``Jazz on a Summer's Day'' A legendary jazz festival captured by an up-and-coming photographer.

Variety of songs ② ~ Satchmo and Mahalia to climax

Big Maybelle Smith (1924-1972), an R&B singer with a powerful voice, is known for her song " I Ain't Mad at You. "

Afterwards, Chuck Berry (1926-2017), known as the "God of Rock and Roll," appeared. He sang " Sweet Little Sixteen " while playing the guitar and showed off his signature "duck walk." This was an unusual choice for a jazz festival, and it also reminded us that the 1950s were the era of rock and roll. A documentary film about him, " Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll " (1987), directed by Taylor Hackford, was later made.

The tenth act was a quintet led by West Coast jazz drummer Chico Hamilton (1921-2013), who performed his signature song " Blue Sands ." The sound of the flute (Eric Dolphy) was also impressive, and the cool atmosphere was perfect for a summer night. Hamilton also participated in the soundtrack for " Sweet Smell of Success " (1957) starring Burt Lancaster, and was also in charge of the music for " Repulsion " (1965) directed by Roman Polanski.

The film also features a scene in which the quintet's cellist, Nathan Gershman, plays Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 indoors, and cigarette smoke is used to great effect, subtly demonstrating Stern's keen sense of cinematography.

“Jazz on a Summer's Day” (c)1960-2019 The Bert Stern Trust All Rights Reserved.

The eleventh performer is Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), known as Satchmo. The host says, "This town belongs to you," but his performance this evening has the power to captivate everyone who sees it, and he shows his true potential as a national entertainer. He performs four songs: " Lazy River ," " Tiger Rag ," " Rockin' Chair " (a duet with Jack Tegan), and " When the Saints Go Marching In ." Satchmo is known as a genius trumpet player and singer who changed the history of jazz, and it's fun to see his expressions change so quickly. After he appears, you can feel the great happiness that fills the audience. Satchmo also appeared in films such as " The Glenn Miller Story " (54) and " Hello, Dolly! " (69).

And the last performer was Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972), a big name in the gospel world and also known as a social activist. She gave a spectacular performance, singing three songs, " Walk in the Country of God ," " It's Rained ," and " Lord's Prayer ." It was a fitting finale, with a somewhat reverent feeling (a biographical film about Mahalia is currently in the works in Hollywood, starring singer Jill Scott ).

The concert starts in the daylight and ends in the evening. The audience's reactions are subdued at first, but gradually become more enthusiastic, cheering loudly and dancing to the rhythm in the second half. The performance is structured so that you can enjoy not only the singing voices on stage, but also the changes in the audience, conveying the excitement of a live concert venue visually.

The audience reaction to the later Woodstock was much wilder, as it was a product of the anti-Vietnam War and hippie era, but the audience at Jazz on a Summer's Day was somehow cool and well-dressed. Some of the audience was so stylish that it seemed as if they had been intentionally planted as shills, and there were times when it felt like a "moving fashion magazine." The stylish images show Stern's attention to detail as a photographer.

The way each musician's face is shot is unique, making the viewer feel the presence of each person. Even the metallic microphone is shot with a mysterious sense of beauty. The fact that it was shot by someone from a different industry, rather than an established film director, brought a breath of fresh air to music films. Even 60 years after its production, the film has not lost its freshness.

Text: Sawako Omori

Movie journalist. His books include "Lost Cinema" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha) and other books, and his translations include "Woody" (by D. Evanier, Kinema Junposha). Contributes to magazines such as ``Weekly Women'', ``Music Magazine'', and ``Kinema Junpo''. A research book based on the web series, `` Mini Theater Revisited, '' is also scheduled to be published.

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"Jazz on a Summer's Day 4K"

Released nationwide from Friday, August 21, 2020 at Kadokawa Cinema Yurakucho, YEBISU GARDEN CINEMA and other cinemas

(c)1960-2019 The Bert Stern Trust All Rights Reserved.