Summer Concert Series: Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)

Jazz on A Summer's Day is one of the earliest concert films and one of the best. This movie provides all one could wish for from a film like this, provided a great look at the 1958 Newport Jazz festival. Of course most important to this type of movie is the music and that is fantastic here. The line up of artists is fantastic. Included are Louis Armstrong, Chuck Berry, Thelonious Monk, Gerry Mulligan, Big Maybelle, Chico Hamilton and Mahalia Jackson. All of them are at the top of their game here. Watching Louis Armstrong continue showing that he was one of the world's great entertainers (as he did in many movies) is a pure delight. He and trombonist Jack Teagarden have incredible chemistry and it is a joy to watch them together. Though Monk is in the film only briefly his music leaves quite an impression. Chico Hamilton and Gerry Mulligan show that this type of jazz is just as great today as it was then. Chuck Berry gives his all and shows all the energy and fun that defined early rock and roll. There was no better way to end this movie than gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. If her singing doesn't move you nothing will. Her performance of The Lord's Prayer not only stops the show but glues your ears and eyes to the movie in a way free performers can. Time stands still and all there is are the words, music and her voice creating an incredible experience found in few concert films. 

The way this movie is filmed is fascinating. Unlike many concert movies where the camera is always on the performers this film spends just as much if not more time looking at the audience. It is often times just as much fun watching the audience as it is the performers. When you think of jazz in movies, you often think of a dark film noir type setting as well as dark and shady characters. Instead what we get here is a bright summer's day in a nice upscale looking place and a crowd of people who look like they are at a church service. They are mostly a restrained crowd but one that is heavily enjoying the music. Watching the crowd when Chuck Berry is performing is watching musical and cultural history happening. The younger audience members, who are restrained through much of the film are dancing and having tons of fun with the still new rock and roll. Meanwhile the older attendees (who probably came to hear jazz music) are cold and unemotional to this new fangled genre. As well as the scenes with the audience watching the performances, there also scenes simply showing the attendees having wholesome fun, when there are no artists on stage. This makes the movie more appealing today as it becomes a nostalgic time capsule of a time that is very different from how we live today. 

If you are a film fan, if you are a music fan or if you are both, this movie is a must watch.

-Michael J. Ruhland 

Bing Crosby Songs From the Movies

Today is the birthday of the one and only Bing Crosby. To celebrate today we will look at a selection of Bing performing some great songs in the movies. 

Our first song is from Bing's film debut, a delightful movie that is just starting to get the attention it deserves recently, King of Jazz (1930). This movie is pretty much the movie equivalent of a TV variety show. There is no story, but instead just a bunch of musical numbers and comedy skits. The film would star the man who at that time was known as the King of Jazz, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra. At this time Bing had not yet begun his solo career instead he was part of the vocal trio The Rhythm Boys. At this time the group was touring with Paul Whiteman so they ended up appearing in the picture. The following is a song from the movie that featured them. This is the extremely catchy Happy Feet written by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen. If this song doesn't make you want to dance nothing ever will. Now we have a delightful song from the often overlooked movie Double or Nothing (1937). This song, The Moon Got in My Eyes features Bing performing without any instruments but instead with a band of singers taking the place of the backing instruments. In the film they were called the sing band. This song was written by Johnny Burke and Arthur Johnson. A year before this film, Bing had recorded another song by these two, one of his most popular songs, Pennies From Heaven. Next comes Bing performing one of my favorite songs he recorded, Moonlight Becomes You. Johnny Burke served as one of the writers on this song as well. He cowrote it with James Van Heusen. The would also write together such major hits for Bing as Swinging on a Star, Sunday Monday or Always and Going My Way. This version of Moonlight Becomes You is from Road to Morocco, one of the series of fantastic "Road" movies Bing made with Bob Hope. Last is Bing Crosby performing the Cole Porter song, That's Jazz with Jazz legend Louis Armstrong in the movie, High Society (1956), a musical remake of the classic The Philadelphia Story (1940). I admit to preferring The Philadelphia Story but this is a great musical number. 










-Michael J. Ruhland