
Notions of Freedom
Ulysses Jenkins charts the history of jazz—what he calls “the first true American art form"—from its beginnings in New Orleans and the American South to the classic work of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington and through the major innovations of Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, and Miles Davis. Also included are clips of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, explicitly linking the development of jazz to the Civil Rights Movement. Motion-capture animated figures are seen dancing, superimposed, over the archival footage of the musicians. Wearing colorful costumes, they perform Jenkins’ original choreography. The dancers exert a powerful influence over the historical documentation as their movements extend across the decades and, finally, into the future.
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- —
- Box office
- —
- Language
- English
Top billed cast
Behind the camera
Director
Produced in
United States of America
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Release dates
United StatesUS
- Premiere31 Dec 2007
- Digital / OTTThe Criterion Channel1 Feb 2022
Frequently asked questions
Notions of Freedom was released on 31 December 2007.
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