"It must schwing!" was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Blue Note, the most successful movie ever made about jazz, is a testimony to the passion and vision of these two men and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made their label so famous.

1971 documentary short that surveys African American arts and culture, drawing inspiration from the “Black Is Beautiful” movement. Restored by Pittsburgh Sound + Image.

Jazz Icons: Art Blakey boasts an exceptional one-hour concert by Art Blakey from Paris in 1965. This performance showcases one of the few undocumented Blakey bands, the New Jazzmen, featuring the incomparable Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, as well as Jaki Byard on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Nathan Davis on sax and, of course, Art Blakey on drums—truly a powerhouse quintet! Freddie Hubbard’s incendiary playing on “Blue Moon” and the blistering 24-minute version of his own “Crisis,” serves as a cogent reminder that he was one of the most innovative trumpeters in jazz history. Setlist: The Hub / Blue Moon / Crisis / NY Theme

Concert performance by 30 jazz greats from the Blue Note label, at Town Hall, New York City, February 22nd, 1985.

Six Jazz legends gather at the Catalina Jazz club to discuss the style and personality of Miles Davis.

The trumpeter delivers a performance brimming with passion, virtuosity, and groove at the 1977 edition of the famous festival, a mecca of the international jazz scene since the early 1960s. A rare glimpse into the history of jazz.