Acoustic Alchemy: Best Kept Secret

The Fabulous Baker Boys

October 1989 •English

The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.

Fire Music

September 2021 •English

Although the free jazz movement of the 1960s and '70s was much maligned in some jazz circles, its pioneers - brilliant talents like Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, and John Coltrane - are today acknowledged as central to the evolution of jazz as America's most innovative art form. FIRE MUSIC showcases the architects of a movement whose radical brand of improvisation pushed harmonic and rhythmic boundaries, and produced landmark albums like Coleman's Free Jazz: A Collective Inspiration and Coltrane's Ascension. A rich trove of archival footage conjures the 1960s jazz scene along with incisive reflections by critic Gary Giddins and a number of the movement's key players.

Let's Get Lost

September 1988 •English

Documentary about jazz great Chet Baker that intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell (for drug possession). And, we see the aged Baker, detached, indifferent, his face a ruin. Includes interviews with his children and ex-wife, women companions, and musicians.

Brian Hughes - No Reservations

December 2009 •Russian

Fourplay - Live in Cape Town

February 2009 •English

The world's top contemporary jazz ensemble performs live in South Africa, blending their smooth jazz signature sound with large doses of pop, R&B and African beats.

Girl in a Cage

January 1965 •English

A fiery, lithe dancer is stripping in a cage on a jungle set, scored to intense crime jazz.

Air Mail Special

December 1941 •English

Count Basie does a little rhyming rapping before going into this Benny Goodman instrumental composition. While he's playing, plenty of couples are jitterbugging constantly until, one by one, they get tired and start to fall down on the floor.

Cold Trumpet

January 1963 •Italian

Chet Baker silently wanders through an Antonioniesque landscape in a Felliniesque state of wonderment as his improvised trumpet solos alternate between earnestly offering the obvious and mocking the artiness of the whole affair.

The Gospel According to Jazz - Chapter III

December 2010 •English

Kirk Whalum presents this music documentary-cum-live concert performance exploring the impact of jazz on modern retellings of the Gospel. The film includes performances by Kirk Whalum himself along with George Duke, Lalah Hathaway, Doc Powell and Kevin Whalum.

The Gospel according to Jazz - Chapter II

October 2002 •English

Kirk Whalum curates this exciting collection of musicians, coming together to perform THE GOSPELACCORDING TO JAZZ. The artists include Kim Burrell, Jonathan Butler, Georke Duke, Paul Jackson Jr. and Tata Vega, all neatly complementing Whalum's forays into jazz, blues and gospel.

Sparni

December 2023 •English

It’s the second semester of junior year for Pierce “Sparni” Sparnroft, a gifted jazz vibraphonist studying at Montclair State University in New Jersey. Sparni’s prospects on the vibes were rejuvenated by their new professor, the world-renowned Steve Nelson, and are to be showcased during a student-driven recital in May 2023. But all the while, Sparni must face a crisis within.

Piano Blues

October 2003 •English

Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a treasure trove of rare historical footage in addition to interviews and performances by such living legends as Pinetop Perkins and Jay McShann, as well as Dave Brubeck and Marcia Ball.

Jam Session

January 1942 •English

Duke Ellington and Orchestra perform 'C Jam Blues'.

Jazz Legends: Charles Mingus & Eric Dolphy - 1964

March 2022 •English

Jazz session: Dizzy Gillepsie en concert au studio 104 - 1970

March 2022 •English

Jazz Is My Native Language: A Portrait of Toshiko Akiyoshi

January 1983 •English

Jazz is my Native Language: A Portrait of Toshiko Akiyoshi is a 1983 documentary film by Renee Cho about the jazz pianist, composer, arranger and big band leader Toshiko Akiyoshi.

An Evening of Fourplay

December 1993 •English

This is the debut of Fourplay, a popular quartet comprised of keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Lee Ritenour, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason. The music sounds more or less like a Bob James small-group date with Ritenour as a major soloist. The style is between jazz, R&B, and pop with an emphasis on lightweight originals, soulful and moderately funky rhythms, and predictable radio-friendly music. Nothing unexpected occurs, but fans of James and Ritenour should enjoy both this CD and Fourplay in general.

Streetlight Opus

December 2023 •English

When two buskers find themselves situated on the same busy street corner, a musical battle ensues when the musicians realise that the lively city isn't big enough for the both of them

Miles Davis & Keith Jarrett - The 1971 Berlin Concert

October 2010 •Italian

Containing a vibrant concert by the Miles Davis Band featuring Keith Jarrett.

Dave Koz - Off the Beaten Path: Live from Trinidad

November 2002 •Russian