Inspired by the success of this film Norman and Gjon hooked up again in 1950 to make another movie focusing more on the newer sounds of bebop where improvisation flourished in the playing of people like Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, and Buddy Rich. Unfortunately, they made the decision to film in Gjon Mili's photography studio in downtown New York City and pre-record all the music because it wasn't a sound proof environment.
With multiple takes and using more them one camera angel, the problem became synchronizing the sound and the visual in the final product. Warner Brothers weren't interested in putting out the kind of money that editing a project like that would have cost in the 1950s. It wasn't until a few years ago with the advances made in editing technology, the film finally had the audio and video synchronized. It's still not perfect, in places the sound and visual are slightly out of sync, but that does nothing to depreciate its value as a historical record.
Norman Granz Presents: Improvisation starts off the first disc with this 1950s film and opens with the only known footage of Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins playing together. There are five excerpts in total from that movie, and they are each small gems. As far as I'm concerned, the only problem with them is they leave you wanting to see and hear more.
Watching Charlie Parker break into a huge grin at the antics of Buddy Rich on drums makes these excerpts worth watching. Being able to hear and watch him and Coleman Hawkins, followed by Lester Young and Ella Fitzgerald playing together, when they were all young and in their prime, is a treat no matter how small of a taste is offered.
The balance of the first disc is taken up with more concerts that Norman Granz filmed and organized where the musicians have been gathered together with the express purpose of improvising. The first of these wasn't filmed until the 1960s, and is a static shot of Duke Ellington playing in a trio and improvising a tune on the piano based on the sculpture of Spanish artist Joan Miro.
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