In the early ’80s, when I was a socially awkward teenage jazz geek, it wasn’t easy to find filmed footage of departed musicians.
Sure, the audio recordings could be uncovered — the vinyl cutout bins could provide cheap miracles if you knew where to look — but to actually see the musicians play on screen occurred only when an exhibitor would bring movies of Duke Ellington and Louis Jordan for a presentation at a local university.
To watch the greats ponder, laugh and musically challenge one another is to appreciate the artistry in a different way, and that’s why the Naxos “Jazz Icons” DVD series is such a marvel. The fourth edition presents full-length titles of ’60s performances from bona fide innovators (Coleman Hawkins, Woody Herman, Jimmy Smith) and genuinely warm entertainers (like Anita O’Day, Erroll Garner and Art Farmer).
The footage is taken from European telecasts (what did they know at the time that we didn’t?) and was filmed in black-and- white. The picture quality is occasionally grainy but the sound on all of the DVDs is excellent — any of these performances could have been issued on audio CDs. But then we would miss out on the visual aspect of this time-locked magic.
The seven discs in the latest edition are available as a box set; spring for the whole thing and you’ll be treated to a bonus disc with sets from Hawkins, Smith and Garner, whose own discs are the most valuable additions to the overall collection.
Hawkins’ “Live in ’62 and ’64” displays the tenor saxophonist slightly past his prime but playing in his typically magisterial fashion. He gently jousts with trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison in England, and while it’s apparent these guys have played “What is This Thing Called Love” and “Caravan” at least a thousand times, they find beautiful nuances in this music.
For those of us who only had the opportunity to see and hear organist Jimmy Smith later in his life, it’s nice to experience “Live in ’69” when he was more fleet-fingered. Actually, his rapid-fire delivery is a bit intimidating on this French date. There’s a long, intense version of his signature tune, “The Sermon,” and a take on the ’60s favorite “Alfie” that really pours on the cheese.
With the Grant Green-ish guitarist Eddie McFadden taking bluesy solo turns and drummer Charlie Crosby pushing everything forward, this is an apt portrait of an eternally touring trio that could have been cranking ’em out at the kind of neighborhood venue that no longer exists.
The most rewarding disc in this edition comes from two mesmerizing Erroll Garner performances, “Live in ’63 and ’64.”
Shot in front of appreciative Belgian and Swedish audiences, Garner, a pianist with perhaps the happiest touch in jazz history, displays an ecstatic array of facial gestures and enchanted movements — it’s almost as if he’s dancing with the instrument. The music flows effortlessly through his hands on “Fly Me to the Moon” and his best-known tune, “Misty.”
Garner is rarely mentioned by journalists anymore but his music is unique and fulfilling. It’s time to rediscover his skillful body of work.
Find out more about these DVDs at .
Other sounds.
Lisa Bell sings holiday music at Nissi’s in Lafayette tonight while bluesman Otis Taylor is joined by trumpeter Ron Miles at Dazzle . . . the Mile High Jazz Band also plays tonight, at the Lion’s Lair . . . drummer Pete Zimmer and saxophonist George Garzone team up at Dazzle on Saturday . . . the monthly gathering of the Boulder Friends of Jazz takes place Dec. 6 at the Louisville American Legion Post . . . the Duke Ellington Orchestra presents a “Big Band Christmas” at Boettcher Concert Hall on Dec. 15.
