eShop USA > DVD > Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns
Jazz - A Film by Ken Burns
List Price: $199.98Price: $136.98 You Save: $63.00 (32%)Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 9780780634183
Format: Box set, Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
ISBN: 0780634187
Label: Pbs Home Video
Languages: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Manufacturer: Pbs Home Video
Number Of Items: 10
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Publisher: Pbs Home Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: January 02, 2001
Running Time: 1140 minutes
Studio: Pbs Home Video
Theatrical Release Date: January 08, 2001
Related Items: Featured Listmania!
Editorial Review:
Accompanied by a menagerie of products, Ken Burns's expansive 10-episode paean, Jazz, completes his trilogy on American culture, following The Civil War and Baseball. Spanning more than 19 hours, Jazz is, of course, about a lot more than what many have called America's classical music--especially in episodes 1 through 7. It's here that Burns unearths precious visual images of jazz musicians and hangs historical narratives around the music with convincing authority. Time can stand still as images float past to the sound of grainy vintage jazz, and the drama of a phonograph needle being placed on Louis Armstrong's celestial "West End Blues" is nearly sublime.
The film is also potent in arguing that the history of race in the 20th-century U.S. is at jazz's heart. But a few problems arise. First is Burns's reliance on Wynton Marsalis as his chief musical commentator. Marsalis might be charming and musically expert, but he's no historian. For the film to devote three of its episodes to the 1930s, one expects a bit more historical substance. Also, Jazz condenses the period of 1961 to the present into one episode, glossing over some of the music's giant steps. Burns has said repeatedly that he didn't know much about jazz when he began this project. So perhaps Jazz, for all its glory, would better be called Jazz: What I've Learned Since I Started Listening (And I Haven't Gotten Much Past 1961). For those who are already passionate about jazz, the film will stoke debate (and some derision, together with some reluctant praise). But for everyone else, it will amaze and entertain and kindle a flame for some of the greatest music ever dreamed. --Andrew Bartlett
The story, sound, and soul of a nation come together in the most American of art forms: Jazz. Ken Burns, who riveted the nation with The Civil War and Baseball, celebrates the music's soaring achievements, from its origins in blues and ragtime through swing, bebop, and fusion. Six years in the making, this "soundbreaking" series blends 75 interviews, more than 500 pieces of music, 2,400 still photographs, and over 2,000 rare and archival film clips. The 10-part musical journey spotlights many of America's most original, creative--and tragic--figures, including Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. Special features of the PBS DVD Gold include bonus performances and The Making of Jazz documentary.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - "A" for Entertainment, "C-" for History
Ken Burns is an effective filmakeer; if only he were an effective historian! Jazz is a deeply flawed project. The rise of recorded sound and the mass media compressed the history of Jazz. In less than a century, Jazz has seen as many movements/counter-movements and revolutionary outbursts as art or classical music saw over many centuries, but in Jazz, movements last years, not decades, and what was considered "radical" in 1945 was "traditional" or even "old hat" by 1960. Yet this rich tug of war ... Read More
Rating:  - What Do You Expect From Kenny-Boy?
Those people who panned this series, gave it only 1 or 2 stars are absolutley correct: Burns shows his limited, biased view of jazz by virtually ignoring everything that came after 1961.
But, acknowledging the truth of that grave shortcoming, the series still is, for what it is, well-done and entertaining. It's not anything near an objective, comprehensive or even "fair" history of jazz, but -- it's jazz -- and that's all the title says it is.
Consider, too, that the personalities ... Read More
Rating:  - Very Worthwhile, Despite Some Flaws
Like other Ken Burns documentaries, this is a high-quality, entertaining, and educational film, well-worth viewing. However, if you expect adequate coverage of ALL the great jazz artists of the past 100 years, you'll surely be disappointed. Nonetheless, several dozen of the greatest and most influential artists do receive at least some--often very good--coverage. Perhaps not surprisingly--given their influence, popularity, and longevity--Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington receive the most coverage. The evolution ... Read More
Rating:  - Great Series, Very Educational
I am a music teacher and have been sharing this series over the last few months with some of my young players and I think it is absolutely fantastic!!!! I think that the commentary by such luminaries as Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Albert Murray,Margo Jeferson (the list is endless)is just amazing. Many first person accounts and you really can't ask for better than that . I guess I should also add Artie Shaw, just brilliant!!!
I would highly recommend this for anyone who is an instructor of ... Read More
Rating: - One of a kind
This is a lengthy and definitive history of jazz, with extensive research and pictorial material. My one complaint is that there are virtually no opportunities to listen to the music without voice over. For the music itself, you need audio recordings as a supplement.
Some viewers may prefer an earlier and shorter documentary, "The Story of Jazz" (BMG 1991), which is just 1- 1/2 hours long, nicely done, and--because it was made several years earlier--has footage with some jazzmen who had passed on by the time ... Read More
Related Categories:
|
