Tomorrow (Friday) the first part of Ken Burns' monumental series Jazz is being shown on PBS America (UK). First screened in January 2001, documentary film maker Burns' ten-part epic runs to something like nineteen hours with Keith David narrating. Contributors are many including Stanley Crouch (sadly Mr Crouch died yesterday, September 16), Gary Giddins and Wynton Marsalis. And, of course, there is the jazz, lots of jazz. Part 1 - Gumbo (9:45pm).
The
ten part series will be broadcast over the next fortnight with repeats of each
episode screened the following day (times vary). The first week's schedule is
as follows (all 9:45pm):
Fri
18 (part 1) Gumbo (to 1917)
Mon
21 (part 2) The Gift (1917-1924)
Tues
22 (part 3) Our Language (1924-1929)
Wed
23 (part 4) The True Welcome (1929-1934)
Thur
24 (part 5) Swing: Pure Pleasure (1935-1937)
Fri
25 (part 6) The Velocity of Celebration (1937-1939)
Russell
2 comments :
I think it should be made clear that this series was hugely controversial at the time. The first part is fine, an excellent documentary on the origins, but the later episodes basically dismiss all music made outside the USA, almost all music made by white musicians, and anything with a hint of free jazz.
Very influenced by and biased towards the Marsalis view of jazz
Yes, the series was/is controversial. Jazz from 1961 to 2000 is squeezed in to the final part of the series. That said, the music heard is well worth hearing again. Incidentally, for those intending to watch on Freeview, if channel no.91 doesn't work try channel no.800.
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