Inside Out In the Open

Cecil Taylor: All The Notes

January 2005 •English

Cecil Taylor was the grand master of free jazz piano. "All the Notes" captures in breezy fashion the unconventional stance of this media-shy modern musical genius, regarded as one of the true giants of post-war music. Seated at his beloved and battered piano in his Brooklyn brownstone the maestro holds court with frequent stentorian pronouncements on life, art and music.

Play Your Own Thing: A Story of Jazz in Europe

November 2006 •English

A comprehensive history of European Jazz, exploring the origins of the US-influenced Jazz clubs after the Second World War, the first steps independent of American jazz and the various changes of direction that have repeatedly occurred in European jazz in the search for that "own voice" that European jazz musicians have helped to form. Featuring the great masters of European jazz such as Chris Barber, Jan Garbarek, Juliette Gréco, Stefano Bollani and Till Brönner, to name but a few.

Jammin' the Blues

May 1944 •English

In this short film, prominent jazz musicians of the 1940s gather for a rare filming of a jam session. This highly stylized chronicle features tenor sax legend Lester Young.

Charlie Parker: Bird Songs

January 2022 •French

In 1955, on his report, a medical examiner wrote in the box: age, “about 53 years”. Charlie Parker nicknamed Bird just died, at 34. His death will be the ransom of a life that was not denied to the excesses or the consuming flame of genius. His wildest improvisations will open the door to future jazzmen. Between shadow and light this film will pay tribute to one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.

Miles Davis & Keith Jarrett - The 1971 Berlin Concert

October 2010 •Italian

Containing a vibrant concert by the Miles Davis Band featuring Keith Jarrett.

Jazzia olohuoneessa - Bill Evans trio

October 1970 •English

A film made in 1970 in the home of Finnish composer Ilkka Kussisto (whose two sons are famous violinists) when the Bill Evans Trio visited him for a private performance.

Kamasi Washington Live At The Apollo Theater

February 2020 •English

Tenor saxophonist, composer and producer Kamasi Washington and his band perform a special show at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater for the theatre's 85th year anniversary. Washington explores Harlem's rich musical and cultural history and the city's influence on his generation of artists.

Momma Don't Allow

February 1956 •English

A night at the Wood Green Jazz Club - an example of 'Free Cinema'.

Ornette: Made in America

February 1986 •English

Shirley Clarke's frenetic documentary about multi-talented musician Ornette Coleman.

The Long Night of Lady Day

January 1984 •English

This acclaimed documentary depicts the sad life of the greatest of all jazz singers, Billie Holiday, a life engraved with personal tragedy and ultimately shortened by drug abuse and alcoholism. Her story and career are portrayed through rare archival film and television appearances, memorable renditions of her greatest songs, and interviews with friends and colleagues.

Big Ben: Ben Webster in Europe

January 1967 •English

In the late sixties, the American saxophone player and living jazz legend Ben Webster lived in Amsterdam for a year. Webster, who was born in Kansas City in 1909, was a unique personality in the world of jazz and blues. In the thirties, he played with all the great names. During his Amsterdam period, he stayed with an elderly landlady, Mrs Hardloper, with whom he appeared on a national talk show. In conversations with Van der Keuken, he muses on the past; on the fantastic experience of playing in the renowned Duke Ellington band; or on one of his best friends, who was so deft at eating with a knife and fork. Short, fragmented remarks, which Van der Keuken has edited in a loose, improvised editing style.

Música para Sempre

October 1980 •Portuguese

The picture brings interviews with the participants of the 1st São Paulo Jazz Festival that occurred in Anhembi Conventions Palace in September 1978 and reunited musicians, composers and singers from all around the world.

1959: The Year that Changed Jazz

March 2009 •English

Archive performances and interviews explore the influence of the four major jazz albums made in 1959 by Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman.

Bridges-Go-Round 1

April 1958 •

New York City's various bridges transform into an urban jungle (jazz version) or an alien landscape (electro-acoustic version).

Art Pepper: Notes from a Jazz Survivor

December 1982 •English

Saxophonist Art Pepper (1925-1982) lived the kind of jazz life only found in Hollywood movies. His prodigious talent led him to top gigs as a teenager, but drugs and attendant criminal activity knocked him out of commission for virtually all of the 1960s and early 1970s. This documentary, shot shortly after his searing memoir, {-Straight Life}, was published in 1979, shows Pepper in the full flower of a remarkable comeback. His third wife, Laurie, is featured prominently; they met in the drug treatment facility Synanon in 1969 and were married in 1974. She took over his business affairs and helped him write {-Straight Life}. Pepper tells his own story here, but the emphasis is on an evening's performance at a club in Malibu, with the musician in fine form, backed by a terrific trio. (Tom Wiener, Rovi)

Moor Mother: Jazz Codes

July 2022 •English

Proyecto Jazz

September 2015 •Spanish

Proyecto Jazz is a musical documentary that deals with jazz in Santa Fe based on an assignment given to the musician Pedro Casís, to compile material of the band from the last 30 years of jazz in the capital city for the shooting of a film. To do so, Pedro enlists the help of old colleagues from the Santa Fe Jazz Ensamble, a big band founded in the early 80s. Along the way, he interacts with friends, students and alumni, trying to assemble the different generations as important pieces of the film project. Life stories, memories, performances, anecdotes, clinics and of course the music, are addressed in the documentary around the making of the film.

Frank Sinatra, or America's Golden Age

December 2015 •French

In his five-decade career, the 1950s and 1960s were Frank Sinatra's Golden Age. He was at the top of his game in music, film and television, becoming the most popular artist on the planet.

Paris Jazz Joie de Vivre

August 2024 •French

Bird: Not Out Of Nowhere

August 2020 •English

Kansas City PBS is proud to present a documentary that looks back at the years Charlie “Bird” Parker spent in Kansas City and his lasting legacy on the Kansas City jazz scene. Bird: Not Out of Nowhere features rarely seen archival footage of Parker, interviews with musicians and historians, and live performances from Kansas City’s most talented jazz musicians.