(Review by Hugh).
This reissue
contains both a DVD of the film and a soundtrack CD featuring the music in the
film.
The Newport
Jazz Festival of 1958 was a four day event, filming conducted primarily over the final two days (Saturday and
Sunday). The film takes
the form of a documentary, but with sparse voiceover and the sounds are those recorded at the
festival, including announcements. The
DVD features both the stage acts and shots of the audience, local life and
ocean going yachts, trialling for the Americas Cup Race.
This makes for a great atmosphere. The film is in
colour – apparently a first for a jazz film, “bringing jazz out of the dingy
basement into the sunshine”. Premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 1959, In 1999 it received its greatest
accolade in being selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry
by the Library of Congress.
The musical
items featured are as follows:
Jimmy Guiffre
Trio – The Train and The River
Thelonius Monk
– Blue Monk
Sonny Stitt and
Sal Salvador – Loose Walk
Anita O'Day – Sweet
Georgia Brown; Tea for Two
Dinah
Washington – All of Me
Gerry Mulligan
and the Concert Jazz Band – As Catch Can
Big Maybelle – I
Ain't Mad at You
Chuck Berry –
Sweet Little Sixteen
The Chico
Hamilton Quartet – Blue Sands
Louis Armstrong
– Up a Lazy River; Tiger Rag; Rockin' Chair; When the Saints Go Marching In
Mahalia Jackson
– Walk All Over God's Heaven; Didn't It Rain; The Lord's Prayer
The above
are also featured on the CD. The
film also features a short segment of Rondo by the George Shearing
Quartet and a travelling (they play on various forms of open topped transport
during the film) Dixieland band from Yale University, Eli's Chosen Six.
The film is a
gem. Edited down from a total of 130,000
feet of film to 8,000 feet, it runs for 77 minutes (before the credits). It is both a record of these great artists
performing and a historical snapshot of late '50s United States of
America. The crowd shots are
particularly interesting – rows of empty seats (still familiar today) but a
cross section of festival goers of all ages (unlike most UK jazz festivals
today!). My particular favourite moments
were Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden duetting on Rockin' Chair and a
shot of the cellist from the Chico Hamilton Quartet, Fred Katz playing Bach
with his shirt off, alone in a darkened room and pausing to light himself a
cigarette, before picking up his bow and starting where he left off.
The DVD also
features an interview with the director, Bert Stern, full biographical details
of the performers featured and a documentary providing an insight into the
making of the film and the Newport Jazz Festival.
The CD and DVD
come attractively packaged together in a folding cardboard case. The centre pages have detailed (but not too
detailed!) historical notes about the film and the festival, together with
notes about the performers. To an extent
these replicate the notes found on the DVD itself and are more immediately
accessible.
The CD and DVD
are to be released in August by Charly (Charly X 686).
Hugh
Thanks Hugh what a memorable film that was. As a youth just discovering the joys of jazz I think I saw it it six times during the week it was released - cinemas didn't open on Sundays then otherwise it would have been seven. However, the most memorable moments for me were the two numbers by Anita O'Day. Not only did she sound good but she looked sensational in that outfit!
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