THE CRY OF JAZZ
"The most prophetic film ever made . . .
Willard Van Dyke |
This long sought-after film is now available through
Atavistic, |
The CRY OF JAZZ, a semi-documentary film, was completed in 1958 in Chicago by KHTB Productions. Long before the concept of Black Culture existed, The CRY OF JAZZ argued that Black American life shared a structural identity with jazz. It is one of the earliest documentary films made by Black Americans. Shot on a very low budget, the film was entirely financed from the paychecks of the filmmakers. Some 65 people worked on the film for free. |
| British drama critic Kenneth Tynan called THE CRY OF JAZZ a historical document because it marked the first time that Blacks openly challenged Whites in film. |
CRY OF JAZZ is written in seven parts. Parts 1, 3, 5 and 7 consist of dramatic scenes in which the significance of jazz and Black American life is discussed by an interracial cast. Sandwiched between these discussions are parts 2, 4 and 6, in which the structure, history, and future of jazz and Black American life are presented in documentary form, along with a jazz soundtrack. Most of the music is composed and performed by the late jazz great Sun Ra and his Arkestra. The music is vintage Sun Ra from his '50s Chicago years. |
KHBT Productions was formed by composer Ed Bland, urban planner Nelam Hill, novelist Mark Kennedy, and mathematician Eugene Titus. The film is produced by Ed Bland and Nelam Hill, directed by Ed Bland, and written by Ed Bland, Nelam Hill, Mark Kennedy, and Eugene Titus. All except Ed Bland are deceased. |
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In recent years, CRY OF JAZZ has been shown at various art museums, film festivals and universities throughout the United States. |
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Ed Bland is available for lectures. |