Jazz on a Summer’s Day (U)

JAZZ ON A SUMMER’S DAY is a concert/documentary of the 1958 jazz festival at Newport, RI and a treasure to savour. It captures a time and a sound, a mood of America that’s now only a fairly distant memory. Interspersed with the music are shots of the Americas Cup trials, some shots of Newport etc. But the focus is the music and the stars. Louis Armstrong, Dinah Washington, Anita O’Day, Gerry Mulligan, Thelonius Monk, Mahalia Jackson, Chico Hamilton, and Jack Teagarden. And in a nod to more contemporary stuff (and a portent to the end of cool jazz), Chuck Berry also sings.

Within a few years, the famed Newport Jazz Festival would be geared more for rock and roll, screaming crowds, and higher decibels. That’s exactly what makes this 1958 outing such a cool treat.