Continued: DVD Reviews

PLAY YOUR OWN THING: A STORY OF JAZZ IN EUROPE (EUROARTS) 90 min.

Reviewed by Will Shapira

A DVD made from a film by Julian Benedikt, this work seeks to bring fans up to date on what's going on with jazz in Europe and dispel some of the myths about the reliance of European musicians on Americans and American influences today, in the recent past and even in the more distant past.

This documentary is beautifully compiled and edited with judicious use of vintage film, striking black and white photos, snippets of home movies and excerpts from concerts. There is a great deal of meaningful commentary from European musicians defining what jazz has meant to them and describing their own journeys. Many of the musicians speak in their native tongues, with subtitles provided -- a good decision because they are able to express themselves fully without searching for words. There can be no doubt of their love of jazz, their respect for its roots, and their understanding of both its simplicity and its complexity.

The American and European artists range from the traditional to the (once) avant garde, and it includes the development of free jazz in Europe. The concert footage is fascinating, with particularly fine excerpts featuring Bud Powell, Lester Young and Johnny Hodges. Among the others included in this film are Louis Armstrong, Don Cherry, Kenny Clarke, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster, Joe Zawinul and Attila Zoller. Space prohibits listing the numerous European artists participating in this documentary, but their presence is distinctly heard, seen and felt.

The liner notes by Marcus A. Woefle sum up in one cogent paragraph what the film is all about: "For many people, the history of European jazz was for a long time synonymous with the history of `Americans in Europe.' Giants such as Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Bud Powell, whom their European colleagues warmly thank in Benedikt's film, were enriching the European scene at a time when it was still the aim of most European musicians to reach what was delightfully termed `the American level.' But for several decades, this level has already been reached by countless professional musicians in Europe, many of whom have moved some distance away from their American stylistic models as they sense that the oft-cited 'roots' of jazz do not necessarily have to lie in the Mississippi Delta."

Heresy to some, hallelujah to others on both sides of the Atlantic, no doubt. That's what makes it fun and interesting, just as hearing new approaches to jazz -- from wherever they emanate -- will keep the music fresh, vibrant and, most important, alive. Above all, no matter where they reside or where they come from -- Rome, Italy or Rome, N.Y. -- each generation of jazz musicians must heed the admonition, "Play Your Own Thing."

For further info on the DVD including purchase information, www.euroarts.com.

September 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.