Icons Among Us: Jazz in the Present Tense

Some would argue that jazz, the great American art form, has lain fallow for at least the last 20 or 30 years, but documentary co-directors Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson, and Peter J. Vogt disagree, assembling here comments on the subject from a substantial group of musicians. Some are quite articulate, others philosophical; some complain about the constant labeling and categorizing of the music, and a few are clearly tired of having to live up to the expectations engendered by their legendary predecessors (“Fuck John Coltrane” is one's pithy dismissal). Among the veterans on hand are Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, and Wayne Shorter. But in the end, talk is cheap: by far the best evidence of what trumpeter Terence Blanchard calls “the quiet revolution” among younger musicians lies in the film's performance footage, which spotlights keyboardist Marco Benevento, guitarist Bill Frisell, the trio of Medeski Martin and Wood (with guitarist John Scofield), Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft, Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen, and Dutch saxophonist Tineke Postma. Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, DVD extras include five complete performances, profiles of jazz advocacy organizations, and footage of a Living Daylights Mardi Gras party from 2002. The music (especially in the bonus sets) renders much of the verbiage essentially irrelevant. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)