It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!

From the moment I heard this was being broadcast on PBS I began salivating. As a fan (and wannabe performer) of certain jazz "genres" (specifically be-bop, acid and free), I was interested in seeing how this music form evolved from the Bordellos of N'awlins to swing and big band to Miles Davis' fusion experiments. For the most part, the series accomplished this. But it does seem to focus mostly on Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, who appear in almost every episode. There's no doubt that they are the most influential figures in jazz, and it was amazing to see how almost everything branches off from what they did. But I would have liked to seen more on performers such as Davis, T.S. Monk, Sonny Rollins, Sun Ra (my personal favorite) etc. There was also a lack of Latin performers such as Tito Puente. Burns even said it was almost impossible to include EVERYone, but I feel this would have also been an interesting subject to learn.

As with Burns' other works, this is not JUST about Jazz. It does touch heavily upon the subject of race in America, as well as American history in general. This is another reason I think he spent so much time on earlier performers. Most of us today can't remember what it was like in such heavily segregated society. I can't even imagine what it was like not to be able to stay in the same hotels that just had you perform for them!

The interviews accented the story line very well. Some of the interviewees (like Matt Glaser) were almost as entertaining to watch as the show itself!