Masters Of American Music

★ 7 · Documentary

Masters of American Music is a multi-award-winning television series, as entertaining and memorable as it is educational, it is a must have for any true music fan. The series celebrates a pantheon of the greatest musical innovators with individual programmes tracing the lives and works of master musicians who defined the course of American’s musical history. From the birth of the blues in New Orleans to Swing, Big Band, Bebop, Free Jazz and beyond – all of this rich tapestry is explored with sensitivity and unique depth. The featured artists come to life through conversations with their contemporaries, exciting and rare live performances, period footage and vintage photographs, all of which have been meticulously produced.

Episodes

▶1. Bluesland - A Portrait In American MusicBluesland explores the Blues, with all its poetic irony, sly humour, eroticism and timeless power. A uniquely creative and highly visual look at American Blues.▶2. Louis Armstrong – SatchmoBorn at the turn of the century, Louis Armstrong was a living symbol of 20th Century American culture. He revolutionized the world of music and became one of our most influential entertainers.▶3. Count Basie - Swingin' The BluesA leading musician of the Swing era and an outstanding representative of the Big Band style, Count Basie was an eminent bandleader and jazz pianist. He led one of the most enduring swing bands of all time; no other musician was ever more committed to stomping, shouting, swinging, jumping, and dragging away the Blues than Count Basie.▶4. Ray Charles - The Genius Of SoulRay Charles was the innovator who fused Gospel, Jazz, and Blues to create modern Soul music. His crossover vision also widened the scope of Country and Western, his unique voice touching the hearts of people around the world.▶5. John Coltrane - The World According To John ColtraneInnovative, influential, and strongly revered, John Coltrane was the most revolutionary and widely imitated saxophonist in Jazz. Using previously unseen footage, The World According to John Coltrane celebrates this extraordinary and passionate musician ▶6. Billie Holiday - Lady Day - The Many Faces Of Billie HolidayThis story invites viewers to see the many faces of this “dark lady of the sonnets”, as one poet called her, and to appreciate her undying art more deeply. While she was a victim of hard times and drug addiction, the single fact of her life that matters above all others is that she was a great artist who, with Louis Armstrong, invented modern jazz singing.▶7. Thelonious Monk – American ComposerThe first fully-rounded portrait of this terribly misunderstood man and musician. He was the pianistic ringleader of the Bebop revolution and was, after Duke Ellington, Jazz’s first major composer.▶8. Charlie Parker - Celebrating Bird - The Triumph Of Charlie ParkerOne of the great legends in American music, the virtuoso saxophonist Charlie Parker, nicknamed Bird, created a new style of Jazz and also won equal fame as the king of the hipsters.▶9. Sarah Vaughan - The Divine OneThe Divine One recounts the stellar singer’s career, from her beginnings at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, to her debut at the Apollo Theatre and her pre-eminence in nightclubs, concert halls, and jazz festivals around the world.▶10. The Story Of JazzThis episode puts the crown on the Masters of American Music series. As entertaining as it is informative, this is a seamless array of performances, commentary, and compelling historic insight.

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