Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Theo Croker’s Dream … Manifested!
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
Miles Davis during the ‘’Round About Midnight’ sessions in June 1956
(Photo: Don Hunstein/Sony Music Archives/Courtesy of Abramorama/Eagle Rock)
John Coltrane’s the focus of Chasing Trane.
(Photo: Courtesy IFC Center)
Watch Abdullah Ibrahim in A Brother with Perfect Timing.
(Photo: Tom Mesic/INNtöne Jazz Festival)You’re at home. We’re at home. Let’s take a break from the coronavirus anxiety that surrounds us and watch a movie … or three.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of films about jazz. And, they’re mostly documentaries. So, if you have any additional suggestions, please hit us up on social media.
If the list below doesn’t suffice, here are 10 more movies to dig through. DB
• 1959, The Year That Changed Jazz (Vimeo)
True to its name, the film explores significant developments in jazz during a year that would see the release of Miles Davis’ Kind Of Blue and Ornette Coleman’s The Shape Of Jazz To Come.
• A Brother with Perfect Timing (Vimeo)
If you ever wanted to hear Abdullah Ibrahim speak at length about music, here you go. There really isn’t anything more inspiring than listening to the pianist play a bit, and then turn around and tell a story.
• Chasing Trane (Netflix)
The film is an honest portrait of the consummate artist, and spans three crucial stages of John Coltrane’s career.
• Green Book (Amazon)
Focused on pianist Don Shirley and his driver, the film underwent a rather significant “debunking,” despite netting a boatload of recognition and awards.
• Jazz (Amazon)
Whatever your opinion of Ken Burns’ epic PBS investigation of the genre—and its clear omissions—there’s a lot to take in here. This might be the most complete collection of the music’s history on video to this point.
• The Jazz Ambassadors (Amazon)
This film, which aired on PBS, endeavors to bridge the chasm in logic between a Cold War America asking Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington to tour internationally and extol the virtues of a free society while each of these iconic artists still faced racial discrimination at home.
• The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith (Amazon)
Culled from thousands of hours of audio tape and tens of thousands of photos captured at New York’s Jazz Loft in the late ’50s and early ’60s by photojournalist W. Eugene Smith, this film depicts one of the more verdant moments in jazz history.
• Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool (Netflix)
The movie follows, in chronological fashion, the peaks and troughs of the trumpeter’s life, beginning with his relatively privileged upbringing in East St. Louis, Illinois. It’s meant for initiates, but there still are some surprises for those who already are familiar with his work.
• Quincy (Netflix)
Quincy Jones has experienced more than most human beings, and has done so alongside some of the best-known musicians in the history of recording.
• What Happened, Miss Simone? (Netflix)
This is tough to watch in places, but seeing and hearing the vocalist-activist Nina Simone perform is truly a delight.
Originally published March 20; updated March 29
To record Dream Manifest (Dom Recs), Croker convened artists from his current and recent past ensembles, plus special guests.
Jun 10, 2025 4:13 PM
Partway through his early set at Smoke Jazz Club, Theo Croker blinks the room back into focus. He leans over the piano.…
“There’s nothing quite like it,” Springs says of working with an orchestra. “It’s 60 people working in harmony in the moment. Singing with them is kind of empowering but also humbling at the same time.”
Jun 17, 2025 11:12 AM
When it came time to pose for the cover of her new album, Lady In Satin — a tribute to Billie Holiday’s 1958…
James Brandon Lewis earned honors for Artist of the Year and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year. Three of his recordings placed in the Albums of the Year category.
Jul 17, 2025 12:44 PM
You see before you what we believe is the largest and most comprehensive Critics Poll in the history of jazz. DownBeat…
Galper was often regarded as an underrated master of his craft.
Jul 22, 2025 10:58 AM
Hal Galper, a pianist, composer and arranger who enjoyed a substantial performing career but made perhaps a deeper…
Chuck Mangione on the cover of the May 8, 1975, edition of DownBeat.
Jul 29, 2025 1:00 PM
Chuck Mangione, one of the most popular trumpeters in jazz history, passed away on July 24 at home in Rochester, New…
