Acting
Few films wield the awesome spiritual power of Jazz Dance, on which Leacock was one of two cameramen charting the slow, smoldering build of a Manhattan dance club from idle space to explosive, carnal bacchanal. Employing handheld cameras, limited light and sheer proximity, the film achieved an intimacy never before witnessed in a documentary.
Louis Prima, between song numbers, tells how he happened to get a job in a Hollywood cafe playing music while a couple, unrelated to anything else, play a slot machine in the background. This short was reissued in 1944 and again in 1952. Lucille Ball has a bit part. Song numbers include; "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans", "Up a Lazy River", "Dinah","Basin Street Blues" and "Johnny Get Your Gun."
Documentary about the mid-20th century Vegas bandleader and trumpeter Louis Prima, who showed the world what a rock show could be.
Explore the vision behind the iconic American jazz record label. Since 1939, Blue Note artists have been encouraged to push creative boundaries in search of uncompromising expressions. Through current recording sessions, rare archive and conversations with iconic Blue Note artists, the film reveals an intimate perspective of a legacy that continues to be vital in today’s political climate.
This Vitaphone short features Red Nichols and His Five Pennies performing songs, including China Boy, Nobody's Sweetheart, Ida Sweet as Apple Cider, and Who Cares?.
The Sound of Jazz is an historic episode from the "Seven Lively Arts" anthology series featuring jazz greats in concert. Hosted by John Crosby, it offers some fascinating performances from Count Basie, Billie Holliday, Thelonious Monk and many more. This 58-minute program is a truly original and unique broadcast from CBS Studio 58 in New York on December 8, 1957.
