DVD/CD Review: Jazz on a Summer's Day

(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