For the third installment in his Jazz Soundtracks series, local jazzman Ray Vega offers up this classic from 1986. Propelled by jazz immortal Dexter Gordon’s singular, phenomenal lead performance and Herbie Hancock’s dazzling soundtrack, Bertrand Tavernier’s ‘Round Midnight is one of the very best movies about jazz, the music and the people who make it.
In an Oscar-nominated performance, Gordon plays Dale Turner, an American expatriate saxophonist in Paris struggling with addiction. Gordon essentially re-wrote his character, adding all manner of wisdom and witticisms to the proceedings, basing some of his style on his mentor Lester Young. It’s hard to describe the majesty of Gordon’s performance, so I’ll let Richard Brody from The New Yorker do it: “The entire film is defined by Gordon’s voice, gestures, manner—his sheer presence…Essentially, Gordon is the movie. It’s not just that he should have had a writing credit; he’s almost the auteur…His performance remains one of the most distinctive and moving in cinema.”
Agreed.
And the music! Hancock won an Oscar for the music, of course – really, you almost have to pity the other nominees. The performances, and there are many full performances here, derive much of their power from the director’s insistence that the music be recorded live as the musicians played it, so…what you see is what you get. And you get a LOT! In addition to Hancock and Gordon, the film features a veritable who’s who of jazz legends – Wayne Shorter, Bobby Hutcherson, Billy Higgins, Cedar Walton, Freddie Hubbard, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, etc.
‘Round Midnight has undergone a fantastic 4K restoration featuring 5.1 sound, which will be heard to great effect in The Screening Room, which just happens to have 5.1 surround-sound. Trust me, it sounds good.
Save the date – Tickets to be available soon