Dizzy Gillespie Movies

Take a voyage through the history of European jazz in this musical meditation on the origins, growth, and exciting shifts in direction that came to define the endless search for that ever-elusive "voice of one's own." As musicians from both sides of the Atlantic began working in unison, jazz lovers around the world would bear witness to a fascinating form of evolution in their favorite freeform musical style. Rare footage of Ben Webster, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and en entire host of jazz legends make this a musical journey that is sure to fascinate and educate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Frederic Jardin directs this enjoyably nasty showbiz farce starring a veritable who's who of Gallic comedy. Elderly milquetoast Jacques Soeur (Denis Podalydes) has written a 450-page tome which his brother Charlies Souer (Jose Garcia) longs to direct. After making no progress in the tried and true method of hawking to studio execs, the two brothers take to videotaping producer Francis France (Jackie Berroyer) engaging in a little extramarital merry-making. When confronted with the incriminating evidence, France sends his thick-headed thug out to retrieve the master tape, with unforeseen consequences. Meanwhile, the duo kidnap renowned screenwriter Blaise (Edouard Baer) to slick up their script, not realizing that Blaise is an unrepentant smack fiend. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

In the second tape of the three-tape documentary Roots of Rhythm, host Harry Belafonte leads the viewer on a tour of the blossoming of Latin music in the Cuban and Caribbean cultures. Featuring performances by some of the best known Latin performers including Tito Puente, Desi Arnaz, and Ruben Blades, this volume sets the stage for the explosion of Latin flavored music into the world of popular culture. ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide

Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar documents the career of the respected jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. The film combines interviews with the man and many of the people with whom he worked, archival footage, and a great deal of music in order to show how Peterson grew from a teen star into one of the most admired players in the genre with the help of his Oscar Peterson Trio. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

One of the true legends of jazz, Dizzy Gillespie was one of the founding fathers of be-bop, a pioneer in Afro-Cuban jazz, a striking and unique stylist on the trumpet, and a tireless showman who never gave less than 100 percent for his fans. Dizzy Gillespie: A Night in Chicago is a live video which captures a live club date from the late '80s, with Diz joined by Sayyad Abdul Al-Kahbyyr on sax, Walter Davis Jr. on piano, John Lee on electric bass, and Nassyr Abdul Al-Kahbyyr on drums. Selections include "A Night in Tunisia," "Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac," "'Round Midnight," and "Nature Boy." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Those who view films as an opportunity to get to know characters, as opposed to a chance to see a story, will appreciate this unusually slow-paced, laconic and inconclusive art piece, based on the short stories of Dimitris Nollas. Kyriakos (Lefteris Voyatzis) is the sort of ultra-cool fellow who almost never says anything, and who can hang out silently with the best of them. In 1965, he has teamed up with another Greek to sell encyclopedias to American servicemen in Berlin. In 1973, as a hitchhiker, he winds up riding with a very talkative man in a truck bound from Yugoslavia to Greece. In 1981, he and an airport bartender take advantage of a power blackout to get drunk together. Finally, in 1990, he is taking a break from a wedding reception being held at an Athens hotel by smoking a joint with a couple of friends in the bathroom. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Pre-eminent African-American dancer and choreographer Alvin Ailey is honored in this celebratory performance. Members of his dance company perform three of his works, "For Bird, with Love," "Witness," and "Memoria." The fourth dance, choreographed by Ulysses Dove, is a ballet tribute to Ailey entitled "Episodes." Commentary for this film is provided by Judith Jamison, former principle dancer for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and director of the company since Ailey's death in 1989. ~ Heather M. Fierst, All Movie Guide

This isn't a film about a singer from the Lone Star state. "Texas Tenor" is a style of playing the saxophone which brings out its big sound and biggest volume. This documentary does a creditable job of exploring the life and times of the popularly unknown jazz and R&B saxophone legend Illinois Jacquet. He has played with most of the greats and almost single-handedly developed a rompin'-stompin' saxophone sound which has been a feature of great R&B ever since. A virtuoso performer with masterful phrasing, he became a star in the 1940s under the tutelage of Lionel Hampton, who had him change from alto to tenor sax and then gave him the opportunity to record an epochal solo in Flying Home. In addition to past and current performance and backstage footage, many jazz and rhythm and blues greats comment on Jacquet's playing and his place in music history. Some jazz-knowledgeable reviewers, evidently hoping for an entirely different and more erudite treatment, expressed disappointment in this documentary, others lauded it as one of the best ever made. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Dizzy Gillespie, one of the truly ground-breaking figures in American jazz, appears in this video, in which he performs with his group and recounts the story of how he and his band wrote and recorded the number "A Night In Tunisia", in which they fused Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz melodies and structures for the first time. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Music, and particularly jazz, knows no borders, and this documentary follows the eminent trumpet great Dizzy Gillespie during a musical tour of Cuba, during which he gets to meet with Fidel Castro and has fun with local dancers and musicians. In concert footage, the balloon-cheeked musician plays A Night in Tunisia and Cubana Bop, among other favorites. In interviews, the musician speaks about his past and the musical compositions which have inspired him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide