Jazz 

A survey of the musical form's history and major talents.

Stars:

Keith David, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins

Nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Keith David	...	Narrator 10 episodes, 2001
Wynton Marsalis	...	Self / ... 9 episodes, 2001
Gary Giddins	...	Self / ... 8 episodes, 2001
Kevin Conway	...	Narrator 7 episodes, 2001
Gerald Early	...	Self / ... 7 episodes, 2001
Delroy Lindo	...	Narrator 7 episodes, 2001
Philip Bosco		6 episodes, 2001
Samuel L. Jackson	...	Narrator 6 episodes, 2001
Stanley Crouch	...	Self / ... 5 episodes, 2001
Margo Jefferson	...	Self / ... 5 episodes, 2001
Jimmy Rowles	...	Self 5 episodes, 2001
Artie Shaw	...	Self / ... 5 episodes, 2001
Arvell Shaw	...	Self / ... 5 episodes, 2001
James Lincoln Collier	...	Self / ... 4 episodes, 2001
Ann Duquesnay		4 episodes, 2001
Branford Marsalis	...	Self 4 episodes, 2001
Jackie McLean	...	Self 4 episodes, 2001
Courtney B. Vance		4 episodes, 2001
George Wein	...	Self 4 episodes, 2001
Sidney Bechet	...	Self / ... 3 episodes, 2001
Lester Bowie	...	Self / ... 3 episodes, 2001
Dave Brubeck	...	Self / ... 4 episodes, 2001
Harry Connick Jr.		3 episodes, 2001
Michael Cuscuna	...	Self 3 episodes, 2001
Ossie Davis	...	Self 3 episodes, 2001
Duke Ellington	...	Self / ... 7 episodes, 2001
Mercedes Ellington	...	Self 3 episodes, 2001
Matt Glaser	...	Self / ... 3 episodes, 2001
Lorraine Gordon	...	Self 3 episodes, 2001
Milt Hinton	...	Self / ... 3 episodes, 2001
Stan Levey	...	Self 3 episodes, 2001
James Maher	...	Self / ... 3 episodes, 2001
Phil Schaap	...	Self / ... 3 episodes, 2001
Studs Terkel	...	Self - writer 3 episodes, 2001
Cassandra Wilson	...	Self 3 episodes, 2001
Louis Armstrong	...	Self 8 episodes, 2001
Vernel Bagneris		2 episodes, 2001
Bix Beiderbecke	...	Self / ... 2 episodes, 2001
Buddy Bolden	...	Self 2 episodes, 2001
Tom Bower		2 episodes, 2001
Matthew Broderick	...	Narrator 2 episodes, 2001
Avery Brooks		2 episodes, 2001
Hodding Carter III		2 episodes, 2001
Helen Oakley Dance	...	Self 2 episodes, 2001
Charles Durning		2 episodes, 2001
Harry Edison	...	Self 2 episodes, 2001
James Reese Europe	...	Self 2 episodes, 2001
Benny Goodman	...	Self / ... 4 episodes, 2001
Fletcher Henderson	...	Self 2 episodes, 2001
Jon Hendricks	...	Self / ... 2 episodes, 2001
Earl 'Fatha' Hines	...	Self / ... 2 episodes, 2001
Billie Holiday	...	Self 5 episodes, 2001

Storyline

This series explores the history of the major American musical form. We track its development in African American culture, its rise to prominence with its golden age of popularity spanning from the 1920's to the mid 1940's both in its original form and in Swing through its popular decline and the rise of vital new sub-genres into the present day. Along the way, we learn of the lives and work of major contributors to the form such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Charlie "Bird" Parker and many others who helped form Jazz into the vibrant musical form it is. Moreover, we see how the music reflected the political and social issues of the African American community over the course of the form's history.

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Plot Keywords:

american history | black history | african american | jazz | tv mini series | 

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Music

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Narrator Keith David also voiced the character of Dr. Facilier in The Princess and the Frog.

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Connections

Features On with the Show! (1929)

User Reviews

Much beauty, some frustration too

This is a compilation that is pretty much essential for those coming to the music for the first time, and will afford a lot of pleasure to those who have been listening for some time too. Some of the film clips are breathtaking: you ask yourself 'where did he find that?' The focus is on the great figures of Armstrong, Ellington, Parker and Billie Holiday, which is appropriate since these people did more than others to shape the course of the music over the last century, but many viewers will be frustrated by the glancing attention and even omission given to some musicians. Why was it not thought necessary to show 'Lockjaw' Davis, Johnny Griffin, Tadd Dameron, Red Garland, Art Pepper, Lee Konitz, Jo Stafford and many more? Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett, where are they? It seems as though Winton Marsalis decided who the great ones were, and the worthy ones could be ignored.

I will praise the editors who took this huge mass of material and made something coherent and entertaining out of it. We must forever be in their debt. The way is now clear for some documentarist to make a series on jazz from 1960 to today.

Details

Official Sites:

PBS WNET New York

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jazz

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Florentine Films, General Motors Mark of Excellence Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min (10 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1