''Jivin' in Be-Bop'' is a 1947

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks ...

produced by

William D. Alexander William D. Alexander (1916 – November 19 1991) was an American filmmaker. He made U.S. government sponsored newsreels for African American audiences. He later established his own production company, Alexander Productions, in New York City and b ...

and starring

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

and His Orchestra, which included notable musicians such as bassist Ray Brown, vibraphonist

Milt Jackson Milton Jackson (January 1, 1923 – October 9, 1999), nicknamed "Bags", was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms. He is especially remembered for his cool swinging solo ...

, and pianist

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

. It also features singers

Helen Humes Helen Humes (June 23, 1913 – September 9, 1981) was an American singer. Humes was a teenage blues singer, a vocalist with Count Basie's band, a saucy R&B diva, and a mature interpreter of the classic popular song. Early life She was born on ...

and Kenny "Pancho" Hagood, Master of Ceremonies Freddie Carter, and a group of dancers.

Content

The film consists of a plotless

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

presented in a theatrical setting, offering a total of 19 musical and dance numbers. Gillespie and his band are shown performing eight songs, including "

Salt Peanuts "Salt Peanuts" is a bebop tune reportedly composed by Dizzy Gillespie in 1942, credited "with the collaboration of" drummer Kenny Clarke. It is also cited as Charlie Parker's. The original lyrics have no exophoric meaning. Instead, they are a skat ...

", "One Bass Hit", " Oop Bop Sh'Bam" and "He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped". The band plays off-camera while dancers perform during the remaining songs, which include "Shaw 'Nuff", "

A Night in Tunisia "A Night in Tunisia" is a musical composition written by Dizzy Gillespie around 1940–42, while Gillespie was playing with the Benny Carter band. It has become a jazz standard. It is also known as "Interlude", and with lyrics by Raymond Leveen w ...

", "Grosvenor Square" and "

Ornithology Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Production

The liner notes that accompany the DVD release suggest the tracks were prerecorded. One of Gillespie's biographers confirms this, although at least one critic believes the musicians were playing live.

Reception

The dance sequences have been described as "dull and frequently silly" by writer Phil Hall, who wrote that ''Jivin' in Be-Bop'' includes "one of the worst ballets ever put on film". Gillespie's dancing, on the other hand, is generally praised. One writer said "his unique technique is shown to great effect" in the film. One biographer described Gillespie "skipping about the stage", and another wrote that Gillespie was "quite happy to dance to the band's sounds, ... spinning around and mugging in front of the band". Between songs, Carter tells jokes and banters with Gillespie. Film historian

Donald Bogle Donald Bogle is an American film historian and author of six books concerning black history in film and on television. He is an instructor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and at the University of Pennsylvania. Early years Bogle g ...

described the comic routines as "dull-witted". Bogle went on: "There are only two redeeming factors here: namely Dizzy Gillespie and vocalist Helen Humes. Otherwise the proceedings are pretty dreary."

Home media

A 1993 video, ''Things to Come'', included the eight on-screen performances by Gillespie and the band from ''Jivin' in Be-Bop'', together with some numbers from another Alexander-produced musical, ''Rhythm in a Riff'', which featured

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

. ''Jivin' in Be-Bop'' was released on DVD in 2004. The between-song banter between Carter and Gillespie was cut. According to one reviewer, the DVD was produced from a badly damaged print, which made portions of the film "unwatchable".

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jivin' In Be-Bop 1947 musical films 1947 films African-American musical films Jazz films American musical films American black-and-white films 1940s American films 1940s English-language films English-language musical films