The Last of the Blue Devils/Kansas City Story

LAST OF THE BLUE DEVILS: THE KANSAS CITY JAZZ STORY

DESCRIPTION:
The Last Of The Blue Devils is a rare document of the 1974 reunion that brought together Kansas City swing and blues giants Count Basie, Big Joe Turner and Jay McShann, as well as countless performers and instrumentalists in the Kansas City jazz scene from the 30s onwards. Along with being an endearing and loving portrayal of each of these great musicians, it is also a celebration of one of the most important cities that formed modern jazz. A chronicle of Kansas City, the birthplace of "Bird" (Charlie Parker), The Last Of The Blue Devils is a movie about time standing still.

The Last Of The Blue Devils is much more than reminiscences of a group of friends playing the blues and reliving old times, it is a document of a revolution in modern music. Producer and director Bruce Ricker crafts a wonderful, one-of-a-kind film which catches incredible performances by using a split-screen technique that shows the soul and passion of the players, as well as their technical prowess as the top jazz musicians of their day.

Featuring the talents of Count Basie, Big Joe Turner, Jay McShann and others, The Last Of The Blue Devils is chock-full of great performances. Count Basie, one of the most important jazz bandleaders in history, was in Bennie Moten's Orchestra, the top territory band of the 1920s which set the standard for Kansas City jazz. In Blue Devils we hear a jovial Basie playing "One O'Clock Jump," which became the band's theme song, and reminiscing eloquently about Moten as being "the most lovable leader you'd ever meet in your life."

DVD Special Features:
Audio commentary by director-producer Bruce Ricker,and 19 minutes of outtakes, including the musical numbers "Honey Hush", "Rose Garden", "Chains of Love" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll", performed by Big Joe Turner and Jay McShann.

DVD (NTSC/REGION 1)
90 Min.