Product Details

• Actors: Coleman Hawkins, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Mann, Herbie Hancock, Dizzy Gillespie
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Passport
• DVD Release Date: January 16, 2007
• Run Time: 70 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000JLQQ62
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #239,461 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

In defining (or trying to define) "jazz," the dictionary uses such words as "propulsive," "diatonicism," and "chromaticism." Herbie Hancock said "Jazz is about being in the moment." Duke Ellington felt that "Jazz is a matter of thoughtful creation, not mere unaided instinct." And B.B. King believed that "Jazz is the big brother of the blues." But maybe Louis Armstrong said it best: "If you have to ask what Jazz is, you’ll never know."

Here are some of the greatest jazz artists of the 20th century in 17 rare, vintage performances, from pioneers such as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and Louis Armstrong, to Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, and Coleman Hawkins at mid-century, and on to more progressive musicians such as Grover Washington Jr., Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock, just to name a few.

Many of these numbers were performed live on TV in the ‘60s and ‘70s and have never been available before. As a special bonus, there’s All This Jazz, a fascinating overview featuring commentary from jazz greats Red Holloway, Ernie Watts and Gerald Wilson.

Creole Rhapsody (1933) – Duke Ellington Long About Midnight (1935) – Cab Calloway Shine (1942) – Louis Armstrong Be Bop (1946) – Dizzy Gillespie Salt Peanuts (1946) – Dizzy Gillespie Count Basie Boogie (1949) – Count Basie Ad-lib Drum Solo (1955) – Buddy Rich Flying Home (1957) – Lionel Hampton Stompin’ at the Savoy (1957) – Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge, Stan Getz, Oscar Peterson Trio, Nat King Cole Dig-A-Dig-A-Doo (1957) – Nelson Riddle Orchestra Back Home in Indiana (1964) – Louis Armstrong You Rascal You (1964) – Louis Armstrong I Got Rhythm (1969) – Lionel Hampton There is a Mountain (1969) – Herbie Mann Hesitation Blues (1977) – Earl "Fatha" Hines A Secret Place (1977) – Grover Washington Jr. Someday My Prince Will Come (1979) – Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea\

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Jazz Lineup!, January 29, 2007

By 

Steves (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jazz Giants of the 20th Century (DVD)

This is a really cool assemblage of jazz artists. I've seen some of the early stuff before, but the color performances from Herbie Mann, Grover Washington and Lional Hampton were great, and I liked the bonus jazz discussion by those older musicians. Definitely worth the money.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars No production values; 50% good music, so not a complete misnomer, August 28, 2010

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jazz Giants of the 20th Century (DVD)

Understandably, this disc will scarcely rate 2 stars with most viewers. No arguments from me. But there are reasons to like it:

1. Charlie Parker, the inarguable master among all improvisers in this American art form, left a single (just one) film clip behind him (a several-minute television tape of Bird joining Dizzy Gillespie on "Hot House"). It's not included in this collection, but the point is that the public's, let alone the sponsors', traditional aversion to jazz (especially instrumental jazz) assures that, visually, there's little to no footage of the seminal giants available anywhere, so be grateful for what you can get.

2. Although much of the video will be of interest only to fans of "smooth jazz" (Herbie Mann, Grover Washington), there's enough solid musical material to compensate.

Highlights include:

1. Dizzy Gillespie fronting his 1948 "pure" bebop band for two entire numbers.
2. Earl Fatha Hines and Louis as well as Herbie Hancock and Chic Corea (on the Mike Douglas Show). Though filmed in 1979, 6 years after Chic's/Burton's "Crystal Silence," Herbie appears to be no more than 18. (At 60 he looked like a 35-year-old; at 70, the disparity has narrowed considerably).
3. A Nat King Cole television show featuring Nat with: A. Oscar Peterson and the contrasting approaches of Stan Getz and Coleman Hawkins; B. Nat's tribute to Nelson Riddle, including the filming of a complete orchestral arrangement conducted by Riddle as well as Nat's calling attention to and even naming each of Nelson's 4 copyists!