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Ken Burns' Jazz on IPTV
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Monday,
JAZZuary 8, 2001 at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #101
"Gumbo
(Beginnings to 1917)"
Jazz
is born in the unique musical and social cauldron of New Orleans
at the turn of the 20th century, emerging from several forms of
music, including ragtime, marching bands, work songs, spirituals,
European classical music, funeral parade music and, above all, the
blues. Musicians who advance early jazz in New Orleans include Creole
pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton, cornetist Buddy Bolden and
clarinet prodigy Sidney Bechet. Composer W.C. Handy codifies the
blues through his popular compositions. The Original Dixieland Jazz
Band makes the first jazz recordings. Their enormous popularity
spreads the sounds of jazz across the country and, eventually, the
world. At the end of the episode, viewers meet an 11-year-old New
Orleans boy, Louis Armstrong, who will emerge from the city's toughest
streets to become jazz music's greatest star and transform American
music.
Tuesday, JAZZuary 9,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #102
"The
Gift (1917-1924)"
The
second episode is set during the tumultuous era known as the "Jazz
Age," when the rhythms and spirit of jazz music mirror the
world that emerged in the wake of World War I. The program introduces
two extraordinary individuals whose lives will be interwoven throughout
the rest of the series: the brilliant bandleader and composer Duke
Ellington and the virtuoso New Orleans-born cornetist Louis Armstrong,
who single-handedly transforms jazz from ensemble music to a soloist's
art. This episode follows black bandleader and WWI hero James Reese
Europe and his Harlem regiment to the war in France and back home
again. In the l920s, jazz enters American living rooms through radio
and phonograph records. The migration of millions of African Americans
from the South to the North helps create a receptive audience for
the new music -- especially evident on the south side of Chicago.
White musicians, entranced by the recordings and the music they
hear in Chicago's night clubs, begin to make their mark on jazz.
Wednesday, JAZZuary 10,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #103
"Our
Language (1924-1928)"
Louis
Armstrong arrives in New York from Chicago where, during a brief
stay with the Fletcher Henderson band, he amazes his fellow musicians
and teaches the city to swing. A blues craze, spearheaded by Bessie
Smith, takes the nation by storm. Cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, the
first great white jazz artist, eventually plays for bandleader Paul
Whiteman, whose blending of classical and jazz traditions comes
to epitomize jazz for many Americans. This episode also traces the
childhood of Benny Goodman, whose musicianship catapults him out
of the slums of Chicago; and Goodman's eventual rival, clarinetist
Artie Shaw, who also escapes ghetto life though jazz. Clarinetist
Sidney Bechet takes his fiery music to Europe, and singer Ethel
Waters brings a new kind of artistry to American popular song. Jelly
Roll Morton advances the art of jazz composition, and Duke Ellington
begins his incomparable career as the preeminent composer in jazz
history. The episode ends with Louis Armstrong's teaming with pianist
Earl Hines in l928 to make a series of pivotal recordings that culminate
in the masterpiece "West End Blues."
Monday, JAZZuary 15,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #104
"The
True Welcome (1929-1935)"
Amid
the hard times of the Depression, a new dance, the Lindy Hop, begins
to catch on at the dance halls of New York. The reminiscences of
two of Harlem's greatest dancers, Frankie Manning and Norma Miller,
help frame this episode. Louis Armstrong begins to sing on stage;
though his career suffers from a string of bad luck, his trumpet
playing and singing continue to astonish listeners. Duke Ellington's
band begins to appear in Hollywood films, and he provides audiences
in America and abroad with an image of elegant sophistication. The
privileged young writer and music producer John Hammond promotes
jazz and social justice with equal zeal. Benny Goodman becomes a
successful bandleader, Fats Waller becomes one of the most popular
entertainers in the country and pianist Art Tatum brings a dazzling
virtuosity to the music. As swing dancing catches on, a new kind
of big band jazz begins to emerge.
Wednesday, JAZZuary 17,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #105
"Swing:
Pure Pleasure (1935-1937)"
Big-band
jazz, "swing," becomes the most popular music in America.
Clarinetist Benny Goodman, whose band creates a sensation on radio
broadcasts and in live performances, becomes the first white bandleader
to hire black musicians and presents the first integrated public
performances of jazz. Billie Holiday's buoyant music and exquisite
phrasing enable her to overcome a limited range as a singer. Louis
Armstrong lands roles in Hollywood films, and Duke Ellington continues
to compose distinctive music for the members of his band. Swing
bands, headed by Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Lunceford, Glenn Miller and
Goodman's rival, Artie Shaw, achieve enormous popularity. Some jazz
fans, disturbed by the popularity of swing, look backwards and start
a movement to embrace "traditional" jazz. Drummer and
bandleader Chick Webb's propulsive music inspires dancers at Harlem's
integrated Savoy Ballroom. In the western "territories,"
a blues-soaked, big-band jazz style is set to further transform
jazz.
Monday, JAZZuary 22,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #106
"Swing:
The Velocity of Celebration (1937-1939)"
As
the Great Depression deepens, jazz thrives. The saxophone emerges
as an iconic instrument of the music; the episode introduces two
of its masters, Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. Young migrates
to Kansas City, where a vibrant music scene is prospering. Out of
this ferment emerges pianist Count Basie, who forms a band that
epitomizes the Kansas City sound. With the help of John Hammond,
Basie takes his band to New York, where his remarkable rhythm section
and legendary soloists refine and redefine swing. Billie Holiday
records with Basie's tenor saxophone soloist Lester Young; their
musical kinship creates one of the great partnerships in jazz. Women
musicians, including pianist and arranger Mary Lou Williams, emerge
on the jazz scene. Ella Fitzgerald emerges as a star, taking over
Chick Webb's band and launching a long career. Benny Goodman holds
the first-ever jazz concert at Carnegie Hall. Duke Ellington travels
to Europe and then makes some of his greatest recordings. In 1938,
Billie Holiday begins her engagement at the integrated nightclub
Cafe Society. Coleman Hawkins returns to the United States after
many years in Europe.
Tuesday, JAZZuary 23,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #107
"Dedicated
to Chaos (1940-1945)"
The
infectious music of the swing bands sets the mood for soldiers going
off to fight in World War II. Gifted trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and
alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, in after-hours jam sessions with
other young rebels, including the drummer Kenny Clarke and pianist
Thelonious Monk, take jazz in startling new directions with their
complex music -- bebop. Their innovations, however, are largely
unnoticed amidst the war effort. Armed Forces Radio broadcasts spread
jazz across the globe, while big band leader Glenn Miller dies in
a plane crash over the English Channel. In Europe, jazz is banned
by the Nazis and embraced by their opponents as a symbol of freedom
and democracy. European jazz innovators, including Gypsy guitarist
Django Reinhardt, blend jazz with their own musical traditions.
As racial conflict in America heats up, the center of jazz in New
York moves from Harlem to 52nd Street. Duke Ellington rebuilds his
band, begins his collaboration with arranger and composer Billy
Strayhorn, records some of his most popular songs and pioneers serious
long-form jazz compositions. Charlie Parker struggles with his own
heroin addiction. Then, with Dizzy Gillespie, he records several
bebop masterworks.
Wednesday, JAZZuary 24,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #108
"Risk
(1945-1955)"
Jazz
becomes the official symbol of American democracy abroad. At home,
the music splinters into different camps: white and black, cool
and hot, East and West, traditional and modern. Television supplants
radio, but offers fewer opportunities for jazz to be heard. Most
big bands are forced to dismantle. The rhythm and blues phenomenon
further erodes the audience for jazz. Charlie Parker dies of pneumonia
and cirrhosis of the liver at age 34; Dizzy Gillespie carries on
the innovations of bebop as a teacher and leader, forms a big band
and blends modern jazz with Latin rhythms. Inspired by the emergent
civil rights movement, promoter Norman Granz holds racially integrated
jazz concerts; Louis Armstrong challenges the color barrier by touring
in the South with an integrated band. Viewers meet Bud Powell, Erroll
Garner and Thelonious Monk, who finally attains recognition for
his unique approach and sound. Some California-based musicians create
a quieter sound that comes to be known as "cool" jazz;
these include baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and piano player
Dave Brubeck, whose quartet becomes the most popular jazz group
in America. A young trumpeter from East St. Louis, Miles Davis,
makes a set of recordings with innovative composer Gil Evans and
becomes the most influential musician of his generation.
Monday, JAZZuary 29,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #109
"The
Adventure (1955-1960)"
As
rhythm and blues and rock 'n' roll erode the jazz audience still
further, the music nonetheless enjoys a time of tremendous creativity.
Saxophonist Sonny Rollins makes his mark on the scene, Duke Ellington
reemerges as a star after a triumphant performance at the Newport
Jazz Festival, and Miles Davis makes several now-legendary albums.
Young trumpeter Clifford Brown achieves great artistry, but his
life is cut short in a car accident. Vocalist Sarah Vaughan forever
sets a standard for jazz singing. Amidst the school integration
crisis in Little Rock, Arkansas, Louis Armstrong risks his career
by speaking out forcefully against segregation. Drummer Art Blakey,
pianist Horace Silver and other "hard bop" musicians play
a soulful brand of jazz in an attempt to bring the music back to
the black audience it has lost to R&B. In 1957, Billie Holiday
reunites with Lester Young on a live television program, "The
Sound of Jazz"; two years later, both Holiday and Young are
dead. John Coltrane, after playing on Miles Davis's "Kind of
Blue" album, forms his own quartet, scores a hit with his version
of the show tune "My Favorite Things" and creates some
of the most intense music in jazz history. The episode concludes
with the arrival on the scene of the free-jazz pioneer Ornette Coleman,
whose music challenges all of the conventions of jazz, signals the
arrival of the avant-garde and provokes a debate about the definition
of jazz that continues to this day.
Wednesday, JAZZuary 31,
2001
at 8 p.m.
JAZZ #110
"A
Masterpiece by Midnight (1960-Present)"
In the 1960s, jazz becomes divided into "schools" -- Dixieland, swing, bop, hard bop, cool, modal, free, avant-garde. The question of what is jazz and what isn't rages, dividing audiences, dividing musicians, dividing generations. For many, the real question is whether jazz, the most American of art forms, will survive at all. Rock 'n' roll groups dominate record sales and radio, and many jazz musicians, like Dexter Gordon, are forced to leave America in search of work. Many artists use the music as a form of social protest: Max Roach composes the "Freedom Now Suite"; Charles Mingus makes his mark with overtly political recordings. John Coltrane records prolifically and appeals to broad audiences before his untimely death at age 40. Saxophonist Stan Getz helps boost a craze for bossa nova music. Great singers celebrate the essential contribution of vocalists to the development of jazz. The avant-garde movement creates innovative music, but appeals to an increasingly limited audience. By the late l960s, jazz is struggling to find its way. In the early 1970s, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington pass away. Miles Davis, after forming his most innovative acoustic jazz group, leads a movement of jazz musicians who incorporate elements of rock and soul into their music in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience. "Fusion" wins listeners, but alienates some dedicated jazz fans. By the mid-80s, jazz begins to bounce back; it's heard in concert halls, on rap records, in film scores and in television commercials. Jazz musicians continue to practice, perform, record, disagree, improvise and jam. As it approaches its centennial, jazz is still alive -- and still changing.
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Other Jazz Programs on IPTV
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Thursday,
JAZZuary 4, 2001 at 2:30 p.m.
MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD #1614
"When
Parents Go to Work"
Natasha,
a Los-Angeles-based jazz oboist, shares her music and her feelings
about being a working mother as MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD's week
about "When Parents Go to Work" continues.
Thursday, JAZZuary 4,
2001
at 9:30 p.m.
JAZZ AT THE MAINTENANCE SHOP #201
"The
Dexter Gordon Quartet"
Dexter
Gordon was, in more ways than one, a giant of the tenor saxophone.
Standing well over six feet in his stocking feet, one of his early
LPs was titled, understandably, "Long Tall Dexter." But
when he played, his gigantic, cavernous sound immediately marked
him as a musical giant too. He spent several years living and working
in Europe and in 1986 was called on to both play and act in the
French-made film "Round Midnight," using a story based,
to a large extent, on his own career in Europe. Always an immensely
popular figure, this video catches him very much at the top of his
form at The Maintenance Shop, a music room at Iowa State University,
backed by a fine American rhythm section, which also appeared with
him on some of his Columbia albums. The Dexter Gordon Quartet is
Dexter Gordon (tenor saxophone), George Cables (piano), Rufus Reid
(bass), and Eddie Gladden (drums).
Monday, JAZZuary 8,
2001 at 9:30 p.m. (repeats Friday,
Jazzuary 12 at 1:30 p.m.)
IOWA
JAZZ CHAMPIONS
At
district jazz competitions, 75 jazz bands were selected to compete
at the 2000 Iowa Jazz Championships in Des Moines. This program
includes performance highlights from each of the five champion bands'
competition. Featured schools are Treynor, Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn,
Okoboji, Independence and Sioux City North.
Friday, JAZZuary 12,
2001 at 1:30 p.m.
IOWA
JAZZ CHAMPIONS
At
district jazz competitions, 75 jazz bands were selected to compete
at the 2000 Iowa Jazz Championships in Des Moines. This program
includes performance highlights from each of the five champion bands'
competition. Featured schools are Treynor, Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn,
Okoboji, Independence and Sioux City North.
Sunday, JAZZuary 14, 2001 at 4:30 p.m.
ELLA
FITZGERALD: SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR, AN "AMERICAN MASTERS"
SPECIAL
Tony
Bennett narrates this portrait of the 'First Lady of Song,' the
13-time Grammy winner who elevated swing, bebop, ballads and the
blues to their highest level. The program spotlights Fitzgerald's
exciting collaborations with other performers, including Bing Crosby,
Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Durante, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and
others.
Wednesday, JAZZuary 17, 2001 at 9:30 p.m.
JAZZ AT THE MAINTENANCE SHOP #202
"The
Bill Evans Trio"
Pianist
Bill Evans brought to the jazz keyboard an intellect and an imagination
rare even in the inspired world of music. Those who listened to
his playing with only half an ear dismissed him as a "cocktail
pianist" but those with wider vision (and that included most
other jazz pianists operating at the same time) recognized him to
be one of the most sensitive and creative musicians of his day.
One such man was Miles Davis, who offered Bill a job with his sextet
at a time when he was putting together the milestone album "Kind
of Blue." This outstanding program catches the Evans Trio in
peak form at The Maintenance Shop on the Iowa State University campus
in January 1979, less than two years before Bill's untimely death.
The care which went into a set by the trio is beautifully illustrated
here, each man playing his part with complete understanding of the
totality of the music. The Bill Evans Trio is Bill
Evans (piano), Marc Johnson (bass), and Joe La Barbera (drums).
Friday, JAZZuary 19, 2001at 10:30 a.m.
BETWEEN THE LIONS #130
"Be
Bop"
Be
bop badoo. Boomba, boomba. Be bop comes to the library inside of
a book about jazz musician Charlie Parker and everyone is getting
down with the groove, yeah. The episode focuses on the short "o"
sound in words like bop and lollipop.
Friday, JAZZuary 19, 2001 at 2:30 p.m.
MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD #1710
"Brave
& Strong"
Eric
Kloss, the jazz saxophonist who is blind, talks about how loving
people in his life have helped him to be brave and strong. In Make-Believe,
now that the cereal snow has stopped, the big question is what to
do with it! Driving a powerful forklift truck, Neighbor Aber delivers
the boxes of cereal to the castle, where they will be donated to
Queen Sara's Food for the World project. Thinking of food, Mister
Rogers gets some yogurt from his refrigerator and shows a video
about how people make yogurt.
Sunday, JAZZuary 21, 2001 at 10 p.m.
IN PERFORMANCE AT THE WHITE HOUSE #1001
"Savion
Glover -- Stomp, Slide and Swing"
Savion
Glover emcees this presentation, celebrating the diversity and history
of tap dance in America. Glover's own troupe, NYOT (Not Your Ordinary
Tappers), performs a modern, hybrid style of tap, followed by 70-year-old
Jimmy Slyde, whose dancing reflects the elegant origins of tap,
and eight-year-old, Washington D.C. prodigy Cartier Williams. Donny
Golden, the first American to win international Irish step-dancing
competitions, and some of his young students demonstrate a few reels
and jigs, and their band plays an Irish-style tune composed in Arkansas.
Two duets of Lindy Hoppers exhibit a combination of social dance
and tap, and Bebe Neuwirth and Karen Ziemba perform two numbers
from the hit musical "Chicago," showcasing Bob Fosse's
signature style of Broadway tap.
Wednesday, JAZZuary 31, 2001 at 2:30 p.m.
MISTER ROGERS' NEIGHBORHOOD #1718
"Be
Yourself: That's the Best"
Jazz notes fly in the air from The Uptown String Quartet. In the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, Prince Tuesday gets hurt when he tries to fly, armed with a special hat and 'high-flying' encouragement from Lady Elaine Fairchilde. Mister Rogers helps children know that nothing like a magic hat can make a person fly.
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