Monterey Jazz Festival 1975

Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War.

An immersive look at the eventful life and brilliant artistic career of visionary American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991).

This documentary recounts the life of the late composer Michel Legrand, known for his works on Les Parapluies de Cherbourg or Les Demoiselles De Rochefort with the famous director Jacques Demy.

Born poor in Baltimore, Chick Webb broke his back as a boy and faced life as a hunchback dwarf afflicted with Spinal Tuberculosis. Someone suggested drumming as physical therapy, and Webb found his calling: at only 16 he built the hottest jazz orchestra in America at Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom, one of the rare places where Blacks and Whites could socialize together. The artists discovered and mentored by Webb are extraordinary, but perhaps no star shines brighter than that of Ella Fitzgerald. Features interviews with those who knew or played with Webb and period footage.

Virtuoso prog/pop/rock band with (former) members of Deep Purple, Dream Theater, The Winery Dogs, Avenged Sevenfold, Dixie Dregs, Spock’s Beard, Alpha Rev & Transatlantic •Second Flight is shot with 24 cameras during the Second Nature Tour 2014; the album Second Nature charted in Top-10 positions around the world. •All video, including the 4K Ultra-HD version, was mastered by Cinnafilm using their Dark Energy technology (IMAX) for stunning visuals.

On October 17, 1961, the popular and pioneering pianist-composer Dave Brubeck performed on Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual, the television show that showcased some of the finest jazz artists in a half-hour of no-frills performance and conversation. Backed by the Lester Young-influenced alto saxophonist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright and drummer Joe Morello, Brubeck and his combo perform some of their odd-metered hits. Desmond's dancing ditty, "Take Five" is rendered in a faster tempo than the studio version. Brubeck's ragtime-flavoured "(It's a) Raggy Waltz," highlights his percussive piano lines, while "Castillian Blues" and the Turkish strains of "Blue Rondo a la Turk" reveal his multicultural, compositional genius. Gleason, the show's creator and host, was a well-respected, San Francisco-based jazz critic and author. He remarks during the show that Dave Brubeck was "a provocative, experimental, and interesting musician." That statement is still true today.

Jazz Icons: Dave Brubeck boasts two beautifully filmed concerts from one of the most beloved quartets in jazz history. Captured at the pinnacle of their power and popularity, Paul Desmond (alto sax), Joe Morello (drums), Eugene Wright (bass) and Dave Brubeck (piano) explore the trails they blazed into the realm of odd time signatures with "Forty Days" and two versions of their groundbreaking hit "Take Five", as well as forays into world music with two unique interpretations of "Koto Song". Their intimate onstage chemistry and impeccable musicianship made the DBQ an award-winning jazz supergroup.

In 1955, on his report, a medical examiner wrote in the box: age, “about 53 years”. Charlie Parker nicknamed Bird just died, at 34. His death will be the ransom of a life that was not denied to the excesses or the consuming flame of genius. His wildest improvisations will open the door to future jazzmen. Between shadow and light this film will pay tribute to one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.

Recorded at Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin, November 4, 1972. A DVD has been issued of the concert by "Standing Ovation" - "Gerry Mulligan, Paul Desmond & The Dave Brubeck Trio. Live In Berlin 1972". It does not include the non Brubeck tracks. Tracks 5-11 on CD 2, are from a rare live performance by Mulligan and Desmond playing together along with Jaki Byard, in New Orleans in 1969.

Jazz Pianist on the Creative Process & Self-Teaching. Here is the late, brilliantly original jazz pianist in intense conversation with his composer brother, Harry, on the nature of creativity in jazz. Occasionally, they stroll to the piano for a musical illustration (Evans play splendidly).

Berlin's 1965 Jazz Piano Workshop reunited some of the instrument's finest exponents from the full stylistic spectrum of jazz piano. The great Teddy Wilson was on hand to represent the swing piano style; the father of jazz piano improvisation Earl Hines was also present; Lennie Tristano served as an exponent of modern exploratory piano playing; two of the idiom's most lyrical modern pianists, Bill Evans and John Lewis were in attendance, and a nexus between the traditional and the modern, Jaki Byard -who alternated free and stride passages on the same tune- filled out this historical lineup. A notable absence was pianist Bud Powell, who was then living a troublesome period which would end with his death the following year. The two other main influences missing from the performance were Thelonious Monk, who was touring Europe with his own band, and Art Tatum, who had died in 1956.

Pianist Bill Evans (1929–1980) was one of the most influential jazz musicians of his instrument from his first recordings to his last. He possessed a very personal touch combined with a unique harmonic style. He played in many different instrumental settings, but he is best remembered for his many trio recordings and his less numerous solo albums. A very introverted figure, Evans' life was tormented by an addiction to drugs that proved fatal. The selections on this DVD—taken from a single concert—show him performing marvelous music with the members of his last regular trio—bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe La Barbera—nearly a year and a half before his tragic and untimely death. Among the highlights are versions of Gary McFarland's waltz "Gary's Waltz" and of Bill Evans' own composition "Turn Out the Stars". Live in Iowa, January 30, 1979.

Jazz Icons: Bill Evans features five separate performances by one of the most revered pianists in music history. This collection covers an 11-year span, highlighting Evans’ ever-deepening artistry as he performs with four different all-star rhythm sections, including the stunning duo of bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Alan Dawson. This DVD includes for the first time on home video Evans’ renditions of the rarely performed “Sareen Jurer,” “Blue Serge” and “Twelve Tone Tune Two.” Among the many surprises in this collection is a live performance of “My Melancholy Baby” with saxophonist Lee Konitz.

A film made in 1970 in the home of Finnish composer Ilkka Kussisto (whose two sons are famous violinists) when the Bill Evans Trio visited him for a private performance.

Featuring Marc Johnson & Joe LaBarbera, includes notable versions of Bill's own "Re: Person I Knew" (an anagram of Orrin Keepnews' name), Henry Mancini's classic "Days of Wine and Roses," "Your Story" (another tune composed by Evans himself) and Miles Davis' "Nardis.

Prospero, a potent magician, lives on a desolate isle with his virginal daughter, Miranda. He's in exile, banished from his duchy by his usurping brother and the King of Naples. Providence brings these enemies near; aided by his vassal the spirit Ariel, Prospero conjures a tempest to wreck the Italian ship. The king's son, thinking all others lost, becomes Prospero's prisoner, falling in love with Miranda and she with him. Prospero's brother and the king wander the island, as do a drunken cook and sailor, who conspire with Caliban, Prospero's beastly slave, to murder Prospero. Prospero wants reason to triumph, Ariel wants his freedom, Miranda a husband; the sailors want to dance.

An old-time crook plans a heist. When one of his two partners is found out to be a black man tensions flare.

Willie Ruff, musician, composer, educator, filmmaker, and Yale School of Music alumnus was on the faculty of the Yale School of Music from 1971 until his retirement in 2017. He directed and produced this short film which follows Dizzy Gillespie and Ruff’s musical partner Dwike Mitchell on a tour of key locations in the history of bebop in New York City. Gillespie led the filmmakers to Minton’s Playhouse, Carnegie Hall, the former site of the Savoy Ballroom, and made an unannounced stop at Miles’ Davis home. (Yale Film Archive)

Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show in television history. From the iconic furry characters to the classic songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed the world.

This rockumentary-style presidential portrait shows how Jimmy Carter reinvigorated a post-Watergate America—with the music of the counterculture, including the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Buffett.

Carved to the beat verses of Allen Ginsberg and his eponymous poem, A Supermarket in California paints the most surreal contours of an America watched, dreamed, filtered through the eyes of a poet who meets Walt Whitman in a supermarket and pines for a world that may not exist.

Milan, one winter in the early sixties. Valeria, a free young woman who usually goes from one man to another, falls in love with Giampiero. This time, this is a serious relationship to the point that she contemplates marriage. All the more since she gets pregnant.

Two men discuss the nature of accidents and the possibility of nuclear war.

In 1970, Blood, Sweat and Tears was one of the biggest bands in the world. They had exploded on the scene with both daring and promise, selling millions of records, winning multiple Grammy Awards including Album of the Year (beating out The Beatles' Abbey Road) and headlining the legendary Woodstock festival. In demand for concert and TV appearances, BS&T was a darling of the mainstream and rock press, icon of the counterculture and inspiration for a generation of horn-based bands. Their future was limitless. And then it all went wrong.

1976 brings several events that leave their mark on Sweden. Silvia Sommerlath marries King Carl Gustaf, and Thorbjörn Fälldin takes over as the new prime minister. On the music scene, international visits stand out when the rock bands Kiss and Sweet come to Sweden. And as Christmas approaches, Trazan Apansson appears on the TV screen for the very first time.

Formed by John McLaughlin in 1971, the Mahavishnu Orchestra pioneered the fusion of jazz elements into rock music while still undeniably retaining the power and muscle of a full on rock band. With McLaughlin as the ever-present, the line-up went through various phases and these two concerts from Montreux showcase the band at distinctively different times of their career 1984: John McLaughlin, Bill Evans. Mitchell Forman, Jonas Hellborg, Danny Gottlieb / 1. Radio-Activity 2. Nostalgia 3. East Side, West Side 4. Clarendon Hills 5. Medley: Blues for L.W., It’s the Pits, Living on the Crest of a Wave 6. Jozy 7. Pacific Express 8. Mitch Match 9. Mitch Match (Reprise) 1974: John McLaughlin, Ralphe Armstrong, Narada Michael Walden, Jean-Luc Ponty, Gayle Moran, Steve Kindler / 1. Wings of Karma 2. Hymn to Him 3. Power Of Love 4. Smile Of The Beyond 5. Vision Is A Naked Sword 6. Sanctuary