- Jammin' the Blues
"Jammin' the Blues" is a 1944 short film in which several prominent
jazz musicians got together for a rare filmed jam session. It featuredLester Young ,Red Callender ,Harry Edison ,Marlowe Morris ,Sid Catlett ,Barney Kessel ,Jo Jones ,John Simmons ,Illinois Jacquet ,Marie Bryant ,Archie Savage andGarland Finney . Barney Kessel is the only white performer in the film. He was seated in the shadows to shade his skin, and for closeups, his hands were stained with berry juice.The movie was directed by
Gjon Mili .Producer
Gordon Hollingshead was nominated for anAcademy Award for this footage in the category of Best Short Subject, One-reel.In 1995, "Jammin' the Blues" was selected for preservation in the
United States National Film Registry by theLibrary of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".External links
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036968/ Jammin' the Blues] at the
Internet Movie Database
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