Jammin' the Blues

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A short film with the title Jammin' the Blues. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound. It opens with the narrator saying "This is a jam session. Quite often, these artists gather and play ad lib pop music. It could be called a midnight symphony." As he speaks, Lester Young appears on the screen wearing a pork pie hat. Next, Red Callender can be seeing playing the bass. Eventually, all members of the band become visible. As the camera focuses on Harry "Sweets" playing the trumpet, Marie Bryant walks on stage and sings the lyrics to "On the Sunny Side of the Street." Bass player Red Callender stands beside her as she sings. In the next scene, Sid Catlett is seated at a drum set. He is approached by Jo Jones who takes the drum sticks from Catlett and proceeds with a solo performance.

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