Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns [VHS]
![Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns [VHS]](/images/Jazz-A-Film-by-Ken-Burns-VHS-B000050HEQ-L.jpg)
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Charles J. Correll, Edward R. Murrow, Freeman F. Gosden, Keith David, Richard NixonEditor: Tricia Reidy
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
Running Time: 999 minutes
Release Date: 2001-01-02
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Pbs Home Video
Studio: Pbs Home Video
VHS Movie Reviews of Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns [VHS]
Movie Review: An excellent introduction to a broad subject
Summary: 5 Stars
It would be easy to criticize Ken Burns Jazz for any number of reasons. But when one looks at the breadth and depth of the subject, it would seem petty to do so. While the documentary certainly is in the Ken Burns style, which could be accused of sentimentality and personality worship, but one has to keep in mind that this is only a style.
Burns doesn't go out of his way to make certain individuals like Ellington or Armstrong into saintly figures, their influence and body of work accomplish that by themselves. Also keep in mind that Burns can't focus on every artist that comes along, but those that had the largest impact on their generations. While some may accuse the series of suffering from the "Marsalis" treatment, I would disagree in most instances. It could be argued that Armstrong got a lot of play throughout the entire series, being as his influence and impact was mainly in the 1920's and 30's. On the other hand Armstrong reamained the face of jazz for many mainstream listeners who were not delving deeply into Bop, Cool, Avante Garde et al. It must be pointed out that he did influence everyone since his time in one way or the other. You really can't criticize Burns for referring to some the main figures as "heaven sent" as he's quoting some of the top musicians who were influenced by them.
If one criticism can be leveled at the series it would be the lack any coverage of the 1970's and 1980's, when jazz was at it's lowest ebb. The series seemed to pick up at Marsalis' entry into the scene as the beginning of a new crop of musicians who brought the music back fromt he brink. This does a certain dis-service to those artists who continued to tour and sometimes reach very high levels of popularity. Some examples were Spyro Gyra, the Jazz Crusaders who scored some charting hits and established artists like Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich who not only kept the art popular in the high school and college circuit, but also acted as the training ground for many musicians who helped re-popularize jazz and are among it's elder statesmen today.
For musician and casual observer alike, it's a good introduction to the art form as well as a reminder of where the roots of the music came from. It gives those beginning an interest in America's popular music, whether as a listener or a dedicate musician, and starting point from which to begin.
Summary of Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns [VHS]
The story, sound, and soul of a nation come together in the most American of art forms: Jazz. Ken Burns, who riveted the nation with The Civil War and Baseball, celebrates the music's soaring achievements, from its origins in blues and ragtime through swing, bebop, and fusion. Six years in the making, this "soundbreaking" series blends 75 interviews, more than 500 pieces of music, 2,400 still photographs, and over 2,000 rare and archival film clips. The 10-part musical journey spotlights many of America's most original, creative--and tragic--figures, including Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis.Accompanied by a menagerie of products, Ken Burns's expansive 10-episode paean, Jazz, completes his trilogy on American culture, following The Civil War and Baseball. Spanning more than 19 hours, Jazz is, of course, about a lot more than what many have called America's classical music--especially in episodes 1 through 7. It's here that Burns unearths precious visual images of jazz musicians and hangs historical narratives around the music with convincing authority. Time can stand still as images float past to the sound of grainy vintage jazz, and the drama of a phonograph needle being placed on Louis Armstrong's celestial "West End Blues" is nearly sublime.
The film is also potent in arguing that the history of race in the 20th-century U.S. is at jazz's heart. But a few problems arise. First is Burns's reliance on Wynton Marsalis as his chief musical commentator. Marsalis might be charming and musically expert, but he's no historian. For the film to devote three of its episodes to the 1930s, one expects a bit more historical substance. Also, Jazz condenses the period of 1961 to the present into one episode, glossing over some of the music's giant steps. Burns has said repeatedly that he didn't know much about jazz when he began this project. So perhaps Jazz, for all its glory, would better be called Jazz: What I've Learned Since I Started Listening (And I Haven't Gotten Much Past 1961). For those who are already passionate about jazz, the film will stoke debate (and some derision, together with some reluctant praise). But for everyone else, it will amaze and entertain and kindle a flame for some of the greatest music ever dreamed. --Andrew Bartlett
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