Journey Through Jazz

Filmed before a "live" elementary school audience, Journey Through Jazz features the Dan Jordan Trio demonstrating various principles of jazz and playing representative examples of different styles. The first video opens with a clever exercise which shows how various emotions (anger, sadness, jealousy, etc.) can be conveyed through music, discusses the origins of jazz, and offers samples of early jazz, Dixieland, and blues tunes. The second tape looks at improvisation, swing, big band, be-bop, and avant-garde, in addition to examining a handful of international styles (such as samba, Afro-Cuban, and calypso). With the exception of the occasional black & white picture insert of a jazz artist, this is a simple videotaped presentation. Like its predecessor, Rock Roots (VL-4/92), this works better as a live assembly program for ages 8-12. The EAV History of Jazz (VL-6/87) is a better choice for an introduction to the subject. Journey Through Jazz is not a necessary purchase. (R. Pitman)