David Chertok has accumulated over 35 years one of the largest known jazz film collections in the world. Since 1975, when he began showing his films and giving lectures, he has appeared at festivals and colleges throughout the world, from Italy to South Africa, Atlanta to New Orleans. Drawing from diverse sources - early shorts, portions of feature films, tv shows, newsreels, and documentaries - Chertok has put together a file of almost 700 items, running over 300 hours of playing time. For this three-night series, Chertok has programmed three entirely distinct sets of films. His format in these presentations is simple and effective: brief, knowledgeable introductions of each reel, then the films themselves.
Tonight we are treated to a big band segment with Jimmy Dorsey performing “Tangerine,” Charlie Barnet swinging with “Cherokee,” Count Basie's “Swinging the Blues,” and Tommy Dorsey's “Song of India.” Another reel features some of the great jazz vocalists, highlighting Nat King Cole's “Sweet Lorraine,” Sarah Vaughan singing “Thinking of You,” and Ella Fitzgerald with Duke Ellington in “Lush Life.” Three clips stand out as especially distinctive: Miles Davis and John Coltrane in “So What,” a rare film of Charlie Parker with Dizzy Gillespie burning through “Hot House,” and Billie Holiday with solos from Ben Webster, Lester Young, Roy Eldrige, Coleman Hawkins, and Gerry Mulligan in “Fine and Mellow.” --Al Evers.

Please Note: Jazz in the Movies, Parts Two and Three will be held in Wheeler Auditorium on the UC Berkeley Campus, tomorrow night, October 27, and Wednesday, October 28.