Jump to content

Jammin' the Blues

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jammin' the Blues
Directed byGjon Mili
Produced byGordon Hollingshead
Narrated byKnox Manning
CinematographyRobert Burks[1]
Edited byEverett Dodd
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros.
Release date
  • November 9, 1944 (1944-11-09)
Running time
10 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Portrait of Lester Young, Famous Door, New York, N.Y. by William Gottlieb circa September, 1946

Jammin' the Blues is a 1944 American short film made by Gjon Mili and Norman Granz in which a number of prominent jazz musicians re-create the jam-session atmosphere of nightclubs and after-hours spots. It features Lester Young, Red Callender, Harry Edison, Marlowe Morris, Sid Catlett, Barney Kessel, Jo Jones, John Simmons, Illinois Jacquet, Marie Bryant and Archie Savage.[2]

Plot

[edit]

Cast

[edit]

Songs

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Gjon Mili and Norman Granz, who was credited as technical director, shot the film over four days with the support of Warner Bros. head of short films, Gordon Hollingshead.[3] Barney Kessel was the only white musician in the film. His hands were stained with berry juice, and he was seated in the shadows to shade his skin.[4][5]

Reception and legacy

[edit]

Producer Gordon Hollingshead was nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Short Subject, One-reel.[6]

In 1995, Jammin' the Blues was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[7][8]

The short was released on DVDs of the films Blues in the Night (1941) and Passage to Marseille (1944), the latter starring Humphrey Bogart.[9][10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ What to Stream This Weekend: Five Standout Oscar-Nominated Shorts|The New Yorker
  2. ^ AllMusic
  3. ^ Hershorn, Tad, Norman Granz: the Man who Used Jazz for Justice (Univ. of Calif. Press 2011), p. 66
  4. ^ Keepnews, Peter (8 May 2004). "Barney Kessel, 80, a Guitarist With Legends of Jazz, Dies". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Hershorn, p. 69
  6. ^ "The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. 4 October 2014. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "The 25 Films for '95 (February 5, 1996) – Library of Congress Information Bulletin". www.loc.gov. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  8. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  9. ^ Blues in the Night: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video
  10. ^ Humphrey Bogart – The Signature Collection, Vol.2: DVD Talk of the DVD Video
[edit]
  • Jammin' the Blues at IMDb
  • Jammin’ the Blues essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 ISBN 0826429777, pages 374-375 [1]