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Summary:

"Released in 2009, Icons Among Us succeeds in debunking the philosophy of the 2001 Jazz 10-part series by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, who has been critiqued as being a cultural elitist who viewed jazz as a museum piece-beautiful but dead. His series focused on his history of jazz's birth and heralded such early stars as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, with advice from such people as neo-conservative Wynton Marsalis and the recently passed critic Stanley Crouch. Burns' devotes nine of the ten episodes to the grand old days of swing and the early days of bebop, but closes the greatness of jazz with Miles Davis's classic album, Kind of Blues, released in 1959. In his opinion, jazz went downhill from 1960 on. He devoted just one episode to jazz four decades hence, largely relegating it as proof that jazz has died. Icons demonstrably shows how jazz is a living thing. In this episode, the directors interview singer Gretchen Parlato while rehearing music with her pianist Aaron Parks. She says, yes, know your history, but "you still have your personal stories." The elder of the mix (and a bonafide jazz titan) Wayne Shorter says that now is "the time to gamble...the time to use the word creative." Cathartic expression is key as Herbie Hancock says that "music...serves humanity." It's the jazz mix with heavy metal by the saxophonist Skerik, the improv bonanza of Medeski, Martin and Wood, the Latin-jazz saxophonist Miguel Zenon, and the then-rising star pianist Vijay Iyer, who claims that jazz is "inventing something right in front of you." Lots of extended live music from various clubs and the Newport Jazz Festival. High-quality filming, exciting pronouncements of jazz's wealth in the present and future. Dan Ouellette".

Contributors:

Vogt, Peter J. , director

Rivoira, Michael , director

Larson, Lars , director

Comerford, John W. , producer

Ianuly, Theo N. , producer

Dahlia, B. , producer

Blanchard, Terence , instrumentalist

Coltrane, Ravi , instrumentalist

Hargrove, Roy , instrumentalist

Payton, Nicholas , instrumentalist

Spalding, Esperanza, 1984- , instrumentalist

Marsalis, Wynton, 1961- , instrumentalist

Blade, Brian , instrumentalist

Hancock, Herbie, 1940- , instrumentalist

Shorter, Wayne , instrumentalist

Harrison, Donald, Jr. , instrumentalist

Bona, Richard , instrumentalist

Frisell, Bill , instrumentalist

Qwest TV , issuing body, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators/isb

Languages:

English

Language Notes:

Item content: English

Subjects:

Jazz

Jazz musicians

Genres:

Online media

Internet videos

Concert films

General Notes:

Streaming media.
Restricted to the University of North Texas System.
Title from video title screen (viewed June 22, 2023).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (1 video file (50 min.)) : sound, color

Audio Characteristics:

digital

Digital Characteristics:

video file

Call Numbers:

Online Video

OCLC Numbers:

1399439908

Other Control Numbers:

[Unknown Type]: QwestTV1526