ianlouisiana Review of Jazz on a Summer's Day

Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)

Live jazz performances still thrill after nearly half a century

[10/10 · 4 November 2005]

Apparently Bert Stern intended to make a feature film set at the 1958 Newport Jazz festival but ran out of money and was only left with the footage of the jazz acts.Hastily cobbled together with the odd snippet of local colour Mr Stern-by accident or design-came up with the definitive music festival documentary and every subsequent pop doc and MTV show is indebted to it. Tight focussing and contre-jour lighting contribute greatly to the atmosphere of intimacy so essential to jazz performances. From the brilliant opening images accompanying Jimmy Giuffre's "The train and the river" to Mahalia Jackson's magnificent 23rd psalm,"Jazz on a summer's day" is a masterpiece and a worthy memorial to the many giants who featured in it. Back in 1960 when it was released in the UK much outrage was expressed at the inclusion of such "non - jazz" performers as Chuck Berry and Big Maybelle,but their contributions demonstrate that "Jazz" is a word capable of embracing more broad parameters than was once believed.Indeed,one look at the broad grin on the face of Papa Jo Jones as he deftly drums behind Mr Berry will leave you in no doubt as to what he feels. Louis Armstrong's 58th birthday is celebrated on stage and his current All - Star line up,whilst not perhaps comparing too well with some of their predecessors,back him enthusiastically,and he gets to sing "Rockin' Chair" again with Big Tea,and has a lot of fun doing it. Anita O'Day's turn,rather like the Duke's in 1956,totally revitalised her career.With an outrageous hat and a skintight dress(and pretty - well stoned as she later cheerfully admitted)she tears up "Tea for Two" leaving both the audience and herself breathless.It is a performance of such daring that it can only have been attained after much rehearsal despite its artful air of spontaneity.I doubt if she ever bettered it. There is a lot of cheerful Dixie from Eli's Chosen Six and a splendid exercise in dynamics from the Chico Hamilton group. Their cellist Fred Katz gets to show off a bit with the Prelude from Bach's cello suite No 1,which he plays through a cloud of smoke and looks very cool indeed. These are just my personal highlights from a wonderful series of cameos from some of the greatest musicians of the era.I only hope I have whetted your appetite,and more than anything in the world I wish that I was 19 years old again and about to walk through the doors of "The Regent",Brighton to see it for the first time.