Jammin' the Blues by Gjon Mili

What could be more appropriate late at night than a jazz jam session where the musicians gather and play ad lib, jammin' the blues, as in this video clip. They start out very bluesy and mellow but then the jazz music get faster and hotter. The short film from 1944 is directed by one of my favorite photographers: Gjon Mili.

Don't just listen to the wonderful swing and blues music, but also take time to enjoy how the set and the musicians are lit. Sweet! I like visual composition that Gjon Mili creates.

Marie Bryant sings "On the Sunny Side of the Street". I really like Lester Young who plays tenor saxophone and Harry Edison on trumpet. Barney Kessel on guitar was a new name to me, I have to research him a little bit more. In the video clip is also a good lindy hop sequence.

This film was nominated for an Oscar in 1944 in the category "Short subject (one reel)".

What do you think of the video clip "Jammin' the Blues"? Tell me.

The Jazz Image: Masters of Jazz Photography by Lee Tanner

Book review

Yesterday I saw a really nice book with and about jazz photography in a local store (Trolltyg): The Jazz Image: Masters of Jazz Photography by Lee Tanner.

In the book there are some jazz photos by one of my favorite photographers: Gjon Mili. Gjon Mili was the photographer who took photos of lindy hoppers for the 1943 Life Magazine cover story on Lindy Hop. He was a real innovator when it came to capturing movement with his camera.

This is the kind of pictures that I would like to make myself. To try to capture the essence and feeling of the performance and to make a portrait of the jazz musicians.

Do you have this book? What do you think of it? Got any tips about other jazz photography books?