Jazz On A Summers Day
by Bert Stern, Aram Avakian
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Chico Hamilton, Chuck Berry, Gerry Mulligan, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia JacksonDirector: Aram Avakian, Bert Stern
Cinematographer: Bert Stern
Cinematographer: Courtney Hesfela
Producer: George Wein
Producer: Harvey Kahn
Writer: Albert D'Annibale
Writer: Arnold Perl
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Running Time: 85 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-01-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Indie Europe/Zoom
Movie Reviews of Jazz On A Summers Day
Movie Review: Some PERFECT jazz plus blues gospel and more
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all, let me tell you how thrilled I am by this DVD - it has amazing musical moment with, for instance, Thelonious Monk, Anita O'Day, Mahalia Jackson and Louis Armstrong shining very brightly (although, yes, the Monk number is marred by some mood shots and other interventions...), Satchmo and Teagarden crooning and scatting magnificently... Actually, I don't think I've seen a more beautiful footage of Armstrong's performance; he was still on the top in the 50s and Bert Stern portraits him beautifully, with some fortunatelly stylized stage lighting.
And it goes beyond music; check out the glamour of O'Day's attire, the moment very spirited Dinah Washington grabs the battons and joins Terry Gibbs on the vibes, the look on great Jo Jones' face while he supports Chuck Berry or, for that matter, the bizarre clarinet spot on that number - someone's review said it's Peanuts Hacko (who is too caucasian, as you can see on Armstrong's numbers on some other DVD's), others mention Rudy Rutheford - I don't know how he looked like (I do know he played in Count Basie orchestra back in 40s or something like that, so I guess he might be African American)...
I would agree with those who say that cool jazz numbers don't fare here as well as the traditional jazz, blues, gospel, mainstream and some modern ( Thelonious Monk!) numbers, even with the annoying break in the middle of the Sonny Stitt-Sal Salvador performance.
The breaks in the performance grow rarer as the film reaches the end, so there is place for true climax and musical as well as cinemathic catharsis in the end. But, from strictly cinematic point of view, I must add that there are some really fine shots; even the disinterested lady eating ice-cream looks interesting - it probably is a picture of the festival culture before the 50s, as is the attempt to connect it with the entertainment and leisure industry in general....
All in all, this is a unique jazz experience (and an interesting although not perfect film), recommended (or, should I say indispensable) to all serious jazz fans and interested beginners.
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