Film Forum

(1959) Newport Jazz Festival, 1958. Over the course of one weekend, fashion photographer Bert Stern (who would soon make his mark in '60s advertising) uses warm, saturated color film stock and close-up camerawork to capture a star-studded line-up of musical icons – weaving in the faces, fashion and ambiance of the time – capturing candid moments of the mostly-white, something blasé, upper-middle-class audience –encapsulating late 1950s Americana's sights and sounds. Highlights include an ultimate duet by Louis Armstrong and Jack Teagarden doing Hoagy Carmichael's "Rocking Chair"; Anita O'Day, in a big floppy hat, giving breathtaking (literally) renditions of "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Tea for Two"; a moving midnight gospel performance of "The Lord's Prayer" by Mahalia Jackson; even rock'n'roller Chuck Berry causing spontaneous isle-dancing with "Sweet Little Sixteen." Also featuring Thelonious Monk, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan, Big Maybelle, Sonny Sitt and many others. Approx. 85 min.

Restored in 4K by IndieCollect from the original 35mm Interpositive, with support from the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress.

Presented with support from Film Forum’s Documentary Fund.
Leadership gifts received from: Hugo Barreca, Leon and Michaela Constantiner, Ostrovsky Family Fund.

A KINO LORBER RELEASE

Reviews

“ONE OF THE MOST PLEASURABLE OF ALL CONCERT FILMS.”
– Pauline Kael

“A classic in its genre… Several of the performances are among the treasures of filmed music; all of them, whatever their musical merit, are filmed with a rare artistry, a rare attention to making images of music that are themselves musical.”
– Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“Probably the best feature-length jazz concert movie ever made.”
– Jonathan Rosenbaum

“One of the most exciting concerts ever recorded… a vivid adventure in sight and sound.”
– Judith Crist, New York Magazine

“Stern’s camera style infectiously conveys the festival’s happy, lazy-day atmosphere; the America’s Cup observation trials, which are also going on, are an unstressed part of the film’s visual texture. In the evening, when Mahalia Jackson, with her majestic chest tones, sings the word ‘soul,’ she defines it for all time.”
– Pauline Kael