"The Jazz Ball"

"The Jazz Ball"

The Jazz Ball

		Year: 1956 Running Time: 60 minutes Other:Republic Pictures 2106 - B/W - Mono/HI-FI Category: Documentary Narrated by:
		Performances by: Louis Armstrong Duke Ellington Gene Krupa The Dorsey Brothers Peggy Lee Cab Calloway Bob Crosby Ina Rae Hutton Red Nichols Artie Shaw

A made-for-television compilation of music extracts and Soundies, with voiceover narrations like "What is Jazz?... It's musical harmony and counterpoint on a perpetual orgy." Those featured include Louis Armstrong (wearing a leopard skin and standing waist-deep in soap bubbles for "Shine" from Rhapsody in Black and Blue), Dave Barbour, Ray Bauduc, Henry Busse ("Hot Lips"), Billy Butterfield, Cab Calloway ("Smokey Joe" and "Zaz Zuh Zaz"), Bob Chester, Bob Crosby ("How Do You Like to Love Me?" and "South Rampart Street Parade"), Johnny "Scat" Davis, Sammy Davis, Jr. (in his film debut with the Will Mastin Trio, singing "Boogie Woogie Piggy"), "Wild Bill" Davison, Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra with Bob Eberly ("Only a Rose"), Roy Eldridge, Duke Ellington and his Orchestra ("Bundle of Blues," "Rockin' in Rhythm" and "Stormy Weather," from A Bundle of Blues), Ina Ray Hutton ("Truckin'"), Isham Jones and his Orchestra (a ballroom version of Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody), Hal Kemp, Gene Krupa and his Orchestra ("Jungle Madness" from Gene Krupa, "America's Ace Drummer Man), Peggy Lee ("It's a Good Day" with her husband, Dave Barbour, on guitar), Vincent Lopez and his Orchestra ("Dipsy Doodle" with Betty Hutton and Jack Teagarden), the Mills Brothers ("I Ain't Got Nobody," a follow-the-bouncing-ball sing-along), Russ Morgan, Tony Pastor, Louis Prima ("Chinatown, My Chinatown"), Red Nichols, Artie Shaw with Buddy Rich, Charlie Spivak, Rudy Vallee with the Connecticut Yankees ("You'll Do It Someday, So Why Not Now?" from 1929) and Lawrence Welk.

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