Jazz
has been one of America’s truly unique and far-ranging inventions, an
art form unto itself. And while there have been many regions throughout
the country that have contributed to the development of the genre, the
coasts have been where a lot of the most timeless evolutions and
recordings have been made, ergo the sometimes awkward, sometimes
arbitrary divisions of Jazz Shots From the East Coast and its left coast partner.

This
outstanding continuing series of DVDs pays homage to the two respective
coasts and to some of the most important musicians who spent major
portions of their careers in one of the two titular hubs. While a great
many of these musicians were born in the Midwest or the South and later
moved to one of the two coasts, what is taken into account when placing
the musician is both where they spent the bulk of their artistic career
and where they recorded their most influential works, as well as the
nexus of subsequent generations that they in turn influenced. A bit
subjective? You bet, but unlikely to start an East Coast/West Coast
beef that will take down major players or fans. And hey, if it tricks a
few geographical chest-thumpers into discovering more about jazz, I’m
all for it.

In Jazz Shots From the East Coast, John Coltrane’s “Afro
Blue” is notable for the way it takes a minor slip in key and bends it
into a new clever new phrase, while Miles Davis & the Gil Evans
Orchestra give “The Duke,” “Blues for Pablo” and “New Rumba” notable
workouts. Mission: Impossible composer Lalo Schifrin pops up on
several numbers tickling ivories, including the Dizzy Gillespie
Quintet’s “Blues After Dark” and “Lorraine.” (And yes, the
aforementioned maestro’s cheeks still reached comical, bullfrog
proportions even back then.) Other standout tracks include the Count
Basie Orchestra’s “Dickie’s Dream,” Charlie Parker’s “Hothouse,” Louis
Armstrong’s “Someday” and Miles Davis and John Coltrane trading licks
on “So What.”

Jazz Shots From the West Coast includes plenty of
contributions from Teddy Edwards, the under-regarded Wes Montgomery,
the Shorty Rogers Quintet and Lester Young (including a nifty rendition
of “On the Sunny Side of the Street”), but Stan Kenton’s short, sweet
“Limehouse Blues” and the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s “Take Five” and “(It’s
a) Raggy Waltz” leave a lasting impression as well.

Packaged in regular Amray cases, each disc in the Jazz Shots
series comes keyed in its own color, and is presented in 1.33:1 full
frame. Though frequently lacking in crispness of image, the transfers
are generally pretty good in terms of grain, and some of the footage is
in color and some in black-and-white. The artistry on display also
varies pretty widely; evocative close-ups and fade ins and outs stud
the Jimmy Smith Trio’s “Walk on the Wild Side” and a few other tracks,
while others are shot in straightforward, pedestrian fashion.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any supplemental bonus features to round
out these titles, but they are — individually and collectively — superb
and engaging treats, either as introductions to jazz or valentines for
longtime fans. B+ (Shows) C- (Disc)