BACUS

Hi all,
Apart from my interest in British films I also am heavily into jazz music of almost all kinds.
I am trying to find a list of British films with any well known jazz person or persons in them. I have obviously come across the odd one whilst building up a video/DVD collection, but not many. Even Google didnt come up with much. I know some of you have quite compehensive file systems and hopefully somebody can supply me with a list, and, if possible a supplier.
Many thanks BACUS [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Holland

You haven't said what you've collected already.

All Night Long seems to be the stand out British Jazz Film. Most of the top cats are present at goovy swinger Richard Attenborough's proto docklands loft appartment for a reworking of Othello to some hopping rythmns.

There was an Acker Bilk vehicle called Band of Thieves on Matinee Movies some time back. The band meet in prison having been encouraged to play by a swinging cat of a governor, much to the surly Chief Screw's annoyance. On their release they realise that being on tour is excellent cover for burgling all over the country. Not a great film but entertaining nonetheless. It's also a historical document of the moment when it almost looked like Rock and Roll would be killed off by Trad Jazz.

Talking of which, I've never seen it but Richard Lester's It's Trad Dad looks a hoot too.

As for me, although I'm not a jazzer myself, I'm going to see Humphry Littleton, George Melley and Jazzy Ken and his Balley Men on Thursday night. Should be good. (My next door neighbour once saw Louis Armstrong play in Portsmouth - off the scale cool points to him.)

ollie

One that instantly springs to mind is "all night long" with dickie attenborough,and patrick mcgoohan, a reworking of othello, with muso's charles mingus,dave brubeck,and our own tubby hayes and johnny dankworth appearing,dankworth did some great jazzy scores for loads of films.

hope this gets the ball rolling. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]

available on carlton dvd. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

"Bullseye !!"

ollie

Oooops betean to it by holland, [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif[/img]
Just got back this w/end from the Teignmouth jazz festival,stan tracy was the main artist,he was involved in the alfie score,there was a lot of trad tho' which aint my thang,so it was a bit thin on the ground for me,two good guitarists tho' pete oxley and louis d'agastino, some cool arrangements.

Two birds with one stone,while there,i took some nice location shots of teignmouth,from the norman wisdom film "press for time" a nice reminder from Smudge, i'll try and get them in the gallery.

cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"

arty-dave

And there's a nice uptempo number from Tubby Hayes and Roy Castle in one of those Amicus portmanteau films....

ollie

Another film worth a mention,allthough not british(sorry) is "Round Midnight"
with dexter gordon,herbie hancock,and john mclaughlin.
Heres a link.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090557/

cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"

dylan

So far as I know the first British film to feature a modern jazz backgound score was Dearden & Holt's NOWHERE TO GO (1958). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052013/.

The featured musicians were Dizzy Reece, Tubby Hayes, Lloyd Thompson and Phil Seaman. The soundtrack is the last four tracks on Reece's Progress Report album. Listen to snatches on Amazon.

Who dubbed Burton's trumpet in LOOK BACK IN ANGER?

julian_craster

*Pat Halcox* was Chris Barber's trumpeter who played for Richard Burton in Look Back in Anger (1959).

Kenny Baker's Dozen appeared in 'Face the Music' (1954).

Jazz shorts include 'Holiday' (British Transport Film now on DVD, 1958 featuring Barber's Band with Ottilie
Patterson on the soundtrack), Living Jazz (1960), Bandwagon (1960, with Cy Laurie Band) and Robert
Henryson's musical shorts featuring Ted HEATH and Tony Kinsey (1961). Additional modern jazz scores include Dizzy Reece for Nowhere to Go (1958)
and Tony Crombie for The Man From Interpol (1960 TV series)

For more on Jazz, see 'Music- Jazz in British Film' in the Encyclopedia
of British Film (2nd Edition, with RED cover), edited by Brian McFarlane
Listed at Amazon UK at 35% off (p&p free)

Hope this helps...

dylan

Chris Barber's band appears in Karel Reisz and Tony Richardson's 1955 documentary MOMMA DON'T ALLOW.

Humphrey Lyttleton and his band play in THE TOMMY STEELE STORY.

Johnny Dankworth did loads of jazz scores for the films: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006023/

His wife Cleo Laine provided jazz vocals on THE CRIMINAL and SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY MORNING.

BACUS

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[font=Comic Sans Ms]</span>

Many thanks to all who gave me a lot to go into re my search for "jazz in films.
Ta BACUS

Jack Gurney

Has everyone forgotten IT'S TRAD, DAD (Richard Lester 1962) starring a procession of UK tradsters such as Bilk, Barber etc? Mind you, I didn't say it was a good film!!

There's plenty of jazz in 1960s Brit soundtracks such as the one to Polanski's REPULSION (by Chico Hamilton) Hamilton and his quintet also appear in the great American movie SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, but I'll refrain from veering too far offt opic into the realms of Yankdom. Suffice to say you can see Red Norvo in SCREAMING MIMI.

Annie Ross also sings the theme to Peter Collinson's STRAIGHT ON TILL MORNING (Hammer Films, 1972) but it's not really a jazz song, despite her pedigree in the genre.

"I do not tinker."

ollie

"Has everyone forgotten IT'S TRAD, DAD (Richard Lester 1962) starring a procession of UK tradsters such as Bilk, Barber etc? Mind you, I didn't say it was a good film!!"

Eermm ??, it was mentioned in the first reply to the post ?? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif[/img]

cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"

Jack Gurney

Didn't see it squished down the bottom there (oo er missus).

"I do not tinker."

DB7

No jazz musicians in the cast but one film that springs to mind is Stormy Monday.

ollie

Directed by mike figgis,a fine muso,who usually composes the music for his own films,shame about sean bean tho' [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/img] i think sting also is in it,someone who has in the past surrounded himself with the best jazz muso's.

cheers Ollie.

"Bullseye !!"