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Jazz Icons Series 5 box set (Reelin’ In The Years/Mosaic)
After a two-year gap, Reelin’ in the Years has released their long-awaited fifth series of Jazz Icons. The new set features French performances by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers (with Lee Morgan & Wayne Shorter), John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Johnny Griffin, Freddie Hubbard and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the set.
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The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith (Kino/Lorber)
In the midst of Manhattan’s wholesale flower district, painter David X. Young, composer Hall Overton, and photographer W. Eugene Smith hosted a loft space for jam sessions and rehearsals. Many of New York’s finest jazz musicians spent time at the loft, and Smith made tape recordings and took photos of the proceedings. Much of the…
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Open Land: Meeting John Abercrombie (ECM DVD)
For viewers with no background knowledge of its subject, the new documentary Open Land: Meeting John Abercrombie is an amiable snapshot of the guitarist in his later years. However, anyone with previous knowledge of Abercrombie’s triumphs will find numerous problems with the film. Thomas Cunniffe tells you what the film doesn’t in this month’s DVD…
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Keep On Keepin’ On (Anchor Bay DVD)
Clark Terry is one of jazz’s greatest mentors. There’s hardly a jazz musician working today that hasn’t been touched by this gentle, wise giant. A new documentary, Keep On Keepin’ On, captures Terry and his gifted student, pianist Justin Kauflin, as they each face numerous obstacles. Thomas Cunniffe provides a sneak preview in this special…
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Late Bloomers
Although they were born just seven years apart, saxophonists John Coltrane and Frank Morgan reached their artistic zeniths in the last years of their lives. Each of these tremendous saxophonists are the subjects of new documentaries, and Thomas Cunniffe reviews both discs, noting that the films deal with the subject of drug addiction in different…
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Randy Brecker Quintet: “Live 1988” (MVD DVD/CD)
Watching the Randy Brecker Quintet’s 1988 performance at the long-defunct club Sweet Basil is like traveling in a time machine. Certain things are familiar and yet it all looks so different. Still, as Thomas Cunniffe reports, the music holds up very well and the video master has been especially well-preserved. And while portions of this…
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Ray Charles: “Live in France 1961” (Reelin’ In The Years/Eagle Vision)
Recorded during his first trip to Europe, the Ray Charles DVD Live In Europe 1961 is an important historical document. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the disc, which captures revealing glimpses of Charles’ emerging status as a polished stage performer.
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Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (MVD Visual)
The bright costumes and wild improvisations of Sun Ra and his Arkestra made them a natural for film. Although several documentaries (and one very strange feature film) were made of the group, no filmmaker found the essence of Ra and his sidemen as well as Robert Mugge in his documentary A Joyful Noise. Thomas Cunniffe…
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Syncopation (Cohen Film Collection)
Jazz and the movies are America’s two greatest contributions to the arts, but Hollywood rarely gets it right when jazz musicians are portrayed on the silver screen. Syncopation, a 1942 film directed by William Dieterle has been issued on home video for the first time, and while it’s not the classic that the trailer claims,…
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Woody Herman: “Blue Flame: Portrait of a Jazz Legend” (Jazzed Media)
In celebration of Woody Herman’s upcoming centennial, Graham Carter has produced a 110-minute documentary chronicling the history of the famed bandleader. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the DVD, noting that the film has interviews with many distinguished Herman alumni and several rare film clips.