Why It’s Important: Seeing How Jazz Was Played
Today’s music historians and teachers are increasingly interested in understanding how performers’ methods and practices have developed and changed over time. However, researchers have little access to moving images that document jazz performances and the conditions faced by many legendary musicians.

In addition, the cinematic principles and techniques displayed in these films provide rich ground for research in motion picture history. Some of these films, in fact, were produced by early African-American filmmakers. They afford graphic insight into the social conditions faced by musicians – black and white; male and female – and their status in society. Likewise, they provide visual evidence of segregation and changing American culture, mores and customs during a significant era of American history.

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