FAVES FOR 2023 - TV AND JAZZ

It's time for my annual list of recommended television shows and Jazz albums. As always, these are not the best and who can listen to everything that came out in 2023. These are the shows I enjoyed and would recommend you check out; and the albums that caught my ear as I shuffled through my collection of new titles.

Here are the 14 shows that I would recommend to you. As always the list is dominated by FX/HULU with a smattering of HBO thrown in. We said goodby to a real masterpiece in Reservation Dogs, welcomed back Justified and happy to know that Somebody Somewhere and Dark Winds will still be around. Season two of The Bear took a significant leap and Poker Face was a pleasant surprise and an homage to 60's 70's detective shows. We watch a lot of international crime so for something to jump out was fun and that was Criminal Code on NETFLIX. Looks like there will be another iteration.

Poker Face - Peacock

Succession - HBO

Perry Mason - HBO

Somebody Somewhere - HBO

Happy Valley - Sundance

The Bear - HULU

What We Do in the Shadows - FX

Justified:City Primeval - FX

Dark Winds  - AMC

Reservation Dogs -FX

Unforgotten - PBS

Fargo - FX

Criminal Code - NETFLIX

A Murder at the End of the World - FX

Here are 22 Jazz albums that I would recommend you check out. It's a mix of reliables like Chris Potter, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Christian McBride and JD Allen. Artemis delivered an excellent sophomore outing. One pleasant surprise was Veronica Swift's new album which I didn't want to like but came around to quite quickly. Lakecia Benjamin, Alex Weiss and Nicky Schrire were new to my ears. We lost Jamie Branch way too soon. She left us with possibly my favorite album of the year. Please support live Jazz and these artists.

Lakecia Benjamin - Phoenix

Ben Wolfe - Unjust

Chris Potter - Got the Keys to the Kingdom:Live at the Village Vanguard 

Cécile McLorin Salvant - Mélusine 

Christian McBride’s New Jawn - PRIDE

Billy Childs - The Winds of Change

David Larsen - The Peplowski Project

Artemis - In Real Time

Alex Weiss - Most Don’t Have Enough

Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke - Lean In

The Composers Collective Big Band - The Toronto Project

Michael Formanek Elusion Quartet - As Things Go

Linda May Han Oh - The Glass Hours

Joe Farnsworth - In What Direction Are You Headed?

Nicky Schrire - Nowhere Girl

Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society - Dynamic Maximum Tension

Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))

This - JD Allen

Veronica Swift - Veronica Swift

Plumb - David Murray, Questove &Ray Angry

Geri Allen & Kurt Rosenwinkel - A Lovesome Thing 

James Brandon Lewis & Red Lily Quintet - For Mahalia With Love

Andre Braugher RIP

Over the years I have, on occasion,, been asked what is the scheduling move that I am most proud of and people are often surprised at my answer.

Sometime in the winter of 1994 we premiered “Homicide: Life on the Streets” and gave it a short run on Thursday night. Today this would have been called a “prestige” show. Back then it was a very dark, arty cop drama that was not pulling in the audience that we were accustomed to in the 10PM Thursday time slot. Whenever it came up in our current meeting some of our marketing execs would put a finger in their mouth and cock their thumbs. For them is was a show impossible to promote. They were just doing their job and being honest.

For me, I loved it. I brought home all the episodes over the Christmas holiday and Bunny and I stayed up late and “binged” them all on New Yers Eve. I was especially drawn to Frank Pembleton played by Andre Braugher. To this day, for me, he is the most memorable character I ever experienced in a TV show.

Well when we were setting the 1994-95 Fall schedule there was a little show called ER which rightfully earned the 10PM Thursday slot. I believed we had renewed Homicide but given the lack of support and no obvious time period I was concerned that this show would quickly be gone from our schedule.

As I was thinking about the sked I suddenly had an epiphany. If there’s one time period noone especially marketing gives a shit about it’s Friday at 10PM. So I built o night of Unsolved Mysteries at 8PM, a Dateline at 9PM and ended the night with Homicide. I figured the only promos HLOTS would get would be in the two shows leading into it and that might be an audience that would hang around.

THAT SCHEDULE STAYED TOGETHER FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS!!!!

It was the most consistant night on our lineup and Homicide had a glorious 5 year run in that timeslot. By the way, that's the same timeslot that BlueBloods owned for over a decade at CBS.

Selfishly it allowed me to enjoy one of the finest television actors for over half a decade. When he was nominated for an Emmy I worked up the nerve to go over to him and introduce myself. I’m sure I made a fool of myself but he was a total gentleman.

I was jolted at the news tonight and I wish him peace as he begins his journey beyond and my sympathies to his loved ones.

RIP Mr. Braugher