Les Femmes de Jazz (2004)

Part of the North East Jazz Festival

Director: Gilles Corre
Certificate: Not Rated
Length:
Format: DVD
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Awarded the Golden FIPA prize at the Biarritz Festival, in January 2000, Women in Jazz was filmed in New York during April and May 1999 to mark the "Women in Jazz Month in New-York" which was put on by the drummer Susie Ibarra in the Tonic Bar. This gave Gilles Corre the opportunity to portray some 20 women musicians, some well known, others less so, who set out to brave the New York jungle and make a name for themselves in the Jazz Hall of Fame. All manners of convictions underlie what they do : from whose who adopt full-on feminist stances to those who, by contrast, just play without paying and heed to sexist attitudes. Apart from the superb soundtrack played lively by this excellent line-up of musicians, "Women in Jazz", provides a overwhelming testimony to the sheer numbers of professional female musicians, their talent and creative spirit as well their historical importance in the development of jazz.To paraphrase the historian Rosetta Reitz, Jazz is no longer the men's club that it might seem to be.

£4/£3

Other films in the North East Jazz Festival:

27

Film: Ornette Coleman: Made In America (1985)

27 Sep 2009, 7 p.m.

Don't miss Shirley Clark's last film; a tribute to a great free player by one of the great independent voices of US cinema. Starts 7:00pm (note earlier than usual)

27

Film: The Gannets

27 Sep 2009, 8:30 p.m.

The Gannets formed by Fyfe Dangerfield from Indie band the Guillimots have taken the improv world by storm. With players Cundy Ward Lash and Noble a quintet not so much rewriting rules as throwing them out the window.