Jazz: Miniseries
Episodes
Gumbo: Beginnings to 1917
Jan 9, 2001 · 82 min
"Gumbo" traces the roots of jazz from the 1800s to 1917. The viewer will catch glimpses of Jelly Roll Morton, who erroneously claimed to have invented jazz, and the tragic, though
The Gift: 1917-1924
Jan 9, 2001 · 109 min
How can one explain the genius of a Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington? Blessed with skill and talent far exceeding their peers, one can only define what they possess as a gift from
Our Language: 1924 -1929
Jan 10, 2001 · 107 min
Colorful characters like the tragic Bix Beiderbecke, powerhouse Bessie Smith, and the braggart Jelly Roll Morton, make the study of jazz fascinating. Perhaps most touching in this
The True Welcome: 1929-1934
Jan 15, 2001 · 119 min
"The True Welcome" continues many of the stories begun in Episode 3, following several troubling years for Louis Armstrong (who was arrested for marijuana possession), Duke Ellingt
Swing: Pure Pleasure - 1935-1937
Jan 17, 2001 · 89 min
1935 was the year that swing became the most popular music in the country and that the king of swing, Benny Goodman, became a matinee idol. Americans, stifled by the Depression, se
Swing: The Velocity of Celebration - 1937-1939
Jan 22, 2001 · 100 min
Swing would be reacquainted with its blues roots by way of Kansas City, when Count Basie and the Barons of Rhythm brought their hot sound to the Big Apple. Basie would also give Bi
Dedicated to Chaos: 1940-1945
Jan 23, 2001 · 113 min
"Dedicated to Chaos" finds jazz musicians teetering on the brink of the modern era, fighting against the straightjacket of clichéd, big band arrangements. The revolution started at
Risk: 1945-1955
Jan 24, 2001 · 119 min
The bop revolution’s influence would spread to other musicians, but unlike swing, it would never become a popular music. The rapid-fire solos and complicated chord structures made
The Adventure: 1956-1960
Jan 29, 2001 · 115 min
Critics who had believed that Charlie Parker was "too much" musically, could not have welcomed the arrival of Ornette Coleman. Coleman and John Coltrane would edge jazz toward even
A Masterpiece by Midnight: 1960 to the Present
Jan 31, 2001 · 109 min
Obviously Ken Burns knows that he can’t fit the last thirty-nine years of jazz history onto two hours of video tape, so from the outset, that shouldn’t be expected. There’s an exce