Johnny Griffin
Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia: John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin began his career in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of his death. A pioneering figure in hard bop, Griffin recorded prolifically as a bandleader in addition to stints with the pianist Thelonious Monk and the drummer Art Blakey, in partnership with his fellow tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, and as a member of the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band after he moved to Europe in the 1960s. In 1995, Griffin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.
Known For
Successful writer/director Bernard Rougerie is at a creative dead end and decides to isolate himself from his wife in order to complete the script for his next film. Bernard moves into an apartment building whose tenants are in the midst of a revolt against their abusive landlord. Reluctant at first, he joins their cause and then becomes involved in an affair with young, unemployed resident Anne.
Spoiled Children
"It must schwing!" was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Blue Note, the most successful movie ever made about jazz, is a testimony to the passion and vision of these two men and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made their label so famous.
Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz
An evocation of jazz through photographs, words and music. Music by Johnny Griffin Quintet with Jon Hendricks and the voices of Art Blakey, Kenny Clarke, Jo Jones, Sonny Murray, Eddie Gomez, Bill Evans. Jazz poems by Langston Hughes and Ted Joans.
Jazz Is Our Religion
Summer 2004. Location: Copenhagen. The city's old legendary jazz house, Montmartre, is reopening for the first time in more than 30 years. But only for a very short note (2 days). To mark today's occasion, some of the oldest veterans of jazz house come together, along with a handful of younger 'descendants', to take stock of their lives and deliver a life-affirming musical testament, in the form of a series of unique concerts in the old jazz house.
Between a Smile and a Tear
Documentary filmed during the 1965 International Jazz Festival in Bologna, featuring appearances by musicians such as Gato Barbieri, Don Cherry, and Mal Waldron.
Notes for a Film on Jazz
Concert performance by 30 jazz greats from the Blue Note label, at Town Hall, New York City, February 22nd, 1985.