Jazz on a Summer's Day

I feel kinda bad about how many times I said “this is really cool” to my wife while watching this. 


Format: streaming
Black Month #1

I feel kinda bad about how many times I said “this is really cool” to my wife while watching this. 


Format: streaming
Black Month #1

the tone of this film to me feels uneasy at some points, due to the racial discrimination that black people faced in newport in the 50s. this complicated the celebratory mood of the film for me. 

i can understand how at the time of release, this film may have felt progressive. but i picked up on how the camera frequently lingers on the predominantly white audience, almost more than the actual artists' performances at some points. their yachts, clothes, leisure, jewelry, picnics, and wealth are often highlighted in these shots. the black musicians are frequently framed basically as spectacle within this privileged environment.

the tone of this film to me feels uneasy at some points, due to the racial discrimination that black people faced in newport in the 50s. this complicated the celebratory mood of the film for me. 

i can understand how at the time of release, this film may have felt progressive. but i picked up on how the camera frequently lingers on the predominantly white audience, almost more than the actual artists' performances at some points. their yachts, clothes, leisure, jewelry, picnics, and wealth are often highlighted in these shots. the black musicians are frequently framed basically as spectacle within this privileged environment.

I had the most surreal experience of my life watching this. For years almost every time I hear instrumental jazz I try sing 'Oh When The Saints Go Marching In' in my head to it - for literally no reason, I had only heard it as a Christian hymn but it always stuck with me (mainly because when we'd sing it in primary school we'd change the lyrics to "oh when the saints go Marcin in", shoutout Marcin you might actually be reading this right now lmao). When this film opened I found myself doing the exact same thing, except it was lining up insanely well to the point where I was thinking "are they actually doing this song I only know from primary school?". I do it in my head through the whole film, then Armstrong is playing and he actually sings the lyrics and my head popped a little. I had no idea it was actually a traditional jazz song as well as a hymn. Insane stuff.

This is clearly made by a person who simultaneously understands how cool the 50s were, and somehow the exact iconography we find the period nostalgic for; as well as how it feels to hear a good song. I think it's incredibly impressive to capture anything live to the artistic beauty he's managed here.

This was a hard and fast 5 stars from the opening to the end, but then I found he cut out Ray Charles and Miles Davis? And some Thelonious Monk? What's up with that? No good footage? Insane. Now I don't know how to feel. I've never known if I should rate a film based on how I felt immediately after watching it, or how I felt once I'd read about it - usually reading on a film aids my understanding and would boost the rating but in this case it's the opposite. What a delicious decision to make.

I had the most surreal experience of my life watching this. For years almost every time I hear instrumental jazz I try sing 'Oh When The Saints Go Marching In' in my head to it - for literally no reason, I had only heard it as a Christian hymn but it always stuck with me (mainly because when we'd sing it in primary school we'd change the lyrics to "oh when the saints go Marcin in", shoutout Marcin you might actually be reading this right now lmao). When this film opened I found myself doing the exact same thing, except it was lining up insanely well to the point where I was thinking "are they actually doing this song I only know from primary school?". I do it in my head through the whole film, then Armstrong is playing and he actually sings the lyrics and my head popped a little. I had no idea it was actually a traditional jazz song as well as a hymn. Insane stuff.

This is clearly made by a person who simultaneously understands how cool the 50s were, and somehow the exact iconography we find the period nostalgic for; as well as how it feels to hear a good song. I think it's incredibly impressive to capture anything live to the artistic beauty he's managed here.

This was a hard and fast 5 stars from the opening to the end, but then I found he cut out Ray Charles and Miles Davis? And some Thelonious Monk? What's up with that? No good footage? Insane. Now I don't know how to feel. I've never known if I should rate a film based on how I felt immediately after watching it, or how I felt once I'd read about it - usually reading on a film aids my understanding and would boost the rating but in this case it's the opposite. What a delicious decision to make.

Do you like Jazz?

Do you like Jazz?