Summary
An anthology of jazz music which prior to the popular swing era of the 1930s and '40s is often referred to as "early jazz". Through its origins before the turn of the 20th century, jazz had evolved from a regional music, central to New Orleans and its surroundings, to a musical style at the forefront of national and international popular music by the 1930s and 1940s.
Cast
Includes profiles and music of Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter, Big Bill Broonzy, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, W.E. Burton, Joe King Oliver, Jonny Doods, Barrel House Five, Freddie Keppard, Willie "Bunk" Johnson, Clarence Williams, Sidney Bechet, Sonny Boy Williamson, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Fletcher Henderson, Paul Whiteman, Jimmy Lunceford, Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, The Dorsey Brothers, Django Reinhardt, Ray Nance, Benny Carter, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.