Jazz on a Summer's Day

Evidently in the 1950's high schooler seniors were handed chins like Rock Hudson and the effortless cool of Montgomery Clift as parting gifts upon graduating. That's how they did it back then. What happened to us all? The women look cool, the women look confidently sexy, and the dudes have a great nonchalant style about them. The movie is like a time-capsule for "cool." I've always said that La Dolce Vita (one of my absolute all time favorite films) is the quintessential dictionary definition of "cool." That still stands. It's fucking Marcello Mastroianni in 1960's Italy for god's sake. But hop the pond and the audience at Newport could be the American distillation of the idea.

This was filmed at the legendary Newport Jazz Festival in 1958 and it features some of the greatest musicians in history like Monk and Armstrong. Even though Davis played in 58 there's no coverage, but no matter. This film is still cool as a motherfucker.

It's more like an 85 minute music video, really. The story is told with music and fly-on-the-wall footage. There's no narrator or anything else. The sea, the music and the audience tell the whole story as it needs to be understood. The camerawork is artistic, the editing and the angles captured are very personal. It's mellow and flows really well. You can watch it in the background or you can pay incredibly close attention; the film works on both levels. I found myself getting goosebumps at a couple of performances. Anita O'Day just kills it.

Hammer of Doom, if you watch it, here are some totally crazy observations that I could argue are somewhat grounded in truth:

• Chico Hamilton Quintet is the Neurosis of the 1950's. Mesmerizing tribal drumming in this appearance.
• Louis Armstrong plays a track to the 1950's equivalent of the D-Beat.

Stream it on Netflix, daddy-o.