“One has to look no further for the origins of modern jazz than Kansas City of the 1930s. That is where such greats as Count Basie, Bennie Moten, Lester Young, Jay McShann and Charlie Parker created the formative styles which have influenced jazz ever since and, in many cases, have never been equalled.

“At last there is a film recalling that golden era.... It was largely shot during a reunion of the old Kansas City cats at the black musicians' union hall in 1974 and 1975. There Basie (in whose band ‘Prez' Young gained prominence), McShann (who gave ‘Yardbird' Parker his first shot), Big Joe Turner (probably the finest jazz-blues singer ever) and many others renewed old friendships, reminisced about the old days, and jumped into jam sessions that were nightly affairs in the old days.

“...The film, interspersed with rare film clips and photos, is filled with jazz lore that will appeal to fans....” -Juan Rodriguez, Montreal Gazette.

“This unique footage (originally 30 hours long) is now...edited down to 90 minutes of what may be the finest documentary on jazz yet made in the United States.... The sound track of the film alone (recorded in stereo) is extraordinary.... It is a complex landscape of night life and inspiration, an image of men wielding their ideas in a fast world of fame and hard dues. You get to know the people in this film and they are unforgettable.” -Max Jones, Jazz News.

Shown at the 1979 Montreal, Deauville, Hofer, London, Chicago and Los Angeles International Film Festivals, Last Of The Blue Devils also begins its theatrical run tonight at the Surf Theatre in San Francisco.