[.ca] A Great Day in Harlem

From Amazon.com:
And what a day it was: nearly 60 jazz musicians, gathered on a Harlem street one morning in 1958 for what photographer Art Kane rightly, if immodestly, calls "the greatest picture of that era of musicians ever taken" (incredibly, it was also Kane's first professional shoot). Like Ken Burns's Jazz, this 60-minute documentary, an Oscar nominee in 1995, is a mixed-media affair: still photographs and 8 millimeter color footage (shot by bassist Milt Hinton and his wife) of the day itself are combined with interviews, background music, and performance clips of some of the players involved (from legends like Lester Young, Count Basie, Charles Mingus, and Thelonious Monk to lesser-knowns like Maxine Sullivan, Red Allen, and Vic Dickenson) to tell the story. There are anecdotes about 35-cent dinners, all-night jams, and film loaded upside down; about pianist Horace Silver's vegetarian diet and trumpeter Roy Eldridge's high notes; about old friends reuniting and what Hinton calls "just sheer happiness." Looking at the photo years later, Dizzy Gillespie sums it up simply: "There's a whole lotta people I like on there!" And speaking of Diz, the DVD also includes "The Spitball Story" (produced, like the Great Day documentary, by Jean Bach), an entertaining if slight tale about the trumpeter's days with bandleader Cab Calloway. Seems Gillespie, a renowned practical joker, delighted in launching spitballs at his fellow musicians. Calloway wasn't amused--especially when one particular projectile landed onstage near him. Although Gillespie for once was not the culprit, the two had a nasty confrontation, resulting in Dizzy's firing from the band. It was, he recalls, "the best move I ever made in music." --Sam Graham

very good.:
yeah both these are good but its really all about the photo. great to see some of milt hinton's cine footage from the day and other fotos too. the stories are all good from the musicians interviewed even if the photographer does come across a bit of a pratt sometimes. well worth it if you are a jazz fan or appreciate modern history.

a great time in jazz:
having dizzy gillespie alone talking is a must have.a true genius & legend.his music was incredible.seeing some of the many greats taking the picture was history.so much genius and great contribution were taking part in the picture.in the bigger picture for lovers of jazz & great music this was a lifetime event.

Informative and Interesting!:
A Great Day in Harlem: This is a great documentary about one of the most famous jazz photos. With interviews from the photographer, musicians, and even one of the kids sitting next to Count Basie in the front, it gives you a nice background about the photo. Also, there is even some color film footage that was taken by Milt Hinton's wife, along with sequences of photographs that give the feel of motion. The Spitball Story: A nice mini-documentary about the story behind the spitball that led to Dizzy Gillespie being fired from Cab Calloway's orchestra. Lots of commentary from Diz himself is included (plus Milt Hinton and Jonah Jones), and during the end credits, there's some film footage of Dizzy performing "He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped."

Harlem, the number one Jazz empire!:
This is a documentary about the golden age Jazz greats. These are the stories and sounds of the legends in the Jazz industry. The famous Picture of the great Jazz musicians and singers combined on the sidewalk of a street in Harlem, N.Y.. The kids that were sitting on the curb with Count Basie, wasn't supposed to be in the shot; but was used to add a realistic setting to the picture. Then there was the spitball story, told by Dizzy Gillespie himself. Dizzy was always shooting spitballs on the stage when they would be doing a show. He coaxed another band member into shooting them also, and Cab Calloway knew Dizzy had been shooting the spitballs and gave Dizzy plenty of warnings to stop. In one show, while Cab was on stage singing and dancing with some girls, a spitball landed on stage in front of Cab and the girls; right in the spot light. Mr. Calloway stopped the show and yelled at Dizzy, but it wasn't Dizzy that time; it was the other band member. When the other band member admitted to the spitball, Mr. Calloway still claimed it was Dizzy's fault, and fired him. Mr. Gillespie and Mr. Calloway got into a heated argument. The argument turned into a fight, and Dizzy pulled a switch blade on Mr. Cab Calloway; slicing him on the hand. Mr. Calloway, lunged at Dizzy and banged his leg against a large luggage trunk; forming a large bleeding wound on his leg. Mr. Gillespie said in his own words, "That was the best thing that had every happened to me" The fact that Mr. Cab Calloway fired him from the band, Mr. Dizzy Gillespie went on and formed his own band, and created his own success. This is an historial documentary that shouldn't be ignored. I recommend it.

An Unsung Jazz Era:
The 1950s was one of the great eras of jazz, yet is hardly spoken of today. Many founders of jazz were still alive, the giants of the swing era were playing more superbly than ever, and modern jazz had already laid down the tracks that guide it still. Art Kane's photo brings together an unimaginable collection of the irreplaceable people who created this music. And the film does it the honor -- as another reviewer says -- of adding layers of richness to it. It is a touching moving film that anyone will enjoy. Its only sad impact is that is draws the comparison with what has to pass as jazz today. This film is not to be missed.