In questo inizio d'estate, tra festival che vanno ad iniziare e altri che si spengono, mi piace ricordare uno dei primi e più importanti festival documentati con una pellicola cinematografica. Jazz On A Summer's Day è un capolavoro, un capostipite ed una assoluta goduria per tutti coloro che amano la musica jazz. Se su You Tube è possibile vederne spezzoni, oggi si può reperire abbastanza facilmente il dvd o la videocassetta con l'intero film. Il primo video che propongo documenta l'inizio della pellicola ed io trovo straordinariamente pertinenti le immagini baluginanti dell'acqua commentate dalla musica di Jimmy Giuffre. Il secondo video è invece il trailer del film con ampio spazio dedicato a Louis Armstrong. Interessante è la scheda dedicata all'opera su Wikipedia, che riporto in lingua originale.Jazz on a Summer's Day (
1960) is a
documentary film set at the 1958
Newport Jazz Festival in
Rhode Island, and filmed and directed by noted commercial and fashion photographer
Bert Stern.The film mixes images of water and the city with the performers and audience at the festival. It also features scenes of the 1958
America's Cup yacht races. The film is largely without dialog or narration (except for periodic announcements by
emcee Willis Conover).Also appearing are
Buck Clayton,
Jo Jones,
Armando Peraza, and
Eli's Chosen Six, the Yale College student ensemble that included later-legendary trombonist
Roswell Rudd, shown playing
Dixieland as they drive around Newport in a convertible jalopy.Many performances ran long, so that the last act,
Mahalia Jackson, did not appear on stage until after midnight, wowing the audience with
The Battle Hymn of the Republic.The movie was written by Albert D'Annibale and Arnold Perl. It was directed by Aram Avakian, Bert Stern.In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry by the
Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Lineup : Jimmy Giuffre 3: Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Brookmeyer, Jim Hall Thelonious Monk Trio: Thelonious Monk, Henry Grimes, Roy Haynes Sonny Stitt and Sal SalvadorAnita O'Day George Shearing Dinah Washington Gerry Mulligan Quartet: Gerry Mulligan, Art Farmer Big Maybelle Chuck Berry Chico Hamilton Quintet Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars: Trummy Young, Danny Barcelona Armstrong & Jack Teagarden Mahalia Jackson