Descriptive Summary: b&w, a compilation reel created by Ernie Smith
1. Music in America, An amalgam of snippets, including: behind the scenes at Tin Pan Alley; Perry Como singing "Now"; "Your Hit Parade" excerpt; George Gershwin at the piano playing "I Got Rhythm"; Benny Goodman Orchestra; Dixieland Jass Band playing "Livery Stable Blues"; comments by narrator, "jazz is synonymous with cheap music"; a shot of some early books on jazz includingJazzmen and The Hot Discography; Benny Goodman as guest lecturer at Juilliard; Art Tatum at The Three Dueces; a scene at Eddie Condon's with Wild Bill Davison, Davie Tough and Brad Gowans.
2. "Honky Tonk Train"
Copyright: 1961
Performer(s): Meade Lux Lewis
3. "Things to Come"
Copyright: 1946
Performer(s): Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra, Milt Jackson on vibes
4. "Back O'Town Blues"
Copyright: ca. early 1950s
Performer(s): Louis Armstrong All-Stars, vocal by Armstrong, Teagarden absent
5. The Sound of Jazz, excerpt
Copyright: 1957
Corporate Creator: CBS, The Seven Lively Arts (Studio 58)
Producer: Robert Herridge
Director: Jack Smight
Performer(s): Jimmy Rushing vocals, the Count Basie Orchestra, narration by John Crosby
Song Title(s): "I Left My Baby"
6. Charlie Parker-Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, ca. late 1940s
Video reference copy
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research but the films are stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.
Collection Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Collection Citation:
Ernie Smith Jazz Film Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Sponsor:
America's Jazz Heritage: A Partnership of the The Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund and the Smithsonian Institution provided the funding to produce many of the video master and reference copies.
