Jazz Icons: Duke Ellington

Customer Reviews:

Best Duke concert dvd ever!!.......2007-09-14

This is possibly the best Duke Ellington's Orchestra concert on DVD (and I buy every Duke dvd I see) Paul Gonsalve's performance on "Diminuendo In Blue & Crescendo In Blue" is worth the price of the DVD alone. Not only is he playing his heart out, the rest of the band is obviously enjoying it. Other great solo performances includes Johnny Hodges's "All of Me" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", Shorty Baker and Ray Nance on "Mr. Gentle & Mr. Cool" & Sam Woodyard's "Hi Fi Fo-Fum". I can go on and on just describing how wonderful this concert is.

I highly recommend this one!

Average customer rating:

Above par, musically...
A promise of restored stereo falls flat
Ann Rutherford shines in second-string Fox musical
Entertaining Fox musical comedy with Glenn Miller Orchestra
Hot music, jiveCats n' Zootsuits!

Orchestra Wives
Starring: George Montgomery , Ann Rutherford , Glenn Miller , The Glenn Miller Orchestra , and Lynn Bari
Director: Archie Mayo
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000AP04LK
Release Date: 2005-11-01

Amazon.com

"It's Hep! It's Hot! It's Hilarious!" reads the tagline for Orchestra Wives, a frothy slice of celluloid made in 1942 and featuring the great Glenn Miller Band. And that tagline is, well, sort of true. As is often the case with films of this genre (musical comedy with the occasional touch of drama), the story is largely superfluous: a naïve, smalltown girl (Ann Rutherford) falls for a fast-talking, smooth-playing trumpeter (George Montgomery); he proposes after spending, oh, about fifteen minutes with her (and before he even knows her name); she joins the band on tour, where the female members of the troupe, wives and singers alike, while away the downtime gossiping and rumor-mongering; trouble ensues, but all ends happily (and predictably). The main attraction here is seeing Miller (going by the nom du cinema Gene Morrison), then at the height of his popularity, and some of his fine musicians in action. Though not an innovator on the level of Benny Goodman and some of his other peers, Miller had a band that could swing like mad, and performances of tunes like "At Last," "Kalamazoo," and the rockin' "Bugle Call Rag" are a definite gas. The musicians are virtually all uncredited, but they include singer Marion Hutton, saxophonist-singer Tex Beneke, singer Ray Eberle, and the great drummer Moe Purtill (also look for Jackie Gleason, the Great One himself, in a substantial role as the band's bass player), as well as the Nicholas Brothers, an amazing dance team. The black & white transfer is nice, the music has been remastered in stereo, and the fact that Miller disappeared during a plane flight over the English Channel in late 1944 makes Orchestra Wives (which includes a commentary track by Rutherford and Fayard Nicholas, along with a photo gallery) something of a collector's item. --Sam Graham

Description

A new bride faces the strain of life on the road in this musical romance that features the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Miller is featured as band leader Gene Morrison, who embarks on a whirlwind national tour with his orchestra. While on the tour, trumpeter Bill Abbott (George Montgomery) impulsively marries one of his many ardent fans, a naïve young women named Connie (Ann Rutherford). At first Connie is more than willing to put up with such problems as not spending time with her new husband and the malicious gossip of other wives. But when she comes to believe that Bill is still involved with an old flame, the ensuing quarrel threatens to end both the new marriage and the entire band.

Customer Reviews:

Above par, musically..........2007-07-22

As would be expected, the music is wonderul. Glenn Miller pegged the "sound" of that generation and with his untimely death, his is the sound that will forever be identified with the WW2 era.

If you listen to "Serenade in Blue," there is a haunting quality that lingers with that particular number, but the arrangement is classic Glenn Miller. The movie is worth having just for the soundtrack; a great catalogue of Glenn Miller music when it was fresh and new, and the incredible voice of Pat Friday, the singer used to dub over Lynn Bari's vocals. What a shame they couldn't have used Ms. Friday's eyebrows, as well! There is more action in Lynn Bari's eyebrows when she "sings" then in any other aspect of this film! No wonder she never had an "A" movie career. But still, beyond her overactive "emoting" during her vocals, the film is worth having for the musical numbers; each a slice of life from that time in our country's history.

A promise of restored stereo falls flat.......2007-05-16

I won't go over the plot summary as many others have done so very well. A little audio history first:

Glenn Miller was an excellent band leader in the late 30's and early 40's and a proponent of using whatever the best available technology to create recordings of his incredible orchestra. His reputation for great sound was not just pulling together some of the best musicians of the period but also using early mulitrack recordings to capture his band's unique sound as faithfully as possible in the early 40's. This predated magnetic tape by several years. To do a multitrack recording in those days involved mastering to a multitrack optical recorder to capture each instrument section with fidelity pretty close to magnetic tape. Of course, back then, the final release audio for a film would be mixed down to a mono track printed optically on the film. The final quality of that mixed track would not be too good by today's standards but the original elements can be remixed on modern audio equipment to recreate a pretty good wide soundstage stereo image far exceeding the quality of old mono 78 RPM discs of the day. Back in 1992, Fox released a remastered version of Orchestra Wives and they took the trouble to find and remix the original multitrack optical tracks to create a good stereo soundtrack for their Laserdisc release. The sound was great on the band numbers with a full wide soundstage and crisp fidelity rivaling anything made years later.

Now, here's where I'm disappointed. I have the 1992 laserdisc and just got the new DVD release a few days ago. When I fired up the DVD, the audio sounded flat and dull. I checked the menus and found it had defaulted to the English Mono track so reset it for English Stereo. I tried again and it still sounded poorly equalized and lacking in the clarity and soundstage I was used to from the Laserdisc. On the Laserdisc, the dialog scenes are typical mono optical audio, limited bandwidth and pure mono. When the scene cut to a band performance, you could immediately hear the sound quality change to wide stereo with improved bandwidth and clarity in the highs. On the DVD, even the dialog tracks have a (fake) stereo effect added in so what I suspect is they took the mono track off the film print and passed it through a processor to add reverb to create a fake stereo effect. But if you play the Laserdisc and the DVD simultaneously and switch back and forth between the two, it is readily apparent the DVD tracks are not real stereo. They have the typical high frequency cutoff of an old optical release mono track.

Shame on Fox for this one. They have all the elements to do it right and to give the Glenn Miller Orchestra and their fans the kind of respect and treatment they deserve. Instead, Fox has taken the easy (and cheap) way out and created a fake.

Ann Rutherford shines in second-string Fox musical.......2007-04-21

The second movie to feature Glenn Miller and his Band (following 1941's "Sun Valley Serenade"), ORCHESTRA WIVES is a charming musical comedy, filled with one-line zingers and classic musical memories, not to mention an Oscar-nominated song.

Small-town gal Connie (Ann Rutherford) quickly meets and marries Bill Abbot (George Montgomery), trumpet player for the touring Gene Morrison Band (played by the Glenn Miller crowd). Connie joins the gang on tour, and comes up against Bill's old flame--and band singer--Jaynie (Lynn Bari). You can pretty much guess the rest. This is a lightweight musical comedy with plenty of sass and sparkle.

Ann Rutherford had just come to the end of her longterm contract with M-G-M (where she appeared as Careen in "Gone with the Wind", Lydia in "Pride and Prejudice", and Polly Benedict in the "Andy Hardy" franchise). Rutherford never found the same kind of fame (or roles) with Twentieth Century-Fox, and she retired seven years later. George Montgomery's career virtually ended after he was called up for World War II service shortly after this film, and he later floundered in B-movie territory ("Belle Starr's Daughter", "The Pathfinder", "Robber's Roost").

Lynn Bari steals this film with her catty performance as Jaynie. She's the epitome of the fast-talking, no-nonsense dame, and gets the lion's share of zingers; though her singing was dubbed--and obviously so--by Pat Friday.

Glenn Miller's Band performs several of their classic standards, joined by Tex Beneke and The Modernaires ("Serenade in Blue", "At Last", and the introduction of "I've Got a Girl in Kalamazoo", which was Oscar-nominated). The cast of ORCHESTRA WIVES also includes Mary Beth Hughes, Carole Landis, Cesar Romero, Jackie Gleason, Virginia Gilmore and The Nicholas Brothers (who perform a brief dance specialty at the very end of the film).

Entertaining Fox musical comedy with Glenn Miller Orchestra.......2006-04-20

I dont really think this movie deserved to be marketed on DVD as a "Fox Studio Classic." This 1942 showcase for the Glenn Miller band is amusing and well-made, but a minor entry in the musical comedy genre by Twentieth Century Fox.

The flimsy plot concerns Connie (Ann Rutherford), a small town girl who falls for Bill (George Montgomery), a trumpet player in the Glenn Miller Orchestra. They marry immediately, but problems ensue courtesy of a group of catty "orchestra wives" and the band's lead female singer (Lynn Bary), who tries to regain the affections of Bill, her former boyfriend, leading to the dissolution of the band.

The cast is serviceable, but unremarkable. Ann Rutherford and George Montgomery are attractive and play their parts well, but they lack the charisma of Fox's leading musical stars, like Alice Faye and Betty Grable. They're easily upstaged by the underrated Lynn Bari as the rival, Fox staple Cesar Romero as a womanizing pianist, and Carole Landis as a catty "orchestra wife".

The main reason to watch this film is to hear the musical numbers by the Glenn Miller Orchestra (all of them great) and also to see the superb dancing specialty number by the Nicholas Brothers (who sadly appear only once almost at the end).

Hot music, jiveCats n' Zootsuits!.......2006-03-31

starring the fabulous Glenn Miller Band -
i've played in Rock, Blues & CW bands & gotta say:
if you love music you've got to see this!

OW starts with a "band rehearsal", i almost fell out of my chair
when the gorgeous Marion Hutton sang w/ the boys in
"People like US", rich 40's Big Band harmonies-Yay!

so many good songs(shot "live") & the ~great~ Tex Beneke singing
"I got a Gal from Kalamazoo" with the Nicholas Brothers doing an
astounding "bounding off the walls" dance number.

Glenn plays the leader of this traveling Swing band, he
wasn't an actor-he just played himself(which works best);
a laid-back workaholic,it's a joy to see & hear his band,
back when they were establishing New Frontiers in music!

The film's storyline is tailored around the GM Band"s performances & is filled with an cast
of some of our favorite early 40's stars like:

handsome George Montgomery,perky Ann Rutherford,
classy Lynn Bari,blonde cutie Mary Beth Hughes.
Early roles for Jackie Gleason & Harry Morgan also!

but the 2 most interesting stars in this film are:

Cesar Romero - back when he was the most
handsome HepCat around town. When i think "Zootsuit",
Cesar comes to mind; he's great!

& beautiful Carole Landis as the "bitchy" band wife,
sexy & glamorous with a voice like honey;
Hollywood's never seen a woman
as gorgeous as Carole since!

You'd enjoy this film for the music(mostly) but it also
offers enjoyable glimpses of some of the best "musical/comedy"
stars of the era.

Benny Goodman - Adventures in the Kingdom of Swing

Average customer rating:

Kingdom of swing and "The King"
GOODMAN FAN'S SHOULD OWN THIS
A great hour about BG
Beautifully done!
Good, straight-forward introduction to Benny's world

Benny Goodman - Adventures in the Kingdom of Swing
Starring: Benny Goodman
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000050IKZ
Release Date: 2000-11-07

Customer Reviews:

Kingdom of swing and "The King".......2005-09-09

Benny has only one thing in his mind since the age of nine: "Clarinet".
This documentary reveals in an excelent manner in only one hour what minds Clarinet and swing music in the hands and body of this virtuose man called Benny Goodman.
You can find a lot of his music and interpretations and take in mind the next two things: if you know Benny you must see the movie; but if you don't know Benny, plese see the documentary and enjoy his magnificient playing from his young years during all his career.

GOODMAN FAN'S SHOULD OWN THIS.......2004-07-24

I FOUND THIS DVD VERY INTERESTING. YOU'LL BE DISSAPPOINTED IF YOU'RE EXPECTING A CONCERT. ANYWAY THIS DVD COVERS BENNY'S RISE TO THE TOP. INTERVIEWS WITH FORMER BAND MEMBERS AND FAMILY, PLUS BENNY HIMSELF, MAKE THIS GOOD. WHAT A FANTATIC MUSICIAN. HE ALWAYS SURROUNDED HIMSELF WITH A GREAT BAND, SOME OF WHOM BECAME STARS THEMSELVES. THERE ARE LOTS OF EXAMPLES OF BENNY PLAYING IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. ONE OF THE BEST IS BENNY PLAYING "AVALON" WITH LIONEL HAMPTON, GENE KRUPA AND TEDDY WILSON. THIS ALONE IS WORTH THE COST.

A great hour about BG.......2004-07-23

I agree with most comments from previous reviewers, but they forget this was only a one hour program for pubic television! Benny's career lasted for 60 years; even a mini-series wouldn't be long enough to do it real justice.

This hour offers reasonable length clips from movies that Benny was featured in. All of these films are difficult or impossible to buy; and rarely, if ever, shown on cable / satellite. (Okay studios, when can we buy copies of 'Hollywood Hotel', 'Big Broadcast Of 1937', etc.?). Add in the home movie and Vitaphone soundie clips, and it is a wonderful assortment of BG video.

The various interviews with various BG band members, and BG himself, are tremendous, even if some are embellished a bit.
The commentary does contain some inaccuracies, but serves to connect all the pieces in a way that holds your attention.

Overall, this is a must addition to any Benny Goodman collection, large or small.

Beautifully done!.......2004-03-06

If you are a fan of Benny Goodman, this is a required purchase. Yes, there are a number of problems and I will briefly mention them up front. Benny as a human being is not the focus here, and this did irritate me. He was amazingly difficult, cheap, severe with his sidemen and almost impossible to get close to. These problems were exacerbated in later years by his use of prescription drugs which made him "moody," to put it mildly. Benny's personality is not examined here and that is a major flaw.

In addition, Benny's amazing classical career is glossed over with scarcely a mention. His later years, from 1960 onwards, are also hustled through and I found this disappointing. Some of his European concerts from the 70's really were swingin' affairs, I have the casette tapes to prove it.

So why with these myriad problems am I still giving this five stars? Simply because the rest of the documentary is stellar. They focus on Benny's swing years, from 1935-1944, and they show some amazing footage, including color footage of Gene, Ziggy, Harry, Teddy and the rest of the boys. I wish they would have spent more time on the seminal 1938 Carnegie Hall concert, but they do cover this event in some detail. The picture quality is exceptional, though the audio is inconsistent.

Still, I give it a high recomendation for all Benny Goodman enthusiasts.

Good, straight-forward introduction to Benny's world.......2001-12-18

This is a good, basic intro to the Benny Goodman who was known to millions as "The King of Swing." They could have gone a lot farther with aspects of Benny most people know nothing about--he commissioned and performed great works from Bela Barok, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein, for example, but that isn't even *mentioned*--but the appeal here is to a mainstream understanding of BG. The documentary footage is fascinating, though we could have stayed longer in Carnegie Hall. They also whitewash Benny's severe personality problems, which only got worse as he aged. His Russian Tour, during which he alienated virutally all his men and may have been acting strangely because of a cocktail of pain-killers and uppers he was taking, isn't even mentioned, nor is the simple significance of the fact that his was the first American cultural institution allowed behind the Iron Curtain. His whole classical career is dealt with in about 30 seconds. There are some interesting details: we learn of his secret affair with and near-marriage to singer Helen Ward. We find out his daughters felt distanced from him because all he could talk about was music. And we see some great Carnegie Hall footage. (Despite the persistent myth, the great big overhanging mike wasn't used to record that concert; three mikes off to the sides of the stage recorded it. The NBC "Diamond" microphone, used to record Toscanini's famous broadcasts, was switched off that night.)

Some of the sidemen seem to tell tales that grow longer with every year. (Lionel Hampton says he told someone who asked what jazz is "If you have to ask, don't mess with it." Supposedly Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller, among others, also said the same thing.) And there are a few factual errors: the Let's Dance broadcasts didn't really triumph on the west coast because Goodman's band went last and the west coast audience was the only one still awake when it played; the bands actually rotated through the night, and everyone heard an even dose of all the musics performed; why Benny succeeded so big not on the whole west coast but specifically in LA is something that will never be known. Also the super near the end that identifies Goodmand and Krupa together as from a rehearsal for the Carnegie Hall Anniversary concert is a mistake. It should read "The Timex All-Star Sessions."

Description

A fabulous look at Harlem and its greatest musicians of the 20s, 30s and 40s: with extraordinary archival, full song performances by Fats Waller (This Joint Is Jumpin', Ain't Misbehaving, Your Feets Too Big), Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (Let's Scuffle), Dorothy Dandridge (Easy Street), Cab Calloway (We The Cats Will Hep You), Mills Brothers (Caravan, Cielito Lindo), Tiny Grimes (Romance Without Finance), Duke Ellington (Cottontail, Satin Doll) , Count Basie (The Start of Something Big, Take Me Back Baby)), Dizzy Gillespie (Salt Peanuts), Sidney Bechet (Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen), Nat King Cole (Frim Fram Sauce, I'm A Shy Guy, That's My Girl, Calypso Blues), Louis Armstrong (Swingin' On Nothin') and others. Featuring commentary by distinguished historians and the performers themselves, this program traces the roots of the music of the Harlem Renaissance, its social impact on society and its eventual acceptance in mainstream culture. 2004 Production.

Customer Reviews:

Jazz musicians & Tap dancers.......2007-07-05

This DVD has a great collection of many old film clips interspersed with limited but informative commentary. I really enjoyed listening and watching the jazz musicians play/sing and the dancers dance. There are two dozen artists/groups that are featured here. I have never seen this video footage elsewhere, so it was really special to see what the music LOOKed like.

Good footage, poor documentary.......2006-10-24

I bought this DVD for a course I teach on African-American Literature. This is a great DVD if you are interested in showing/discussing the music or performances of the period. However, the "documentary" components of this film are sorely lacking; the commentary provides only the most basic information about the Harlem Renaissance, and there is only about five minutes of commentary throughout the whole documentary. As such, this is mainly just a collection of performance clips, so you will need to do a lot more backgrounding for your students if you wish to explore this aspect of the Harlem Renaissance in depth. Also, don't be fooled by the running time -- the actual "documentary" portion of the film is only about 45 minutes long, and there is an extra 30 minutes of "bonus features" with an additional 11 performances.

Great collection.......2005-09-23

It is certainly hard to find films in jazz from this time period, so this collection is a very valuable one. The quality of the recordings are incredible considering their age, and the representations of the music/musicians sometimes surprising, even for those who study jazz culture.
Although the commentary may not give you much information beyond an introductory level, being able to see jazz performance is something which simply reading about the period can't compare to. One thing to mention--though this DVD is entitled Harlem Renaissance, it seems like several of these films were produced after renaissance was considered to be over.

An essential for anyone who wants to learn about/enjoy this period of time........2005-08-15

I have seen so many films about the Harlem Renaissance, I was beginning to think that there was no film that both captured and explained the history of the period and also made learning fun for students. As a teacher, I use this DVD with my 12 and 13 year old students. The full versions of songs on the bonus part of the DVD shows the power that visual and audio images can have and had way before MTV. For the price and quality, this is a must have for educators, and a joy for historians and music lovers in general.

music of the Renaissance.......2005-03-05

While most books and documentaries on the Harlem Renaissance focus on the writers and the painters of the era, this work focuses on the musicians. Most of the musical coverage is of the grainy, black-and-white motion picture productions of the time. This is accurate but may not appeal to modern viewers. Some of the vibrancy that comes through in the materials art just isn't here. Further, the transition from performances to narrative and commentary and back does not flow well. Still, this would be a great work for students taking jazz courses or for fans of classic jazz. Unlike many of the Renaissance's writers and artists, the musicians covered here survived for decades. It's hard for me to even pigeonhole them as Renaissance figures.

Average customer rating:

LOUIS PRIMA: THE WILDEST and THE BEST!!!!
El Primo
For Prima Completists Only
Comments about this DVD
We're Lovin' Louis

Louis Prima - The Wildest
Starring: Louis Prima , Jimmy Vincent , Woody Herman , Gia Maione , and Sam Butera
Director: Don McGlynn
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00005B34U
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Amazon.com

He may have been "just a gigolo," but it's easy to understand why Louis Prima continues to find audiences both young and old. The trumpeter and bandleader was at the forefront of the rock & roll movement, he was the epitome of the cool, singing and swinging Italian crooner ("Oh Marie"), and he achieved immortality as King Louie in Disney's Jungle Book. But the entertainer also went through five wives, struggled to keep up with new musical trends, and, ultimately, will be remembered as one of the world's great lounge acts.

Louis Prima: The Wildest chronicles his rise to fame from his early years in the French Quarter of New Orleans to his glory days in Sin City. Interviews with jazz critics, former wife Keely Smith, and numerous bandmates abound in this well-made documentary. But the real highlight for Prima fans will be the live music footage, showcasing Smith and Prima singing in their prime, his crackerjack band that knew how to swing, twist, and (yes) rock when it mattered, and Prima's incredible stage presence. The fascinating footage is abundant here- -from "Chinatown" to "Sing, Sing, Sing" to an awe-inspiring performance of "I'm in the Mood for Love." No one can ever sum up what makes Prima so magical, but the music speaks for itself. Added DVD features include some uncut concert performances and a few audio-only bonus tracks. --Jason Verlinde

Description

Before Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett or Engelbert Humperdinck ever played the stages of Vegas, there was Louis Prima. One of America's most hypnotic and original performers, Prima's career spanned several decades and turned out hits like "That Old Black Magic," "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Just a Gigolo," "I Ain't Got Nobody" and "Jump, Jive an' Wail." In Disney's animated classic "The Jungle Book," Prima created the "hep" voice of King Louie the orangutan. This film profiles the magnetic Louis Prima in a nostalgic historical journey through the music scenes of a racy New Orleans, the swinging jazz culture of uptown New York and Las Vegas's "formative" years. As a solo act or with his wife, acclaimed singer Keely Smith, Louis Prima was and will forever be the "wildest" man in show business!

Additional interviews; Full-length performances of "Basin Street Blues," "Oh, Babe!" and "Waitin' on the Robert E. Lee;" Audio-only bonus songs: "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Robin Hood" and "Please No Squeeza Da Banana"

Customer Reviews:

LOUIS PRIMA: THE WILDEST and THE BEST!!!!.......2006-09-21

The filmakers chose to concentrate on the music here. And there is a great wealth of rare and fabulous LOUIS PRIMA performance clips in this film highlighted by extended clips from PRIMA's ground breaking 1959 ED SULLIVAN SHOW appearances..most having not been seen since the day they were first broadcasted I suspect. I am told that Louis didn't have too much to say except when his horn was in his mouth..I think this doc clearly brings that home. Good informative interviews with family memebers, managers and fellow bandmates, great info on the ITALIAN AMERICAN communities of New Orleans as well...thank you for doing this one Don McGlynn & Joe Lauro!!!

El Primo.......2006-08-18

It's all in the live footage. Interspersed among somewhat predictable interviews ( bar the talks with Sam Butera ) it's dynamite. For the ones of us who never got to experience King Louis in the flesh, this gives a hint of what it must've been like.

For Prima Completists Only.......2006-04-14

I was a little disappointed with this film. I know the name, and a fair amount of the material, but was hoping to gain some insight to the Man. Got some, but not much. Maybe a bit too esoteric for the curious. Much of the information was glossed over. There is mention of "The Lion King", and Prima's influence on contemporary rock n' roll, but there is never any further exploration of these topics. I wanted to know the thought process behind the deadpan delivery of Keely Smith's on-stage persona, as well as a host of other things, but was left high and dry... This is probably common knowledge to the fan "in the know". However, for the rest of us... The footage is fantastic, but I never felt I really got to know Louis Prima, or even his work, really. Isn't that the point?

Comments about this DVD.......2005-01-13

Although I truly enjoy Louie Prima's music, this DVD does not due him justice. The sound and picture quality is poor.
The performances are old and all in BLACK & WHITE!! The only parts in color are the commentary and the cemetary photo where he is buried. Better to just buy a CD and listen to him perform. This DVD is way overpriced for its poor quality.
I do not recommend unless you just want anything and everything there is available on Louie Prima, no matter what the quality is like. I was very disappointed.

We're Lovin' Louis.......2004-12-22

I've been a Prima fan for many years. In fact, my daughter, who was born a few days after I watched Louis Prima perform with his then new wife, is named Gia (for Gia Maione, of course). My Gia has identical 4 year old twin boys who absolutely love Louis Prima, watch the DVD each and every day, sing all the songs and do wonderful imitations of Louis and Sam Butera. Ryan is always Louis and Nicky is always Sam. Wish all Prima fans could see the twins perform. Yes, we're all lovin' Louis.

At the Jazz Band Ball - Early Hot Jazz, Song and Dance

Average customer rating:

Bix may have been playing
Mixed Bag; For The True Devotee
Good Compliation-look for more
The Heart of Jazz
EXPERIENCE EXCELLENCE

At the Jazz Band Ball - Early Hot Jazz, Song and Dance
Starring: Various Artists
Manufacturer: YAZOO
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Ballet & Dance | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: 6305831343
Release Date: 2000-04-11

Amazon.com

At the Jazz Band Ball features rare, archival film clips from 1925 to 1933 that showcase a wonderful potpourri of musicians, bandleaders, singers, dancers, and entertainers that characterized the best of the Harlem Renaissance and the Jazz Age. The range of this collection represents early 20th-century Americana, from the hometown charm of the Boswell sisters performing the jazz-scat classic "Heebie Jeebies" to the Al Jolson-like antics of Charly Wellman's take on "Alabamy Snow." Of course, jazz is the heartbeat of this pre-World War II time and it's manifested in many ways. There's the classical sophistication of Paul Whiteman's orchestra rendition of "My Ohio Home" with the young trumpet pioneer Bix Beiderbecke, and the elegant and enduring Duke Ellington swinging like mad on "Old Man Blues" with baritone saxophonist Harry Carney, and an imaginative medley consisting of "The Duke Speaks Out," the evocative "Black Beauty," and Cotton Club Stomp" in which the lovely dancer Fredi Washington--and the innovative mirror shots--steal the show.

There's also the "Empress of the Blues," Bessie Smith, with her sorrow-song version of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues." But Louis Armstrong, the first major jazz improviser and vocalist, is the prince of this era, as evidenced by his down-home trumpet solos, stage charisma, and gravel-like vocals on "I Cover the Waterfront," the fast and furious "Dinah" (as seen on Ken Burns's Jazz), and "Tiger Rag." Add the dapper Dorsey Bros. Band, the tap-dance wizardry of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and Ben Burnie's burning big band treatment of the Harlem Globetrotters' theme "Sweet Georgia Brown" and you know the exuberance and artistry of this brilliant chapter in American history. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Bix may have been playing.......2005-10-31

In the Whiteman clip, it still is possible that Bix wasn't faking it. He was a self-taught trumpet player, and all of his fingerings are completely different from anyone else's. As for the different cut off, I'm not sure. But I don't think anyone should discredit the Bix clip entirely. He had his own style of playing.

Mixed Bag; For The True Devotee.......2004-03-05

A nice selection of rare material is undercut by the presentation here. Many films have been poorly framed so that people's heads are cropped - God, it's annoying, did no one look at this before it was released? Audio is generally as good as source material permits. As for the Bix clip - yep, there he (barely) is, in the brass section, FAKING his way through "My Ohio Home" (watch his fingering, it doesn't match the arrangement, and he stops playing before the rest of the section). So this is not the "only sound film document" of Bix playing - he ain't playing. There is no tray insert with any background info or even a track list, and nothing onscreen to indicate what you're watching, so you'll need to have the box handy. Nobody went out of their way to upgrade this for DVD, that's for sure. If you have the VHS, you don't need this. Four stars for material, docked one star for presentation.

Good Compliation-look for more.......2003-05-20

This is an excellent compilation of rare material, and it a must have for the great Boswell Sisters material, the shot of Bix in Whiteman's trumpet section (not soloing as the box says), the "dance contest" with Chick Webb's 1929 band (which released only 1 78), closeups of Duke's 1929 band-Wellman Braud, Sonny Greer, young Harry Carney and Johnny Hodges (soloing on soprano), Freddy Jenkins, Artie Whetsol, Cootie Williams...
Collectors should be warned that the version of St. Louis Blues with Bessie Smith is an edited, truncated version. So is the 1929 Duke Ellington material featuring Fredi Washington, great as all this stuff is. So for more, seek out the whole items, available on other collections.

The Heart of Jazz.......2002-06-20

What would you rather watch to get a taste of German cabaret in the early '30s, Cabaret (1972) or The Blue Angel (1931)? If you answer the latter you may especially enjoy this interesting compilation that is less polished than many others, especially the big studio productions of later years.

I am especially charmed by two productions that might be at the bottom of others' lists--the dance hall performances by Tessie Maize and Ruby Darby. By modern standards, many of the dancers were too heavy and too unpolished to even point a camera at, but they let us see what an ordinary audience of their times could see, not only the numbers, but the unaffected intimacy of the piece, and their cheer and enengy.

This DVD is like discovering a treasure in a collector's attic. A must have.

EXPERIENCE EXCELLENCE.......2000-01-07

You will watch this video over and over again and cry for more! Excellent!

Average customer rating:

'A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME'
Quincy Jones Live in '60
Quality of DVD
Quincy is the man !!
quincy jones- live in 60 (jazz icons)

Quincy Jones - Live in '60 (Jazz Icons)
Starring: Quincy Jones
Manufacturer: Tdk DVD Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000H9HWS2
Release Date: 2006-09-26

Description

Jazz Icons: Quincy Jones features Q conducting what he called his Â"dream band.Â" With an 18-piece orchestra of world-renowned players such as Clark Terry, Phil Woods, Sahib Shihab, Budd Johnson and Benny Bailey, this 80-minute program featuring 17 songs, is one of the fi nest examples of big band jazz ever to be captured on fi lm. Shot in Switzerland and Belgium in 1960, these two concerts are the only known visual documents of this legendary tourÂ—an important lost chapter in an illustrious career which has spanned six decades.

Customer Reviews:

'A DREAM COME TRUE FOR ME'.......2007-07-12

FINALLY I GET TO SEE WHAT I'VE BEEN LISTENING TO FOR OVER 40'S YEAR'S. WHAT A BIG BAND! PHIL WOODS,
BENNY BAILEY,JEROME RICHARDSON,SAHIB SHIHAB,JIMMY CLEAVELAND 18 MUSICIAN'S OR MORE.
THE PLAYING IS JUST AS GOOD AS THE RECORD'S. 17 TUNES;"STOCKHOLM SWEETNIN',"MOANIN",
"WALKIN","BIRTH OF A BAND","I REMEMBER CLIFFORD" ETC. 80 MINUTES OF GREAT JAZZ. A MUST!!!

Quincy Jones Live in '60.......2007-01-30

What a great band Quincy put together. Of all the bands of that era that was one of the best.
Ron Chambers

Quality of DVD.......2007-01-10

Two of the three videos are of excellent quality, but one looks to be a kinescope copy, and the video is blurry and very contrasty. In all three, the audio quality is good, however.

Quincy is the man !!.......2007-01-08

I received this DVD as a gift and it is fantastic.You do not get music and professionalism like this today. What a wonderful series. I will order some of the others.
Hats off to Jazz Icons for doing these discs.
You will enjoy this DVD.

quincy jones- live in 60 (jazz icons).......2007-01-05

I've enjoyed the album of this group for 40 years. To see it on dvd is incredible and totally "cooking".

Hollywood Rhythm Vol. 02 - The Best of Big Bands & Swing

Average customer rating:

"Where the Blue of the Night, meets the Gold of the Day," & then some!
Early 1930's its NOT swing music

Hollywood Rhythm Vol. 02 - The Best of Big Bands & Swing
Starring: Helen Kane , Millard Mitchell , Donald Kirke , Ruth Etting , and Bing Crosby
Director: Casey Robinson , Joseph Santley , and Leslie Pearce
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B000056N7U
Release Date: 2001-02-13

Amazon.com

The musical shorts collected on Hollywood Rhythm: The Best of Big Bands and Swing (Vol. 2) are delightful, but purists may note that these pieces only occasionally intersect with either big band or swing music. "Artie Shaw's Class in Swing," which deconstructs the elements of the big band sound, qualifies on both counts. What really comes shining through on this collection is the sheer weirdness of early-sound short films, caught somewhere between the slapstick of silent comedy and the music video of the future. How else to explain 1932's "The Musical Doctor," a surreal vehicle for Rudy Vallee, in which the 1920s crooner plays a physician prescribing music for health?

Some great stars are seen early in their careers, including Bing Crosby doing one of his signature tunes, "Where the Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day." Der Bingle, who had not yet relaxed into the casual screen persona that made him one of the biggest movie stars of the mid-century, also dons blackface for an uncomfortable sequence in "Dream House" (1932). Cary Grant gives perhaps the worst performance of his marvelous career in support of Anna Chang (and "Pickard's Chinese Syncopators") in "Singapore Sue" (1931), and Ginger Rogers is fun in "Office Blues" (1932), although she does most of her singing stuck behind a desk. She's a secretary trying to land her shy boss ("I like to urge a man, but he's like a clergyman"). The DVD bonus tracks include less inspired musical one-offs featuring the likes of Tallulah Bankhead and Maurice Chevalier. --Robert Horton

Description

"Blue of the Night" (1933, with Bing Crosby), "Musical Doctor" (1932, with Rudy Vallee and Mae Questel), "Singapore Sue" (1931, with Anna Chang and Cary Grant), "Office Blues" (1930, with Ginger Rogers), "Artie Shaw's Class in Swing" (1939, with Artie Shaw), "Her Future" (1930, with Ethel Merman), "A Lesson In Love" (1931, with Helen Kane), "Favorite Melodies" (1929, with Ruth Etting), "Meet the Boyfriend" (1930, with Lillian Roth), and "Dream House" (1932, with Bing Crosby). Bonus Performances from Kino's collection Studio Snapshots: Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys ("Sittin' on Top of the World"), Ginger Rogers & Jack Oakie ("Used to Be You"), Tallulah Bankhead ("It Had to Be That Way"), Kate Smith ("Here Lies Love"), Jeanette MacDonald ("Love Me Tonight"), Maurice Chevalier ("Louise"), and the Boswell Sisters ("Heebie Jeebies")

Customer Reviews:

"Where the Blue of the Night, meets the Gold of the Day," & then some!.......2005-06-28

What have we got here? The highlight of this collection is a 15-20 minute 3 song "short," wherein Bing Crosby chances upon a lady on a train who later fibs to him that she's engaged. Who's the lucky man, the gentleman asks? "Bing Crosby," she answers. He doesn't let on then, but later has this "news" announced to the press, and then shows up to meet her friends. All think he and/or she are pulling everyone's legs---until Bing sings "The Blue of the Night." It's a Mack Sennet short, but all the others herein are Paramount shorts. Of the best, we get "Boop-a-Doop Girl" Helen Kane wooing her professor; Rudy Vallee singing "Keep a lit-tle song, handy, wherEver you go, and NOTHing can everrr go--o wrong," as part of his role as a musical doctor; treating patients with song; "Meet the Boyfriend," a lively & expressive treat thanks to Lillian Roth's talents (she played arabella in the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers (singing "Tell me dear, why am I so Romantic" to great effect); and last of the really good offerings has Ethel Merman in front of a judge singing for leniency in a 2-song performance. Less effective is a simple singing into camera by Ruth Etting---the songs are fine, but there's no drama and/or whimsy in this simple short film. We also have Ginger Rogers doing a decent job as a secretary inclined to break into song & the first appearance of Cary Grant on film (something you'll not really want to see actually, especially if you are a fan of the former Archie Leach, as he plays an awfully thin & annoying sailor on leave in a nightclub---with musical entertainent provided by Anna Chang). Bing Cosby makes another appearance to close out this selection, wherein he runs amok on a Hollywood set (which is nowhere near as entertaining and enjoyable as the Bing "short" that opens this DVD). "The Best of Swing" in the title refers to a single selection of Artie Shaw's Band. In other words, don't even consider this DVD if you are looking for "Swing." But if you enjoy musical shorts (6-20 minutes each---2 hours total for the DVD, including some bonus selections) then this is one of the best collections you're likely to come across. A bit pricey yes, but if you can't locate it through your library then you just might have to consider purchasing it; especially if you are a fan of---& wish to see---Bing Crosby, Lillian Roth, Rudy Vallee, and/or Ethel Merman in their prime. Cheers!

Early 1930's its NOT swing music.......2004-04-01

clips from movies about 60% music. no big band.

Love You Madly/A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral

Average customer rating:

slightly hollow, yet haunting

Love You Madly/A Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral
Starring: Duke Ellington
Manufacturer: Eagle Vision USA
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000BO0L5O
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Description

From the Ralph J. Gleason archives come two significant Duke Ellington programs available on DVD for the first time ever, "Love You Madly" and "A Concert of Sacred Music At Grace Cathedral". Both Emmy-nominated programs represent a significant piece of Ellington history, and this DVD celebrates the 40th anniversary of this premier performance of his Concert of Sacred Music.

"Love You Madly" is an Emmy-nominated behind-the-scenes profile of Ellington including performances and interviews with the legendary bandleader. The performance footage was recorded in a number of places, from The Basin St.West Jazz Club, the 1965 Monterey Jazz Festival, and his first Concert of Sacred Music at Grace Cathedral. This program was described by Ellington in his autobiography as "…the best film about Duke Ellington ever made…"

"A Concert of Sacred Music At Grace Cathedral" (also an Emmy-nominated program) is a rare piece of history. Filmed on location at the premier performance on September 16, 1965, it is the first of what would be 3 Concerts of Sacred Music composed by Ellington between 1965 & 1973. These pieces combined classical, jazz, spirituals, gospel, blues music and dance and were performed in churches and cathedrals around the world. This Concert of Sacred Music was commissioned by the Dean of Grace Cathedral as part of a yearlong celebration for the completion and consecration of the Cathedral.

Liner notes have been contributed by noted journalist and author Ashley Kahn.

Customer Reviews:

slightly hollow, yet haunting.......2007-03-15

Duke was 66 when this film was shot. And we're all creeping there, and we all hope we can wear it as well as he did. But still, so much of the time is given up to rehashes and "In The Beginning God" which is a piece that, while not without interest, is not as strong as its surface would lead you to believe. I'm glad Carney and Procope get screen time and are heard speaking. I could of course wish for more of that, given the importance of the band to Ellington's creations. But it's great that there is some. San Francisco looks great, and I really like the grainy Black and White photography. Louis Bellson's playing is odd - he sometimes sounds like he's on a particularly inspired club date. Magic moments, there are few...Ad Lib On Nippon is heard pretty often in the background, but for my ears it would have galvanized the film to have eventually arrived at a full performance of this, one of Ellington's greatest later works. If you're an Ellington person, this is an essential purchase, but the whole thing left me feeling vaguely sad.

Average customer rating:

Cheaply assembled but classic

Frank Sinatra Singing at His Best
Starring: Frank Sinatra
Manufacturer: PASSPORT VIDEO
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00008OTUV
Release Date: 2003-03-25

Description

Frank Sinatra was a fabulous singer but he was lso a generous singer, showering respect and admiration on the lyricists and composers who fashioned the wonderful words and marvelous melodies that he sang. No doubt about it - it's SINATRA SINGING AT HIS BEST. Songs Include: • I've Got The World On A String • Stardust • I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm • Ol' Man River • Fly Me To The Moon • Last Night When We Were Young • I'll Never Smile Again • When You're Smiling • My Romance • Hello Young Lovers • Oh! Look At Me Now • That Old Black Magic • Talk To Me • It Had To Be You • Luck Be A Lady • High Hopes • Angel Eyes • Frank's Song Performed By Steve Blackwood (Britt) Maj Music

Customer Reviews:

Cheaply assembled but classic.......2003-08-04

This DVD was obviously made with a restricted budget, but the spoken narrative is brief and flows quite well from song to song. I have no idea where many of these performances are from, probably early 50s TV shows. ABout the only constant is substandard sound and picture quality- doesn't look like any attempt was made to restore it. All that said, 1943-59 (I'd actually say 53-60, but close enough) is THE classic era of Sinatra. There is a charming early 40s version of Stardust with Tommy Dorsey's orchestra, but most of the clips center on the 1950s where the legend was made. This is the period where Sinatra still had some of the range of his youth, but a touch of lemon that brought a maturity to his interpretations. He was on top of his game but not so drunk with his own stardom, and the voice shines through despite the not-so-good sound quality. Just a few short years later, we hear his withered voice on the 1965 "Man and His Music" special, tossing off songs he had made his own 10 years before (e.g. "I've Got You Under My Skin"), making the uninitiated wonder what the big deal is.

Someday I hope someone will restore clips of his Capitol era music and put out a quality DVD. In the meantime, this collection will have to do. Below average sound and picture aside, it's still a lot of fun and something that the Sinatra fans who relish his best music will enjoy.

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DVD

DVD