A Great Day in Harlem

This film is a must not only for jazz fans, but for those who are interested in a history of American music. This film truly captures a moment in time. In the early 1950's all of the prominent jazz musicians in New York were asked to assemble in front of a Harlem brown-stone for their photograph to be taken. The photo would be used as the cover for an all jazz issue of Esquire magazine. The young photographer who was in charge of the shoot (this was his first assignment as a photographer)was soon overwhelmed at the amount of talent which assembled that morning. Among the luminaries: Count Basie, Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Young, Gene Krupa, and countless others. All who turned out that day were legends in their own right. The day is recalled through a series of interviews with those participants still living. Some of the stories are humorous, some touching, but the warmth and emotion felt by the interviewees is evident throughout. All in all a wonderful film about a moment captured forever in time. It can be safely said that the moment this film and the photo captured, is a moment when the greatest musicians of the century were at the same place at the same time. An important and entertaining film.

This fun, informative documentary covers the taking of a classic photo in 1958 for Esquire, that had almost every great Jazz star of the era, from Dizzy Gillespie, to Count Basie to Thelonius Monk, etc etc.

While the film is too short (just under and hour) to go into any great detail, and maybe a little too much time is spent on various greats 25 years later saying how great everyone else was, there's a sweetness and infectious enthusiasm that director Bach (no spring chicken herself) brings to this collection of memories of a time and place.

If you have any interest in photography or jazz this is a must.

BTW - the two disc DVD has literally hours of interesting extras that balance the feature's short running time.

A one hour documentary on how a famous picture of some 30 jazzmen in 1958 was prepared one morning in 125th Street and Lenox Avenue. Thirty-five years later, those that were still alive were interviewed reminiscing of how the event took place. Even the small kid sitting on the curb, now a grown adult, was interviewed. There is also footage of a small portable movie camera that one had at the time. Funny too listening on the stories of these jazz giants.

The best documentary about jazz ever. If you want to know what jazz performers are like, you will learn more from this one hour film than all the hours of Ken Burns' documentary put together. It makes Burns' film insignificant by comparison. Jazz performers shine in this work because Jean Bach is such a skillful interviewer. You can tell the musicians all like her, and since they are always shown talking to the camera, not to her, it comes across as if they all like you, too, the viewer. The film makes you feel very privileged. I own this film and I watch it over and over and never get tired of it. Who could get tired of hanging out for an hour with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Bud Freeman, Art Farmer, etc. and listening to the excellent narration of Quicy Jones?

Imagine gathering 57 of the greatest legends, the creme de la creme, the absolute je ne sais quoi elite of the American art form; the people who created, shaped, formed and reformed, coddled and nursed, and were themselves that art form. The men and women of Jazz, capital "jay", in 1958. Imagine gathering not a dozen or so, but 57 of the greatest, most influential musicians of the day. In one place. At the same time. To capture one photograph.

Now try to imagine not only how difficult that feat would be, but consider that the photo shoot was scheduled for daylight hours when jazz musicians are just getting home from their all-night gigs!!

And yet, without having a real sense at the significance of the gathering at the time, one man, Art Kane, was able to accomplish that feat. What remains is not only the still black and white image of that one moment, but the moving pictures recorded before, during and after the photo was taken.

This film is a labor of love. Of love for the craft of jazz. Of love for the craftspeople of jazz. Of love for the art of jazz.

On the ode scale, which rates movies based on the total cost of seeing it versus the quality of the film itself: Definitely worth the cost of a full-price admission, plus large popcorn and large drink. Worth seeing even if you have to pay a baby sitter and a cab fare. Seeing it on the big screen is the only way to get the full impact, the full resonance of what this day represented then and what it represents to jazz lovers today.

Plus, it is pure joy to watch the Giants at play!