Jazz on TV

Like all lists on this site they are selective but updated on a regular basis. I am always happy to accept additions and corrections.
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TREME
U.S. TV series (2010 to 2013) (DVD box sets) set in New Orleans a few months after Katrina.
Lots of great jazz through out the series and a number of musicians appearing as themselves including James Carter, Elvis Costello, Nicholas Peyton, Pete Fountain, Cassandra Wilson, Dr John, Allen Toussaint etc.

THE JAZZ SCENE (US) series were made in 1962 by Steve Allen’s Meadowland productions. All films were approximately 25 minutes and were directed Steve Binder ( a number haved been paired up and issued on DVD. See News and Info pages)

BARNEY KESSEL TRIO with Buddy Woodson (bass) and Stan Levy (drs)
BEN POLLACK AND HIS PICK A RIB BOYS
CAL TJADER QUARTET
CANNONBALL ADDERLY SEXTET

 

CURTIS AMY / PAUL BRYANT QUINTET
FIREHOUSE FIVE PLUS TWO WITH TERESA BREWER
FRANK ROSOLINO QUINTET
HAROLD LAND / RED MITCHELL QUINTET
JIMMY SMITH TRIO
LES McCANN TRIO
MARK MURPHY WITH JIMMY ROWLES
OSCAR BROWN JR
PAUL HORN QUINTET
PHINEAS NEWBORN TRIO
SHELLY MANNE AND HIS MEN with Russ Freeman, Ritchie Kamuca, Conti Candoli
SHORTY ROGERS AND HIS GIANTS
STAN KENTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
TEDDY BUCKNER AND HIS DIXIELAND ALLSTARS
TEDDY EDWARDS SEXTET
VI REDD SEPTET

RALPH GLEASON JAZZ CASUALS series for TV Made 1962/ 65
All films app. 30 mins long and featured the following musicians
( A number of these shows have been paired up and issued on DVD. see News and Info pages)

JOHN COLTRANE QUARTET with McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones and Jimmy Garrison
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
MODERN JAZZ QUARTET
WOODY HERMAN AND HIS HERD (3 shows 1962,63,& 64)
EARL HINES
COUNT BASIE
DAVE BRUBECK
MEL TORME
SONNY ROLLINS with Jim Hall, Bob Cranshaw and Ben Riley (1962)
CANNONBALL ADDERLY QUINTET
JIMMY RUSHING with Ben Webster
DIZZY GILLESPIE with Leo Wright (alto) Lalo Schifrin (p)
MUGSY SPANIER
JOE SULLIVAN
CARMEN McRAE
GERRY MULLIGAN
ART FARMER with Jim Hall
TURK MURPHY
PAUL WYNTER SEXTET
THAD JONES / MEL LEWIS BIG BAND
LAMBERT, HENDRICKS AND BAVAN
JIMMY RUSHING
B B KING
CHARLES LLOYD
ART PEPPER
JIMMY WITHERSPOON AND BEN WEBSTER

JAZZ ON STAGE TV series
LES McCANN TRIO AT SHELLY’S MANNE HOLE 1960
SHELLY MANNE ALLSTARS at Shelly's Manne Hole1964 with Bob Cooper, Hampton Hawes and Ray Brown
ZOOT SIMS QUARTET 1964 with Roger Kellaway
HAMPTON HAWES TRIO with Harry Edison, Teddy Edison & Sonny Criss

THE BIG BANDS 20th Century Fox TV series (1965)
LIONEL HAMPTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
CLAUDE THORNHILL AND HIS ORCHESTR
COUNT BASIE AND HIS ORCHESTRA
DUKE ELLINTON AND HIS ORCHESTRA
TEX BENEKE FRONTING THE GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA
WOODEY HERMAN AND HIS ORCHESTRA (1966?)
HARRY JAMES AND HIS NEWW SWINGING BAND

CAVALCADE OF BANDS
USA 1950/51 TV series 60 mins
Featured various big bands including Harry James, Count Basie, Gene Krupa. Tex Beneke plus vocalists Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee

FRANKLY JAZZ TV series (1962) app. 25 mins

PAUL HORN QUINTET with Vic Gaskin, Larry Bunker ,Milt Turner and Paul Moer
SHELLY MANNE QUINTET, with Conte Candoli Ritchie Kamuca, Russ Freeman
Monty Budwig
SHORTY ROGERS AND HIS GIANTS with Pete Jolly, Mel Lewis, Joe Maini(tnr) , Max Bennett (bass)
CURTIS AMY SEXTET with Vic Gaskin, Dupree Bolton, Charles Coker Ron Selico and Holland Crawford
GERALD WILSON and his Orchestra with Teddy Edwards and Mel Lewis
BUD SHANK-CLARE FISCHER BOOSA NOVA SHOW with Gary Peacock (bass) and Larry Bunker (drs)
JAZZ CRUSADERS
SAMMY DAVIS JR supported by Vic Feldman and Jimmy Rowles Quartet

Other US TV series and shows

ART FORD’S JAZZ PARTY
USA 1958 • 26 mins •
featured Billie Holiday, Bud Freeman , Max Kaminsky, Maxine Sullivan and, Red Allen

 

 

BENNY GOODMAN; ADVENTURES IN THE KINGDOM OF SWING
USA 1993 • 60 mins • Directed by Oren Jacoby
A very good TV prduction. (one of the American Masters series) about Goodman's career with Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa and Ella Fitzgerald. It also has a clip of Parker and Gillespie playing 'Hot House'. It features interviews with Goodman's daughters and brother.

COLGATE COMEDY HOUR
US series which ran from 1950 to 1955.
In 1955 Louis Armstrong and his All Stars appeared and played half a dozen numbers (see below)

EDDIE CONDON FLOOR SHOW NBC & CBS TV 1949/50
This show ran weekly from the beginning of 1949 until the middle of 1950. It featured all the jazzers associated with Condon including Wild Bill Davidson, Billy Butterfield, Pee Wee Russell, Joe Buskin, Cutty Cutshall plus guest such as Armstrong, Bechet, Gene Krupa and Ella Fitzgerald

CHICAGO JAZZ NBC 1949

ADVENTURES IN JAZZ CBS 1949

PLAY BACK: a series of 4 minute films made in 1963 to promote various artistes
All were directed by Tim Kiley
PLAYBACK - MAHALIA JACKSON
PLAYBACK - TEDDY WILSON solo
PLAYBACK - ANDRE PREVIN with Red Mitchell (bass) and Frank Capp ( drums)
PLAYBACK - DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET
PLAYBACK - DUKE ELLINGTON with his Orchestra

SHOWTIME AT THE APOLLO
USA 1955 •26 mins x 13 • directed by Joseph Kohn
A series of programmes made up of snader telescriptions and featuring numerous black jazz artists (see Shorts)

SOUND OF JAZZ
USA TV 1957 • 60 mins • Directed by Jack Smight
including the Red Allen All Stars, Thelonious Monk, Billie Hollliday with Mal Waldron, Count Basie All Stars with Jimmy Rushing.
(Below the Count basie all Stars with guests Gerry Mulligan, Roy Eldridge, Ben Webster, Dickie Wells etc with Billie Holiday and Jimmy Rushing looking on)

THE SOUND OF MILES DAVIS
TV 1959 • 28 mins ( produced by Robert Herridge)
with Coltrane, Paul Chambers, Wynton Kelly and Jimmy Cobb plus the Gil Evans Orch. on three numbers

STARS OF JAZZ
USA 1957
Produced for ABC TV and introduced by Bobby Troup. It featured Juan Tizol and Charlie Barnet amongst others

STEVE ALLEN IN MOVIELAND
USA TV 1955
Featured Benny Goodman, Gene Krupa, Buck Clayton, Teddy Wilson, Stan Getz, Urbie Green and George Duvivier who were all around in Hollwood for the filming of The Benny Goodman Story in which Steve Allen played Goodman ( see features page)

STEVE ALLEN SHOW
TV series 1958 • 58 mins
In over a hundred shows most of the jazz greats were featured

THE SUBJECT IS JAZZ
US TV series 1958 • 30 mins x 13
Introduced by Doc Severinsen (tpt) and his band are featured through out the series and include Tony Scot (clt), Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), Mundell Lowe (gtr), Eddie Safranski (bass), Billie Taylor (pno), Osie Johnson or Ed Thigpen (drms).

Programme 1. featured Duke Ellington

Programme 2. features Wilbur De Paris (tbn ) Sidney De Paris (tbn) and Omer Simeon (clt) with the House Rhythm section

Programme 3. featured Yank lawson (tpt) and Will Bradley (tbn) with Scott and the House Rhythm section

Programme 4.with Doc Severinsen (tpt) Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section

Programme 5. Buck Clayton (tpt), Ben Webster .Paul Quinichette(tnrs)with Doc Severinsen (tpt) Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section

Programme 6. with Buck Clayton (tpt), Vic Dickenson (tbn).Paul Quinichette(tnrs)with Doc Severinsen (tpt) Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section and Jimmy rushing

Programme 7. Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section and Cannonball and Nat Adderley

Programme 8. Lee Konitz (alto), Warne Marsh (tnr) Don Elliot (tpt) and the House Rhythm section

Programme 9. The Poet Langston Hughes with Doc Severinsen (tpt) Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section.

Programme10. Bobby Jaspers (tnr) Rolf Khun ((clar) with Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section and Toshiko Akiyoshi

Programme11. with Doc Severinsen (tpt) Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section.

Programme 12. with Doc Severinsen (tpt) Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section.

Programme 13. with Doc Severinsen (tpt) Jimmy Cleveland (tbn), with Scott and the House Rhythm section plus Gorge Russell, Bill Evans (pno) Art Farmer (tpt) Gene Quill (tnr) and Barry Galbraith (gtr)

JAZZ AT THE HALFNOTE
USA TV • 28 mins
Lennie Tristano Quintet with Lee Konitz and Warne Marsh

BEN WEBSTER
USA1959 • 28 mins • Directed by Carl Gennes
with Ahmad Jamal Trio plus Buck Clayton, Hank Jones, Vic Dickenson, George Duvivier and Jo Jones


GOODYEAR CONCERT SERIES 1961
These included various performances by the likes of
Armstrongs All Stars
Bobby Hackett Sextet ( with Urbie Green (tbn), Bob Wilbur (Clt) Dave McKenna (pno) Nabil Totah(bass) and Morey Fielda(drums)
Eddie Condon All Stars (with Wild Bill Davidson (cornet) Cuty Cutshall (tbn) Peanuts Hucko (clt), J Varro (pno) Joe williams (bass) Buzzy Drootin (drrums) •

PETE KELLY'S BLUES (TV series)
USA 1959 •
Based on the film of the same name with many of the same musicians on the soundtrack ( see features)

JOHNNY STACCATO
Cult series featuring the usual West Coasts jazzers on the soundtrack

INTERNATIONAL HOUR - AMERICAN JAZZ USA • 1963 • 60 mins
TV concert filmed at the Civic Opera House in Chicago in May of 1963 with Teddy Wilson, Jack Teagarden, Stan Getz, Carmen McRae, Count Basie and Lambert Hendricks and Bavan

UK TV

BBC JAZZ 625

Dave Brubeck with Paul Desmond
Duke Ellington and his Orchestra

 

Bill Evans with Chuck Israels and Larry Bunker
Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers with Lee Morgan, John Gilmore
Art Farmer Quartet with Jim Hall, Steve Swallow and Pete LaRocca
Dizzy Gillespie with James Moody and Kenny Barron
Buck Clayton
Georgre Lewis
Graeme Bell and his Band
Kenny Baker and his Band
Cannonball Adderley Sextet with Nat Adderley Charles Lloyd (saxes) Joe Zawinui (pno) Sam Jones (bass) Louis Hayes (drums)
Coleman Hawkins wth Harry 'Sweets' Edison
Dickie Wells with the Alex Welsh Band
Don Byas with the Bruce Turner Jump Band
Ocar Peterson Trio with Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen
Ben Webster with the Ronnie Scott Quartet (Stan Tracy (pno) Rick Laird (bass) and Jackie Dougan (drums)
Tubby Hayes Big Band
Modern Jazz Quartet
Joe Turner with Buck Clayton, Vic Dickenson and The Humphrey Lyttelton Band
Jimmy Smth Trio
Marnard Ferguson and his Orchestra
Willie 'the Lion' Smith with Brian Brocklehurst (bass and Lennie Hastings (drums)
Henry 'Red' Allen with the Alex Welsh Band
Errol Garner Trio
Clark Terry / Bob Brookmeyer Quintet
Thelonious Monk Quartet with Charlie Rouse (tnr) Larry Gales(bass) Ben Riley (drums)
Bud Freeman with the Alex Welsh Band
Woody Herman Orchestra
Wingy Manone and the Alan Elsdon Band
Joe Harriot /John Meyer Indian/ Jazz fusions
Erroll Garner Trio
Wes Montgomery Quartet
Earl Hines with Ron Mathewson and Lennie Hastings

ALL THAT JAZZ
UK •1964 7x 30 mins
TV series feature numerous British Traditional jazz stars including Kenny Ball, Alex Welsh, Mike Cotton, Chris Barber, Johnny Dankworth

BRECON JAZZ FESTIVAL
The BBC regularly broadcasts concerts from this annual festival held in mid -Wales and still going strong

CHELSEA AT NINE
UK 1959 •
One of these featured a memorable performance of Billie Hollday

BBC JAZZ GOES TO COLLEGE 1966/1967
Included were Horace Silver Quintet, Thelonious Monk Quartet, Earl hines, Bud Freeman, Modern Jazz Quartet, Max Roach Quintet , Stan Getz Quartet and the New Orleans All Stars including Alton Purnell, Pops Foster, Darnell Howard

JAZZ AT THE MALTINGS
UK BBC TV 1968/9
Very good series featuring the following
Buddy Rich and his Orchestra
Oscar Peterson
Dave Brubeck Quartet withGerry Mulligan
Art Blakey Sextet
Ronnie Scott Band
Dizzy Gillespie
Gary Burton
Count Basie and his Orchestra
Earl Hines
Max Roach
Horace Silve
Newport All Stars with Ruby Braff, Benny Carter, Barney Kessel and Red Norvo

JAZZ SCENE AT RONNIE SCOTTS 1969/70
Included in this series were Sarah Vaughn, Thelonious Monk, Clarke / Boland Big Band, Red Norvo,Miles Davis Quintet, Kenny Burrell, Buddy Rich and his Orchestra, Barny Kessel, Lionel Hampton, Charlie Shavers, Gary Burton Quartet


JAZZ FROM THE 101 CLUB

REST IN PEACE, UNCLE FRED
BBC 1970
Play by Alan Plater featuring Tubby Hayes (now long lost)

SOUNDS OF SURPRISE (C4UK )
1982/83

SOUND OF SURPRISE 2
1989

JAZZ SHIP
BBC 2 1976


IT DON’T MEAN A THING
BBC 1976

OSCAR PETERSON PIANO PARTIES
BBC 1976

OMNIBUS USA: DAVE BRUBECK
BBC 1976

BILLIE HOLIDAY SENSATIONAL LADY
2001

JAZZ JUKE BOX and JAZZ PACKAGE
These were UK series featuring various 'soundies' and 'snaders' (see shorts)

DINAH WASHINGTON; EVIL GAL BLUES
UK 2007 •60 mins • Directed by Jill Nicholls
with Junior Mance. UK TV docu with lots of interviews with family members

STORYVILLE (BBC UK Television series about various subjects )
JAZZMAN FROM THE GULAG
France 1999 • 58 mins • Directed by Pierre-Henry Salfati
Film of German trumpeter star Eddie( Jack ) Rosner who escaped Nazis persecution by fleeing to the Soviet Union and spent a number of years in a labour camp

EARL HINES
UK 1975 • 60 mins • Directed by Charlie Nairn
Made for British TV. This is Hines playing solo and chatting to the Director and Frank Hart, the club's clean up man

MILES DAVIS STORY
UK 2000 • 100 mins • Directed by Mike Dibb
Comprehensive film made for UK TV

BILLIE ON BILLIE
UK 2002 • 50 mins • Directed by Paul Kerr
Film based on some late interviews with Billie Holliday with clips from her first screen appearance with Duke Ellington and her late UK appearance on 'Chelsea at Nine'

HERMAN LEONARD; JAZZ PHOTOGRAPHER
UK 1988 • 30mins •
Docu about the great photographer who captured all the great of the 40's and 50's. The film includes a great jam session with a lineup that includes Dizzy gillespie, Clark Terry, Zoot Sims and James Moody

RONNIE SCOTT AND ALL THAT JAZZ
UK 1989 • 60 mins • Written and narrated by John Fordham
BBC: Ominbus film about of the famous club celebrating Thirty years.

STAN TRACY: THE GODFATHER OF BRITISH JAZZ
UK ?? • 63 mins •
Docu about the the British musician who was the 'house pianist ' at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London for a number of years and accompanied all the leading US jazz stars who played there.

SIDNEY BECHET: TREAT IT GENTLE
UK 1997 • 55 mins • Directed by Alan Lewens
An excellent film made for BBC Arena with Wynton Marsalis and Woody Allen passing comment. Fine footage of the great man in action

THE BLUE NOTE STORY
UK 1986 • 55 mins • Directed Kim Evans
Made for HTV South Bank Show and introducedv by Melvyn Bragg.

MAXINE SULLIVAN: LOVE TO BE LOVED
USA 1990 • 48 mins • Directed by Greta Schiller
Wonderful clips of the great singer with Armstrong. Plus in concert with the Scott Hamilton Quintet and in the studio with Dick Hyman, Mel Lewis, Major Holley and Seldon Power

WILD WOMEN DON'T HAVE THE BLUES
USA 1989 • 58 mins • Directed by Christine Dall
Film about early female jazz singers including Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ethel Waters, Alberta Hunter and Ida Cox

CLUB ELEVEN REUNION
UK 1985 • 72 mins •
Reunion at Ronnie Scott's jazz club in London of British modernist who were the leading lights of British bebop in the late forties. They include Scott (tnr) Hank Shaw, Leon Calvert (tpts) John Dankworth, Johnny Rogers (alts) Tony Crombie (drums) Lennie Bush (bass) Norman Stenfalt (pno). The great Tommy Pollard (pno ) had died in 1960

ST. JOHN COLTRANE
UK 2003 • 40 mins • Directed by Lol Lovett
This film (part of BBC Imagine Arts series) includes rare footage of Coltrane playing 'A Love Supreme' at the Antibes Jazz Festival. It has interviews with Benny Golson, Archie Shepp and the British MP Ken Clark.

JAZZ HEROES
Six films made by for Channel 4 on Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Wes Montgomery, John coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie and Gerry Mulligan

CHARLIE PARKER STORY ,THE
UK 2005 • 60 mins • Directed by Tony Followell
Very good film made for UK TV. Interviews with Kim Parker Jay McShann, Gary Giddens, Peter King, Gillespie etc

SONNY ROLLINS - BEYOND THE NOTES
UK 2010 • 60 mins • Directed by Dick Fontaine
New docu about the great tenor on his 80th birthday

BARBARA THOMPSON: PLAYING FOR TIME
UK 2010 • 75 mins • Directed by Mike Dibbs
Another docu by the director who made ‘The Miles Davis Story’
This is about the British sax player. Barbara Thompson career while battling Parkinson’s disease

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BRILLIANT MINDS. A TALE OF THREE CITIES
UK 2014 • 60 mins • Directed by Clare Taverner.
A bt BBC documentary about the culture of New York in 1951. Features an interview with Thelonious Monk’s son plus clips of Monk himself. Also features J J Johnson, Sonny Stitt and Howard McGhee in a very short clip.

CANADIAN TV

OSCAR PETERSON PRESENTS 1974

McCONNELL'S BOSS BRASS
Canada 1993 • 54 mins • Produced by Jim Swan
The great Big Band in concert made for Canadian TV