Editing Jammin' the Blues

{{Short description|1944 film by Gjon Mili}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Jammin' the Blues
| image          = 
| alt            = 
| caption        = 
| director       = [[Gjon Mili]]
| producer       = [[Gordon Hollingshead]]
| writer         = 
| screenplay     = 
| story          = 
| based_on       = <!-- {{based on|title of the original work|writer of the original work}} -->
| narrator       = [[Knox Manning]]
| starring       = 
| music          = 
| cinematography = [[Robert Burks]]<ref>[https://www.newyorker.com/culture/likes/what-to-stream-this-weekend-oscar-nominated-shorts What to Stream This Weekend: Five Standout Oscar-Nominated Shorts|The New Yorker]</ref>
| editing        = Everett Dodd
| studio         = [[Warner Bros.]]
| distributor    = [[Warner Bros.]]
| released       = {{Film date|1944|11|09}}
| runtime        = 10 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = 
}}
[[File:Lester Young (Gottlieb 09431).jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of Lester Young, Famous Door, New York, N.Y. by William Gottlieb circa September, 1946]]
'''''Jammin' the Blues''''' is a 1944 American short film made by [[Gjon Mili]] and [[Norman Granz]] in which a number of prominent [[jazz]] musicians re-create the jam-session atmosphere of nightclubs and after-hours spots. It features [[Lester Young]], [[Red Callender]], [[Harry Edison]], [[Marlowe Morris]], [[Sid Catlett]], [[Barney Kessel]], [[Jo Jones]], [[John Simmons (musician)|John Simmons]], [[Illinois Jacquet]], [[Marie Bryant]] and [[Archie Savage]].<ref>[https://www.allmusic.com/album/jammin-the-blues-mw0000069628 AllMusic]</ref>

==Plot==
{{noplot|date=January 2024}}

== Cast ==
* [[Lester Young]] – Tenor saxophone
* [[Red Callender]] – Bass
* [[Harry "Sweets" Edison]] – [[Trumpet]]
* [[Marlowe Morris]] – [[Piano]]
* "Big" [[Sid Catlett]] – Drums (First two songs, and intro of third)
* [[Jo Jones]] – Drums (for final song)
* [[Barney Kessel]] – [[Guitar]]
* [[John Simmons (musician)|John Simmons]] – Double bass
* [[Illinois Jacquet]] – Tenor saxophone
* [[Marie Bryant]] – Vocals and Female Dancer
* [[Archie Savage]] – Male Dancer

== Songs==
* "[[Midnight Symphony]]"
* "[[On the Sunny Side of the Street]]" – Sung by Marie Bryant
* "Jammin' the Blues"

== Production ==
[[Gjon Mili]] and [[Norman Granz]], who was credited as technical director, shot the film over four days with the support of Warner Bros. head of short films, Gordon Hollingshead.<ref>Hershorn, Tad, Norman Granz: the Man who Used Jazz for Justice (Univ. of Calif. Press 2011), p. 66</ref> [[Barney Kessel]] was the only white musician in the film. His hands were stained with berry juice, and he was seated in the shadows to shade his skin.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/08/arts/music/08KES.html |title=Barney Kessel, 80, a Guitarist With Legends of Jazz, Dies |first=Peter |last=Keepnews |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=8 May 2004}}</ref><ref>Hershorn, p. 69</ref>

== Reception and legacy==
Producer Gordon Hollingshead was nominated for an [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] in the category of [[Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film|Best Short Subject, One-reel]].<ref name="Oscars1945">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1945 |title=The 17th Academy Awards (1945) Nominees and Winners |access-date=May 29, 2019 |work=oscars.org|date=4 October 2014 }}</ref>

In 1995, ''Jammin' the Blues'' was selected for preservation in the [[United States]] [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web|title=The 25 Films for '95 (February 5, 1996) – Library of Congress Information Bulletin|url=https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9602/nfr2.html|access-date=2020-11-17|website=www.loc.gov}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Complete National Film Registry Listing |url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-film-preservation-board/film-registry/complete-national-film-registry-listing/|access-date=2020-11-17|website=Library of Congress}}</ref>

The short was released on DVDs of the films ''[[Blues in the Night (film)|Blues in the Night]]'' (1941) and ''[[Passage to Marseille]]'' (1944), the latter starring [[Humphrey Bogart]].<ref>[https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/34292/blues-in-the-night/ Blues in the Night: DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video]</ref><ref>[https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/24782/humphrey-bogart-the-signature-collection-vol-2/ Humphrey Bogart – The Signature Collection, Vol.2: DVD Talk of the DVD Video]</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of American films of 1944]]
*[[Swing music]]
*[[Bebop]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0036968}}
*''Jammin’ the Blues'' essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 374–375 [https://books.google.com/books?id=deq3xI8OmCkC]

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1944 films]]
[[Category:1944 short films]]
[[Category:American short films]]
[[Category:United States National Film Registry films]]
[[Category:Jazz films]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. short films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language short films]]