The Jazz Heritage Center celebrates Black History Month by rolling out film programming in its new Media and Education Center, a private theater (adjacent to the Yoshi's Jazz Club Box Office) with seating for up to 60 people.
The highlight of the month is the JHC's inaugural Jazz Heritage Film Festival. Held on February 5th-7th, the festival will be led by jazz historian and jazz video collector Hal Miller who will present rare and treasured video footage from his personal collection of many of the most revered and significant jazz musicians
of the past one hundred years. Hal will introduce and briefly discuss each video excerpt, providing historical context and related anecdotes.
Each presentation of the Hal Miller series will be different. Some of the artists will be shown more than once-always in different settings- as befitting their stature and importance.
The emphasis will be on the key figures of jazz history, many of whom are already beginning to fade into obscurity because so little attention has been paid to them.
While some present day jazz artists whose lengthy careers have extended to present times- e.g. Wayne Shorter, Kenny Barron, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, et al -will also be included in his series, for the most part the musicians highlighted will be those who throughout the past century have been the innovators and popularizers of this music, including Mary Lou Williams, Eddie "Cleanhead"Vinson, Bobby Timmons, Lennie Tristano, Wes Montgomery, Eddie "Lockjaw"Davis, Coleman Hawkins, Chet Baker, Paul Chambers, Shelly Manne, and many others.
The festival will be comprised of four different sessions and tickets can be purchased for individual sessions, or the entire festival.
The times are as follows:
Friday, February 5th: 6 – 9pm (including reception from 8 - 9pm in the Lush Life Gallery)
Saturday, February 6th: 1 - 3pm and 7 – 9pm
- Sunday, February 7th: 11AM – 1PM
In addition to the film festival, the JHC will be screening films from its new exhibit, Jammin', Jazzin' & Jivin'. Films will be shown every Tuesday and Thursday @ 7:30pm throughout the month. For details on the films being screened, click here.
