Results for "TV / Film"

Super Bowl's Jazzy Halftimes

February 2, 2015

Yesterday's Super Bowl was amazing—perhaps the most astonishing finish in NFL history. But the halftime show was a bit of a disappointment. A little too playful and silly for me, and not nearly enough intensity or drama. Which reminded me that in the beginning, the Super Bowl halftime show was a modest jazzy affair. The turning ...

New Jazz Film "They Died Before 40" Seeks Help With Photographs

January 23, 2015

They Died Before 40, a new jazz film with licensing concerns needs help from the jazz community. In order for the film to be shown publicly all photographs and music must be licensed. There are over 600 photographs and graphic images in the film. It has been determined that about 100 are in the public domain ...

Music Education Monday: Behind the score of Birdman with drummer Antonio Sanchez

January 20, 2015

The Academy Award nominated film Birdman, now playing in theaters across the US, has won acclaim for its script, cinematography, lead performance by Michael Keaton, and the musical score created by drummer Antonio Sanchez. Perhaps best known to jazz fans for his work with guitarist Pat Metheny, Sanchez (pictured) unfortunately was eliminated from consideration in this ...

Robert Herridge: Jazz on TV

January 15, 2015

Up until 1955, modern jazz was largely a punchline. The music wasn't easy to understand by those who grew up listening to big bands and other forms of pop and dance music, and many post-war jazz musicians seemed silly in their cool extreme—people with names like Dizzy, Monk, Chubby, Hawk, Shorty and Bird who recorded for ...

Documentary On Unsung Jazz musician, "Warne Marsh: An Improvised Life" Directed by son, K.C. Marsh is Raising Awareness

January 6, 2015

Los Angeles, CA: K.C. Marsh, the son of tenor saxophonist Warne Marsh, having completed a successful fundraising campaign is now raising awareness for his soon-to-be-completed feature documentary film. The film covers what made the improvisational capabilities of Warne Marsh so extraordinary as well as touching on the price of genius for a family left to support ...

Thomas Chapin Film Project Ends Europe Filming At The Famous Bimhuis In Amsterdam

December 11, 2014

This week, EMMY-winning U.S. filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo ends her filming for her documentary Thomas Chapin, Night Bird Song at the Bimhuis, Amsterdam's and Europe's jewel for jazz and improvisational music performances. Castillo concludes her four-country tour, which started in Paris, in Holland where her effort to gather the stories of Thomas Chapin in Europe have ...

Recent Viewing: Films About Hersch, Brown and McFarland

December 9, 2014

The new video recording of an acclaimed theatre piece recounts the surreal workings of pianist Fred Hersch's mind during a long medically induced coma. Documentaries about trumpeter Clifford Brown and the composer, arranger and vibraharpist Gary McFarland recall major artists who died as their brilliant careers were flowering. Fred Hersch: My Coma Dreams In 2008 Hersch ...

Voices of Doo-Wop

November 30, 2014

Bing Crosby documentary ‘Rediscovers’ enigmatic crooner

November 25, 2014

If Bing Crosby seems like a voice from a long-forgotten era, it’s because in many ways he is. As cabaret star Michael Feinstein laments, “No one dreamed he’d fade.” Except maybe the four sons from his first marriage, two of whom committed suicide and two who died of natural causes. Crosby’s stern parenting, which included corporal ...

Flea: Jazz saved life, but rock ’n’ roll got him laid

November 19, 2014

Jeff Preiss film also stars Glenn Close, Elle Fanning, John Hawkes With Glenn Close, Elle Fanning, Flea and John Hawkes on the marquee, Low Down boasts one of the biggest casts of the year. But this feature directing debut from documentary cinematographer Jeff Preiss is the definition of a small, intimate and highly personal picture. A ...