Ever since the world got a taste of jazz, poets, painters, movie directors and others have been heavily influenced by it. The iconic beat poet Jack Kerouac had honestly mentioned how he wished to be addressed as a ‘jazz poet’. Like him, there were many who wanted to be directly associated with jazz in one way or the other.
However, with the gradual increase in its fame, jazz developed wide popularity among its fans and soon these people wanted to see jazz on the big screen, rightly called the silver screen. Several movies have been made on jazz and here, we have discussed a few of the movies that are completely about jazz. You can listen to jazz songs on one of the top big band radio stations in the USA or simply watch these movies to get your fill.
Movies about Jazz
After reading about each of these movies, you ought to watch them to get the real feel of jazz.
a. Young Man with a Horn (1950)
A runaway musical hit, ‘Young Man with a Horn’ was an American musical drama that was directed by Michael Curtiz and starred Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day and others. Lauren Kirk had composed the music for this movie. The movie was based on the 1938 novel by the same name by Dorothy Baker. It was inspired by the life of the jazz cornetist, Bix Beiderbecke.
b. The Cotton Club (1984)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, ‘The Cotton Club’ is an American crime drama and the plot revolves around the Cotton Club. It was a Harlem jazz club in the 1930s. This Richard Gere starrer movie had a huge cast of renowned actors but what caught the audience’s fancy was that it took five long years to complete. John Barry had created the soundtrack and the album bagged the Grammy Award for the Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Big Band in 1986.
c. Round Midnight (1986)
A Bertrand Tavernier directorial, ‘Round Midnight’ is an American-French musical drama and casts Dexter Gordon, Francois Cluzet and Herbie Hancock. The story goes around the protagonist jazzman, Dale Turner and was based on a composite of real-life jazz legends Bud Powell (piano) and Lester Young (tenor sax). Even though the movie was fictional, it went on to be highly acclaimed and praised. Herbie Hancock also went on to win the Academy Award for the Best Original Score.
d. Bird (1988)
Clint Eastwood is a famous director and actor known to the movie buffs. But do you also know about his extreme fondness for jazz? Well then, let us tell you that his affection for jazz goes back a long way and in 1971, in his classic play ‘Play Misty for Me’, Eastwood himself plays a jazz DJ and strolls through a real Monterey jazz festival. ‘Bird’ is an American biography of jazz saxophonist Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker. It was both produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Forest Whitaker and Diane Venora. The movie was crafted beautifully as a montage of scenes from every aspect of Bird’s life and is replete with jazz tunes.
e. Mo’ Better Blues (1990)
Denzel Washington, Wesley Snipes and Spike Lee starred in this American musical comedy-drama which was written, directed and produced by Spike Lee. This fictional movie follows the life of a fictional jazz trumpeter, Bleak Gillman. The soundtrack of the film, composed by Branford Marsalis Quartet and Terence Blanchard, was nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for the Best Jazz Album.
Conclusion:
Watch out for these movies for sure and do listen to the jazz tracks only on Swing Street Radio. They bring swing music in USA within everyone’s reach and you can tune into their station whenever you want a taste of authentic jazz and swing music. You can even download their app for unlimited access to jazz and swing music all day long!
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