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USA 2012 | 93 min.Director: Stefan Immler
Jazz first made its way into the world through recordings by giants such as Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Butch Warren, and Billie Holiday. Many of them got their first breaks on the stages of Washington, D.C.
The film traces the history of these legendary places, including U Street—known as the Black Broadway—and the historic Howard Theatre. It follows the paths of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Charlie Byrd, and Stan Getz, all of whom played and lived in D.C. Historians and members of today’s jazz community recall the city’s rich musical history from the 1930s through the 1960s, while also reflecting on its present and uncertain future.
The bridge to today is built through interviews and performances by Esperanza Spalding, Eric Lewis, Chuchito Valdes, Ben Williams, Ravi Coltrane, Brian Settles, Antonio Parker, Dwain Adell, Jimmy “Junebug” Jackson, Akua Allrich, and many others, demonstrating that Washington remains one of the epicenters of jazz.
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Event venue
Arts Court/Cour des arts, 67 Nicholas St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B9, Canada
Tickets
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.