In Reply to: Wrong, possibly on two counts... posted by EBerlin on October 22, 2008 at 18:03:21:
+ agree with EBerlin; this was altogether too narrow a take
Stanley Crouch ( who has long been a critic of Miles Davis, amongst others ) was given too much room for opinion + too much screen time
Needed: More input from the existing Jazz greats ( Helen Merrill, Sonny Rollins et. al. ) Burns may have still been able to get Jay McShann in front of the camera; I have another ( Japanese ) documentary where McShann reminisces about giving Charlie Parker his start in Jay's band, how "Bird" got his nickname, and what it was like playing in NY + Kansas City in the '30's + '40's
Not enough of this type of thing
And more modern contemporary Jazz players for sure, Jazz is not a dead genre
My argument is as much about what was in "Jazz" as much as what was missing
Entertaining, but lacking in the admirable balance + sweeping authority of "The Civil War"
GW
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Follow Ups
- Having enjoyed Burns "Civil War" I was disappointed with "Jazz" - grinagog 20:20:24 10/22/08 (1)
- agreed...no self-respecting jazz fan could have been content with Ken Burns' treatment - Jazz Inmate 22:47:14 10/22/08 (0)