Posted by Arnett Howard on February 08, 2001 at 18:46:22:
I loved every minute of Ken Burn's Jazz. I have been excited since I met Burns in New Orleans IAJE Convention in January, 2000, when he told me about the project.
I got to see old footage that I grew watching, as I apprenticed with the John Baker Jazz Film Collection in Columbus, OH. I enjoyed wonderful, new footage of Charlie Parker from the vaults of Norman Grantz, I relieved the magic of the swing era ala, Goodman, Wilson, Hampton and Krupa in rare footage. I saw swing dancers of every color and style and what Chick Webb's band did to earn his stake to the King of Swing title. Maybe, I'm just fat, dumb and happy, but I found a lot of joy in the PBS series and I shared a lot with friends too.
Sure, there were soundtracks that I wanted to hear better and I saw more of Wynton than I cared to. However, with so little jazz, historical or contemporary, available on televison, I am glad that the Burns series was the talk of the nation for the whole month of January, 2001.
I learned many years ago that the jazz audience is the biggest bunch of cry babies, continually pissing and moaning, jealous that someone is succeeding commercially in the jazz business. People who can't play a note, are fussing about some musician who misses a note or doesn't play to their liking; fans who have never done research or created a film, demeaning the efforts of those who spend years exploring for and discovering new archival materials, hundreds of hours shooting and editing film footage.
I challenge all those critics who think that they can make a better jazz film documentary to put their arse behind their commentaries and become productive. Who's going to make the next/perfect film about the music that we are so passionate about?
I guess the price that I must pay to live in this "land of the free and home of the brave" is to listen to perpetual pissing and moaning from armchair critics who want to flunk Burns because he only scored ninety-five percent. My personal feelings are Ken Burn's Jazz, Florentine Film and PBS are a Godsend!
Thanks for doing a thankless job for ungrateful jazz fans.
Arnett Howard, musician, author, jazz historian and videographer.