Music & Performance

Jump, jive, and bebop to some of the biggest hits of 1940s and 50s with this collection of musical shorts featuring such timeless talents as Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Fats Waller. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

First there was Def Comedy Jam. Then came The Bad Boys Of Comedy. Now get ready to experience the most fearlessly funny comedy that the U.S. Constitution will allow! Host Doug Williams, ATL's Griff and heavyweight funnyman Ralphie May highlight this special 2 Disc Set, featuring over six hours of uncensored stand-up that takes free speech to its very limits. This is 1st Amendment Stand Up: You have the right to laugh like a &^#%*@!

Best-selling R&B producer and artist R. Kelly performs at the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California and ten high-definition cameras roll to capture the stage show from every angle possible for this, the smooth singer's first-ever live concert video release. A blend of past hits and tunes from Kelly's 2007 release is driven by such songs as "I Believe I Can Fly", "Bump and Grind", and "Fiesta". ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

If you want to find out about the hottest acts and personalities in the hip-hop scene, there's no better way than going straight to the Source. For years, the Source Awards have served to highlight the best that the world of hip-hop has to offer -- and in addition to celebrating achievement they have also launched the careers of some of today's hottest acts. Now viewers can take a trip back in time to witness not only such defining moments as Jay-Z's unforgettable performance with Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel, but never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage of Eminem, LL Cool J, P Ditty, and Ja Rule living it up backstage as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Krump 1.0 Basic Techniques will teach newcomers how to perform the hip-hop clown dance known as krump, a dance seen in the documentary Rize. Those who master this video can move on to Krump 2.0: Advanced Techniques. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Among the most extraordinary performers of the 20th century, Michael Jackson began making hit records with the Jackson 5 when he was only nine years old. Fourteen years after he first hit the charts, Jackson rewrote the rules of pop music with Thriller, a dazzling blend of pop, rock, and R&B that became the most successful album of all time. Michael Jackson: The One is a made-for-television documentary which looks back at some of the high points of Jackson's solo career, as well as emphasizing the positive messages Jackson has tried to share with his fans. Clips include Jackson's legendary rendition of "Billie Jean" from the Motown 25th Anniversary Special, "The Way You Make Me Feel" performed on the Grammy Awards telecast, and footage from American Bandstand of Michael singing the theme from Ben. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

From Verve Records comes this live performance by renowned pianist Oscar Peterson. Backed by bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, guitarist Ulf Wakenius, and drummer Martin Drew, Peterson performs such songs as "Falling in Love With Love," "When Summer Comes," "Cakewalk," "The Backyard Blues," and "Sweet Georgia Brown." ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Widely considered one of the landmark albums in history and the starting point for jazz-rock fusion, Miles Davis' Bitches Brew ranked as one of the one hundred greatest albums of all time in a Rolling Stone magazine poll published in 1987. Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue captures Davis performing the album at the 1970 Isle of Weight Music Festival. Along with the music, interviews with performers as varied as Carlos Santana and Joni Mitchell are included. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

One of the biggest artists in hip-hop, rapper Jay-Z surprised fans in 2003 when he announced he would retire following the release of his hotly anticipated collection The Black Album. In November of 2003, not long after the album hit stores, Jay-Z staged a special show at New York City's Madison Square Garden, in which he performed alongside some of the most popular and influential acts in hip-hop and R&B, including R. Kelly, Beyoncé Knowles, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, ?uestlove, Pharrell Williams, P. Diddy, and more. Billed as Jay-Z's final solo performance (though he would stage a collaborative tour with R. Kelly in the fall of 2004), Fade to Black is a concert documentary that captures both the action on-stage and the celebration behind the scenes; the film also features an inside look at the making of The Black Album. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Noted photographer David LaChapelle makes his feature directorial debut with this documentary on a new facet of street culture in South Central Los Angeles. In 1992, after long-simmering racial tensions in Los Angeles erupted in riots following the verdicts in the Rodney King trial, a man named Tommy Johnson sought to spread a new message in a new way to the city's African-Americans. Creating a character called Tommy the Clown, Johnson developed an act that combined hip-hop-flavored comedy and dancing with an anti-gang and anti-violence message. Johnson's performances became wildly popular in South Central -- so much so that at one point, 50 different groups inspired by Johnson's example were performing in the area. In time, Johnson's loose-limbed dance style inspired a new wave of hip-hop street dancing called "krumping," a wildly athletic style in which arms, legs, and bodies fly with a frenzied abandon that moves at almost inhuman speeds. Rize follows the birth of clown dancing and krumping in South Central, and records how many young people have adopted the dance as a style of competition, offering a safer and healthier alternative to the gang culture that has long dominated Los Angeles. Rize premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The documentary Willie Dixon: I Am the Blues examines the remarkably influential career of musician Willie Dixon. In addition to an explanation of how his work for Chess records revolutionized blues and rock & roll, the man performs eight songs, including "Wang Bang Doodle," "I Just Want to Make Love to You," and "I Got the Blues." ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Singer, songwriter, pianist Alicia Keys emerged seemingly out of nowhere in 2001 with her debut album Songs In A Minor, which catapulted the twenty-year-old musician from obscurity to international stardom, topping the Billboard Pop charts and earning her five Grammy awards. Alicia Keys: From Star to Stardom is an unauthorized documentary on Keys life and career, exploring the hard work and years of preparation that went into her "sudden" success. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide