JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY ... At Home

WDCB’s Gary Zidek sits down with station music director Paul Abella to talk about the newly restored version of the classic 1959 concert film, JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY.

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WDCB's Gary Zidek and Paul Abella sit down to discuss the newly restored concert film, JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY.

“When you go to jazz festivals today, I think it’s really easy to forget, especially in America, how varied jazz festivals used to be. In this one we see everything from Big Maybelle doing some blues and Chuck Berry, early on in his career, to stuff that was fairly close to the avant garde with Chico Hamilton and Eric Dolphy together, so it really spans the gamut, and to get to see such a smorgasbord of talent all in an hour and a half, it’s a really cool thing.” - Paul Abella talking about the eclectic programming on display at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival and in JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY.

Louis Armstrong on stage in JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY

Music festivals across the globe have been cancelled this year (and it’s likely going to be a while before audiences can attend any type of large scale concerts). For those people missing the sights and sounds of live music, a recently restored version of the classic 1959 concert film, JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY, has been re-released for a virtual cinema presentation.

Considered by some to the first-ever concert film (released in 1959), JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY presents an extremely stylistic look at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival (which had a phenomenal line-up). Directed by Bert Stern, the film focuses on the Jazz Festival, but also captures parts of the America’s Cup Yacht Race and various scenes around Newport that were going on the Fourth of July weekend. While Stern didn’t know much about jazz, the renowned fashion photographer did have an eye for beauty and color, and that really comes through he captures some gorgeous images of the musicians on stage, members of the audience and the yachts on the water.

One of the magnificent water shots from JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY

JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY captures some marvelous performances. Thelonious Monk, Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, Chuck Berry, Chico Hamilton (with Eric Dolphy), Louis Armstrong and Mahalia Jackson are just some of the musicians who appear in the film. What’s interesting is the line-up of musicians that performed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, who don’t appear in the film. That list includes: Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Maynard Ferguson, Max Roach, Horace Silver, Ray Charles, Sonny Rollins, Mary Lou Williams and Miles Davis with a sextet that featured John Coltrane. It’s fair to wonder what went into the decision-making process regarding what performances to feature in the film.

Anita O’Day slowing down SWEET GEORGIA BROWN in JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY

One of the (many) highlights on JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY is Mahalia Jackson’s rousing performances to close out the film.

Mahalia Jackson closed out one of the night’s of 1958 Newport Jazz Festival with a rousing performance.

You can’t got to an outdoor jazz fest right now, but you can check out JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY at home through the Music Box Theatre and Kino Marquee (an initiative that creates Virtual Cinemas for temporarily closed or gradually reopened independent theaters). By purchasing a “ticket,” you’ll be directly supporting Music Box Theatre, as all revenue is being shared between distributor and exhibitor just as if you bought your ticket at the theater's box office. Click here for more information.