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.
Director: Edward Bland
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George Waller as Alex Johnson |
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Dorothea Horton as Natalie |
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Melinda Dillon as Faye |
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Andrew Duncan as John |
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Leroy Inman as Louis |
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James Miller as Bob |
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Gavin McFadyan as Bruce |
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Carl Dupree as |
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Goldina Rojas as |
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Alan Leavitt as |
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Carl McCormack as |
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Lettie Mae Randolph as |
| Directing | Edward Bland | Director |
| Sound | Sun Ra | Music |
