ATTENTION TO ALL AFFILIATES: This is the lead story. Stop the presses. -AP- Cincinnati Tonight, "Jazz", the masterful documentary by America's PBS wizard Ken Burns, transcended itself. Tonight's episode covers the period 1937-1939. Looking back over this 90 minute segment, it's hard to believe how much history occurred in this 2 year period. To rock fans, you might recall the amazing transformations between 1965-1967. Anyway, I had always thought of Jazz as something I didn't understand, especially when my father spoke of the "tone" of saxophone players. "Tone"? Tonight, Coleman Hawkins' rich, fluttering, purring sound was obviously different from any other sax sound I've ever heard. It's amazing. Seconds later, when Lester Young was introduced, it was immediately apparent that he was doing exactly the opposite thing entirely. No wavering. No fluttery, resinous, seductive throat. Lester Young, (it appears to me as a Jazz neophyte) is about bell-like runs; he's the Eric Clapton of the saxophone. Tonight I saw Mr. Young in a pork pie hat! (Charles Mingus / Joni Content). Mr. Young was having such a tough time earning a living touring Kentucky's coal towns that he jumped a train to Kansas City- a happening music and "sin" city. (Who knew?) It turns out that KC had lots of wonderful bands. John Hammond heard a radio broadcast in Chicago (from KC) of Lester, Harry (Sweets) Edison in William Jones (Count) Basie's band. Mere words can not convey how cool it was for me to see pictures of these names from my father's musical life. To see Artie Shaw talking about the old days, to see Branford Marsalis cooing about wishing he could have played behind Billie Holiday, to witness Wynton Marsalis playing samples from the era, etc. On and on, I found this episode, THIS episode, which only covers 2 years, to be fascinating. I discovered that Ella Fitzgerald was homeless for 2 years. That she won a talent contest at the Apollo, was entitled to a week's work but that the Apollo's manager refused to give her the venue because she wasn't pretty enough. (Ella! A national treasure!) Most moving for me, came near the end. In most of the previous five episodes, Burns reminded us that lynching of blacks was common in America even as late as 1939. In New York City, Billie Holiday debuted a slow, slow, slow portrait of a lynching called "Strange Fruit" that was just heartbreaking, especially with the visuals that Burns chose. It this song doesn't break your heart, you don't have one. AWWWGH! There's way more. If you're on the West Coast, be sure to see this one! If you're on the East Coast, consider checking with your local affiliate so you can catch it when it replays. Then write your OWN review! Wondering how on Earth I'll sleep tonight, Lama npimh: It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing. Doo wap she bop Doo wap she bop Doo wap she bop!
