Jazz on a Summer's Day

Director: Bert Stern Bert Stern

Overview

Jazz on a Summer's Day is a priceless record of the 1958 Jazz Festival at Newport, Rhode Island. It just doesn't get better than this. We see Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Dinah Washington, Chuck Berry, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, George Shearing, Jack Teagarden, Sonny Stitt, Chico Hamilton, Anita O'Day and Big Maybelle, so we'd stay glued to the screen even if the film was poorly made. But it isn't: director Bert Stern not only does a masterful job of filming these imperishable greats at their very best, but he manages to make the whole enterprise fascinatingly fluid and thoroughly cinematic. Even non-jazz buffs will be exhilarated by Jazz on a Summer's Day.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/09/2021
UPC:	0738329251437
Original Release:	1959
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kino Classics
Language:	English
Time:	1:22:00
Sales rank:	20,567

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Dinah Washington	Actor
Jimmy Giuffre	Actor
Sal Salvadore	Actor
Mahalia Jackson	Performer
Louis Armstrong	Performer
Chuck Berry	Performer
Chico Hamilton	Performer
Big Maybelle	Performer
Thelonious Monk	Performer
George Shearing	Performer
Jack Teagarden	Performer
Dinah Washington	Performer
Duke Ellington	Performer
Gerry Mulligan	Performer
Anita O'Day	Performer

Technical Credits

Bert Stern

Director,Producer

Editorial Reviews

Before The Last Waltz, Woodstock, or even Monterey Pop, there was Jazz on a Summer's Day. The granddaddy of the all-star concert film, it is a feast for the jazz enthusiast and features a parade of musical giants. Each viewer will have his or her own favorite moments, and highlights include Anita O'Day's showstopping rendition of "Sweet Georgia Brown," Dinah Washington belting out "All of Me,", and a medley of tunes from Louis Armstrong. Chuck Berry also delivers an enthusiastic version of "Sweet Little Sixteen," complete with his trademark duck walk, and Mahalia Jackson powerfully wraps things up with some gospel. As important as this film is as a record of jazz history, it is also impressive as documentary filmmaking. While never straying from the edict that the prime focus is on the performing artist, filmmaker Bert Stern also avoids randomly plopping the camera down on the stage. Instead he moves the camera in on the performers, providing a musical intimacy that must have been rare in the 1950s. He also regularly goes out amongst the audience, making the audience and their reaction to the concert almost as much a part of the film as the music itself. An invaluable contribution is made by editor Aram Avakian, who pieces together all of this footage, as well as shots from in and around Newport, into a coherent recount of a classic concert, and frequently does so by beautifully editing the film in rhythm with the music. In 1999, Jazz on a Summer's Day was added by the Library of Congress to its National Film Registry, designating it as a film landmark, and the film's significance as both a historical record and quality filmmaking is evident throughout.

All Movie Guide