Jazz documentaries face a problem that other genres do not. A concert film of a jazz set has a harder time than a rock show, because the improvisation that makes the music exciting can make the footage feel shapeless to anyone who was not there.
The films that work find a way around that. A Great Day in Harlem photographs musicians standing outside a brownstone. Jazz on a Summer's Day is mostly people watching a festival in the sun. Neither leans on virtuosity.
The best place to start is The Girls in the Band, then A Great Day in Harlem, then Miles Davis, The Birth of the Cool.
New restorations, reissues and festival revivals keep moving this list, so we update it as they do.
The shelf, at a glance
Eleven films with their credits, so you can see what you are choosing between before you commit an evening.
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Jazz on a Summer's Day | 1959 | Bert Stern |
| Sun Ra, A Joyful Noise | 1980 | Robert Mugge |
| Let's Get Lost | 1988 | Bruce Weber |
| Buena Vista Social Club | 1999 | Wim Wenders |
| A Great Day in Harlem | 1994 | Jean Bach |
| The Girls in the Band | 2013 | Judy Chaikin |
| Chasing Trane | 2016 | John Scheinfeld |
| What Happened, Miss Simone | 2016 | Liz Garbus |
| Blue Note Records, Beyond the Notes | 2018 | Sophie Huber |
| Miles Davis, The Birth of the Cool | 2019 | |
| Ken Burns' Jazz | 2001 | Ken Burns |
The essential ones
A Great Day in Harlem, 1994. Jean Bach's film, built around a single 1958 photograph of dozens of jazz musicians outside a Harlem brownstone, shot for Esquire. The film works because it goes and finds all the people in the picture, twenty six years later, and asks them about the day. Thelonious Monk's kid yelling at him to hold still is the moment everyone remembers.
Jazz on a Summer's Day, 1959. Bert Stern at the Newport Jazz Festival. Less interested in the sets than in the crowd, the boats, the clothes, the whole afternoon of it. It is closer to a fashion shoot than a concert film and that is a compliment.
The Girls in the Band, 2013. Judy Chaikin's film about the female jazz musicians of the nineteen thirties and forties who played in the big bands and were then written out of the history entirely. The most underseen film on any of these lists. It is a history lesson and an infuriating one, because you keep wondering why you have never heard these names.
Miles Davis, The Birth of the Cool, 2019. The best Miles Davis documentary, which is not a crowded field given how many have been made. It does not look away from the difficult years.
Portraits and histories
Let's Get Lost, 1988. Bruce Weber on Chet Baker, made near the end of his life. Handsome, sad, and clearly aware that it is watching someone decline.
Chasing Trane, 2016. John Scheinfeld on John Coltrane, with a lot of care taken over the music rather than just the biography. It takes the recordings seriously enough to explain them.
Blue Note Records, Beyond the Notes, 2018. Sophie Huber on the label rather than an artist, and a good reminder that some of the best jazz was shaped by business decisions and graphic design as much as by players.
What Happened, Miss Simone, 2016. Liz Garbus on Nina Simone. Jazz and soul and politics, told largely through her own words on tape. It does not look away from how badly she was treated.
Sun Ra, A Joyful Noise, 1980. Robert Mugge gets closer than most. It is the rare film that gets close to what Sun Ra actually was, which most biographies give up on.
Ken Burns' Jazz, 2001. Ten hours. Comprehensive to a fault, and the best single overview of the music's history if you want the whole arc.
The Latin and Cuban edge
Buena Vista Social Club, 1999. Wim Wenders on Cuban musicians in their seventies and eighties getting recorded at the end of their lives, and the record becoming a global hit. It is joyful and quietly heartbreaking at the same time. Some would file it under Latin rather than jazz, and the line is not worth arguing about.
Trailer for Buena Vista Social Club.
Where to watch
Availability for older jazz films moves more than for any other genre, because the rights are complicated and the audiences are small.
Max carries Buena Vista Social Club.
Amazon Prime has The Girls in the Band included rather than rented.
Netflix carries What Happened, Miss Simone and a rotating selection.
Ken Burns' Jazz is a PBS production, so check PBS streaming first.
For older titles like Jazz on a Summer's Day and Let's Get Lost, digital rental is often the only reliable option. Worth the few dollars.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best jazz documentary? A Great Day in Harlem, 1994, for the single best film. Ken Burns' Jazz, 2001, for a complete history.
What is the best jazz documentary for someone who does not know jazz? The Girls in the Band, 2013. It is about people rather than technique, so you do not need to follow the music to be gripped by it.
Where can I watch Ken Burns' Jazz? It is a PBS production, so start with PBS streaming. It rotates elsewhere.
Is Buena Vista Social Club a jazz documentary? It is usually filed under Latin or Cuban music, and the distinction is not worth arguing about. It belongs on this list either way.
Are there good jazz documentaries about women musicians? Yes, and The Girls in the Band is the definitive one. It covers female players of the nineteen thirties and forties who were largely written out of the history.