On Film 1942-48

Performer: Louis Jordan
Distributor: City Hall

Notes: The young art forms of film and jazz became almost inextricably entwined as soon as sound pictures came on the scene in the late '20s. Need one be reminded that the first talking picture was Al Jolson's THE JAZZ SINGER? Jazz musicians were worked into the plots of dozens of movies, often in wildly improbable ways. Quite often, the movie studios wouldn't even bother with plots and would simply film performances by swing orchestras or small bands playing a song or two, which would then be released as one of the short subjects that would play before the main feature. There were hundreds of these performance clips made in the '30s and '40s, and these precursors to music videos are a treasure trove of jazz ephemera. The 25 tracks on Louis Jordan's ON FILM 1942-48 are mostly from the soundtracks of these shirts, which were recorded live as they were filmed. The sound quality is far better than that of most live recordings of the era, and Jordan gives his all throughout. While this is probably not the best starting point for the Jordan novice, fans should immediately snap it up.

The most successful and influential purveyor of saxophone-driven jump blues, Louis Jordan was also one of the crucial transitional figures between the swing era and R&B. Although he started out mainly as a saxophonist with bandleaders such as Bessie Smith, Chick Webb, and Louis Armstrong, he found a niche singing blues and novelty tunes. After a string of hits throughout the 1940s, Jordan eventually found himself outpaced by the very rock & roll he had helped inspire.

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