PBS: Harlem in Montmartre

wayne nakamura

PBS' program Great Performances had an interesting 90 min episode tonight on Harlem in Montmartre. A black expatriate community forms in Paris' Montmartre district, following the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.

I only caught the last 20 min. There were a number of references to DR, SG, Josephine Baker, Delauney, Hughes Parnaisse. They had clips of black horn players playing with white French musicians.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/ ... artre/827/

Look out for it.

Harlem in Montmartre
Preview of Harlem in Montmartre
Beloved American jazz singer and bandleader Cab Calloway once said, “You hear about the Duke Ellingtons, the Jimmy Luncefords, the Fletcher Hendersons, but people sometimes forget that jazz was not only built in the minds of the great ones, but on the backs of the ordinary ones.” While far from ordinary, Harlem in Montmartre tells the story of the long-forgotten “extraordinary ones,” who left America to create the jazz age in Paris between the First and Second World Wars. After peace was signed at Versailles, many black Americans remained in Europe rather than return to the brutal segregation and racism of America. Over the next two decades, they formed an expatriate community of musicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, primarily congregating in Paris’ hilly Montmartre neighborhood. Some achieved enduring fame, while others faded into history.
Harlem in Montmartre airs as part of PBS’ Great Performances series on THIRTEEN Wednesday, August 26th at 8 p.m. EST (check local listings). The documentary is a co-production of THIRTEEN for WNET.ORG, Vanguard Documentaries, Inc., Ideale Audience SAS, ARTE France and Independent Television Service (ITVS).
Watch a preview of Harlem in Montmartre:


Inspired by the book Harlem in Montmartre: a Paris Jazz Story (University of California Press) by historian William A. Shack and utilizing rare archival material from both France and America, this remarkable performance- driven documentary features the stories and music of such key figures as James Reese Europe, Josephine Baker, Sidney Bechet, Bricktop, Eugene Bullard, Django Reinhardt and more. “The film explores a fascinating, yet often neglected, era in African-American cultural history” says producer Margaret Smilow. “It is a colorful, musical, poignant look at the contributions of a select group of black Americans, without whom the collective voice of jazz music around the world would sound entirely different.” Vanguard Documentaries Executive Producer Charles Hobson reveals, “The French were the first people in the world to respect jazz as serious art form, and it all began in Paris with the arrival of the Harlem Hellfighters, a military band.” Directed by Dante J. James, with performance sequences directed by Olivier Simmonet, and written by James and Simmonet with Allan Miller, the production was co-produced by Smilow with Hobson and Helene Le Coeur; S. Epatha Merkerson narrates.

Duozona

Thanks Wayne, looks great, I just set my DVR, with 20 minutes to spare!

-Chuck

wayne nakamura

Great! Love a review!

cheers

CalebFSU

they rescheduled it here to show a doc about the Kennedy's. One of my professors was involved in it though. Leon Anderson. He is playing drums in some of the reinacted scenes not sure if he is interviewed.

AJATango

saw it, loved it. Who's the group doing the live gypsy jazz group footage?

Passacaglia

Saw it, loved it as well. AJATango, I saw that Victor Goines, Director of Jazz Studies at NW U., in Chicago, was the Music Director:

http://www.victorgoines.com/

The credits ripped by, so didn't see the actual players.

This has piqued me to get the actual book, as well as Making Jazz French, by Jeffrey Jackson.

wayne nakamura

Passacaglia wrote:

This has piqued me to get the actual book, as well as Making Jazz French, by Jeffrey Jackson.

Paul:

The book is an interesting read. It illustrates the music scene in France prior to and during Django's time.

Another book with more Django-focus is Mike Zwerin's "Swing Under the Nazis". I believe the author is a jazz sax player.

There are two chapters in particular, 11. Django, Maccaferri and Paul & 12. The Guitar with the Human Voice, that deal with Django and his music.

Interesting reading from a worldly guy.

There's a slightly "Hogan's Heroes-ish" aspect to the way the Nazis were dealt with. ie changing song titles to allow the music to be played in spite of restrictions.

cheers

Passacaglia

Fantastic - books added to my cart, thanks Wayne. As soon as PBS offers the film for sale, I'm adding that to my cart as well. I know so comparatively little here, on this history - really looking forward to learning more. On Hogan's Heroes, afraid you've likely dated both of us, Wayne.... . Many fond memories, growing up - I'd gladly own the collection.

By the way, nothing jazz related, just wanted to mention for anyone interested in interwar French life generally (or at least a section of it - the enclave of artist, writer, bohemian nationals and expats along the southern coast), a little-known book, Jigsaw, by Sybille Bedford. About as autobiographical as a novel can get, and still be a novel. I loved the book, from a lesser-known novelist.

wayne nakamura wrote:

Passacaglia wrote:

This has piqued me to get the actual book, as well as Making Jazz French, by Jeffrey Jackson.

Paul:

The book is an interesting read. It illustrates the music scene in France prior to and during Django's time.

Another book with more Django-focus is Mike Zwerin's "Swing Under the Nazis". I believe the author is a jazz sax player.

There are two chapters in particular, 11. Django, Maccaferri and Paul & 12. The Guitar with the Human Voice, that deal with Django and his music.

Interesting reading from a worldly guy.

There's a slightly "Hogan's Heroes-ish" aspect to the way the Nazis were dealt with. ie changing song titles to allow the music to be played in spite of restrictions.

cheers

Phil

Just saw it on OPB in Portland - great documentary, with wonderful clips and great to see Yourgi Loeffler - as the lead guitarist in the live studio gypsy jazz footage.

Phil

here's the screen shot with list of musician from the studio performances...