Birth of the Blues

You, the Living

September 2007 •Swedish

In the Swedish city of Lethe, people from different walks of life take part in a series of short, deadpan vignettes that rush past. Some are just seconds long, none longer than a couple of minutes. A young woman remembers a fantasy honeymoon with a rock guitarist. A man awakes from a dream about bomber planes. A businessman boasts about success while being robbed by a pickpocket, and so on. The absurdist collection is accompanied by Dixieland jazz and similar music.

Standards I/II

July 2008 •English

Daybreak Express

January 1953 •English

Set to a classic Duke Ellington recording "Daybreak Express", this is a five-minute short of the soon-to-be-demolished Third Avenue elevated subway station in New York City.

Ray

October 2004 •English

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

George Benson: Live At Montreux 1986

December 2005 •English

Recorded Live on July 18th, 1986 at "Montreux Casino", during the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland)

George Benson & Al Jarreau: Live at Montreux

December 2007 •English

Jezebel

March 1938 •English

In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.

Infinity

October 1996 •English

Story of the early life of genius and Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman.

Low Down

January 2014 •English

The daughter of jazz pianist Joe Albany witnesses her beloved father's struggle -- and failure -- to kick his heroin habit.

Whiplash

October 2014 •English

Under the direction of a ruthless instructor, a talented young drummer begins to pursue perfection at any cost, even his humanity.

Paris Je T'aime

June 2006 •French

Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories, each exploring a different aspect of Parisian life. The colourful characters in this drama include a pair of mimes, a husband trying to chose between his wife and his lover, and a married man who turns to a prostitute for advice.

Jazz Icons: Count Basie Live in '62

July 2006 •English

The concert captured on William "Count" Basie's entry in the "must-own" audio/video Jazz Icons series comes from the vaults of Swedish Television. Modern eyes and ears are whisked to April 24, 1962, with Basie conducting his Atomic-era orchestra.

The World of the Seekers

April 1968 •English

While flying to the first stop on their latest tour, the four members of the Australian music group The Seekers recall in flashback the origins of the group and their rise to success.

The Musicians' Green Book: An Enduring Legacy

November 2022 •English

Stories and music of Black artists who relied on an underground travel guide to navigate the injustices of racial segregation while on the road. The Negro Travelers’ Green Book was a directory of lodgings, restaurants, and entertainment venues where African Americans were welcomed. Features performances and interviews with vocalists, musicians, activists, historians, and others.

Bopin' Hood

August 1961 •English

A trumpet-playing cat and his jazz band invade Ye Olde Squaresville, a kingdom that has outlawed all but the squarest music.

Dan Bárta & Illustratosphere - Zvířený prach tour 2022

January 2024 •Czech

Jamiroquai : AccorHotels Arena Paris

November 2017 •English

The last few months have been very intense for Jamiroquai, since the announcement of the new album, Automaton. The first titles unveiled have received an exceptional welcome from the public and the media, and the first concerts announced by the group are full. Today Jamiroquai unveils a European tour including three concerts in France, Toulouse, Nantes and Paris. With more than 35 million albums sold worldwide spanning nearly 25 years, the British group led by the charismatic Jay Kay have imposed their style. Who doesn't remember Cosmic Girl, You Give Me Something or Virtual Insanity?

Can You Hear God Crying?

November 2014 •English

World première recording of Hannibal Lokumbe's 'spritatorio' Can You Hear God Crying, which combines jazz, gospel and chamber music with West African prayers and songs. The piece, commissioned by Philadelphia philanthropist Carole Haas Gravagno, is about the composer's great-great-grandfather, who was born in the Sahara, kidnapped and enslaved in Liberia, and sold at auction in Charleston, S.C. He escaped to Texas, where he bought land and had a family.

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool

August 2019 •English

An immersive look at the eventful life and brilliant artistic career of visionary American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991).

The Magic Sun

January 1966 •English

Multi-faceted artist Phil Niblock captures a brief moment of an interstellar communication by the Arkestra in their prime. Black turns white in a so-called negative post-process, while Niblock's camera focuses on microscopic details of hands, bodies and instruments. A brilliant tribute to the Sun King by another brilliant supra-planetary sovereign. (Eye of Sound)