Frequently included in top ten lists of greatest films of all-time. Directed by Soviet director Dziga Vertov, the film is famous for its range of cinematic techniques — double exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, close-ups, tracking shots, footage played backwards, stop motion animations — many of which appear here first. In 2014 Sight and Sound named it the top documentary film ever made. Watch it here:
Billie Holiday was born there. John Coltrane, and Dizzy Gillespie called it home during their lifetimes. In addition to being the “cradle of liberty” and the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, Philadelphia’s contribution to America’s cultural and artistic landscape runs nearly as deep, especially when it comes to jazz.
Philadelphia’s jazz scene developed in the early 20th century, with two clubs, the Standard Theatre and the Dunbar Theatre, hosting most major acts travelling along the Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York corridor. Later, clubs opened along Columbia Avenue in North Philadelphia and the Clef Club, the Showboat, and Pep’s called South Philly home. From those early beginnings Philadelphia’s association with jazz grew steadily, mirroring the meteoric rise of the art form’s popularity, on through the peak years of the 40s, 50, and 60s. In addition to the giants of jazz listed above an amazing list of jazz greats established themselves there, or called the city home (not in any special order):
Ethel Waters, Stan Getz, Clifford Brown, Philly Joe Jones, Reggie Workman, Red Rodney (with the great Frank Young on drums), Jimmy Smith, Hank Mobley, Wilbur Ware, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Odean Pope, Kenny Barron, Henry Grimes, Jimmy Garrison, McCoy Tyner, Sonny Fortune, Archie Shepp, Rashied Ali, Sun Ra, Stanley Clarke, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Christian McBride… Just to name a few.
Amazing!
Photo: Hank Mobley. Photograph by Ted Williams, circa 1956
Tagged Archie Shepp, Benny Golson, Christian McBride, Clifford Brown, Ethel Waters, Hank Mobley, Henry Grimes, Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Jimmy Garrison, Jimmy Smith, Jr. Stanley Clarke, Kenny Barron, Lee Morgan, McCoy Tyner, Odean Pope, Philly Joe Jones, Rashied Ali, Red Rodney, Reggie Workman, Sonny Fortune, Stan Getz, Sun Ra, Wilbur Ware
The National Endowment for the Humanities has funded the creation of a publicly accessible digital archive which will stream nearly 5,000 oral history interviews conducted by the great Studs Terkel from his 45 years on Chicago radio. The site is active but currently only a fraction of the material is up. Much more to come. Check it out here:
Listen to a sample: Studs interviews Alfred McCoy in 1971 about his book on the drug trade in Southeast Asia and it’s effect on American soldiers in Vietnam.
Posted in Audio, History, Labor, Music, News Articles, Photography, Politics, Sports, Vietnam, War
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