Customer Reviews

Blue Note: A Story Of Modern Jazz

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well, as a fan of jazz I simply never get tired of this film! This 1997 documentary covers all the bases - the background and perspective of Blue Note's founder, Alfred Lion, the recording session atmosphere, the enthusiasm and dedication of the musicians, Francis Wolff's photographs, Reid Miles' covers and Rudy Van Gelder's sound. If you own the Burns series, this film fills in some of the gaps and corrects some of the misconceptions perpetrated by that series' final few episodes, and it does so without all the constant cloying narration. The director does a masterful job of editing and sequencing the various segments to provide an expert and entertaining balance between interviews and performance footage and between coverage of the label's heyday and its contemporary influence. The performance footage for the most part is electrifying, including period clips of Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Thelonious Monk, the Town Hall concert of '85 (showcasing Freddie Hubbard's virtuosity), and Junko Onishi from '96. There is one b&w clip of a Sonny Rollins performance that is just mesmerizing to watch! (The only soft segment for me is a clip of Cassandra Wilson performing one of her tunes in a "smooth jazz" arrangement - ugh!) The interviews are in a variety of settings and include all the right folks such as Blue Note heroes Herbie Hancock and Horace Silver, session players Bob Cranshaw and Tommy Turrentine, industry figures Gil Melle and Michael Cuscuna, Alfred Lion's former wife Lorraine Gordon (interviewed while taking reservations at the Village Vanguard!)and his widow, Ruth Lion, plus several of Lion and Wolff's colleagues from Europe, who give a valuable perspective on the reception of jazz as high art. The soundtrack is well-crafted and indicative of the range of the label's music with selections from artists well known to Blue Note fans like Joe Henderson, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Lee Morgan, Jimmy Smith and Grachan Moncur. This film ranks alongside Monk's documentary "Straight, No Chaser". Highly recommended!

When Julian Benedikt's documentary on the famous Blue Note record label aired as a two-part television special in 1997, it was cause for celebration among jazz fans, albeit tempered with a sense of frustration. The small, independent company, founded by German immigrants Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff in 1939, played a seminal role in the development of jazz from the postwar period through the late 1960s. Lion and Wolff privileged quality over all other considerations, and recorded artists when other labels wouldn't touch them. (Thelonious Monk is a prime example.) Such an enlightened and progressive corporate attitude would be unthinkable in today's bottom-line climate. Blue Note had a sound, a style and a look all its own. The label arguably reached its artistic peak in the late-50s to early 60s with its roster of powerhouse hard bop players as Hank Mobley, Jackie McLean, Art Blakey and dozens of others. If Benedikt had simply focused his camera on the surviving musicians and included generous amounts of archival concert footage, this could have been one of the greatest music documentaries ever. Unfortunately, his film goes off in a number of inexplicable directions that seriously compromise its impact. In a misguided attempt to give the film "relevance," Benedikt accords an inordinate amount of camera time to the likes of Carlos Santana, Taj Mahal, and DJ Smash. Their perspectives, while sincere, lack the kind of insight that the original artists, many of them happily still alive, could have provided. Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Horace Silver and bassist Bob Cranshaw are given a fair amount of time to reflect on the creative freedom they experienced as Blue Note artists, but for the most part, Benedikt is content to name check famous musicians like Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley without providing any context. Even more problematic is the matter of concert footage. Benedikt is generally stingy with archival footage of such legends as Dexter Gordon, while indulging in extended performance footage of contemporary musicians Junko Onishi and Cassandra Wilson. Onishi is a nice pianist, but has nothing to do with the classic era. And including Wilson's smooth jazz pabulum is an insult to the innovative spirit the label represents. Moreover, Benedikt's kaleidoscopic, MTV-style of editing, while meant to be hip and cutting-edge, just comes across as annoying. Having said all that, I would still recommend this DVD to jazz fans, if only for its historical significance and the chance to see and hear icons like Herbie Hancock and Hubbard reminisce about an era when jazz was about pushing boundaries and enriching the culture. When Benedikt lets the original musicians speak and play for themselves, his film soars. If only he had left it at that.

This is quite an enjoyable video that explains the history of one of the most important recording labels in Jazz, Blue Note. From its founding in the 1930's to the late 1990's, this video showcases the founders of the label, to the legendary artists that recorded with the Blue Note label. Legendary performers include John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Theolonius Monk, Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, just to name a few.

Personal views from the musicians themselves enhance this video and it is captivating to learn how these musicians got together in the studios and collaborated to make some of the best Jazz the world ever heard or will ever hear.

The music is highlighted taking the best of beebop, fusion and avant guarde and is evolved through time. Blue Note has evolved to Jazz's ever changing sphere of music, but its re-releases of classic recordings still (in my opinion) make it the best of the Jazz labels.

This video is highly recommended to all who enjoy the history of Jazz and want to learn something about the evolution of Jazz in the last 60 years.

This is an enjoyable film about the life and partnership of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff of Blue Note records. Blue Note is my favorite jazz label and their story is heart warming. They deeply loved jazz --especially the bluesier stuff and they loved and respected the musicians. Many Blue Note artists appear in this ninty or so minute film along with the great music from this label. The only shortcomming is the lack of extended performances of some of the artists, but I guess then it would have been five hours long :-)

This video documents one of the great music labels in the history of American music. Alfred Lion, Blue Note's founder, recorded music that was the real thing, the authentic stuff. No other label in jazz or in any other form of music can boast at accomplishing what Lion and Blue Note were able to do. They were not interested in making hits to attract or pander to a popular audience. This video shows the history of a label in which some of the twentieth century's best musicians could have the freedom to perform and develop the way they wanted. We should be grateful that someone was able to create a space in which such musical expression could take place, and the history of Blue Note is still sadly overlooked for the most part by those attempting to make a definitive statement on jazz history. What it all comes down to is this: Every Blue Note record or CD is worth picking up. You know it will be great. How many other record labels can you say that of?

...particularly as this film shows tantalizing clips from the '85 event. Great to finally have this classic on dvd. This 1997 documentary covers all the bases - the background and perspective of Blue Note's founder, Alfred Lion, the recording session atmosphere, the enthusiasm and dedication of the musicians, Francis Wolff's photographs, Reid Miles' covers and Rudy Van Gelder's sound. If you own or have seen the Burns series, this film fills in some of the gaps and corrects some of the misconceptions perpetrated by that series' final few episodes, and it does so without all the cloying narration. Director Julian Benedikt does a masterful job of editing and sequencing the various segments to provide an 'improvisational' balance between interviews and performance footage and between coverage of the label's heyday and its contemporary influence. The performance footage for the most part is electrifying, including period clips of Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Thelonious Monk, the aforementioned Town Hall concert of '85 (showcasing Freddie Hubbard's virtuosity), and contemporary performers like Junko Onishi. The best of these is a b&w clip of a Sonny Rollins intro that is just mesmerizing! (The worst, and only hiccup, is a clip of Cassandra Wilson performing a dull "smooth jazz" arrangement.) The interviews are in a variety of settings and include Blue Note legends Herbie Hancock, Horace Silver and Gil Melle, studio session players Bob Cranshaw and Tommy Turrentine, and recording executive Michael Cuscuna. Alfred Lion's first wife Lorraine Gordon gets interviewed as she takes reservations at the Village Vanguard. Several of Lion & Wolff's European colleagues and contemporaries offer the overseas perspective on the reception of jazz as high art. The soundtrack mix is well-crafted and indicative of the range of the label's music with selections from artists well known to Blue Note fans like Joe Henderson, Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Lee Morgan, Jimmy Smith and Grachan Moncur. The film concludes on a poignant note with the now-deceased Andrew Hill signing out a sound studio to practice his art. This film ranks alongside the Monk documentary "Straight, No Chaser".

When someone mentions Blue Note, the first thing I think of are their album covers, sharp and cool. This film captures that cool look with black and white footage that adds impact to this documentary on the Blue Note label. The next thing I think of is great music, hot music, urgent music, important music. That too is captured in this account of the birth and growth of the Blue Note record label.

As a Jazz aficionado I fully expected to like this video. What was surprising to me was how much I learned while watching it, not only about Blue Note and Jazz, but about art, culture, and in particular, race in America.

Though released twelve years ago, it contains interviews that today in 2009 would be "cutting edge" in terms of their perspective and honesty about the continuing challenges America faces as a nation divided down racial lines. But it does not get bogged down in race; it speaks enough to be honest, and from there it artfully speaks to many of the greater truths about art, culture, commerce, vision, and genius.

The editing is very well done: story lines, musical cues, archival footage, and interviews are woven together into a coherent whole that moves at just the right pace. The visuals are also great, it part because part of the Blue Note story is the collaboration between founder Alfred Lion and photographer Francis Wolff. Wolff's photography gave Blue Note a look that very much informed the looks of the video.

I think this video is a must-see for both Jazz fans and those who wish to gain a better understanding of contemporary America.

Hardly a "story of modern jazz," as subtitled, the film is nevertheless a fascinating remembrance of the most legendary jazz label by some of the musicians who recorded for the "mom and pop" operation. In addition, there's footage of some of the major players--Silver, Coltrane, etc.--that whets the appetite for more. The inclusion of a current artist like Cassandra Wilson is questionable, since the present-day Blue Note is nothing more than a "name" sold to the same huge corporation (EMI) that owns Capitol and other recognizable labels of the past. Where's Rudy? Why is there no mention of what inspired Lion and Wolff to start the label in the first place (Sidney Bechet), and where's the guy (Jimmy Smith) who kept the company afloat when it was about to sink?

This one will appeal to collectors of Blue Note albums from the 50's and 60's as well as some younger listeners who have made the discovery of these sessions, their distinctive sound and artwork. If there's a major disappointment, it's the absence of film footage from an actual recording session, showing the viewer Van Gelder's methods and interactions with musicians.

(Sigh. This film didn't hold the attention of a non-jazz crowd for 10 minutes, and even some 18-year-old fans of acid jazz thought 30 minutes was enough. It's a pretty spartan production that will appeal to viewers who recognize artists like J. J. Johnson, Bob Cranshaw and Tommy Turrentine. And it's a nice tribute to Max Roach, since he's allowed to speak at length. But to go higher than 4 stars is to forgo any semblance of objectivity.)

Really enjoyable and really historically significant.

The Organic Feeling of Music: The mind and the intellect, the soul and the feeling all got together. This video said it all.

Its about the Beethovens of Jazz, America's original (musical) artform.

But where is the DVD version?