Jazz on the Big Screen: Between the Musician's Reality and the Magic of Cinema

Whether it's morning or evening, a weekend, because you feel like it, or during a vacation—you grab a blanket, curl up on the sofa with a bowl of popcorn, and finally sit down to watch that movie you’ve had pending, the one everyone says is amazing... Suddenly, a melody starts playing that hooks you instantly and gets your feet moving to the rhythm of swing...

Today’s reflection explores how cinema has portrayed jazz (and jazz musicians). What comes out on top—reality or fiction? Let’s dive in…

The first title we can’t overlook is The Jazz Singer, released in 1927—a film about the duality of choosing between following your passion or sticking to family tradition (well, just like La La Land in 2017…). In 1927, Duke Ellington and his orchestra were playing at the Cotton Club, and Louis Armstrong was doing the same with Joe "King" Oliver’s orchestra in Chicago. It’s well known that many musicians played for long hours, and one of the ways they escaped or coped with marathon sessions was through smoking and drinking—perhaps in the same spirit as the film Young Man with a Horn from 1950, where the protagonist, despite having the perfect melody in his head, cannot express it through his instrument, even though he's a virtuoso. This suffering leads him to self-destruction through alcohol. Remember Paul Gonsalves falling asleep during a performance? Was it exhaustion or a hard lifestyle?

That self-destruction—whether in pursuit of excellence, due to social circumstances, the lure of fame and fortune, or simply as a way to survive long gigs—often comes as a consequence of drug and alcohol use. The film Bird (1988), about the life of Charlie Parker, is a powerful portrayal of how one can reach the top and crash due to substance abuse (sometimes imposed, sometimes chosen for pleasure…). Another essential film is Round Midnight (1986), directed by Bertrand Tavernier and starring saxophonist Dexter Gordon (in an Oscar-nominated performance), based on the lives of Bud Powell and Lester Young. In it, we follow Dale Turner (Gordon), a talented but alcoholic saxophonist who finds refuge and friendship in Paris while still wrestling with his inner demons. A more recent film-documentary in the same vein is Back to Black (2024), which tells the rise and fall of Amy Winehouse due to drugs, alcohol, and toxic influences…

But Hollywood hasn’t only depicted the lives of jazz masters. It has also explored obsession, madness, strict discipline, and the suffering one goes through to succeed in music. A clear example is Whiplash (2014), or Crossroads (1986), in which a young man is willing to do whatever it takes to learn the roots of the blues—even challenging the devil’s own guitarist in a legendary guitar duel between Eugene (Ralph Macchio from The Karate Kid) and Jack Butler (Steve Vai). What a duel!

The United States isn’t the only country where jazz has made its mark in cinema. We know how "obsessive" the Japanese can be with any art form, fashion, or spark that arouses their curiosity—and jazz has been no exception.

Everyone has likely seen an anime at some point—those animated films based on Japanese comics (manga). And naturally, there are anime that draw from or revolve around jazz to make their stories more spectacular—or where jazz and its ups and downs are the story itself (not everything is about Son Goku or Arale…). Let’s look at a few examples:

Cowboy Bebop (1998), directed by Shinichiro Watanabe. Although it’s more anime than manga (though it has adaptations), its iconic soundtrack by Yoko Kanno is heavily influenced by jazz, blues, and bebop, contributing to its noir sci-fi atmosphere. The characters often live like jazz musicians: drifters, fortune seekers, and a bit outside the law.

Sakamichi no Apollon (2012), also by Watanabe and translated as Kids on the Slope, tells the story of high school students who meet and bond through jazz—just like how most bands start out.

And I couldn’t leave out the latest anime (I’ve already watched it four times and I’m still amazed by all its interwoven layers, very much in the style of Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge). For me, it combines everything we’ve mentioned: passion, struggle, virtuosity, and personal growth (though it skips over the “flirtation” with drugs and alcohol…). I’m talking about none other than Blue Giant by Yuzuru Tachikawa, released in 2024. It tells the story of…

So, what about the popcorn? And the blanket? What are you waiting for? 

I won’t spoil it for you—just watch it and let me know what you think. I’ll be reading.