The Cry of Jazz(1959)

The Cry of Jazz Synopsis

Filmed in Chicago & finished in 1959, The Cry of Jazz is filmmaker, composer and arranger Edward O. Bland's polemical essay on the politics of music and race - a forecast of what he called "the death of jazz." A landmark moment in black film, foreseeing the civil unrest of subsequent decades, it also features the only known footage of visionary pianist Sun Ra from his beloved Chicago period. Featured are ample images of tenor saxophonist John Gilmore and the rest of Ra's Arkestra in Windy City nightclubs, all shot in glorious black & white.

The Cry of Jazz (1959) is a documentary and music film directed by Edward Bland, released on March 22, 1959 with a runtime of 34m. It stars George Waller, Dorothea Horton, Melinda Dillon and Andrew Duncan. Viewers rate it 6.2 out of 10 across 15 ratings.