The 1962 Newport Jazz Festival

I won't sugarcoat it: the visuals and the audio are pretty awful, the direction is poor, the film quality (in black & white) grainy and generally atrocious, the editing amateurishly bad, the sound distorted…even the DVD menu falls way short, with songs unidentified and several performers not even listed. But while all those technical problems would be the kiss of death for your typical pop program, the fact is we're talking about performances by Oscar Peterson, the best pianist of his generation; Duke Ellington, simply one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century, appearing here with his classic orchestra; Count Basie, whose ever-swingin' big band features vocals by both Joe Williams and Jimmy Rushing; Lambert, Hendricks, and Bavan, masters of jazz vocalese; multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk, the Clara Ward Gospel Singers, clarinetist Pee Wee Russell, and more. Call it a cliché, but jazz music doesn't depend on digital sound and crystal clear video for its impact; if the music is good, it will find a way to get over. And while some viewers may find the disc's technical limitations insurmountable, many jazzbos will relish the opportunity merely to see and hear some of these giants at all. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)