The Cry of Jazz
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.
Directed by Edward Bland
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Where to Watch
Streaming
Cast
- George Waller Alex Johnson
- Dorothea Horton Natalie
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Melinda Dillon Faye -
Andrew Duncan John - Leroy Inman Louis
- James Miller Bob
- Gavin McFadyan Bruce
- Carl Dupree
- Goldina Rojas
- Alan Leavitt
- Carl McCormack
- Lettie Mae Randolph
Make it a double feature
2h 26m together
The Cry of Jazz
High Society
A close match in mood and era.
