Blue Note: The Story of Modern Jazz

This documentary is a testament to the passion and vision of Alfred Lion and Frank Wolff: two German Jews who emigrated from Nazi Germany to New York in the 1930s and 'discovered' an art form which at the time received scant attention from mainstream America. Without money or connections, speaking little English, the two men began to record practically unknown musicians on the Blue Note label in 1939. Today this list of artists reads like a Who's Who of jazz including Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Dexter Gordon, Ron Carter and Horace Silver. Wonderful anecdotes from musicians, associates and friends interspersed with riveting photos and archival clips from legendary early performances and more recent events recreate an era of American cultural history. All sing praise to these two 'schwingers'.
60 min. English, German and French with English subt.
Director: Julian Benedikt