The Story of Jazz (Masters of American Music) (DVD)

Produced as the title segment to a six-part series, this 90-minute documentary traces the evolution of jazz from its 19th-century origins in New Orleans' Congo Square, where slaves first introduced American listeners to the complex rhythms and earthy textures of African music.

Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Willie the Lion Smith, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Jimmie Lunceford, Charles Mingus, Count Basie, Billy Holiday, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan and Gil Evans all appear, representing complete pantheon of major innovators and influences.