A Great Day in Harlem (1994)

Art Kane, now deceased, coordinated a group photograph of all the top jazz musicians in NYC in the year 1958, for a piece in Esquire magazine. Just about every jazz musician at the time ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean Bach

Writers:

Jean Bach, Susan Peehl

Stars:

Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Hinton, Marian McPartland

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Quincy Jones	...	Himself - Narrator
Dizzy Gillespie	...	Himself
Sonny Rollins	...	Himself
Buck Clayton	...	Himself
Art Blakey	...	Himself
Hank Jones	...	Himself
Art Farmer	...	Himself
Johnny Griffin	...	Himself
Milt Hinton	...	Himself
Chubby Jackson	...	Himself
Scoville Browne	...	Himself
Felix Maxwell	...	Himself
Paula Morris	...	Herself
Taft Jordan Jr.	...	Himself
Everard Powell	...	Himself

Storyline

Art Kane, now deceased, coordinated a group photograph of all the top jazz musicians in NYC in the year 1958, for a piece in Esquire magazine. Just about every jazz musician at the time showed up for the photo shoot which took place in front of a brownstone near the 125th street station. The documentary compiles interviews of many of the musicians in the photograph to talk about the day of the photograph, and it shows film footage taken that day by Milt Hinton and his wife.

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Plot Keywords:

photograph | jazz | esquire magazine | f rated | manhattan new york city | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Beat Thief Productions Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1995 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$527,274

Company Credits

Production Co:

Flo-Bert Ltd.,Jean Bach,New York Foundation for the Arts

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Fair Game/Gold Diggers: The Secret of Bear Mountain/Home for the Holidays/Powder/Three Wishes (1995)

User Reviews

A great film about a truly great day

This film is a must not only for jazz fans, but for those who are interested in a history of American music. This film truly captures a moment in time. In the early 1950's all of the prominent jazz musicians in New York were asked to assemble in front of a Harlem brown-stone for their photograph to be taken. The photo would be used as the cover for an all jazz issue of Esquire magazine. The young photographer who was in charge of the shoot (this was his first assignment as a photographer)was soon overwhelmed at the amount of talent which assembled that morning. Among the luminaries: Count Basie, Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, Gene Krupa, and countless others. All who turned out that day were legends in their own right. The day is recalled through a series of interviews with those participants still living. Some of the stories are humorous, some touching, but the warmth and emotion felt by the interviewees is evident throughout. All in all a wonderful film about a moment captured forever in time. It can be safely said that the moment this film and the photo captured, is a moment when the greatest musicians of the century were at the same place at the same time. An important and entertaining film.