Subgenre Sampler
Jazz & Blues: 115 Films to Buy & Rent
- Mo' Better Blues (1990)
- Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Denzel Washington
- This male flipside to Lee's SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT sees talented musician caught between two women and his passion for jazz. A cinematic feast for the…
- Let's Get Lost (1989)
- Dir. Bruce Weber
- Stylish biography of jazz trumpeter/singer Chet Baker; rare concert footage and personal interviews combine to detail the life and music of this…
- Miles Davis in Paris (1989)
- Feat. Miles Davis
- Son of a dentist Miles blows life into his later material at the 1989 Paris Jazz Festival.
- Bird (1988)
- Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Keith David
- Eastwood's biopic tribute to legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker. His turbulent and extraordinary life is sympathetically characterised…
- Miles Davis - Time After Time (1988)
- Feat. Miles Davis
- Miles Davis blows the roof off the Munich Philharmonic Concert Hall, one of jazz trumpeteer's final live performances.
Tracklist: Perfect Way, The…
- Straight No Chaser (1988)
- Dir. Charlotte Zwerin
- Composed of B&W archival footage of Thelonious Monk (rediscovered 20 years after the fact), this sees the idiosyncratic jazz pianist in full…
- Round Midnight (1986)
- Dir. Bertrand Tavernier
Feat. Dexter Gordon, Francois Cluzet
- In 1950s Paris, a decadent American saxophonist develops a friendship with an appreciative French fan who shows him the virtues of clean living. A…
- Louie Bluie (1985)
- Dir. Terry Zwigoff
- The feature debut of director Terry Zwigoff (CRUMB) explores the life and music of William Howard Taft Armstrong, (known as Louie Bluie), a blues…
- Nina Simone - Live at Ronnie Scott's (1985)
- The gifted jazz singer Nina Simone captured live at Ronnie Scott's in London in 1985.
Tracklisting: God God God, If You Knew, Mr Smith, Fodder In…
- Dr. John and the Chris Barber Band - Live in London (1983)
- Dir. Derek Burbidge
- Featuring the unique 1983 performance at the Marquee Club in London, jazz legend Dr. John performs laid back tunes evocative of New Orleans, such as…