Originally aired in 1959 as an installment of NBC's Lincoln Mercury Startime Jerry Lewis' earnest tribute to the landmark 1927 Al Jolson film the first feature to use synchronized sound tells the tale of a Jewish nightclub crooner who is forced to weigh his career ambitions against his devotion to family after being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The last in a long line of Jewish cantors Joey Rabinowitz Lewis forsakes singing in the synagogue to entertain audiences as a jazz singer and comedian. Meanwhile Joey's disapproving father Eduard Franz makes no attempts to conceal his disappointment in the fact that his son has gone secular. Just as Joey is beginning to feel as if fame isn't in the cards a prominent television starlet invites him to perform before a national audience... Less

Originally aired in 1959 as an installment of NBC's Lincoln Mercury Startime, Jerry Lewis' earnest tribute to the landmark 1927 Al Jolson film (the first feature to use synchronized sound) tells the tale of a Jewish nightclub crooner who is forced to weigh his career ambitions against his devotion to family after being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The last in a long line of Jewish cantors, Joey Rabinowitz (Lewis) forsakes singing in the synagogue to entertain audiences as a jazz singer and comedian. Meanwhile, Joey's disapproving father (Eduard Franz) makes no attempts to conceal his disappointment in the fact that his son has gone secular. Just as Joey is beginning to feel as if fame isn't in the cards, a prominent television starlet invites him to perform before a national... Less

Sing Boy Sing (1958) Tommy Sands, Lili GentleDirector: H enry EphronCo- stars: Edmond O'Brien, Nick Adams, John McIntire, Josephine Hutchinson, Regis Toomey90 minutes, Black and WhiteDVD- R: Region ALLPop star Tommy Sands makes a successful screen debut in this JAZZ SINGER-styled story which serves as a showcase for his talents. He's a successful rock star with a $300,000-a-year income and a pushy agent (Edmond O'Brien) and press agent (Jerry Paris). But his dying grandfather (John McIntire) is an old-time preacher who tells the boy his life is full of sin. The old man dies and Sands, overwhelmed by guilt, takes to preaching. But his heart isn't in it, and finally he returns to the rock life after his aunt (Josephine Hutchinson) convinces him that one should always use the gifts given to... Less

Neil Diamond stars as Yussel in this tale of a young Jewish cantor who strives to make a career in music. Against the wishes of his rigid father and his loving wife, Yussel travels to California to play his music. Swept up by the excitement, he meets a woman who shares his dream. He grows apart from his family, and becomes confused about what he should ultimately do with his life.

This film showcases performances that date back to the 40s with artists Gene Krupa, Roy Eldridge, Stan Kenton, Louis Armstrong, and Hoagy Carmichael. She is shown teaching Billy Taylor how to be a jazz vocalist. Bert Stern comments on Anita performing for

The documentary film series ICONS AMONG US investigates the way that numerous iconic performers are dramatically reshaping contemporary jazz music. Four episodes of the program appear here. EPISODE 1: A QUIET REVOLUTION looks at the impact of jazz musicians on the voices of recent singers and the ongoing search of those vocalists for instruction; EPISODE 2: 12 NOTES IN REAL TIME rests on the notion that any given musician only has 12 notes from which to express his emotion - making real-time improvisation a daunting yet admirable art form; EPISODE 3: IN THE SPIRIT OF FAMILY explores the lifestyle and friendships belying the concept of a "collective" in jazz music - which, in turn, make collaborative creation during jams and recording sessions that much more exciting; and EPISODE 4:... Less

30th Anniversary Edition: Neil Diamond stars as Yussel in this tale of a young Jewish cantor who strives to make a career in music. Against the wishes of his rigid father and his loving wife, Yussel travels to California to play his music. Swept up by the excitement, he meets a woman who shares his dream. He grows apart from his family, and becomes confused about what he should ultimately do with his life.

Originally aired in 1959 as an installment of NBC's Lincoln Mercury Startime, Jerry Lewis' earnest tribute to the landmark 1927 Al Jolson film (the first feature to use synchronized sound) tells the tale of a Jewish nightclub crooner who is forced to weigh his career ambitions against his devotion to family after being given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The last in a long line of Jewish cantors, Joey Rabinowitz (Lewis) forsakes singing in the synagogue to entertain audiences as a jazz singer and comedian. Meanwhile, Joey's disapproving father (Eduard Franz) makes no attempts to conceal his disappointment in the fact that his son has gone secular. Just as Joey is beginning to feel as if fame isn't in the cards, a prominent television starlet invites him to perform before a national... Less

Features: Music is the universal language, reaching all races and all ages. Now you can enhance this universal language with the beautiful gestures of sign language. With Sign Language for Singers, you will learn over 160 beautiful movements most commonly used by singers. The gestures are alphabetized for ease of use, with easy-to-follow definitions and demonstration photos for further visual reference. The DVD features John Jacobson demonstrating each gesture and with the DVD submenus, you can go directly to the move you desire. Also included are 10 featured songs with John performing the sign language, so you can see first-hand how these beautiful hand movements add meaning and depth to any musical performance. Add another dimension to your performances by incorporating the beautiful... Less

The Jazz Singer's Guidebook: A Course in Jazz Harmony and Scat Singing for the Serious Vocalist by David Berkman. Finally - a clear, step-by-step approach for serious singers who want to improve their grasp of jazz harmony and gain control of the music they are singing!The Jazz Singer's Guidebook will help you to: *Learn the basics of how to accompany yourself on piano *Learn how to write good lead sheets for your songs *Understand the structure of the music, and thereby improve your ability to improvise on the songs you sing. *Learn how to hear chord tones and tension notes on the chords found in standard tunes. *Learn how to use chord scales, chromatic embellishments and guide tones to make up melody variations and scat solos. *And much more! 142 pages, plus CD included.

All his life he trained to be a cantor, but now Jerry Golding has other ideas. He wants to see his name up in lights on Broadway!Danny Thomas, star classic TV comedy series Make Room for Daddy, plays Jerry in this 1952 update of the 1927 movie landmark that introduced the Sound Era. Opposite Thomas is musical legend Peggy Lee. Both Thomas and Lee rarely appear in films, which makes this heart-tugging show business story even more exceptional. Exceptional, too, are performances of song standards like Birth of the Blues, If I Could Be with You and I'm Looking over a Four-Leaf Clover. (Ray Heindorf and Max Steiner shared an Oscar(r) nomination for Best Musical Scoring). Watch Lee wrap Cole Porter's Just One of Those Things in vocal silk and smoke and then set Rodgers and Hart's Lover ablaze... Less

After his pioneering independent film SHADOWS 1960 actorwriterdirect or John Cassavetes made his major studio directorial debut with this gritty low-key drama about jazz musicians. Bobby Darin plays John "Ghost" Walefield a pianist who scuffles from gig to gig with his band trying to keep body and soul together without betraying his muse. Ghost's agent Benny Everett Chambers introduces him to Jess Stella Stevens a would-be singer who looks beautiful even though her voice is fair at best. Ghost falls hard for her and agrees to put her in the band though it's hard to say if he believes in her musical talent or just wants her companionship. Ghost and his band score a record deal thanks to Jess' presence but after a humiliating fight in a pool hall and Ghost's discovery that Jess occasionally... Less

Bill Withers was one of the singular musical artists of the 1970s; an African-American singer/songwriter , Withers embraced elements of soul and funk in some of this hits (most notably "Use Me"), but he also drew from gospel ("Lean on Me"), jazz ("Just the Two Of Us"), country ("Who Is He and What Is He to You"), and contemporary folk ("Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands"), and his music was marked by a simple but expressive emotional outlook and a warm sincerity in both his vocals and his songwriting. Withers was a major star in the 1970s, but by 1985 he'd grown tired of battling record companies for control of his music and wanted to step away from the footlights to live a quieter life with his family. Withers has rarely performed in public since, despite a continued interest in... Less

Lisa Popeil is an internationally recognized singing expert and one of Los Angeles' top voice coaches. An MFA in Voice, and a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, Voice and Speech Trainers Association and The Voice Foundation, she conducts voice research and lectures widely on the Voiceworks® Method. The Voiceworks® Method is a systematic approach that has been developed for over thirty years and has been used enthusiastically by thousands of singers from beginners to perfessionals, ages 6 to 80. "The Total Singer" clearly explains what every singer should know; posture, breathing, support, ring, registers and break elimination, Larynx positions, vibrato, control of nasality and breathiness, range and power techniques. "The Total Singer" also includes examples... Less

Popular film lore has it that THE JAZZ SINGER was the film that established the talkie as the pre-eminent film medium in 1927. But it was Al Jolson's follow-up film, THE SINGING FOOL that actually introduced the sound film to the general film-going population of the United States and it was the popularity of THE SINGING FOOL that paved the way for the wide-acceptance of sound features. Jolson plays Al Stone, a singing waiter at Blackie Joe's cafe, who writes a hit song and sky-rockets to success as a Broadway headliner. Looking ahead to unlimited success, Al falls in love with scheming golddigger Molly Winton (Josephine Dunn), whom he marries. When Molly gives him a son, Sonny Boy (Davey Lee), Al is beside himself with love for his cutey-pie offspring. But when Molly deserts him for... Less

This Grammy Award-winning, all-women, African-American a capella group has been spreading joy, hope, and inspiration through harmonious performances for the past 30 years. Capturing the complex sounds of spirituals, gospel hymns, African chants, and jazz, six accomplished singers combine their voices in heartfelt song. Rooted in the Civil Rights movement, Sweet Honey's music is stepped in the call for justice and messages of respect and peace.

The Born to Sing Vocal Master Course includes a DVD, 5 CDs and a book to form a powerhouse instructional program for learning how to sing or how to be a better singer. Designed by Howard Austin & Liz Howard, authors of the "Born to Sing" series, "Sing Like A Pro," and the "Vocal Power Method," these comprehensive, fully integrated cross-referenced multimedia voice lessons contain a step-by-step demonstration, music tracks to sing along with, and over 300 song phrases and vocal exercises.The Vocal Master Course includes:"Born to Sing" DVDThe vocal lessons include: Illustrating Breathing, Support, Focus, Resonating Sace, Consonants, Volume Control, Vibrato, Placement, Registers, Pop Mix, and Classical Mix."Technique" CDThis CD covers breath support, vibrato, range, resonance, pitch... Less

The Wedding Singer (Totally Awesome Edition) (Combo DVD + Blu-ray) (Blu-ray) Blu-Ray NewFormat: Blu-RayRuntime: 97Year: 2009Studio: AllianceDirector: Frank Coraci

Don Mock is internationally recognized as a master educator, guitarist, author, recording artist, composer, and synthesizer stylist. As one of the three original founding instructors at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in Hollywood, Don has long been known and respected for his broad knowledge of the instrument. In this DVD, Don uses the basic blues progression as a vehicle to teach chords and soloing techniques found in contemporary blues and jazz fusion. He starts by guiding you through the dominant chord family, showing the basic chords and their substitutions for comping, plus scales, arpeggios and melodic ideas for improvising. Next, he covers how to solo over each chord in the 12-bar blues using secondary dominants and the turnaround. Finally, he breaks down three... Less

Will Friedwald’s illuminating, opinionated essays— provocative, funny, and personal—on the lives and careers of more than three hundred singers anatomize the work of the most important jazz and popular performers of the twentieth century. From giants like Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Judy Garland to lesser-known artists like Jeri Southern and Joe Mooney, they have created a body of work that continues to please and inspire. Here is the most extensive biographical and critical survey of these singers ever written, as well as an essential guide to the Great American Songbook and those who shaped the way it has been sung. The music crosses from jazz to pop and back again, from the songs of Irving Berlin and W. C. Handy through Stephen Sondheim and beyond, bringing... Less