Masters of Jazz DVD Review:

The jazz connoisseur is presented with his breakfast; four discs filled with delectable delights. 10 films about the history of jazz featuring interviews and performances from: Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Duke Ellington and many more. The films take the form of profiles of jazz legends. Friends, family and contemporaries combine in both praise and applause for the forefathers of the jazz movement. Alongside the profiles sit documentaries about the history of jazz and the development of the music derived from soul and other sources into a genre. The concert performance footage included on the discs appears grainy and dated and it is clear that the transmission to the digital format must have been fraught with complications. The DVD extras are limited; the makers of this compilation most concerned that the viewer digests the documentaries. The novelty of the photo galleries included as extras on the discs soon wears off and the opportunity to provide a link between the past and present of the jazz movement has been missed.

The casual viewer would pass this DVD box set by without a second thought. The contents of the discs have clearly been designed for those who already have extensive knowledge of jazz music and its history. The plan is for the viewer to wade through the past instead of looking up at the stars. With the exception of the concert and performance footage, the picture and sound quality of the DVD set is excellent. Legends deserve to be remembered. But from the way the commentators on the profile sections of the discs talk, one would automatically assume that jazz was dead and buried. That, once Ray Charles had died, the music had died with him. In fact, jazz has finally found the magic formula to create success and modern day performers such as Diana Krall, Claire Martin and Jamie Cullum are igniting stages in concert halls across the globe. Diana Krall is the current queen of jazz music. Her presence on this four-disc set is a mistake that costs this DVD set dearly in terms of appeal to a modern day audience and sales.

The set may be tarnished with missed opportunities but the connoisseur who would seek out such a product as this on the shelves receives a feast for the senses available nowhere else and, above all, value for money. The documentaries and profiles run to television programme length. The friends and contemporaries of the jazz legends don’t spend their time on celluloid simply praising the subject of the profile. The viewer has the opportunity to learn more about their musical heroes. The viewer is invited to discover the nuances behind the talents. The history of the performing legends is discussed in tandem with the beginnings of the jazz genre and it is refreshing to see a person’s musical skill documented over some considerable time; an approach in direct contrast to modernity’s obsession with the quick-fix, one-hour-photo looks at recording artists and pop stars.

Yet, the mood within the DVD box set remains one of remembrance. Each nugget of information learned about some of the greatest performers of our times ultimately proves to be useless information as there’s not a modern framework to apply the knowledge to. How can one understand the roots when one cannot see the leaves? ‘Masters of Jazz’ embodies on celluloid what happens when interested parties get together and talk to themselves about the old days. If you wish to join the club of chattering old timers then by all means do so. Otherwise, search for the figureheads of the jazz renaissance.



Martin Drury