brownie Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 (edited) Now that I am into DVD, I bought this new 2DVD set 'The Greatest Jazz Films Ever' which included some well-known videos including 'Jammin' the Blues, 'The Sound of Jazz' and 'The Sound of Miles'. Thought it was a good idea to start my DVD viewing with this. And I played this right after the New Year celebrations.. 'Jammin' the Blues' looked better than ever, then came the famous footage of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker playing 'Hot House' after being presented with Down Beat awards. AND THEN none but Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker get into 'Ballade'. Hey, wait a minute I have seen a couple of very brief images of Charlie Parker from that film but for years jazz fans were told this was what remained of the film Gjon Mili - the famous Life photographer who filmed 'Jammin' the Blues' - made in 1950 but was reportedly lost forever. Here, it's complete with Charlie Parker following with 'Celebrity'. We've heard this before, but I had never seen that. But then there is more. A pianist gets into 'Ad Lib', takes me some time to recognize Hank Jones. Ray Brown joins him, then Buddy Rich and the trio gets into a very nice improvisation. AND THEN Lester Young and Bill Harris walk into the scene. Lester takes his sax and is joined by all of the others for 'Pennies from Heaven' and I'm in heaven. My man Lester Young as I had never seen him before! Music is superb. Lester looks and plays beautifully. And there is more: all this gentlemen are joined now by Flip Philips and Harry Edison and - in a corner - there is Ella Fitzgerald with her back to the camera. All improvise on a Sweets tune called 'Blues for Greasy' with Buddy Rich doing exactly what he should: great drumming! Lester Young enjoys all this and solos to prove he IS the President. Pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. It's all happening right in front of my very eyes! At one point Flip Philips gets ready to play but realizes that Ella Fitzgerald is still into another scat singing chorus to the amusement of Lester and Harris. The footage is amazing! Small problem, the music is not exactly synchronized to the images. But who really cares when music like this turns out of nowhere. The DVD back notes has this as 'Jazz at the Philharmonic' but there is no mention of Lester Young playing on that (Ella, Hawk and Bird are the only names mentioned plus Gjon Mili). But this is the real thing, 'Jammin' the Blues, Part 2'! The snippets of Bird that were shown before were the only remaining traces of that film. But I don't remember anyone mentioning there were other greats beside Bird who had been filmed by Mili. Or anyone mentioning the footage had been recovered. I could not find any mention either of this Lester Young music in the various discographies I have. The only indication I found about this film was that it seems to have been included in a DVD released in Britain in 1999 under the title 'Norman Granz Presents Improvisation'. But the Lester Young footage is not mentioned there either. The release of that DVD obviously did not make the noise it should have! That DVD I got comes from the Idem label. Another Andorra-based enterprise from the Disconforme group. I know a lot of people on the Board have various (and sometime good) reasons to keep away from their products. Well, I have to thank them for getting into 2004 to the sound and sight of unknown Lester Young music. Edited January 1, 2004 by brownie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 (edited) brownie, I simply can not believe my eyes what I have read just right now! More totally unknown Pres on film, more "Jammin The Blues", more Bird, more... These are surely the best greetings in New Year - to know such material exist! BTW, I searched for the web and haven't find the title except that cover image attached to my reply. Is this the same 2 DVD set? And I have to disagree about keeping away from products like this one - why "great of them all greatest" film/record/publishing companiens never even tried to inform us about such things, not to mention to reissue them in affordable price! Edited January 1, 2004 by mmilovan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Where did you get this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 (edited) http://www.disconforme.ad or http://www.freshsoundrecords.com Also check this one: http://www.organissimo.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3127 Edited January 1, 2004 by Claude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 You might try here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 I just ordered the 2 DVD set from Fresh Sound and will report on the quality as soon as I have it ... wanted to get Jammin' the Blues for many years!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 I found many titles here: http://www.thebebopshop.com/acatalog/The_B...__DVDs_167.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 It's out of stock at Dusty Grove and when I tried for the Fresh Sounds site I got Blue Moon which charged a lot more for it. (38E vs $29.) Anyone know any other US sellers? And what's the correct Fresh Sounds URL? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Claude Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Blue Moon and Fresh Sound are related or the same company, that's why there is just one website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 (edited) Popup window informed me that everything had been moved here: http://www.jazzmessengers.com/, Under the URL: http://www.jazzmessengers.com/ProductInfo.asp?ref=108574 is our DVD. Edited January 1, 2004 by mmilovan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted January 1, 2004 Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 brownie, lets clear few facts: As I can understand Jones/Rich/Brown Young/Harris/Philips/Fitzgerald is the different film from Ballade/Celebrity, or is the same? If it is different, can it be some JATP session when Oscar was still not always in rhythm accompaniment? Around 1949., I guess, or so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted January 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 What I got is item 11 in the list that Late posted. That's the 2DVD set I bought for half the price quoted from my friendly neighborhood music provider. Best value for money I have spent for months! The text does not specify what the JATP video footage actually shows. As far as I am concerned the video quality for that Lester Young footage and Jammin' The Blues is excellent. The rest of the content (Sound of Jazz and Sound of Miles) is the regular bad quality video that unfortunately has to be accepted for those CBS shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted January 1, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2004 Under the URL: http://www.jazzmessengers.com/ProductInfo.asp?ref=108574 is our DVD. Milovan, that's the one. I'm not sure that the Bird footage and the Lester Young/Bill Harris footage were shot at exactly the same session but they are part of the second Gjon Mili film that was reported lost for years except for the few seconds of Bird that were shown before. All the musicians that show up in the Lester Young footage (Edison, Harris, Phillips, Jones, Brown and Rich) were in New York in September 1950 for the start of the 1950 JATP Tour. They all were at the September 16, 195O Carnegie Hall concert that was released by Granz at the time. I have the four issued numbers (Norgran Blues, Lady Be Good, Ghost of a Chance, Indiana) that appeared on the LP 'Midnight Jazz at Carnegie Hall' on the 'Norgran Blues 1950' reissue LP that came out in 1983 on the Verve label as part of the JATP albums series. The liner notes to that Verve reissue do not mention any film being made then but I am pretty sure the Gjon Mili was shot when the musicians gathered in New York for that tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 (edited) All the musicians that show up in the Lester Young footage (Edison, Harris, Phillips, Jones, Brown and Rich) were in New York in September 1950 for the start of the 1950 JATP Tour. They all were at the September 16, 195O Carnegie Hall concert that was released by Granz at the time. I have the four issued numbers (Norgran Blues, Lady Be Good, Ghost of a Chance, Indiana) that appeared on the LP 'Midnight Jazz at Carnegie Hall' on the 'Norgran Blues 1950' reissue LP that came out in 1983 on the Verve label as part of the JATP albums series. These are beautiful news to hear. God knows how many unissued takes are in (Verve?) vaults somewhere. Some of us are still in wait for complete 1950-60 (and further) JATP. (there's been rumors about something that Granz brought along with him in Europe when he sold Verve back in 1960's, so who knows...) Edited January 2, 2004 by mmilovan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted January 2, 2004 Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 What I got is item 11 in the list that Late posted. What list are you refering to Brownie,? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted January 2, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2004 What I got is item 11 in the list that Late posted. What list are you refering to Brownie,? In the fifth post on this thread, fellow Organissimo memberLate had a link to that DVD. The link connects you to a list of various DVDs. The eleventh item on that list is the double DVD that I found. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted January 4, 2004 Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 brownie, how many titles from JATP w Pres, Jones, Brown... are on this DVD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted January 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2004 Milan, the DVD Disc 1 includes five items from the Gjon Mili film on JATP: 1- 'Ballade' with Coleman Hawkins and Charlie Parker, 2- 'Celebrity' by Charlie Parker, 3- 'Ad Lib' by Hank Jones with Ray Brown and Buddy Rich, 4- 'Pennies from Heaven' with Lester Young and Bill Harris joining in, 5- 'Blues for Greasy' with Harry Edison, Flip Phillips and Ella Fitzgerald added to the line-up. Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich are the rhythm section for the five numbers. The whole film lasts about 25 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 Dusty Groove has this in stock again, along with a DVD that includes performances by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet, Art Pepper Quartet, and rare footage ("rare" because it was withdrawn from American distribution) of Art Farmer's quartet with Jim Hall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted January 16, 2004 Report Share Posted January 16, 2004 I just ordered both those DVDs. Let's see how soon (or even "if") I get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 I got a double DVD from Fresh Sound/Blue Moon a few days ago, "The Greatest Jazz Films Ever", very fast delivery, and in a registered letter with no extra postage cost! To have all of Lester Youngs films on two discs is a good deal. The visual quality of the JATP film is excellent. They edited the "Jazz from Studio '61" to have two numbers each by the Jamal and Webster Groups without interruption, but I liked the film as originally edited better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Late Posted January 17, 2004 Report Share Posted January 17, 2004 Mike, what did the original edit look like? Does the new "edit" actually give more time to the proceedings (meaning, the time in between tunes)? Trying to figure out what you're meaning. These Idem DVD's look to be a pretty good deal, even if they're priced just a bit high. I wouldn't be surprised if, in a short time, they become very scarce — at least in America, where estates and existing copyright laws may eventually prohibit their distribution. Just a guess, but that's what happened to the Art Farmer Jazz Casual set. For more jazz on DVD shopping fun, Tower is currently having a 25%-off DVD sale. Good time to pick up those Jazz Scene USA and Jazz Casual discs, and Sun Ra's A Joyful Noise — all for a pretty reasonable price. If you haven't seen/heard the Teddy Edwards/Cannonball Adderley Jazz Scene USA DVD, you're in a for a treat. Sound is certainly not the best, but the music (especially Edwards' group) is . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 23, 2004 Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 (edited) Just got finished watching the 2-DVD set, and all I can say is "WOW". The "JATP" footage MUST have a story behind it. I can see why it was never released in its time, a LOT of goofing going on by the musicians, who are obviously pantomining to a pre-recorded track (Buddy Rich plays a kit with no ride cymbal!) and generally seem to be having a laugh about the whole thing. Still - priceless, PRICELESS footage, seemingly released here in raw form, complete w/slatings (Buddy's change of countenance in one segment between where the take is being slated and "actual" filming begins is one of the many priceless moments). The whole thing seems like an attempt at something that was doomed from jump street as far as getting a commercially viable product goes. Flip in particular looks a bit loaded. But to see Lester seemingly unaware and/or unconcerned that he's supposed to be "performing" for the camera...wow... Plus. we get to see his shoes! Up close! Maybe a minor detail of concern only to the fetishist, but when it comes to Prez, I plead guilty in that regard. No regrets about it, either. The question is - where the hell has this stuff been all these years? Has it been circulating amongst "deep" collectors, or has it just been unearthed? The film quality is incredibly good either way. Easily worth the 30 bucks I gave to Dusty Groove (the bastards!) for it just for this footage alone! But...so much more, including the unused music recorded for "Jammin' The Blues" (audio only, of course). Having never befores seen JTB, I was initially disappointed by the total lack of belivabilty in the pantomiming, but I got over that REAL quickly. A visual feat, this one is. The Miles stuff I had seen only once before in toto, and the same goes for "The Sound Of Jazz", which appears here in, I think, more complete form than the VHS copy I once saw. All are about as good as quality, audio & video, as I think is possible unless pristine original source material is found. Who knows if that will happen? The CBS vaults must have some dusty nooks and crannies that remain uncharted, but I'm not holding my breath. An essential set for most of us, I'd think, but again out of stock at da'Groove. However, go HERE and fill in the request for e-mail notification of its return, and JUMP when it comes. This one may be around forever, or just a short time (and that JATP footage may or may not be the determining factor), but once you have it, you don't have to worry about that kind of thing anymore, do you. Edited January 23, 2004 by JSngry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted January 23, 2004 Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 (edited) Oh yeah, these films raise two questions of the "What the hell..." variety:What the hell kind of mouthpiece is Bill Harris playing? It looks like a glass doorknob! and...What the hell was George Duvivier wearing to Ben's gig? Looks like he just got back from a pool party!BTW, having never seen actual footage of Harris before, all the comments I've heard about him looking like a dork but really being a wild child are MORE than borne out by what's seen here. OUT-standing! Edited January 23, 2004 by JSngry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownie Posted January 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2004 Jim, you're asking the good questions. As usual. I was floored when I realised what was on that 2DVD box when I stumbled on it without any advance warning. And I cannot recall any mention of that glorious footage from the second Gjon Mili film appearing anywhere. At least there was some trace (video and sound-taped of part of the Charlie Parker portion). But neither the front nor the back covers of the box bother to mention the presence of this footage. Then the shooting of the Lester Young portion goes unmentioned in any of the biographies of Prez... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.