with Ward Swadling & Scott Donovan

Wish You Were Here—Pink Floyd ($21.95, Local)

How do you follow the gargantuan mega international success of Dark Side of the Moon? This was the dilemma that Pink Floyd found themselves in during 1973 and 74. In 1975 they released Wish You Were Here, which just may be their best album. The whole thing started with 4 notes that Dave Gilmour played while he was doodling on his guitar. Those 4 notes fired the imagination of Roger Waters and eventually became Shine On You Crazy Diamond, the song that bookends and underpins the entire album. It’s a song about Syd Barrett, founding member—guitarist, singer and creative wellspring for the band. In the late 60s he became an ‘acid’ casualty and was replaced by Dave Gilmour. This documentary gathers together all the people who were involved with the creation of the album—musicians, studio personnel, graphic designers, photographers. All the band members—Roger Water (bass), Dave Gilmour (guitar) Nick Mason (drums) & Richard Wright (drums). What comes out of these interviews is the shared guilt felt about what happened to Barett. They all feel they should have done more to save him. Brian Humphries, the engineer for the album, goes back to Abbey Road with the original master tapes to explain how the songs were constructed. There is an interesting interview with Roy Harper explaining how he did the lead vocals on Have a Cigar, after both Waters and Gilmour tried to record it. The band was not only involved in the recording of the music, but in the whole concept and design of the album packaging. Other interviews include Storm Thorgerson who designed the album cover, photographer Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell, as well as the ‘burning man’ stuntman, Ronnie Rondell. The documentary ends with the story of Barrett visiting the studio when the band was mixing the album. There is a very sad disturbing photograph of Barrett taken on that day that finishes this great documentary. Ward

Jazz Baroness Hannah Rothschild ($34.95, Region 2)

When Hannah Rothschild found reference to a great aunt she had never heard of she became intrigued. Her family (the Banking Rothschilds of England) were not interested in talking about Great Aunt Nica, so she started to search and found a history not in finance but one firmly rooted in jazz. This documentary is about that search. In 1952 Teddy Wilson, the jazz pianist, played Kathleen Annie Pannonica (Nica) Rothschild Round Midnight by Thelonius Monk, and she was hooked on jazz, and Monk in particular. In 1954 she finally met Monk in Paris and from that day until his death in 1982 she was always by his side. The relationship doesn’t appear to have been sexual, but rather one of patron and musician. Monk married Nellie Smith in 1947, and in 1949 the couple had a son, T. S. Monk. Nellie seems to have looked after his domestic needs while Nica looked after his jazz needs. Some think she was just a rich groupie, but those who knew her and befriended her knew her as a true patron of jazz, helping musicians out with money and food, organising gigs or visiting them in hospital. Her place in jazz was cemented when Charlie Parker came to her apartment one night, sat down to watch TV, and died. There are great interviews with jazz musicians, and jazz notables including Clint Eastwood (who used Nica as a consultant on Bird, his film about Charlie Parker), plus lots of contemporary footage of Monk and Nica mainly from a documentary called Straight, No Chaser made in the early 60s. If you want a more detailed account of Nica and the Rothschild Family, I can recommend Hannah Rothschild’s book The Baroness: The Search for Nica, The Rebellious Rothschild. Ward

Justified: Season 1 ($29.95) / Season 2 ($44.95)

I am not sure how I missed this terrific series now in its third season in the US. Based on a story by Elmore Leonard (who is also one of the show’s executive producers), Justified follows the misadventures of Federal Marshall Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant from Deadwood) as he takes on the drug trade in America’s Deep South. Cool, charming, unconventional—Givens is a shoot-first-ask-questions-later sort of lawman whose personal life is as complicated as his professional one. Well-written, fast-paced and very funny, Justified is my TV pick of the year. And with around 20 episodes per season great value! Don’t miss it. Scott

The Impressionists: Painting and Revolution: Waldemar Januszcak ($32.95, Local)

This 4 part series from art critic Waldemar Januszczak explores the revolution in art created by the Impressionists. Januszczak argues that we have become complacent with Impressionist art over the last 100 years (considering it suitable only for chocolate boxes), and that we need to remember what a radical movement in art it was. He looks at the artists, the places they painted, the things they painted, and more importantly he explores the historical moments that made Impressionism possible. The rebuilding of Paris was one, making this once medieval town a tower of the modern. He discusses how important the rail system was to the artist, and looks at two inventions that made the movement possible—flat brushes and paint in tubes! Januszczak has built up a formidable body of work over that last few years and has rapidly become to art what David Attenborough is to Natural History. The complete Januszczak so far includes the two documentaries Scott reviewed last month, Manet: The Man Who Invented Modern Art ($32.95),Vincent: The Full Story ($21.95), Baroque: From St Peters To St Paul ($32.95), The Michelangelo Code ($21.95), Paradise Found: The Story Of Islamic Art ($21.95). I, for one, can hardly wait for his next instalment. Ward

A Matter of Taste ($32.95, local)

Foodies will enjoy the HBO documentary A Matter of Taste: Serving Up Paul Liebrandt. In 2001 Paul Liebrandt, at 24, was the youngest chef to receive 3 stars from the New York Times and seemingly assured a glittering future in New York’s highly competitive restaurant industry. But in post 9-11/GFC New York Liebrandt’s elaborate (and expensive) signature creations fell out of favour and he was eventually reduced to flipping burgers at a local bistro. Throughout Liebrandt remains remarkably pragmatic about his situation, and his modesty and steely self-confidence prove immediately appealing. This is the story of Liebrandt’s determined efforts to climb his way back to the top and reclaim his position as one of haute cuisine’s brightest stars. Scott