Customer Reviews

Story of Jazz [VHS]

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

 

 

The best 90-minute look at jazz you can imagine. I used this in my music class and the kids were engaged all the way. Interviews are to the point and fun, clips are great. Hard to imagine a better succint treatment of the history of jazz. Highest recommendation!

I teach a Music Appreciation course and this dvd was ideal for the introduction to jazz in this setting. I use more of the Ken Burns series in my American Popular Music course, but this dvd is an excellent overview. I ordered the dvd to have shown in class when I had to be away, and it was just right. If you are completely new to jazz, it's a good place to start. There is a good bit of attention given to bebop and basically ends there; I do wish that some had been given to jazz-rock and bossa nova. But in a dvd of this length, there is no way to cover everything. If you are fairly well versed in jazz already, you probably want something more comprehensive.

I use select bits of this video in both my Jazz History and Music Appreciation classes. Having real musicians talk about (and play!) the music really draws the students in, much more so than just talking about the players and seeing them in the book. The video is well-planned, well-directed and exceptionally well thought-out.

The samplings are wonderful[esp. Willie the Lion Smith and Sarah Vaughn],but the commentary does justice to all the included muscians as well as the history of jazz in general.I could watch this video ten times in ten days and not get tired of it.

This is a good DVD for people of any age who are interested in learning more about the roots of jazz music. The DVD features excellent recorded and video music clips, as well as interviews from some contemporary-to-the-great jazz musicians.


My only complaint is that the DVD, for the sake of time, glosses over some of the more intricate details of jazz history (which is understandable), and seems to ignore larger contributions from some of the lesser known jazz artists.

A great buy, especially if you are a music teacher in need of a sub plan at a good time in your curriculum.

Quite enjoyable--a good overview and in some ways preferable to the more recent and pricey, 10-disc Ken Burns production titled "Jazz." There is less somber pontificating here, and less time spent on negative biography. I found it as perceptive as the Burns series, but less pretentious. Some very nice video footage, too. Highly recommended.

Not Ken Burns, but it doesn't take 10 hours to watch, either. I use this DVD to introduce students to Jazz history over the Burns video, simply because the Burns video is too big, too long, and too inclusive. However, that means that this DVD leaves out much. My biggest problem with using it, though, is that the narration is hard to understand and goes by quickly, so that I must stop and fill in and/or reiterate points made. That said, I will continue to use it unless and until I find a better, concise version of the history of Jazz. If you are interested in the history and development of jazz, this video has some great interviews that make it worth owning.

Covers a broad chronology with nice balance and organization. The historic film and audio clips are of impressive quality. Retrospective commentaries by jazz figures who were there are reinforced by serious contemporary artists who help supply context. The pace of the interviews and music is just about perfect. I used this in a U.S. History course about the 1920s and 1930s, to illustrate connections between that era and contemporary culture, but also to stimulate students to consider persistent arguments about the distinctiveness of "American" culture. It did all of that, and was a pleasure too.

Great video! Plenty of old footage of the greats actually playing! Ken Burns take notice...this is what a history of jazz should include. Highly recommended.

I watched this CD with great anticipation, and was very disappointed. It treated the contributions of African American musicians well, but downplayed what white musicians did. The Original Dixieland Jazz Band ("not the real thing"), Bix Beiderbecke (north side Chicago, but King Oliver was the south side--where it was really happening), and Benny Goodman (whose real claim was that he used Fletcher Henderson's arrangements) are not given their due. The contributions of Muggsy Spanier, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, the Bob Crosby Bobcats, and (more recently) the Basin Street Six and Pete Fountain were either not mentioned or brushed aside. Jazz came out of a multicultural climate and white musicians have made their indelible marks,so that jazz is America's true art form. Enough of this bias--jazz is international!