On this beautiful hard bop album from 1968, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams plays a number of originals, obscure jazz charts, and standards. He’s joined by Tommy Flanagan, Zoot Sims, Ron Carter, and Elvin Jones. The music here is thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully played, and accessible even to people new to jazz.

Grade: A.

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Miles Davis leads a breathtaking ensemble in this set of dates from 1954. With Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone), Horace Silver (piano), and three members of the Modern Jazz Quartet, this set of five songs is a superb example of tight improvisation and effortless musical chemistry between these astonishing jazz legends.

Grade: A++.

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In this sophomore effort (Urban Fairy Tales in English) by Berlin-based house music producer, Oliver Koletzki, funky basslines, beautiful arrangements, soaring vocals in German and English, and laid-back rhythms create a compelling musical journey. These minimal house grooves vary in tempo and make for a very interesting experience.

Grade: A.

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This masterpiece of the French New Wave takes place mostly on a movie set in France. François Truffaut directs and stars in this engaging examination of the art of cinema. The audience is shown an inside look at the chaos on set, and the relationships between actors and the crew.

Grade: A.

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Dr. Herbert Benson and William Proctor offer a self-improvement book that promises a panacea, a method of enhancing creativity, athletic performance, and personal self-actualization. Unfortunately, when they’re not wallowing in spiritual mumbo jumbo, they’re laboriously revealing ideas that have been better covered in practically every other similar book.

Grade: D+.

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This classic Pulitzer-winning coming-of-age story focuses on two friends, Gene and Finny, at an exclusive New England preparatory school in the early days of World War II. The push and pull of their friendship and the sometimes seething competition between the boys leads to a tragic accident.

Grade: A.

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Larry McMurtry recounts his memories as a writer, teacher, and bookseller in this short rambling memoir that frequently wanders on tangents and lacks a cohesive focus. The book reads like a complaint about the fact that his work isn’t always reviewed or respected, despite a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar.

Grade: C-.

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Santiago, a young Spanish shepherd, follows his personal legend across the Sahara to Egypt, facing poverty, sandstorms, and warring desert nomads. This short endearing allegory shows how a grand adventure to follow one’s dreams yields unexpected treasures and that hardship is a small price to pay for finding one’s destiny.

Grade: A+.

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Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes lead an all-star cast in this historical drama about the early, uncertain years of the reign of Elizabeth I. The sense of danger surrounding the young queen is palpable. With first-rate acting and a phenomenal script, this Oscar-winner is worth multiple viewings.

Grade: A.

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Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, in the role of King Henry VIII, leads a magnificent cast in this second season of the critically-acclaimed Showtime historical drama. The tension heightens as he breaks with the Catholic Church, marries and becomes disillusioned with Anne Boleyn, and works to thwart the ambitions of France.

Grade: A+.

See also:

• The Tudors, Season 1 (2007)

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