The most elaborate, visually brilliant and unexpected documentary on the topic. A cinematic masterpiece.
– RBB
It Must Schwing! The Blue Note Story
Watch it at home
February 20, as of 7:00 PM (Link available for 48 hours)
Join the virtual discussion
Monday, February 22, 7:00 PM
In 1939, Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two young Jewish émigrés from Berlin, founded the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records in New York. The label dedicated itself exclusively to the recording of American jazz music and developed its own unmistakable recording style and sound. Blue Note Records discovered and produced an impressive roster of international jazz stars. This included Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Thelonius Monk, and Quincy Jones.
At a time when African-American musicians in the U.S. were discriminated against and ostracized, Blue Note Records respected them as artists and equals. Not only did the label value their talents, it also gave them a much-needed platform. It Must Schwing! tells the moving story of two friends, united by a passionate love for jazz, and of their profound belief in equality and freedom for every single human being.
Speakers: Larry Hott, Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and owner of Florentine Films/Hott Productions, and David W. Sanford, Elizabeth T. Kennan Professor of Music at Mount Holyoke College
Documentary | 2018 | 115 minutes
Germany | English and German with Subtitles
Directed by Eric Friedler