Hot Chocolate

The story of the black, gay origins of rock n' roll. It explodes the whitewashed canon of American pop music to reveal the innovator – the originator – Richard Penniman. Through a wealth of archive and performance that brings us into Richard's complicated inner world, the film unspools the icon's life story with all its switchbacks and contradictions.

Anita O'Day with Gene Krupa and His Orchestra perform "Let Me Off Uptown".

The lives of two struggling musicians, who happen to be brothers, inevitably change when they team up with a beautiful, up-and-coming singer.

Documentary about jazz great Chet Baker that intercuts footage from the 1950s, when he was part of West Coast Cool, and from his last years. We see the young Baker, he of the beautiful face, in California and in Italy, where he appeared in at least one movie and at least one jail cell (for drug possession). And, we see the aged Baker, detached, indifferent, his face a ruin. Includes interviews with his children and ex-wife, women companions, and musicians.

Steve Raleight wants to produce a show on Broadway. He finds a backer, Herman Whipple and a leading lady, Sally Lee. But Caroline Whipple forces Steve to use a known star, not a newcomer. Sally purchases a horse, she used to train when her parents had a farm before the depression and with to ex-vaudevillians, Sonny Ledford and Peter Trott she trains it to win a race, providing the money Steve needs for his show.

Drummer Stanley Maxton moves to Los Angeles with dreams of opening his own jazz club, but falls in with a gangster and a nightclub dancer and ends up accused of her murder.

Sylvia Froos features in this Vitaphone short from 1941.

Historic performance by the Dudley Moore Trio filmed in Australia in 1971. Tracklist 1 La Nuit S'Epanouit 2 The More I See You 3 Chimes 4 Love Song For An Imaginary Musical 5 The Look Of Love 6 Madrigal 7 Moon River 8 The Swan 9 Bedazzled 10 Song For Suzy 11 Die Flabbergast 12 Yesterdays 13 Fanfare 14 Strictly For The Birds 15 Goodbyeee

Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a treasure trove of rare historical footage in addition to interviews and performances by such living legends as Pinetop Perkins and Jay McShann, as well as Dave Brubeck and Marcia Ball.

Cab Calloway performing his famous hit "Minnie the Moocher".

Kirk Whalum curates this exciting collection of musicians, coming together to perform THE GOSPELACCORDING TO JAZZ. The artists include Kim Burrell, Jonathan Butler, Georke Duke, Paul Jackson Jr. and Tata Vega, all neatly complementing Whalum's forays into jazz, blues and gospel.

Kirk Whalum presents this music documentary-cum-live concert performance exploring the impact of jazz on modern retellings of the Gospel. The film includes performances by Kirk Whalum himself along with George Duke, Lalah Hathaway, Doc Powell and Kevin Whalum.

Containing a vibrant concert by the Miles Davis Band featuring Keith Jarrett.

Acoustic Alchemy: Best Kept Secret

In this Soundie, the Mills Brothers sing the title song to a cut-out image of Dorothy Dandridge, which then comes to life and dances for them.

The King Cole Trio and Ida James perform the title song in this Soundie.

Jazz session: Dizzy Gillepsie en concert au studio 104 - 1970

Jazz Legends: Charles Mingus & Eric Dolphy - 1964

In 1984, a fashionable young woman spontaneously lectures her friend about good oral hygiene. Produced by the American Dental Association.

Big Band leader and 1930s Broadway starlet Gracie Barrie sings a lovely little ditty about a wife’s revenge on her cheating husband. (Oddball Films)