Jammin' the Blues: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A short film with the title Jammin' the Blues. It consists of a single reel of positive, black-and-white, 16mm acetate film with bilateral variable-area optical sound. It opens with the narrator saying "This is a jam session. Quite often, these artists gather and play ad lib pop music. It could be called a midnight symphony." As he speaks, Lester Young appears on the screen wearing a pork pie hat. Next, Red Callender can be seeing playing the bass. Eventually, all members of the band become visible. As the camera focuses on Harry "Sweets" playing the trumpet, Marie Bryant walks on stage and sings the lyrics to "On the Sunny Side of the Street." Bass player Red Callender stands beside her as she sings. In the next scene, Sid Catlett is seated at a drum set. He is approached by Jo Jones who takes the drum sticks from Catlett and proceeds with a solo performance. The other band members then join him in performance. Marie Bryan and dancer Archie Savage then begin to do a dance routine. The camera focuses on different instrumentalists throughout the performance.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1944
• Directed by: Gjon Mili, Albanian American, 1904 - 1984
• Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures, American, founded 1923
• Subject of: Lester Young, American, 1909 - 1959
• Subject of: Red Callender, American, 1916 - 1992
• Subject of: Sidney Catlett, American, 1910 - 1951
• Subject of: Marie Bryant, American, 1919 - 1978
• Subject of: Archie Savage, American, 1914 - 2003
• Owned by: Ernie Smith, American, ca. 1925 - 2004
• Type: black-and-white films (visual works)
• Type: short subjects
• Type: 16mm (photographic film size)
• Medium: acetate film
• Dimensions: Duration (digital file): 00:10:44
• Dimensions: Physical extent (film): 360 ft
• Place made: United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Film
• Topic: Jazz (Music)
• Object number: 2015.275.28.1a
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Anonymous Gift in memory of Ernest (Ernie) R. Smith, Jazz Historian
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Warner Brothers Pictures Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.