[Dixielandjazz] New Musical DVD coming - One With Louis Armstrong

[Steve Barbone]

Got to be some good stuff here. Never released concert footage. Better yet,
they were originally filmed in Europe. Does this prove Cees' theory that
European Bands are better?

Cheers,
Steve

---------From the press release:

Dear Steve

Over the next few days, please be on the lookout for a package (from Naxos
of America) containing the first nine titles of the Jazz Icons (TM) DVD
series being released by the award winning company, Reelin' In The Years
LLC/TDK Recording Media Europe S.A.   The first wave of this illustrious
series features previously unreleased 60-90 minute performances by
Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, LOUIS ARMSTRONG, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy
Jones, Count Basie, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Buddy Rich and Chet
Baker.   The first nine titles will be released on September 26, 2006.   FOR
MORE INFORMATION see the official press release below and CLICK ON
http://www.jazzicons.com

LOST VINTAGE JAZZ CONCERTS DISCOVERED!

JAZZ ICONS (TM) DVD SERIES FEATURES UNSEEN CONCERTS
FILMED FOR TELEVISION IN THE 1950s-1970s.

FIRST NINE TITLES INCLUDE ELLA FITZGERALD, DIZZY GILLESPIE, THELONIOUS MONK,
LOUIS ARMSTRONG, COUNT BASIE, ART BLAKEY & THE JAZZ MESSENGERS, CHET BAKER,
BUDDY RICH AND QUINCY JONES

"The release of Jazz Icons(TM) is like the unearthing of a musical time
capsule-an audio-visual treasure trove of the music that changed the world.
>From Big Band and Bebop to Dixieland and Cool, it's all here and it all
swings. These jazz legends, from Dizzy and Count to Louis and Ella, are the
Bachs and Beethovens of our generation. From an educational standpoint this
series is a gift to our culture. I'm honored to be a featured part of it,
but I'm more thrilled just to sit down and watch it with my grandkids."
-Quincy Jones

A major event is about to take place in the world of Jazz-the release of the
Jazz Icons(TM) DVD Series featuring filmed concerts by the most pivotal and
influential jazz artists of the 20th century. Filmed in Europe between 1957
and 1978, the Jazz Icons(TM) DVDs feature the greatest legends of jazz
captured in their prime and accompanied by some of the most legendary
side-musicians of the day. Lost in the vaults of European television studios
(in some cases for nearly 50 years!), Reelin' In The Years Productions and
TDK Recording Media Europe S.A. are proud to announce the September 26, 2006
release of the first nine titles of the illustrious series featuring 60-90
minute performances by Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong,
Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Count Basie, Art Blakey & The Jazz
Messengers, Buddy! Rich and Chet Baker. All nine Jazz Icons(TM) DVD titles
are distributed by Naxos Of America and sold separately.

Each of the nine Jazz Icons(TM) DVDs features one or more concerts filmed
live in television studios and concert halls throughout Europe during one of
the most creative periods in jazz history (the majority of the material
being filmed between 1957 and 1966). None of these performances has ever
been officially released, and in many cases, the material was never
originally broadcast. In addition, every performance in the Jazz Icons(TM)
DVD series has been re-transferred and re-mastered from the best-quality
original masters yielding excellent sound and video. As with last year's
phenomenal discovery of the Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane At
Carnegie Hall concert, which went on to sell over 200,000 CDs, this series
is also a major find and treasure to the world of recorded and filmed jazz
music. To quote noted ! jazz writer and historian Ira Gitler (author of The
Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz), "These nine historic DVDs are among the
most important visual/aural documents to be discovered in the history of
Jazz. Now, most importantly, they are available to the entire world."

Among the wealth of highlights in the Jazz Icons(TM) DVD series are two
incredible Quincy Jones concerts (filmed in 1960) featuring an 18-piece band
that Quincy later described as his "dream band," which included some of the
finest musicians in jazz-Phil Woods, Clark Terry & Sahib Shihab. Another
highlight is a staggering one hour Art Blakey concert with what many jazz
historians consider to be his most important ensemble, the legendary 1958
Jazz Messengers with Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Bobby Timmons and Jymie
Merritt - a lineup that was only together for six months. The Jazz Icons(TM)
series also features two exceptional concerts of Ella Fitzgerald including
the earliest known complete Ella show (filmed in Belgium in 1957) and an
intimate in-studio appearance from 1963 taped in Sweden with pianist Tommy
Flanagan. Also featured in the series are two superb 1966 concerts from
Thelonious Monk filmed three days apart in Norway and Denmark.

Further concerts recently discovered for the Jazz Icons(TM) DVD series
include a riveting hour-long Count Basie show from Sweden taped in 1962
featuring the phenomenal drumming of Sonny Payne. Dizzy Gillespie is
represented by two historic concerts: the first from 1958 in Belgium with a
quintet including saxophonist Sonny Stitt, and the second from 1970 in
Denmark fronting the legendary Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band. The
Buddy Rich DVD boasts a thunderous 1978 concert taped in Holland and
featuring members of Buddy's "Killer Force," the group he would later call
"the best band I ever had." Chet Baker is represented by two concerts filmed
15 years apart including a haunting 1964 show in a Belgian TV studio and a
soulful 1979 set from Norway (together they provide an overview of Baker's
career.) Rounding out the DVD series is one of the only known complete Louis
Armstrong concerts from the 195! 0s to be captured on film. This 1959
concert, filmed in Belgium and backed by his stellar band, the All-Stars,
captures the great man in all his glory as both a jazz pioneer and an
entertainer without peer.

Every DVD in the Jazz Icons(TM) series is produced with the full support and
cooperation of the artists or their estates. In addition, each musician on
stage is being paid (either directly or through the American Federation Of
Musicians). Each DVD also includes a 16-page booklet with an extensive essay
written by an established jazz writer and historian (Ira Gitler, Michael
Cuscuna, Will Friedwald, Rob Bowman and others). In addition, each booklet
includes previously unseen photos and memorabilia. In many cases the artists
or heirs to the estate have provided rare never-before-seen artifacts or
contributed forewords.

Producers of the series, David Peck and Phil Galloway, said of Jazz
Icons(TM), "We're proud to be able to share this historic and unseen footage
with the world and since we've discovered even more concerts in these
vaults, we are looking forward to releasing additional titles in the
future."

Reelin' In The Years Productions LLC is the largest music footage library in
the world, housing over 10,000 hours of performances from all genres of
music covering the last 50 years. Most of the footage in their library has
never been seen or heard by the world at large. Reelin' In The Years
Productions' The American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1969 three volume DVD
series has received critical acclaim, commercial success and numerous
industry awards. Volume One was nominated for a GRAMMY® award in the
category of "Best Long Form Music Video," and Volume One and Two received
The Blues Foundation's prestigious 2004 Keeping The Blues Alive (KBA) Award
as well as Honorable Mention in Mojo Magazine's Honors List for best DVD of
2003. Other DVD releases include Muddy Waters Classic Concerts and the
legendary concert film ! Soul To Soul. 2006 saw the release of Marvin Gaye -
The Real Thing In Performance 1964 - 1981 DVD, the first official DVD
anthology of classic archival television performances by a Motown artist,
and in autumn of 2006 will see the release of The Temptations - Get Ready,
The Definitive Performances 1965 - 1972 DVD. In addition, Reelin' In The
Years Productions has provided footage for numerous DVDs including the
platinum-selling Led Zeppelin, AC/DC - Family Jewels and The Police -
Synchronicity Concert. For further information please visit
www.reelinintheyears.com.

For press information, product request and interviews, contact:
Don Lucoff at DL MEDIA; 610-667-0501, dondlmedia at covad.net, or Jason Paul
Harman Byrne at RED CAT PUBLICITY; 347-578-7601, redcatpublicity at aol.com

www.jazzicons.com