Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959) on Netflix
NR19591h 22mDocumentaryMusic
At the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival, cameras record the stages, the harbor and the America's Cup yachts. Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson and Thelonious Monk are among the performers.
- Netflix4.4/5
- IMDb7.9/102,206 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes97%
Trailer
Plot summary
Filmed at Newport, Rhode Island, in July 1958, the film moves between the festival stages and the water around them. Sailboats cross Narragansett Bay during the America's Cup trials, and a Yale student ensemble rides through town in a convertible jalopy playing Dixieland. On stage appear Jimmy Giuffre, Thelonious Monk, Anita O'Day, Dinah Washington, Gerry Mulligan, Chuck Berry, Chico Hamilton and Louis Armstrong with Jack Teagarden. The film carries almost no dialog or narration aside from the periodic announcements of emcee Willis Conover. Lacking audience footage in the exposed color stock, the filmmakers placed chairs and benches on fake grass in a studio and filmed a jazz critic and other guests watching a rough cut.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- In 1999, Jazz on a Summer's Day was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
