Music soundtracks have long been a part of movie magic, but the use of contemporary jazz, which started in the 1950s, changed the medium. “Jazz Score," an international retrospective of over 50 films is being presented at MoMA April 16th through September 15, 2008. Before the 1950s, jazz was mainly used as incidental music. In the postwar period, where the old studio systems were starting to crack and filmmakers were ready for something new, jazz became a key component. In many movies, it was an essential aspect of the film's structure and flavor. Alex North's score for “A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951) starring Marlon Brando and Vivien Leigh was nominated for an Academy Award. It also opened the door to a new group of composers including Duke Ellington, Elmer Bernstein, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini and more. The creative usage of contemporary jazz, as well as free jazz, modal jazz and Afro-Cuban, influenced a generation of New Wave directors and independent filmmakers, and continues to this day. Through a series of films, shorts, concerts, discussions and a multimedia gallery exhibition, “Jazz Score" celebrates the collaborations of filmmakers, composers and musicians who have radically changed both jazz and the movies.
When: Daily (ends September 15)
Price: Free with Museum Admission
$20 adults/$16 seniors/$12 students/Free under 16
Event Phone Number: 212-708-9400
The Museum of Modern Art
Neighborhood: Midtown West
11 W 53rd St. New York, NY 10019
212-333-1220
For more information contact All About Jazz.
