
Acting
Dizzy Gillespie
Born 1917-10-21 · Cheraw, South Carolina, USA
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (/ɡɪˈlɛspi/; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and singer. Gillespie was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuoso style of Roy Eldridge[2] but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His combination of musicianship, showmanship, and wit made him a leading popularizer of the new music called bebop. His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, his scat singing, his bent horn, pouched cheeks and his light-hearted personality provided some of bebop's most prominent symbols. In the 1940s Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione, and balladeer Johnny Hartman. AllMusic's Scott Yanow wrote: "Dizzy Gillespie's contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up being similar to those of Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis's emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy's style was successfully recreated [....] Arguably Gillespie is remembered, by both critics and fans alike, as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time". From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acting credits
7.1An immersive look at the eventful life and brilliant artistic career of visionary American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis (1926-1991).
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
2019
Hosted by Jane Fonda and Robert Wagner, this TV special celebrates the XXIIIrd Olympiad with all-star guests at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
Olympic Gala
1984
7.7Jazz and decolonization are intertwined in a powerful narrative that recounts one of the tensest episodes of the Cold War.
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
2024
An account of the first European tour of American jazz organist Jimmy Smith and his trio in 1965, replete with backstage footage and music.
Smith, James O. - Organist, USA. 1. Die Europa-Tournee des Jazz-Organisten Jimmy Smith
1966
The picture brings interviews with the participants of the 1st São Paulo Jazz Festival that occurred in Anhembi Conventions Palace in September 1978 and reunited musicians, composers and singers from all around the world.
Música para Sempre
1980
7.4Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show in television history. From the iconic furry characters to the classic songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed the world.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
2021
5.9Two men discuss the nature of accidents and the possibility of nuclear war.
The Hole
1962
NRImprovisational jazz performance filmed in 1950 by Gjon Mili plus Duke Ellington Trio filmed in July 1966, Count Basie at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977, Joe Pass 1979, Ella Fitzgerald 1979, and Oscar Peterson at the Montreux Jazz Festival 1977.
Improvisation
2004
8.0Documentary film detailing the history of Kansas City jazz.
The Last of the Blue Devils
1979
6.9This rockumentary-style presidential portrait shows how Jimmy Carter reinvigorated a post-Watergate America—with the music of the counterculture, including the Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, and Jimmy Buffett.
Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President
2020
No synopsis available yet.
Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time
1992
Two soldiers patrolling opposite sides of the border between two countries speculate on what the world would be like if there were more cooperation between individuals and nations.
The Hat
1964
6.8In 1955, on his report, a medical examiner wrote in the box: age, “about 53 years”. Charlie Parker nicknamed Bird just died, at 34. His death will be the ransom of a life that was not denied to the excesses or the consuming flame of genius. His wildest improvisations will open the door to future jazzmen. Between shadow and light this film will pay tribute to one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.
Charlie Parker: Bird Songs
2022
8.5This Easter, Billy has plans to help PJ find his first Easter egg. Dolly helps but Jeffy wants to catch the Easter Bunny. When he does, the entire family is surprised, even Sam. In the end, PJ is happy and the day is another wonderful Family Circus Easter.
A Family Circus Easter
1982
9.0This documentary recounts the life of the late composer Michel Legrand, known for his works on Les Parapluies de Cherbourg or Les Demoiselles De Rochefort with the famous director Jacques Demy.
Michel Legrand, sans demi-mesure
2018
6.0Chronicling the Harlem Renaissance era, this retrospective documentary tracks the origins of the soulful music of the period, along with the challenges many of the genre's artists faced when trying to gain recognition within conventional society. Included are anecdotes from musicians and historians, plus footage of performances and interviews with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and more.
The Harlem Renaissance
2004
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Jazz session: Dizzy Gillepsie en concert au studio 104 - 1970
2022
9.0Burt Lancaster narrates this overview of the incredible career of jazz saxophonist Benny Carter, one of the chief architects of the Big Band sound. COMMENTARY BY QUINCY JONES, DIZZY GILLESPIE, ELLA FITZGERALD, LENA HORNE AND MORE
Benny Carter: Symphony in Riffs
1990
7.0Half a century ago, Brazilian composer and musician Antonio Carlos "Tom" Jobim (1927-1994) introduced bossa nova to a worldwide audience with "The Girl from Ipanema." This relaxed, cool, sensuous music blended jazz and samba. After recording an album of songs by his friend Jobim, Frank Sinatra is reported to have said, "I haven't sung so quietly since I had laryngitis." Naturally, "The Girl from Ipanema" and Frank Sinatra are featured in this musical collage of countless seamlessly edited excerpts of concert footage that cover decades of events all over the world: from Rio de Janeiro to Lisbon, Paris, Copenhagen, Jerusalem, Tokyo, Montreal, New York and back to Rio.
The Music According to Tom Jobim
2012
6.5A filmed variety show featuring the Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra with special guests.
Jivin' in Bebop
1946
10.0At once a high-level musician, member of the October Group, entertainer, theater artist, film actor, mountaineer, and skier, Maurice Baquet, always on the move, structured his life around two common threads: the cello and the mountains. He once defined himself as a "cellist-skier," "all alone" in this category, which prompted James Couttet, world ski champion, to say: "Of all the skiers I know, he's the best cellist." Echoing this, Professor at the Conservatoire National Supérieur, André Navarra, added: "Of all the cellists I know, he's the best skier." Throughout his varied yet coherent career, Baquet helped to project a joyful and artistic image of the mountains. Who better to talk about Maurice and all his adventures than his alter-ego: Cérébos, the faithful cello that never left his side? From Paris to Chamonix, from the stage to the granite slabs and snowy slopes, this film follows Cérébos, crossing the century and above all... smiling!
Maurice Baquet, The Accorded
2023
6.6Art Kane, now deceased, coordinated a group photograph of all the top jazz musicians in NYC in the year 1958, for a piece in Esquire magazine. Just about every jazz musician at the time showed up for the photo shoot which took place in front of a brownstone near the 125th street station. The documentary compiles interviews of many of the musicians in the photograph to talk about the day of the photograph, and it shows film footage taken that day by Milt Hinton and his wife.
A Great Day in Harlem
1994
NRThe Monterey Jazz Festival was established in 1958 by impressario Jimmy Lyons who has hosted an enormous amount of music at this idyllic location. Against this beautiful seaside setting in Northern California, one spends a pleasent weekend listening to some of the giants of music.
Monterey Jazz Festival 1975
1998
NRAs a pianist, composer and conductor, Lalo Schifrin is equally at home leading an orchestra, performing at a jazz festival or scoring a film. This program features clips from among the treasury of Schifrin' s award-winning movie and TV soundtracks, such as "Mission Impossible," Cool Hand Luke and Bullitt, as well as concert highlights featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Grady Tate and soprano Julia Migenes. In an exclusive interview, Lalo talks in depth about his remarkable career and discusses the influences on his compositions for the screen.
Movie Music Man: A Portrait of Lalo Schifrin
1993