Jazz on a Summer's Day Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Jazz on a Summer's Day Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 3, 2021

Bert Stern's "Jazz on a Summer's Day" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of IndieCollect/Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include archival video interview with the director; trailer for the recent restoration of the film; Shannah Laumeister Stern's documentary "Bert Stern: Original Madman"; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

I can’t decide if I should be overly excited that Jazz on a Summer’s Day exists, or be seriously underwhelmed that it isn’t the type of film I desperately hoped it would turn out to be. There is no way I am the only person that feels this way. Just look at some of the great musicians and singers that appeared before Bert Stern’s camera: Thelonious Monk, Chuck Berry, Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, and Gerry Mulligan. You don’t have to be a jazz fan to get overly excited, folks, you just need to love music. I do, and these names were enough to instantly raise my expectations very, very high.

But perhaps impossibly high as well.

Stern shot Jazz on a Summer’s Day while attending the Newport Jazz Festival in Rhode Island in 1958. While I was watching his film -- which by the way was recently restored in 4K and looks quite wonderful -- I quickly realized that it was very much a labor of love, a completely unscripted one as well. I am rarely, if ever, disappointed by these types of projects because they are usually free of ‘talking heads’ and tend to be great time capsules, so approximately fifteen minutes into the film I already knew that I will like it. I just did not know how much. Then again, the names that I mentioned earlier had me mentally prepared for a rather special experience.

I liked large portions of the film, which is essentially the music footage with the stars, but was unimpressed with the rest because it often feels quite random. For example, many great performances are either interrupted by arty inserts or abandoned in favor of unrelated segments with visuals from the surrounding areas. The majority of the time the music is still heard in the back, but once the camera moves away from the stage the film begins to look quite unfocused, often even amateurish. Simply put, there is nothing of interest in the bonus footage. A group of young boys and girls observe other young boys and girls. An overworked waiter picks up beer bottles and then carries them to another location. Seagulls fly high up in the sky. What is Stern’s camera looking for? It is impossible to tell because there isn’t a meaningful thread to follow. It feels a lot like someone incorrectly assumed that Jazz on a Summer’s Day ought to be more than just a music documentary, which is why the random arty footage was added up to transform it into something else. I could be wrong, but I was unable to come up with a better justification for the existence of the inserts. That’s too bad because not a single performance disappoints, so if Stern had kept his camera focused on the stage, Jazz on a Summer’s Day would have been one of the greatest music documentaries from the post-war years.

The best performance comes from The Gerry Mulligan Quartet (Art Farmer, Dave Bailey, Mill Crow, and Gerry Mulligan). It is a short but absolutely electric display of incredible improvisational skills and team work that actually feels inspirational. Later on, Armstrong’s trumpet sets the stage on fire as well, but it is immediately obvious that he is a leader and has a tremendous influence on the musicians around him.

*The following text appears in the booklet that is included with this release: “The Library of Congress named Jazz on a Summer's Day to its National Film Registry in 1999. The Library’s National Film Preservation Board funded the IndieCollect restoration in time to celebrate the film’s 60th anniversary at the New York Film Festival in 2019. After the restoration was completed, the film elements were placed at the Library of Congress, along with a brand new 4K digital preservation master.”

Jazz on a Summer's Day Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jazz on a Summer's Day arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of IndieCollect/Kino Lorber.

The following text appears in the booklet that is included with this release:

"The Library of Congress named Jazz on a Summer's Day to its National Film Registry in 1999. The Library's National Film Preservation Board funded the IndieCollect restoration in time to celebrate the film's 60th anniversary at the New York Film Festival in 2019. After the restoration was completed, the film elements were placed at the Library of Congress, along with a brand new 4K digital preservation master."

It is very easy to tell that the release is sourced from a recent 4K master. The density levels of the visuals, their stability and overall very solid organic appearance make it painfully obvious that Jazz on a Summer's Day has been given a new life. The color scheme is healthy and very convincing as well. On the other hand, I think that the term 'restoration' isn't entirely appropriate when addressing the 4K master. Why? Because there is still quite a bit of minor surface damage that a proper restoration would have eliminated. Think tiny cuts, dirt spots, and blemishes, a few scratches as well. Your viewing experience will not be negatively affected by them, but I have to mention them because proper restorations produce a different end product. As the credits above confirm, the current project was finalized with preservation in mind, so the standard was obviously different. What else? There are no traces of problematic digital work, which means that all density fluctuations that you will notice are inherited. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Jazz on a Summer's Day Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

• Archival Interview with Bert Stern - in this archival piece, Bert Stern quickly addresses the conception of Jazz on a Summer's Day. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Bert Stern: Original Madman - this documentary takes a closer look at the life and career of photographer/director Bert Stern. It was produced by Shannah Laumeister Stern in 2011. In English, not subtitled. (89 min).

• Photos of Louis Armstrong - a collection of photographs taken by Bert Stern. (4 min).

• Contact Sheets of Photos - taken by Bert Stern. (5 min).

• Trailer - trailer for the recent 4K restoration of Jazz on a Summer's Day. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Booklet - 10-page booklet featuring "Festival of Lights: Jazz on a Summer's Day" by critic and author Nate Chinen as well as technical credits.

Jazz on a Summer's Day Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I did not notice any serious damage to report in our review. The minor fluctuations in terms of balance, depth, and clarity that emerge from time to time are part of the original soundtrack. These types of older and very fluid documentaries usually have them, and I think that this is why the lossless audio is as it is -- it replicates the native qualities of the original soundtrack.

Jazz on a Summer's Day Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Gerry Mulligan Quartet blew me away. There are other special performances as well, but these guys were sensational, and trust me, I am not exaggerating. I wish Bert Stern would have kept his camera focused on the stage so that Jazz on a Summer's Day could have had a lot more footage with the stars of the Newport Jazz Festival. In its current form the film looks a bit too fluid at times and leaves the impression that it loses focus of what matters the most, which is the great music and the people that are responsible for it. Still, Jazz on a Summer's Day is a fine American time capsule that should appeal to anyone that loves good music. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.