Mcglynn, Don

Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Harold Arlen

Notes from a Jazz Survivor

Louis Prima - The Wildest

He may have been "just a gigolo," but it's easy to understand why Louis Prima continues to find audiences both young and old. The trumpeter and bandleader was at the forefront of the rock & roll movement, he was the epitome of the cool, singing and swinging Italian crooner ("Oh Marie"), and he achieved immortality as King Louie in Disney's Jungle Book. But the entertainer also went through five wives, struggled to keep up with new musical trends, and, ultimately, will be remembered as one of the world's great lounge acts.

Louis Prima: The Wildest chronicles his rise to fame from his early years in the French Quarter of New Orleans to his glory days in Sin City. Interviews with jazz critics, former wife Keely Smith, and numerous bandmates abound in this well-made documentary. But the real highlight for Prima fans will be the live music footage, showcasing Smith and Prima singing in their prime, his crackerjack band that knew how to swing, twist, and (yes) rock when it mattered, and Prima's incredible stage presence. The fascinating footage is abundant here- -from "Chinatown" to "Sing, Sing, Sing" to an awe-inspiring performance of "I'm in the Mood for Love." No one can ever sum up what makes Prima so magical, but the music speaks for itself. Added DVD features include some uncut concert performances and a few audio-only bonus tracks. --Jason Verlinde

Before Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tom Jones, Tony Bennett or Engelbert Humperdinck ever played the stages of Vegas, there was Louis Prima. One of America's most hypnotic and original performers, Prima's career spanned several decades and turned out hits like "That Old Black Magic," "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Just a Gigolo," "I Ain't Got Nobody" and "Jump, Jive an' Wail." In Disney's animated classic "The Jungle Book," Prima created the "hep" voice of King Louie the orangutan. This film profiles the magnetic Louis Prima in a nostalgic historical journey through the music scenes of a racy New Orleans, the swinging jazz culture of uptown New York and Las Vegas's "formative" years. As a solo act or with his wife, acclaimed singer Keely Smith, Louis Prima was and will forever be the "wildest" man in show business!

Additional interviews; Full-length performances of "Basin Street Blues," "Oh, Babe!" and "Waitin' on the Robert E. Lee;" Audio-only bonus songs: "Sing, Sing, Sing," "Robin Hood" and "Please No Squeeza Da Banana"

The Spike Jones Story

Charles Mingus: Triumph of the Underdog

Don McGlynn's uncompromising and soulful documentary look at the tumultuous life of musician and rebel Charles Mingus is fascinating stuff. Mingus said of himself "I am half black man, half yellow man, but I claim to be a Negro. I am Charles Mingus, the famed jazz musician--but not famed enough to make a living in America." His statement summed up the conflict that plagued this musical genius his entire life: volatility, pain, prescience, and raw rage roiled inside a complex man, composer, bass player, and trombonist who transcended labels and refused to be pigeonholed into a single musical style--and who did not achieve real fame until late in his career. The documentary is full of well-preserved footage and contains interviews with many Mingus followers like Wynton Marsalis as well as performances by icons Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, and Gerry Mulligan. The film traverses past the musical legend with insight and information into Mingus's personal life, his civil rights activism, and his final triumph in the music world--just as his body began to deteriorate from Lou Gehrig's disease--to his eventual death in 1979. Mingus left a legacy composed of genius, vulnerability, brilliance, anarchy, and, as one friend noted, "the entire range of human emotion that is reflected in his music." --Paula Nechak

The Legend of Teddy Edwards

The Legend of Teddy Edwards is a loving tribute to a jazz musician's jazz musician. A great player who gigged with Max Roach, Clifford Brown, and Charlie Parker, among others, Teddy Edwards never quite achieved the success his talent deserved. He was always a stalwart of the Los Angeles jazz scene, and in this film we see the tenor saxophonist (now nearing 78 years old) reminiscing about his life and performing with his current working band. It's great to hear a musician play who still has it, and, by God, Teddy Edwards still has it. As proof, there's a 1962 performance from Jazz Scene USA. Like vintage wine from fine old kegs, he just gets better. --Kristian St. Clair

Teddy Edwards, a pioneering tenor saxophonist, master balladeer, superb improvisor and accomplished composer/arranger, is best known for his outstanding collaborations with Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman, Dexter Gordon, Clifford Brown and Tom Waits. On this DVD, Edwards showcases his impassioned music while recalling his wildly emotional six-decade-plus career, full of innovative discoveries, high times and devastating setbacks. Tracks: L.A. After Dark, Regina, Takin' Off, I'm So Afraid of Love, At the La Villa, Interlude.

Louis Prima: The Wildest! [Region 2]

He may have been "just a gigolo," but it's easy to understand why Louis Prima continues to find audiences both young and old. The trumpeter and bandleader was at the forefront of the rock & roll movement, he was the epitome of the cool, singing and swinging Italian crooner ("Oh Marie"), and he achieved immortality as King Louie in Disney's Jungle Book. But the entertainer also went through five wives, struggled to keep up with new musical trends, and, ultimately, will be remembered as one of the world's great lounge acts.

Louis Prima: The Wildest chronicles his rise to fame from his early years in the French Quarter of New Orleans to his glory days in Sin City. Interviews with jazz critics, former wife Keely Smith, and numerous bandmates abound in this well-made documentary. But the real highlight for Prima fans will be the live music footage, showcasing Smith and Prima singing in their prime, his crackerjack band that knew how to swing, twist, and (yes) rock when it mattered, and Prima's incredible stage presence. The fascinating footage is abundant here- -from "Chinatown" to "Sing, Sing, Sing" to an awe-inspiring performance of "I'm in the Mood for Love." No one can ever sum up what makes Prima so magical, but the music speaks for itself. Added DVD features include some uncut concert performances and a few audio-only bonus tracks. --Jason Verlinde

Louis Prima: The Wildest! [Region 2]

He may have been "just a gigolo," but it's easy to understand why Louis Prima continues to find audiences both young and old. The trumpeter and bandleader was at the forefront of the rock & roll movement, he was the epitome of the cool, singing and swinging Italian crooner ("Oh Marie"), and he achieved immortality as King Louie in Disney's Jungle Book. But the entertainer also went through five wives, struggled to keep up with new musical trends, and, ultimately, will be remembered as one of the world's great lounge acts.

Louis Prima: The Wildest chronicles his rise to fame from his early years in the French Quarter of New Orleans to his glory days in Sin City. Interviews with jazz critics, former wife Keely Smith, and numerous bandmates abound in this well-made documentary. But the real highlight for Prima fans will be the live music footage, showcasing Smith and Prima singing in their prime, his crackerjack band that knew how to swing, twist, and (yes) rock when it mattered, and Prima's incredible stage presence. The fascinating footage is abundant here- -from "Chinatown" to "Sing, Sing, Sing" to an awe-inspiring performance of "I'm in the Mood for Love." No one can ever sum up what makes Prima so magical, but the music speaks for itself. Added DVD features include some uncut concert performances and a few audio-only bonus tracks. --Jason Verlinde