It’s a crime story with all the links and sub-plots interspersed with scenes from a jam session, ostensibly featuring Lester Young, but the actual cast of musicians includes Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton, David Murray, Geri Allen and others.
It’s clever, funny, brutal (you’ve been warned) and the music is stunning and improves an already fine film exponentially. The performances are excellent throughout, with Harry Belafonte particularly daunting.
The final scene works brilliantly, an incredible version of Ellington’s Solitude which is essentially a double bass duet between Christian McBride and Ron Carter, backed by Don Byron with a clarinet solo by a player unnamed in my source but probably Byron.
Amazing what can be achieved by a top-drawer director, some serious actors – including Jennifer Jason Leigh and Miranda Richardson - mingling with serious musicians with an acute awareness and respect for their forebears.
Essential viewing, especially for jazz-heads, but actually for anybody with a reasonable constitution; there are moments of particularly unpleasant violence. Steve T
4 comments :
Ah, so who's the drummer?
I generally say it's tough being a bass player - but definitely not on this film - but here it's tough being a drummer. Can't find his name, though I've no doubt you'd recognise him Lance. Having googled a little, there's also people playing Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster (so the big three) which I hadn't noticed, though not by names I particularly recognise (though others seem to).
The drummer was Victor Lewis.
Thank you Russello.
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