Backdrop image for movie The Cry of Jazz

The Cry of Jazz (1959)

Filmed in Chicago & finished in 1959, The Cry of Jazz is filmmaker, composer and arranger Edward O. Bland's polemical essay on the politics of music and race - a forecast of what he called "the death of jazz." A landmark moment in black film, foreseeing the civil unrest of subsequent decades, it also features the only known footage of visionary pianist Sun Ra from his beloved Chicago period. Featured are ample images of tenor saxophonist John Gilmore and the rest of Ra's Arkestra in Windy City nightclubs, all shot in glorious black & white.

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  • Music

Top billed cast

  • Photo of George WallerGeorge WallerAlex Johnson
  • Photo of Dorothea HortonDorothea HortonNatalie
  • Photo of Melinda DillonMelinda DillonFaye
  • Photo of Andrew DuncanAndrew DuncanJohn
  • Photo of Leroy InmanLeroy InmanLouis
  • Photo of James MillerJames MillerBob
  • Photo of Gavin McFadyanGavin McFadyanBruce
  • Photo of Carl DupreeCarl Dupree
  • Photo of Goldina RojasGoldina Rojas
  • Photo of Alan LeavittAlan Leavitt

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