Jazz Casual (Brubeck/Coltrane/B.B. King)
Picture: C-
Sound: C Extras: D Main Shows: B
Of all the treasures from TV’s past, the most
untapped catalog is that of NET.
National Educational Television was the predecessor of PBS and the
material they produced even before PBS is some of the most important in TV
history. Rhino Home Video has begun
issuing what will hopefully be a complete series of DVDs from the Jazz Casual
series, hosted by Ralph Gleason.
The show simply showcased a different act in the
world of Jazz each week, while Gleason himself was a nationally syndicated and
known writer on the genre. What turns
out to have happened is that is TV show was a landmark series with a stunning
parade of talent, often in peak form.
Even with cable and satellite TV today, there is no equal to this series
today, which is an embarrassment to the TV medium that claims to offer so much
endless “entertainment.”
With that said, Rhino has issued a separate DVD for
Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane, and B.B. King.
Each disc shows the entire program, but each one is sadly under 30
minutes. Also, no extras are offered,
yet these are some of the most important music DVDs issued to date because
these performances are such vital records of the artists they feature.
The Dave Brubeck volume aired 10/17/61, around the
time his masterpiece album Time Out had arrived. The great thing about this installment is
not just the five great music performances, but also Brubeck’s detailed
explanation of how he was approaching and innovating in his music. This is rare insight indeed, with his very
open and inviting manner making this truly great television. Anyone who has the Time Out album on
vinyl, SACD, or even CD should absolutely add this DVD to their collection.
The John Coltrane volume aired 12/7/63, only
offering three music pieces, but they are long rich works, and Coltrane does
not speak about anything during or in between performances. This is more intense. The DVD case boasts that Coltrane is one of
the greatest musicians of all time, a claim this particular performance can
back up. This is a master musician
stunning in his intensity. It is sadly
the only known U.S. TV taping of the genius in action, which would not exist
without NET’s groundbreaking tendencies.
In an era where musicianship seems to be in a kind of decline, this is
extremely inspiring to watch.
The B.B. King volume aired 5/9/68. King is still making music today, including
the surprising commercial and critical success of his recent duet album with
Eric Clapton. He is still very
formidable today, but seeing this first national TV appearance of the Jazz and
Blues giant is a revelation. His
amazing showmanship is only outdone by his effortless musicianship, which gets
very interesting almost immediately.
You will have a whole new respect for the man, learning what his biggest
fans knew all along. He is one of the
great survivors, leading the kind of uncompromised career most can only dream
of.
The three DVDs are all black & white, full screen
presentations. They look as good as
they are going to look for videotape of the time, but this is still somewhat
soft, early analog recording. This is
an improvement over if the shows had been kinescoped, but fidelity is limited
picture-wise. However, the 5.1 Dolby
Digital AC-3 remixes are more interesting.
Unlike the often muddy, misguided 5.1 mixes Rhino has done on many of
their other music titles (Wild Style, Ed Sullivan), these mixes make sense. They take the analog mono and redirect it
without ruining it. Though not
state-of-the-art multi-channel music, the sound is nice, far outperforming the
Dolby Digital 2.0 mono that is also included for purists.
It is a shame Rhino and the Gleason estate could
not have included more on these discs, but the royalties alone may have taken
up any budget for that, though the prices for each DVD is reasonable. Here’s hoping this is the beginning of a
long line of Jazz Casual titles from Rhino, because their absence for all these
decades is simply criminal. Even
non-Jazz fans need to check them out.
