This is the grave of Joyce Alexander Wein and the future grave of George Wein. Born in 1928 in Boston, Joyce Alexander was not that far removed from slavery, as two of her mother's older siblings were born into the servitude. But Joyce got a...
jazz
This is the grave of Clark Terry. Born in 1920 in St. Louis, Terry picked up the trumpet at a young age and was playing in local jazz bands when.
Early in the film series, we looked at the Duke Ellington film Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life. Let's return to the great one tonight with the 1933.
I've been very busy and that is why I haven't been blogging much. That also means I haven't been able to explore the outer reaches of historical film much lately. But I think this Dave Brubeck performance from 1964 will serve us just fine this...
The other night, I watched Shirley Clarke's weird 1985 documentary about Ornette Coleman. Ornette: Made in America combines the classic documentary form of showing a great musician in performance and.
The Criterion Channel presently is streaming the 1981 Ron Mann documentary Imagine the Sound, probably the foremost film ever made on the free jazz scene. It features four greats--Cecil Taylor,.
Tonight's film is the 1935 Duke Ellington vehicle Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life. Directed by Fred Waller, who was a director of short films, it highlights Ellington's new composition and is also the screen debut of Billie Holiday. It was Ellington's intention...
The great jazz pianist is gone, at the age of 81. Tyner's famous for his legendary work with John Coltrane at the peak of the saxophone master's career between 1961.
This is the grave of Jean-Baptiste "Illinois" Jacquet. Born in 1922 in Louisiana, Jacquet and his parents moved to Houston when he was young. His father was a bandleader, though.
This is the grave of Stéphane Grappelli. Born in 1908 in Paris, his mother died young. But his father, who was an Italian writer, knew Isadora Duncan and when he was drafted into World War I by the Italian government, tried to convince her to...
This is the grave of Lester Young. Born in 1909 in Woodville, Mississippi, Young grew up in New Orleans as part of a family of musicians. But although professional musicians,.
This is the grave of Duke Ellington. Born in 1899 to a pair of pianists in Washington, Edward Kennedy Ellington followed his parents.