Re: Further Reflections on Ken Burns' Jazz



Posted by Bob Byler on February 12, 2001 at 10:28:37:

In Reply to: Further Reflections on Ken Burns' Jazz posted by Robert Hoyt on February 07, 2001 at 23:32:36:

You're right on target, Robert, and an elegant and perceptive writer. As you may see in my postings, I hope we can follow this thing Burns & Marsalis concocted, but which has generated a lot of public interest, with a TV series on the classic jazz of the past half-century or so. I tried to do that in 1975 and am making some new proposals. But, my time is very limited, because we bought a new house in Florida and will spend the next five months cleaning out files and most of several collections, selling our house in Northwest Ohio, and making the move. By fall I hope to have time to pursue ideas vigorously. By the way, Scott Yanow also is on target, reporting that even the modern guys hate the film. I loved the West Coast Cool School players about as much as I love trad, and still do. Howard Rumsey and Shorty Rogers deserved coverage too, along with some others mentioned. I videotaped Zoot Sims in his last public performance too, and would make it available for TV use to whoever can get proper clearances. Maybe an appropriate response to the film is to refuse to buy any more General Motors cars, unless they provide more millions for a fairly-balanced sequel -- what Paul Harvey would call, "the rest of the story."