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Queens of Jazz: The Joy and Pain of the Jazz Divas

The documentary tracks the diva's difficult progress as she emerges from the tough, testosterone-fuelled world of the big bands of the 30s and 40s, to fill nightclubs and saloons across the US in the 50s and early 60s as a force in her own right. Looking at the lives and careers of six individual singers (Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and Annie Ross), the film not only talks to those who knew and worked with these queens of jazz, but also to contemporary singers who sit on the shoulders of these trailblazing talents without having to endure the pain and hardship it took for them to make their highly individual voices heard above the prejudice of mid-century America.

Top Cast

  • Peggy Lee

    Peggy Lee

    Self (archive footage)

  • Sarah Vaughan

    Sarah Vaughan

    Self (archive footage)

  • Nina Simone

    Nina Simone

    Self (archive footage)

  • Ella Fitzgerald

    Ella Fitzgerald

    Self (archive footage)

  • Annie Ross

    Annie Ross

    Self

  • Melody Gardot

    Melody Gardot

    Self

  • Madeleine Peyroux

    Madeleine Peyroux

    Self

  • Billie Holiday

    Billie Holiday

    Self (archive footage)

Overview

The documentary tracks the diva's difficult progress as she emerges from the tough, testosterone-fuelled world of the big bands of the 30s and 40s, to fill nightclubs and saloons across the US in the 50s and early 60s as a force in her own right. Looking at the lives and careers of six individual singers (Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and Annie Ross), the film not only talks to those who knew and worked with these queens of jazz, but also to contemporary singers who sit on the shoulders of these trailblazing talents without having to endure the pain and hardship it took for them to make their highly individual voices heard above the prejudice of mid-century America.

Rating

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