Feature length and short documentary and narrative films for, by, and about the giants and unsung heros of jazz. All unpacked and explored by The National Jazz Museum Harlem's finest jazz experts and jazz musicians.

Box office open for advance ticket purchases Mon-Fri 12-6 & from 1 hour before until the end of all events. During these hours, knock on the window if door is locked.

The Sound of Jazz
CBS, 1957, 58 min.
Perhaps the most iconic jazz film ever made, The Sound of Jazz brought together 32 leading musicians from the swing era, including Count Basie, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Billie Holiday, Jo Jones, and Coleman Hawkins; the Chicago style players of the same era, such as Henry "Red" Allen, Vic Dickenson, and Pee Wee Russell; and younger "modernist" musicians such as Gerry Mulligan, Thelonious Monk, and Jimmy Giuffre. These players played separately with their compatriots, but also joined to combine various styles in one group, such as Red Allen's group and the group backing Billie Holiday on "Fine and Mellow," one of the most poignant moments of jazz ever caught on film. The song brought back together Lester Young and Holiday; Young's blues solo is transcendent in its painful beauty and sophisticated simplicity.

More information: jazzmuseuminharlem.org

The Last of The Blue Devils
Dir. Bruce Ricker, 1979, 80 min.
Director Bruce Ricker's 90-minute The Last of the Blue Devils chronicles the 1979 reunion of many of these legendary players, combining interviews, vintage film footage, photos, and some inimitably swinging performances by Basie, Turner, pianist Jay McShann, and many others to create an intimate, good-natured portrait of what one old-timer calls the "cool, relaxed sound" of the city. The camaraderie among these men, all of whom are colorful raconteurs, is palpable. But it's the music, surely, that's the main attraction; performances include some familiar tunes, like Turner's "Shake, Rattle & Roll" and a Basie big band version of "Night Train" (featuring tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, the tune's composer) that's as greasy as the local barbecue. The Last of the Blue Devils is an absolute delight not to be missed! The Last of the Blue Devils contains vintage footage of important Kansas City musicians as Big Joe Turner, Lester Young, Jay McShann, Charlie "Yardbird" Parker and the Count Basie Orchestra with Freddie Green, to name a few. Beyond the exceptionally filmed musical segments, the documentary's highlight remains the personal interactions between all of the wonderful Kansas City legends reunited in 1979 for a historic jam session.

More information: jazzmuseuminharlem.org

Sound??
Dir. Dick Fontaine, 1967, 25 min.
Although Rahsaan Roland Kirk and John Cage never actually meet in this film (Cage's enigmatic questions about sound are intercut with some of Kirk's more ambitious experiments with it) these two very different musical iconoclasts share a similar vision of the boundless possibilities of music. Kirk plays three saxes at once, switches to flute, incorporates tapes of birds played backwards, and finally hands out whistles to his audience and encourages them to accompany him, "in the key of W, if you please." Cage, on the other hand, is preparing a work for musical bicycle with David Tudor and Merce Cunningham at the Seville Theatre in London. Cage meets Rahsaan's music in an echo chamber, and he ends his search for the sound of silence in his favorite spot -- the anechoic chamber -- where it turns out to be the uproar of "your nervous system in operation." Rahsaan is in top form playing everything from “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square” to his suite “Rip, Rig and Panic.”

AFTER THE MOVIE:
Live jazz plus reception sponsored by Harlem's own Sugar Hill Ale!

Thelonius Monk Straight, No Chaser
Dir. Charlotte Zwerin, 1988, 90 mins.
Filmmakers Bruce Ricker and Charlotte Zwerin utilize Michael and Christian Blackwood's 1968 footage of modern jazz innovator, Thelonious Monk, to create a singular portrait of this Jazz master's life both onstage and off. Charlotte Zwerin brings her editing genius (Gimme Shelter, Salesman) to the fore as she weaves new interviews, archival photos and music through the Blackwoods' verité footage to deliver a comprehensive biography while maintaining the open, meditative space that characterizes Monk's compositions. Of the films she made with Albert and his brother David Maysles, Al says, "Charlotte is gone now, but she is still the best editor I know of."

AFTER THE FILM:
Live jazz!

Performances by Musicians in the Savory Collection
Includes performances by Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, John Kirby, Ella Fitzgerald, Art Tatum. Reception sponsored by Sugar Hill Ale

AFTER THE SCREENING: Reception sponsored by Sugar Hill Ale

Rhythm is Our Business | The Drummers : Kenny Washington
Jazz drummer and historian Kenny Washington is a repository of jazz music in story and in practice. He can tell you the history of jazz and jazz drumming, and then show you what he's talking about. Hailing from Staten Island, NY, Kenny began his career in the late '70s with Lee Konitz, and was a favorite of stalwart musicians such as Johnny Griffin, Betty Carter, and countless others. His record collection is the envy of jazz collectors, his moniker "the jazz maniac," was earned while doing deejay work on WBGO. Today, he can be found playing in the trio of pianist Bill Charlap as well as the ensemble led by legend Ahmad Jamal. And tonight he'll share the legacy of jazz drumming on film featuring Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Ray McKinley, Papa Jo Jones, Sid Catlett, and many others, so don't miss this rare opportunity!

Christian McBride Hosts: My Musical Heroes on Film
This special edition of Jazz for Curious Listeners at the Maysles Cinema (where the National Jazz Museum holds monthly sessions) is not to be missed. Christian McBride, ne of the world's greatest bassists and Director of the National Jazz Museum, will share clips of his favorite artists from deep within his archives, covering a wide variety of musical genres and styles, all with a jazz denominator. A major collector as well as a brilliant musician, McBride is one of the most engaging and interesting hosts around come and bring someone with you.

The 1940s—From Swing to Bebop
The 1940s—the years in which the fate of the world hung in the balance of World War II—was the decade that the world of jazz transitioned from the big band era of Swing to the small group dynamism of bebop. Come see and hear the metamorphosis on film with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, Milt Jackson, Sarah Vaughan, Mary Lou Williams and others.

Sing Me A Swing Song: Great Jazz Vocalists – Ethel Waters
Hosted by Father Peter F. O'Brien
Performance footage including her Emmy award nominated episode of Route 66, "Goodnight Sweet Blues."
Vocalist and actress Ethel Waters (1896-1977) was a key figure in the development of African American culture between the two world wars. She broke barrier after barrier, becoming the first black woman heard on the radio, the first African American to perform in an integrated cast on Broadway, the first black woman to perform in a lead dramatic role on Broadway and the first black woman nominated for an Emmy for her role in the drama Route 66. In this episode, which will be screened in its entirety, Waters plays a dying blues musician longing to have her group reunited for one last gig. Father O'brien has also selected her filmed performances clips to present the dynamic range of Ms. Water's illustrious and influential career.

Father Peter O'Brien is the Executive Director of the Mary Lou WIlliams Foundation.

Tito Puente Month: Presented by Joe Conzo Sr. and special guests
Tonight, witness thrilling video clips of Tito Puente performing with various ensembles, each of which will demonstrate the sounds that he made famous at the Palladium and around the world, with narration by Joe Conzo Sr., Puente’s close friend and associate (plus possible surprise guests!).

Joe Conzo Sr. is a legendary Tito Puente historian, and archival recording producer.

Joe Conzo with Tito Puente

Celebrating A Masterpiece: Kind of Blue
Dir. Chris Lenz, 2008, 55 min.
Kind of Blue isn't merely an artistic highlight for Miles Davis, it's an album that towers above its peers, a record generally considered as the definitive jazz album, a universally acknowledged standard of excellence. Why does Kind of Blue posses such a mystique? Perhaps because this music never flaunts its genius. It lures listeners in with the slow, luxurious bassline and gentle piano chords of "So What." From that moment on, the record never really changes pace -- each tune has a similar relaxed feel, as the music flows easily. Celebrating A Masterpiece is a behind-the-scenes look at Kind of Blue, the top selling Jazz album of all time as well as a companion piece to Ashley Kahn's seminal tome Kind of Blue: The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece.

Celebrating A Masterpiece also be followed by some short, key performance clips from Miles Davis.

The Kind of Blue Album Cover

Tuesday,   
Jan. 10th
7:00 pm