Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Time for Jazz

Coming soon, on Saturday October 10 at 2:00 pm, is one of the most unique and touching music documentaries you will ever see. Although it contains some rare performance footage, it is mainly a loving tribute to the men (and women, although there are fewer of them) who made jazz.

A Great Day in Harlem , a 1994 Oscar-nominated film documents the story behind the Summer day in 1985 when freelance photographer Art Kane gathered 57 jazz greats for a group portrait. The film highlights such seminal artists as Dizzy Gillespe, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, and Gerry Mulligan. This film captures the past, or as the film's web site describes it:


"A Great Day in Harlem captures the spirit of an era when New York City was the center of the jazz world, when music history was constantly being made, and when creativity was fostered by an intense and nurturing community of musicians and fans. It was indeed a great day when musicians met and joked with friends, family, and community residents - in one instance even blowing a few jazz riffs - on a side street in Harlem in 1958. Like the photograph it documents, A Great Day in Harlem is a vivid portrait of a unique community."

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