The Last of the Blue Devils

In 1974, twenty-five years before Wim Wenders' documentary chronicled the reunion of the venerable musicians of the Buena Vista Social Club, Bruce Ricker reunited a group of legendary American jazz musicians. Among them were Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, Jay McShann; all alumni of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils, the premier traveling band of its day, and the torchbearers of the Kansas City Sound, a style of jazz that flourished in Depression-era Kansas City. Released in 1979, The Last of the Blue Devils remains a high note for jazz concert films. Unlike Buena Vista Social Club, it features entire performances, from jazz sessions in smoky clubs, to the concert stage at the University of Kansas at Lawrence. This stellar gathering of musicians recalls the era--1930s Kansas City was a "wide-open" city, rife with gambling, prostitution and booze, not to mention the hundreds of clubs where Kansas City jazz found is voice--with robust good humor. Ernie Williams, the self-professed "last of the Blue Devils," recalls how his wife demanded that he either give up music or her. Replied Williams, "I'll keep the music." DVD extras include Ricker's thoughtful commentary as well as 19 minutes of musical outtakes, highlighted by a rollicking "Shake, Rattle and Roll" performed by Turner and McShann. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)