Customer Reviews

Jazz Scene USA - Frank Rosolino and Stan Kenton

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

 

 

This video contains rare footage of the trombone master, Frank Rosolino. It is his best work I have heard and I highly recomend it.

I love this DVD. Rosolino's solos are simply amazing; energetic yet seemingly effortless. How does he play all those notes while barely moving his slide? The photography is wonderfully adventurous; particularly the closeups and the interesting use of lighting and shadows. And host Oscar Brown Jr's heroic attempt to sound like a "cool cat" while reading his scripted monologue from cue-cards is almost worth the price by itself.

As a trombone player I have long been a fan of Frank Rosolino. I was elated when this came out since I had never had a chance to seem him while he was still alive. Fortunately this captures Frank in the prime of his career doing some fantastic playing. I only wish it was much longer than thirty minutes.

What a privilege to finally see Frank Rosolino on DVD. He shows why so many believe he is the finest t-bone player in history! The clarity of the sound he produces is amazing and the technical proficency that no one else as of yet has been able to reproduce is evident on each and every cut. 'Jazz Scene USA'also allows us to see what many of his peers loved about Frank besides his trombone playing and that is his scat singing and his humor. Buy this DVD!! I hope other DVD/VHS from Frank Rosolino become available in the not too distant future.

Good entertainment with two distinct and innovative jazz masters demonstrating their craft. Video is not always great, as is typical from archival TV from this period but what is good is the energetic musical performances on display. Obscure live-TV material that is satisfying to view and enjoy.

The 30 minutes of Frank Rosolino is awe inspiring. His fluid technique and mastery of the trombone has yet to be duplicated! The format is somewhat stilted due to the scripted presentation by Oscar Brown Jr. but still Frank Rosolino's genius is seen and heard up close. The Kenton 30 minutes has poor audio. It is interesting to see a young Don Menza with the Kenton Orchestra, though.

The best year for jazz, 1957, was passed only by few years when these Jazz scene shows were filmed, but the magic was still there. Rosolino was a fantastic jazz performer full of technique, irony, love for jazz. kenton was a living legend with his own interpretation of the word jazz, full of personality and charisma. I rated this "only" 4 stars because suddenly it is too short, and because Rosolino is surrounded only by a fine quartet that don't match his genius.
If you love Jazz, those were the days, those were the musicians. Buy it to remember it. Enjoy.

Think twice before laying out $ for this clinker. It's a tape of two half hour 1962 "Jazz USA" shows, hosted by Oscar Brown, Jr. The photography is grotesque, the sound is bad (my copy had static as well), and the lighting is terrible. Sure, Frank Rosolino is a great musician; buy his CDs. As a pundit and singer, he's awful. And what a shame to be barely able to hear the great Stan Kenton mellophonium orchestra. As for Brown, well, he's best forgotten. A dud, folks.