Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)

Set at the Newport jazz festival in 1958, this documentary mixes images of water and the town with performers and audience. The film progresses from day to night and from improvisational ... See full summary »

Directors:

Aram Avakian, Bert Stern

Writers:

Albert D'Annibale, Arnold Perl

Stars:

Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Chico Hamilton

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Louis Armstrong	...	Himself
Mahalia Jackson	...	Herself
Gerry Mulligan	...	Himself
Dinah Washington	...	Herself
Chico Hamilton	...	Himself
Anita O'Day	...	Herself
George Shearing	...	Himself
Jimmy Giuffre	...	Himself
Chuck Berry	...	Himself
Jack Teagarden	...	Himself
Thelonious Monk	...	Himself
Big Maybelle	...	Herself
Sonny Stitt	...	Himself
Eli's Chosen Six	...	Themselves
David Baily	...	Himself

Storyline

Set at the Newport jazz festival in 1958, this documentary mixes images of water and the town with performers and audience. The film progresses from day to night and from improvisational music to Gospel. It's a concert film that suggests peace and leisure, jazz at a particular time and place.

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Plot Keywords:

jazz | concert film

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Taglines:

Their Songs and Music Set the Musical Mood

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1960 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Bert Stern's Jazz on a Summer's Day

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Galaxy Productions (I), Raven Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1958, Bert Stern was inspired by a friend to take some pictures of the Newport Jazz Festival. Following a turn of events, Stern decided to produce a full length motion picture.

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Connections

Featured in Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer (2007)

User Reviews

Time capsule

This is a wonderful document of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and archetype for the concert film, with captivating interludes of visual poetry. As close as one can get to traveling back through time, watching the audience is as much fun here as watching the performers. You can recognize this film as a source of inspiration, perhaps, for the pretensions behind projects like "The Last Waltz," and one certainly gets a sense, given the caliber of the performers gathered onto a single stage, of the magnitude of this event without it ever being forced. The intimacy remains intact. And in contrast with the somber beat of "The Last Waltz," the sun shines on everything here. A joy.