© -Steven
Cerra , copyright protected; all rights reserved.
Boy, I sure miss
Woody Herman, no less so after viewing Graham Carter’s brilliantly conceived
and executed documentary DVD - Woody Herman: Blue Flame – Portrait of a Jazz Legend.
Graham is the
owner-operator of Jazzed Media through which he periodically issues CD’s by and
DVD ’s about Jazz musicians like
composer-arranger-big band leader Bill Holman, alto saxophonists Phi Woods and
Bud Shank, tenor saxophonist and big band leader Don Menza, trumpeter and big
band leader Carl Saunders, vibraphonist and big band leader Terry Gibbs, and
vocalists Jackie Cain and Roy Kral and Irene Kral.
You can review his
catalogue as well as locate order information by visiting Graham’s website at www.jazzedmedia.com.
I have been a fan
of Graham and his efforts on behalf on Jazz for many years. I have no idea why he keeps issuing such high
quality digital products devoted to Jazz subjects and personalities, but I
suspect that in large measure, what he does is a labor of love as very few
people have ever become wealthy due to their involvement with Jazz.
Year-after-year,
Graham skillfully scripts, produces and narrates Jazz documentaries and also
produces recordings of high audio quality and artistic merit.
By way of analogy,
he reminds me of the developers and builders who constructed the attached homes
in what is commonly referred to as “The Avenues,” the western part of San Francisco
After the land was
purchased and the construction funds were borrowed from the bank, these homes
were generally put up two at a time. When both houses were sold, the real
estate developers would use the funds from the sale to start the process all
over again.
These homes, which
have come to be known as “railroad Victorians,” were custom-crafted in much the
same way that Graham approaches his projects.
The railroad
Victorians were made for working people and their families and Graham’s CD’s
and DVD ’s are made to honor the Jazz musicians who
make the music and the fans who appreciate it. He covers his costs through his
sales and uses some of his proceeds to pay for his next project.
The comprehensive
scale and attention to detail that he applies to his films, in particular,
makes them really deserving of a wider audience than one made up of Jazz fans
alone.
Graham’s Jazz
documentaries are as much social and cultural histories as they are musical
tributes and they will offer a lasting legacy of knowledge and information to
future generations curious about the subject of Jazz in the 20th
century.
Michael Bloom,
whose firm is handling the media relations for Woody Herman: Blue Flame –
Portrait of a Jazz Legend, has prepared a fact sheet to accompany the DVD ’s release and its details are copied below.
As usual, Michael
has put together an informative synopsis that covers the significance of
Woody’s career and what you can expect to see as you view the documentary DVD .
In addition to
this information, I wanted to share some personal thoughts and feelings about
Graham’s film.
After viewing it,
my primary impression was how little I really knew about Woody Herman’s
contributions to Jazz over his fifty years as a bandleader from 1936-86.
Some Jazz fans
grew up with Woody’s various bands – often referred to as “Herds – I didn’t. I
came in somewhere in the middle and never knew much about Woody’s origins in
the business. And make no mistake about it, Woody was in the Jazz “business,”
and, as Graham explains, it’s a good thing he was as a lot of young Jazz
musicians got their start in the music thanks to Woody perseverance with the
business side of things.
The trials and
tribulations that Woody endured over the years are all portrayed in the film.
Woody’s half
century in Jazz is an amazing accomplishment from a commercial standpoint, let
alone an artistic one.
And while it was
never easy for Woody [or anyone else, for that matter] to make a buck in the
business, some of the tragic circumstances that undercut and dogged him
throughout his career are no less painful to recall 25 years after his death in
1987.
Yet, Graham never
makes Woody an object of sympathy. Instead, he emphasizes a term of endearment
that many used when referring to him – “Road Father.”
Graham helps us
understand that what Woody endured on behalf of the many musicians who were on
his bands over the years are what the patriarch of any family is traditionally
expected to undertake, let alone withstand.
Woody protected
his family of musicians: he provided for them, nurtured them and helped them
grow and develop both as people and as artists.
One look at the
following chapter sequence tells you all you need to know about the
comprehensiveness of Graham’s movie.
- Opening Title –
“Four Brothers”
- Road Father
- The Early Years,
1913-1935
- The Band That
Plays The Blues, 1936-1943
- The First Herd,
1944-1946 – “Who Dat Up Dere?”
- The Second Herd,
1947-1949 – “I’ve Got News For You,” “Lemon Drop,” “Early Autumn”
- The Third Herd
1950-1955
- The Fourth Herd
1956-1959 – “The Preacher,” “Your Father’s Moustache”
- The Swinging
Herd, 1960-1967 – “Caldonia,” “Woody’s Boogaloo”
- The Thundering
Herd, 1968-1979 – “Blues in the Night”
- The Young
Thundering Herd, 1980-1986
- Early Autumn,
1987
- The Chopper –
The Legacy of Woody Herman
Watch them in
chronological order or click on each chapter individually and you are in for a
celebratory feast of music, commentary, interviews, photographs, film and TV
clips including many with Woody himself modestly reflecting on some of the
highlights of his career.
And although it’s
main theme has to do with one of the central figures in contemporary Jazz
history, Graham has put together a heartwarming and enduring story that will
reach out to anyone interested in the human experience.
The technical part
of the film never intrudes.
It’s a fun film to
watch and is an example of the informal “art” of storytelling at its best.
Graham allows
Woody’s story to unfolds at a pace that is an entertaining as it is
educational.
Fortunately, Jazz
has had a number of caring, conscientious and talented people “tell its story” over
the years.
Thanks to his work
on Woody
Herman: Blue Flame – Portrait of a Jazz Legend, let alone the many,
other projects that he has undertaken on behalf of the music, you can add
Graham Carter’s name to that list of notables.
© -Michael Bloom/Media Relations, copyright
protected; all rights reserved.
"WOODY HERMAN: BLUE FLAME"
JAZZED MEDIA'S LATEST DOCUMENTARY TRIBUTE
“In recognition of
the Centennial celebration of Woody Herman's birthday in 2013, Jazzed Media
will release "Woody Herman: Blue Flame", a feature length documentary
film by award winning producer & director Graham Carter, produced in
association with The Woody Herman Society. It provides an in-depth look at
Herman's 50+-year career as a big band jazz leader and features rare film and
video performances of The Woody Herman Orchestra including broadcasts from The
Ed Sullivan Show and Iowa Public Television.
Woody Herman led
his big band for over 50 years, starting in 1936 and all the way to his death
in 1987. His story is one that parallels the changes in jazz, from the Swing
Era in the 1930s through bebop and cool jazz in the 40s and 50s, and the
emergence of jazz/rock fusion in the 60s and 70s (Woody returned to his
straight-ahead jazz roots in the 1980s). Considered one of the greatest big band
jazz leaders, Herman is fondly remembered by his fans and by the many musicians
and friends associated with his various bands.
Herman was also
responsible for helping bring to fame many jazz stars who got their start on
his band - to name only a few: Pete Candoli, Conte Candoli, Flip Phillips, Neal
Hefti, Terry Gibbs, Stan Getz, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Sal Nistico, Bill Chase,
Frank Tiberi, Alan Broadbent, Joe Lovano, and Jeff Hamilton.
Essential to the forward-thinking and always contemporary music of the Herds
were some of the finest jazz composers/arrangers of the past seven decades
including Ralph Burns, Neal Hefti, Shorty Roger s, Gene Roland, Gerry Mulligan, Bill
Holman, Nat Pierce, John Fedchock, Gary Anderson, John Oddo, and Alan Broadbent.
Documentary film
includes almost 400 rare photographs and images of Woody and his various bands
over a 50+-year career. Features interviews with 35 musicians and jazz
historians associated with Woody Herman (including Phil Wilson, Joe Lovano,
Terry Gibbs, Jeff Hamilton, Sonny Igoe, Frank Tiberi, Dr. Herb Wong, Dan Morgenstern , and Bill Clancy) and extensive filmed
interviews with Woody. Film and video performances of the Woody Herman
Orchestra are also featured. DVD Total Viewing Time: 110: 00.
Jazzed Media:
Dedicated to releasing new and previously unreleased jazz media of the highest
possible musical integrity and production standards.
Jazzed Media, a
jazz record label and film production company, was founded in the Denver , Colorado
Jazzed Media
offers both newly recorded jazz sessions and historic recorded jazz not
available previously. Newly recorded jazz offerings are performed by the
world's greatest jazz musicians coupled with state of the art recording
facilities. Historic jazz recordings are thoroughly restored to the best sonic
condition via computer software programs and dedicated engineering talent.
Extensive liner notes and photographs are utilized whenever possible to
increase the musical listening experience. A recent
Jazzed Media CD
release, Lorraine Feather's Ages, received a 2011 Grammy nomination for Best
Jazz Vocal Album.
Jazzed Media also
produces and distributes jazz documentaries utilizing leading edge production
techniques and extensive interview segments of jazz greats.
Filmmaker Graham
Carter has received the following awards for films released through Jazzed
Media:
Phil Woods: A Life
in E Flat- Portrait of a Jazz Legend
2005 Telly Awards
- Silver 2005 Videographer Awards - Award of Excellence
Bud Shank: Against
the Tide- Portrait of a Jazz Legend
2009 EMPixx Awards
- Gold Award
2008 Aurora
2008 Telly Awards
- Bronze
2008 Videographer
Awards - Award of Distinction
Stan Kenton:
Artistry in Rhythm- Portrait of a Jazz Legend
2011 Telly Awards
- Bronze
2011 Videographer
Awards - Award of Excellence
2011 EMPixx Awards
- Platinum Award: Documentary
2011 EMPixx Awards
- Platinum Award: Use of Music
www.JazzedMedia.com”
