Scott Yanow On Jazz Films This Week On Riverwalk Jazz
Get the popcorn ready.The curtain is about to go up on Kid Ory
Kid Ory
1886 - 1973
trombone
—Lionel Hampton
Lionel Hampton
1908 - 2002
vibraphone
—and Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
1901 - 1971
trumpet
. This week, we take a look at some of the world’s top jazz artists—who not only provided music for Hollywood movies—but appear on the silver screen as well. Scott Yanow, author of Jazz on Film, joins David Holt in the studio to talk about the great—and sometimes not so great—Hollywood movies featuring high-level jazz performances on camera. We’ve provided links online to video clips of rare big-screen appearances by iconic figures who continue to inspire Jim Cullum Jr.
Jim Cullum Jr.
b.1941
cornet
and the Band—including Fats Waller
Fats Waller
1904 - 1943
piano
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
1915 - 1959
vocal
, Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
1899 - 1981
piano
and Louis Armstrong. Along the way, we hear from frequent guest Dick Hyman
Dick Hyman
b.1927
piano
about what it’s like to compose music for Woody Allen movies.
The program is distributed in the US by Public Radio International, on Sirius/XM satellite radio and can be streamed on-demand from the Riverwalk Jazz website.
Scott Yanow notes that movies and jazz “were both in their infancy in the 1890s and grew up together,” but says that “over 80 years later, it can be argued that Hollywood has yet to make a truly great jazz film despite many memorable moments on the big screen.” Yanow guides us through this uneven thicket to discover what’s worth watching from a jazz fan’s perspective.
Songwriter, singer and pianist Hoagy Carmichael
Hoagy Carmichael
1899 - 1981
piano
is one of the few artists to appear totally at ease on film. Carmichael created a recognizable, archetypical persona in the movies—typecast as a singing pianist with a hat on the back of his head and a cigarette dangling from his lip.One of his most memorable roles is as “Cricket,” Lauren Bacall’s pianist, in the WWII classic To Have and Have Not. Hoagy’s tune “How Little We Know,” introduced in a waltz-time (3/4) version in the film by a sultry Bacall, has been a favorite of Jim and the Band in 4/4.
When it comes to depicting the stories of famous jazz musicians, Hollywood has had a hard time of it. Bio-pics as a genre come under fire for everything from bad acting to gross inaccuracies in plot points. The 1959 Red Nichols
Red Nichols
b.1905
bio pic, The Five Pennies,is an exception. Nichols ghosts for Danny Kaye on cornet and Louis Armstrong lights up the screen in every scene he appears in. Yanow rates this film a 9 out of possible 10 points, making it a very worthwhile view.
The Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
1909 - 1986
clarinet
Story from 1954 gets an 8 from Yanow for the music. Much of the story is wildly fictitious but the music and musicians make it fun to watch. Benny Goodman provides the clarinet tracks for Steve Allen; there are appearances by Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa
Gene Krupa
1909 - 1973
drums
, Teddy Wilson
Teddy Wilson
1912 - 1986
piano
and Ben Pollack
Ben Pollack
b.1903
, all of whom have lines.
A trio of landmark, big-budget films with all-Black casts are well worth viewing not only for their historical value. Despite overacting and some outrageous stereotypes, the 1929 film sHallelujah features a rare glimpse of Curtis Mosby’s Blue Blowers playing hot jazz, and blues singer Victoria Spivey
Victoria Spivey
1906 - 1976
vocal
has an acting role. The film rates only a 5 in Yanow’s system but the music gets an 8.
The 1942 Cabin the Sky is one of the all-time great black musicals. Star turns by Ethel Waters
Ethel Waters
1896 - 1977
vocal
and Lena Horne
Lena Horne
1917 - 2010
vocal
; music by the Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
1899 - 1974
piano
Orchestra and a brief appearance by Louis Armstrong make this one a must-see. Eddie “Rochester” Anderson plays the lead and the dance team Buck and Bubbles and the Hall Johnson Choir also appear.
The 1943 Stormy Weather rates a 9 from Yanow for the music. The story follows the tale of a fictional tap dancer, played by Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
Bill 'Bojangles' Robinson
1878 - 1949
various
, and his love interest played by Lena Horne. Fats Waller gets off some great stride piano and packs a punch in only ten minutes on screen. In the clips on our Facebook page here, Lena Horne famously sings the title track and Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
1907 - 1994
composer/conductor
displays his trademark frenzy, and the Nicholas Brothers steal the show with their spectacular stair dance routine to “Jumpin’ Jive.”
Here are other cinematic jazz gems:
New Orleans, 1947 with Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and bandmembers Barney Bigard
Barney Bigard
1906 - 1980
clarinet
, Kid Ory, Zutty Singleton
Zutty Singleton
b.1898
drums
and Red Callander, performing “Where the Blues Were Born,” and “Farewell to Storyville.”
Pete Kelly’s Blues, 1955. with Dragnet’s Jack Webb. Ella Fitzgerald performs “Hard-Hearted Hannah.”
