Video

Watch. The World According to John Coltrane.

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Nice documentary. The World According to John Coltrane. enjoy.

Produced with the cooperation of his widow Alice Coltrane, the documentary focuses on the later period of Coltrane’s work where he explored themes of Eastern spirituality. This is a retrospective documentary on the life and music of saxophonist John Coltrane, featuring reminiscences and interviews with his contemporaries and fellow musicians.

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Watch. Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise

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Jazz Film. Sun Ra. A Joyful Noise. Watch. enjoy.

One of jazz music’s most entertaining and eccentric figures is profiled in Robert Mugge’s hourlong, 1980 profile of the late bandleader-keyboardist-composer Sun Ra. “I don’t consider myself one of the humans,” he once said. “I’m a spiritual being,” who was reputed to eschew the usual jazzman’s indulgences of drugs and sex and who, despite the weird trappings (he and his big band, the Intergalactic Omniverse Arkestra, usually performed in glittery costumes that combined African, alien, and thrift-shop styles), infused his music with a strong sense of discipline and precision. Here we see Ra and the band rehearsing and performing; their “joyful noise” is free, sometimes chaotic, but also clearly blues-based, somewhat reminiscent of Monk or Mingus (there’s even a rendition of “‘Round Midnight”). Ra is also interviewed surrounded by the Egyptian artifacts and antiquities that were an important element of his “mythocracy.” He clearly loves having an audience–and how can you not enjoy listening to a guy who also chooses the White House as a backdrop for solemn pronouncements like “I’m not a part of history–I’m more a part of mystery, which is my story”? –Sam Graham

Watch. The Miles Davis Story.

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Nice Documentary. This 120 minute documentary, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mike Dibb is the only Miles Davis documentary on video. The film features classic performances from all eras of Miles’ career and insightful interviews with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Clark Terry, Joe Zawinul and many others. Watch Below. enjoy.