Jay McShann Goldmine

Rejoice, fellow fans of Kansas City jazz! Over an hour of footage of Jay McShann leading an all-star band in a tribute to Charlie Parker has been posted at YouTube. It's apparently from a 1989 French documentary.

I'm ecstatic about discovering this priceless material.

The video featured above is the film's introduction. It contains rehearsal and formal concert footage of jazz giants including Carmel Jones, Phil Woods, Al Grey, Clark Terry and Benny Carter. Terence Blanchard is the only young guy in the group.

Here are links to just a few of the related videos. This one features Jimmy Heath's excellent explanation of Parker's legacy. McShann is interviewed here. His distinctive accent always cracked me up. Max Roach and Dizzy Gillespie work out a chart in this clip.

Prepare to shed tears of joy.