By Gerard Cox

Many may remember the 2-CD edition of this concert that paid tribute to Jazz under lifelong patron Clint Eastwood’s name. Eastwood After Hours was released on Warner Brothers in 1997 and featured the exact same musical selections as are featured on this DVD- in other words, the entire concert.

For those unfamiliar with the concert, “After Hours” took place in 1996 at Carnegie Hall and featured a bevy of jazz “stars” playing music that was featured in the soundtracks of Eastwood’s films. For example, Jay McShann playing Hootie’s Blues (from The Last of the Blue Devils), Kevin Mahogany singing Satin Doll (from White Hunter, Black Heart), or James Carter playing Laura, Charles McPherson playing Cherokee (both from Bird) The criminally now-defunct Carnegie Hall Big Band, then directed by Jon Faddis, figures prominently in support of all of the regaled soloists.

Not all of the concert’s program adheres to the thematic guide of having been in an Eastwood soundtrack (there is a JATP tribute and Take Five, for example) but the vast majority of it does so it bears worth relating. Also, of good or bad note depending on how one is inclined to look at it, in the middle of the program there is a suite dedicated especially to “classic” Eastwood movie themes, e.g . Doe Eyes from The Bridges of Madison County, Theme from Tightrope, and of course, not to dissappoint the typical male Eastwood fan: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. These of course, are in some cases pieces of music that have debatable relevance to Jazz, but remembering this evening was as much a tribute to Eastwood’s career as to the sound of Jazz, it makes sense. Furthermore, these themes could do a lot worse than to be in the hands of the masterful arrangements associated with Carnegie Hall Jazz Band.

Also in line with playing music that derived from Eastwood’s ouvre, performances may or may not feature brief highlights from the films that are cut into during the music itself. Now, before you fully gasp, realize that the sound of the concert is not suppressed in favor of the movie sound, and that these are brief highlights, not extended vignettes of Eastwood films. They do seem to come at rather bizarre times, but by and large they are not too intrusive or annoying. For film buffs or bona-fide Eastwood fans, they may even add a layer of meaning to the experience as the relation of the music to the movie is usually made quite explicit. On “Misty” for example (performed by Barry Harris and Kenny Barron- duo), the screen cuts to the part in the Eastwood film Play Misty for Me when Eastwood’s character calls the tune on his radio program. It’s hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia here even if one has never seen the movie or heard the tune; the wistful look on Eastwood’s face says everything.

In any event, it should be absolutely emphasized that the musical highlights of this concert DVD outweigh anything that one might consider fluff or fat that is contained herein.

The indisputable highlight of this DVD is the cutting contest between Mr. James Carter and Josh Redman on “Straight No Chaser/Now’s The Time.” This is just incendiary, passionate playing that, if only for a few exhilirating moments, should make any skeptics of today’s jazz musicians wake up from their slumber. The Tenor battle shows two highly different stylists at the top of their game, but moreover, shows them interacting and playing clearly in the moment throughout. There is no lame licks-playing or rehearsed feel here, and this only befits “the sound of surprise” that Jazz represents when it is pure. The Carnegie Hall Band is swinging and blowing the roof off every step of the way behind them. And, in an interview following this section, Clint Eastwood specifically mentions it as one of his favorite parts of the concert and how it reminded him that “fun” should never die in this music.

There is another jam session-style highlight, in which, in tribute to the Jazz at the Philaharmonic sessions, a veritable phalanx of saxophonists (and a “token” trumpeter- Roy Hargrove), lines up on stage to take their turns at the classic JATP number- “Lester Leaps In.” This comes off a bit more staged than the Redman-Carter bout, but there are nonetheless some bright moments. And the soloists who really stand out here are not who one might expect; the relatively obscure James Rivers shows the most “classic” sensibility of any of the players and Flip Phillips, a personal favorite of Eastwood, comes through with the most exploratory playing of them all.

There are of course plenty of highlights that don’t have anything to do with jam session theater. “Hootie’s Blues” is wholly charming and for those who have yet to check out Jay McShann- well, shame on you. The performance by Kyle Eastwood’s Quartet (This Time the Dream’s On Me) is also a highlight in that it’s a terrific example of the kind of unaffected bebop played in nightclubs in every city. There is a competency and a democratic cohesion here that offers little in the way of great spectacle, but much reassurance in the basic elements of "good Jazz.". Finally, Kevin Mahogany’s features, James Carter's ultra-lush "Laura", James Moody and Barry Harris on "Parker's Mood", and the duo piano features for Barry Harris and Kenny Barron give this concert a sense of warmth and intimacy that counters the more purely swinging nature of it.

Regarding the visual/audio quality of this video, it’s all quite fine. Bruce Ricker, who has a wealth of experience in producing Jazz, was responsible for producing this concert and his professionalism shows throughout. The camera angles offer a satisfying sense of variety and the picture resolution, in conjunction with excellent stage lighting, makes for a very clear viewing experience. The sound is Dolby Digital and while not supercompressed, is more than adequate- certainly, at 24-bit, an improvement over the cd version of the concert.

All in all, this is a satisfying DVD concert experience- it succeeds largely because there is enough variety here to please about any jazz fan on some level, and because the quality of the production itself is very high. It’s the kind of concert video that manages to do a good job of convincing you that you might actually be in attendance, and in that sense- it did its job.

DVD LENGTH: 106 Minutes.