holiday gift guide 2011 ✽ DVDs Must-Have Jazz DVDs Of 2011 By James Hale Originally broadcast on U.S. cable TV in 2009, Icons Among Us (Indiepix 3939; 219:00 HHHH) could be an attempt to address what many viewed as Ken Burns’ folly. Burns’ decision to give perfunctory notice to the music of the past 30 years riled many viewers of his massive Jazz project. Commentators like Matthew Shipp, John Medeski and The Bad Plus legitimize contemporary improvised music, while Bill Frisell, Dafnis Prieto and Bugge Wesseltoft are superbly captured in performance. Once past the Burns issue— summarized in point/counterpoint statements from Wynton Marsalis and Medeski—the four episodes and accompanying study guide provide an expansive look at the global jazz community. Ordering info: indiepixfilms.com Breezy and well-edited, In Good Time: The Piano Jazz Of Marian McPartland (Films By Huey; 85:00 HHHH) has all the elements of a great biopic: a charismatic subject and entertaining storytellers. Radio host McPartland is no stranger to jazz biography, and she knows which parts of her life are most interesting. Billy Taylor, Diana Krall, Renee Rosnes, Elvis Costello, Nnenna Freelon and others help tell the story. Perhaps the most charming part of the film is its honesty in emphasizing McPartland, unflinchingly, in old age, more so than her younger years. A number of performances from McPartland’s program Piano Jazz are included, featuring Bill Frisell, Mulgrew Miller and Mary Lou Williams. Another large segment is devoted to McPartland’s interest in author Rachel Carson and environmentalism, which she turned into an elegiac suite. Queen Elizabeth II and former President Bill Clinton also pay tribute. Ordering info: filmsbyhuey.com The fifth installment of Jazz Icons returns with a slate of marquee names and a new partner in Mosaic Records. Shot less than four months after Wayne Shorter joined the group, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers: Live In France 1959 (2003; 82:29 HHH) showcases the burgeoning talents of Blakey and trumpeter Lee Morgan. Shorter’s distinctive approach to improvisation gives a new spin to tunes like “Blues March” and “A Night In Tunisia.” Despite the disappointing evidence that just 12 minutes of the only live performance of “A Love Supreme” were filmed, John Coltrane: Live In France 1965 (2001; 52:31 HHHH½) catches the saxophonist’s quartet in Antibes near the end of its existence and in top form. Coltrane fully synthesizes the melodic structure of “Naima” and “Ascension” with ecstatic, extended solos, and Dizzy Gillespie’s walk-on for two bop classics adds a spark. Johnny Griffin: Live In France 1971 (2004; 76:45 HHH½) has much to offer, particularly the interplay with drummer Arthur Taylor in concert and studio settings. Watching Freddie Hubbard: Live In France 1973 (2005; 50:39 HHHH) is like seeing Willie Mays in his prime: young, powerful and graceful. Leading his CTI-era quintet—with an equally muscular Michael Carvin on drums—Hubbard’s virtuosity is nothing short of stunning. Saxophonist Junior Cook and Fender Rhodes keyboardist George Cables are almost superfluous. Taped in an exhibition hall lobby, Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Live In France 1972 (2006; 74:21 HHH) lacks the revival tent atmosphere of some of Kirk’s other television appearances from the era. There is blistering tenor and rich clarinet on a piece dedicated to Duke Ellington and some of his horn players, but even a raucous “Volunteered Slavery” fails to raise this above a one-sided conversation. From its casual mise en scène opening to the closing lurch from the piano bench, Thelonious Monk: Live In France 1969 (2002; 55:34 HHHHH) is an intimate view of solo Monk, up close and in color. Ordering info: mosaicrecords.com Released in celebration of the bandleader’s centenary, Stan Kenton: Artistry In Rhythm (Jazzed Media 9004; 117:00 HHH) starts with a number of former band members acknowledging Kenton criticisms over his career. It never fully escapes his image as an underappreciated genius and a somewhat tragic hero, which wears thin over two hours. Commentators like Bill Holman and Dr. Herb Wong have incisive things to say, but the film would be stronger if the input of historian Ken Poston had been used as a formal narration. The extensive Kenton visual archive, however, balances out the film’s shortcomings. DB Ordering info: jazzedmedia.com 72 DOWNBEAT DECEMBER 2011
DECEMBER 2011 DOWNBEAT 73