Jazz film
by rowan_hendriks | created - 03 Aug 2016 | updated - 9 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. St. Louis Blues (1939)
92 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
A Broadway musical comedy star tires of the same old grind and flees the city. She runs into the skipper of a showboat who befriends her, and they make plans to put together a musical revue... See full summary »
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Dorothy Lamour, Lloyd Nolan, Tito Guízar, Jerome Cowan
Votes: 81
2. Blues in the Night (1941)
Passed | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Music
"Jigger' Pine forms a band that includes singer Ginger 'Character' Powell, wife of the trumpeter Leo Powell, and Nickie Haroyen and Peppi. All of them dedicate themselves to work as a unit ... See full summary »
Director: Anatole Litvak | Stars: Priscilla Lane, Betty Field, Richard Whorf, Lloyd Nolan
Votes: 1,306
3. Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Passed | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A compulsive gambler dies during a shooting, but he'll receive a second chance to reform himself and to make up with his worried wife.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley | Stars: Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong
Votes: 3,412
4. Stormy Weather (1943)
Passed | 78 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
The relationship between an aspiring dancer and a popular songstress provides a retrospective of the great African-American entertainers of the early 1900s.
Director: Andrew L. Stone | Stars: Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra, Katherine Dunham and Her Troupe
Votes: 2,888
5. Young Man with a Horn (1950)
Passed | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A young trumpet player is torn between an honest singer and a manipulative heiress.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Hoagy Carmichael
Votes: 3,889
6. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Passed | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Arnold Stang
Votes: 12,216
7. The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Approved | 116 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The young Benny Goodman is taught clarinet by a Chicago music professor. He is advised by bandleader Kid Ory to play whichever kind of music he likes best, but to make a living, Benny begins by joining the Ben Pollack traveling band.
Director: Valentine Davies | Stars: Steve Allen, Donna Reed, Berta Gersten, Barry Truex
Votes: 1,296
8. Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Music
The highlights of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.
Directors: Bert Stern, Aram Avakian | Stars: Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Chuck Berry, Chico Hamilton
Votes: 1,944
9. All Night Long (1962)
Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, Music
This movie, based on William Shakespeare's Othello, is neatly positioned as a vehicle to showcase some of the best jazz musicians of the period, including Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus.
Director: Basil Dearden | Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Keith Michell, Betsy Blair, Paul Harris
Votes: 1,528
10. Mingus: Charlie Mingus 1968 (1968)
58 min | Documentary, Music
A close-up of bass player and composer Charlie Mingus as he and his five-year-old daughter await eviction by the City of New York.
Director: Thomas Reichman | Stars: Walter Bishop, Charles McPherson, Carolyn Mingus, Charles Mingus
Votes: 152
11. Play Misty for Me (1971)
R | 102 min | Drama, Thriller
The life of a disc jockey is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch
Votes: 31,914 | Gross: $11.80M
12. Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
R | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan
Votes: 4,848 | Gross: $6.03M
13. The Cotton Club (1984)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee
Votes: 19,552 | Gross: $25.93M
14. Bird (1988)
R | 161 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The troubled life and career of jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright
Votes: 13,487 | Gross: $2.18M
15. Jazz (2001)
108 min | Documentary, History, Music
A survey of the musical form's history and major talents.
Stars: Keith David, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 2,499
16. Let's Get Lost (1988)
Not Rated | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Documentary on the life of jazz trumpeter and drug addict Chet Baker. Fascinating series of interviews with friends, family, associates and lovers, interspersed with film from Baker's earlier life and some modern-day performances.
Director: Bruce Weber | Stars: Chet Baker, Carol Baker, Vera Baker, Paul Baker
Votes: 2,209
17. Born to Be Blue (2015)
R | 97 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A re-imagining of jazz legend Chet Baker's musical comeback in the late '60s.
Director: Robert Budreau | Stars: Ethan Hawke, Carmen Ejogo, Callum Keith Rennie, Tony Nappo
Votes: 9,276 | Gross: $0.83M
18. A Great Day in Harlem (1994)
Not Rated | 60 min | Documentary, Music
The documentary compiles interviews of all the top jazz musicians in NYC in the year 1958, for a piece in Esquire magazine.
Director: Jean Bach | Stars: Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Hinton, Marian McPartland, Art Blakey
Votes: 493 | Gross: $0.53M
19. Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Woody Allen, Ben Duncan
Votes: 36,678 | Gross: $4.20M
20. Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way (2010 TV Movie)
85 min | Documentary
A chronological look at the life and career of jazz musician, composer, and performer Dave Brubeck (December 6, 1920 to December 5, 2012), presented through contemporary interviews, ... See full summary »
Director: Bruce Ricker | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sting, Bill Cosby, Duke Ellington
Votes: 109
21. Whiplash (2014)
R | 106 min | Drama, Music
A promising young drummer enrolls at a cut-throat music conservatory where his dreams of greatness are mentored by an instructor who will stop at nothing to realize a student's potential.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser
Votes: 989,662 | Gross: $13.09M
22. Bessie (2015 TV Movie)
TV-MA | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of legendary blues performer Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.
Director: Dee Rees | Stars: Queen Latifah, Kamryn Johnson, Rikki McKinney, Alan T. Coleman
Votes: 4,791
23. What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
Not Rated | 101 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary about the life and legend Nina Simone, an American singer, pianist, and civil rights activist labeled the "High Priestess of Soul."
Director: Liz Garbus | Stars: Nina Simone, Lisa Simone Kelly, Roger Nupie, Al Schackman
Votes: 14,830
24. Miles Ahead (2015)
R | 100 min | Biography, Drama, Music
An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis.
Director: Don Cheadle | Stars: Don Cheadle, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg
Votes: 10,561 | Gross: $2.61M
25. Amy (III) (2015)
R | 128 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Archival footage and personal testimonials present an intimate portrait of the life and career of British singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse.
Director: Asif Kapadia | Stars: Amy Winehouse, Mitch Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Russell Brand
Votes: 55,066 | Gross: $8.41M
26. Louis Armstrong - Chicago Style (1976 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 75 min | Biography, Drama
The story of how jazz great Louis Armstrong got his start playing in Chicago clubs, how he was framed on a drug charge, and his travels throughout Europe, where he first gained worldwide fame.
Director: Lee Philips | Stars: Ben Vereen, Red Buttons, Margaret Avery, Janet MacLachlan
Votes: 62
27. 'Round Midnight (1986)
R | 133 min | Drama, Music
A troubled, but talented musician flees the US to escape his problems, finding refuge and support in Paris.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips
Votes: 5,865 | Gross: $3.27M
28. Low Down (2014)
R | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A look at the life of pianist Joe Albany from the perspective of his young daughter, as she watches him contend with his drug addiction during the 1970s jazz scene.
Director: Jeff Preiss | Stars: John Hawkes, Elle Fanning, Glenn Close, Peter Dinklage
Votes: 2,214 | Gross: $0.04M
29. La La Land (2016)
PG-13 | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist and an actress fall in love while attempting to reconcile their aspirations for the future.
Director: Damien Chazelle | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemarie DeWitt, J.K. Simmons
Votes: 671,586 | Gross: $151.10M
30. Sinatra: All or Nothing at All (2015)
TV-14 | 120 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
SINATRA: All or Nothing at All is an up-close and personal examination of the life, music and career of the legendary entertainer. Told in his own words from hours of archived interviews, ... See full summary »
Stars: Nancy Sinatra, Tina Sinatra, Nancy Barbato Sinatra, Nelson Riddle
Votes: 2,486
31. The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith (2015)
Not Rated | 87 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Art, obsession and anxiety permeate a dilapidated Manhattan loft building in Mid-century: The first movie to use photographer W. Eugene Smith's massive, fly-on-the-wall archive of photos ... See full summary »
Director: Sara Fishko | Stars: David Amram, Carla Bley, John Cohen, Harry Colomby
Votes: 199
32. I Called Him Morgan (2016)
92 min | Documentary, Drama, History
An exploration of the relationship between jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and his common-law wife Helen, who was implicated in his murder in 1972.
Director: Kasper Collin | Stars: Lee Morgan, Helen Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Larry Reni Thomas
Votes: 1,944 | Gross: $0.10M
33. Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary (2016)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary, Biography, History
An exploration of the global power and impact of the music of John Coltrane where the passions, experiences and forces that shaped his life and revolutionary sounds are revealed.
Director: John Scheinfeld | Stars: Denzel Washington, Reggie Workman, Ravi Coltrane, Ashley Kahn
Votes: 2,498 | Gross: $0.41M
34.
American Masters (1985– )
Episode:
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
(2019)
Not Rated | 114 min | Documentary, Biography, History
Musicians, scholars, family and friends reflect on the life of jazzer Miles Davis to reveal the man behind the legend. Full access to Davis' estate provides rare footage and photos, outtakes from recording sessions and new interviews.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Carl Lumbly, Miles Davis, Reginald Petty, Quincy Troupe
Votes: 3,283 | Gross: $0.19M
35. Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes (2018)
Not Rated | 85 min | Documentary, History, Music
A revelatory, thrilling and emotional journey behind the scenes of Blue Note Records, the pioneering label that gave voice to some of the finest jazz artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Director: Sophie Huber | Stars: Robert Glasper, Ambrose Akinmusire, Marcus Strickland, Lionel Loueke
Votes: 625
36. Ronnie's (2020)
103 min | Documentary
A chronicle of the life of saxophonist Ronnie Scott and his world famous London jazz club.
Director: Oliver Murray | Stars: Gilles Peterson, Kyle Eastwood, Simon Cooke, Barbara Jay
Votes: 136
37. Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story (2022)
PG-13 | 95 min | Documentary, Music
A film that not only captures the signature annual music and cultural event that has been called America's greatest festival in all of its beauty and glory, but also delves deep into the rich culture of The Big Easy.
Directors: Frank Marshall, Ryan Suffern | Stars: Glen David Andrews, Philip Bailey, Tarriona Ball, Sam Bardfeld
Votes: 220
38. Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues (2022)
R | 106 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
Follow the life and legacy of the master and so-called founding father of jazz, America's first pop star, and cultural ambassador.
Director: Sacha Jenkins | Stars: Louis Armstrong, Steve Allen, Ernie Anderson, Lucille Armstrong
Votes: 742
Tell Your Friends