Jazz on a Summer's Day
1959 American concert film
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jazz on a Summer's Day is a 1959 concert film set at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival[2] in Newport, Rhode Island (which took place from July 3 to July 6 of 1958). The film was directed and edited by Aram Avakian; he also was the principal cinematographer. It was co-directed by Bert Stern, a commercial and fashion photographer, who directed the party scenes that featured his friends, as well as the water scenes. George Avakian was the music supervisor.
Bert Stern
Arnold Perl
| Jazz on a Summer's Day | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Aram Avakian Bert Stern |
| Written by | Albert D'Annibale Arnold Perl |
| Produced by | George Avakian |
| Cinematography | Aram Avakian |
| Edited by | Aram Avakian |
Production company | Raven Films |
| Distributed by | Galaxy Attractions[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film mixes images of water with the performers and audience at the festival. It also features scenes of the 1958 America's Cup yacht races. The film is largely without dialog or narration barring the periodic announcements by emcee Willis Conover.
The film features performances by Jimmy Giuffre, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Stitt, Anita O'Day, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan, Chuck Berry, Chico Hamilton (with Eric Dolphy), and Louis Armstrong (with Jack Teagarden). Also appearing are Buck Clayton, Jo Jones, Armando Peraza, and Eli's Chosen Six, and the Yale College student ensemble that included trombonist Roswell Rudd, shown driving around Newport in a convertible jalopy, playing Dixieland.[3]
As was scheduled in advance and announced in the program, the last performer Saturday night was Mahalia Jackson, who sang a one-hour program beginning at midnight, thus ushering in Sunday morning. The film concluded with her performance of The Lord's Prayer.
Beat poet Gregory Corso can be seen in the audience a few times.
In 1999, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5] The film received a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Lineup
- Jimmy Giuffre 3: Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Brookmeyer, Jim Hall
- Thelonious Monk Trio: Thelonious Monk, Henry Grimes, Roy Haynes
- Sonny Stitt and Sal Salvador
- Anita O'Day
- George Shearing
- Dinah Washington
- Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Art Farmer
- Big Maybelle
- Chuck Berry
- Chico Hamilton Quintet with Eric Dolphy
- Louis Armstrong and his All-Stars: Trummy Young, Danny Barcelona, and Jack Teagarden
- Mahalia Jackson
Premiere
The film premiered at the 1959 Venice Film Festival.[6]