JazzTown

As a jazz lover and former Denver resident, I found this film to be a pleasant surprise. It was a great presentation on how a relatively small city like Denver had a vivid and thriving Jazz scene. Most people view Denver as a Cow town or Rodeo roundup city but the filmmaker was able to showcase one of the hidden Arts the city has to offer. I also enjoyed how the many local Jazz Artists who have passed on were honored and praised for their talents and contributions they've made to the city's creative Arts. I personally would like to see a follow up, or a part two of this production from the filmmaker if possible one day.

JazzTown By Bmakin Film

JazzTown, a two-hour documentary film written and directed by Ben Makinen, is a little bit like a free-form jazz performance, one with spontaneous conversations between the performers. While it was filmed in Denver and has interviews with many of the top local players, it does not try to cover the history of jazz in Denver or stick to one basic topic. Instead it is free-flowing, jumping between artists, musical excerpts, and topics in an unpredictable but colorful fashion.

The most famous names in the film include Dianne Reeves, guitarist Charlie Hunter (who talks about the limitations of jazz education), trumpeter Ron Miles and Governor John Hickenlooper; the latter displays a love and surprising knowledge about the music, saying that "jazz is the application of soul." Many lesser-known Denver-based talents have their say in mostly very brief musical moments and talking about a wide range of subjects. Among the many who are heard from are drummers Gene Bass and Julian Archer, guitarists Creighton Holley and Mitch Chmara, singers Teresa Carroll, Ed Batte and Myra Warren, pianists Art Lande, Justin Adams, Billy Wallace (who has the best performance of the film), Ellyn Rucker and Purnell Steen (who talks about the importance of entertaining and connecting with the audience), bassists Dave Randon, Gabe Rupe, and Charlie Burrell (seen at his 96th birthday party), the late and adventurous guitarist Ron Bucknam (who says that his goal is to bring new sounds in the world that never been heard), saxophonist Freddy Rodriguez, trumpeter Walter Barr and the young drummer Declan Sculley. They talk about everything from trying to define jazz and speculating about its future to how hard it is to make a living as a jazz musician.

The result is a very interesting film filled with interesting stories (some of which would have been otherwise lost to history) and unpredictability. Jazz fans will find JazzTown to be of strong interest.

Scott Yanow, jazz journalist/historian and author of 11 books.