The best Herbie Hancock’s documentary movies
If you love cinema, you will share this ranking of the best Herbie Hancock’s movies, although you may have ordered them differently. In any case, we hope you love it and with a little luck discovering a movie that you still don’t know about Herbie Hancock.
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
7.4/10
A visionary, innovator, and originator who defied categorization and embodied the word cool—a foray into the life and career of musical and cultural icon Miles Davis.
That Click
6.8/10
"That Click" is a documentary about legendary photographer Douglas Kirkland that with his camera portrayed sixty years of pop culture ranging from photojournalism to celebrity portraits, from film photography to global events. After taking some of the most iconic photos of Marilyn Monroe, with his unique style and approach he described fashion, celebrities and show business with immortal images that still influence us today.
We Are One With President-Elect Barack Obama
5.8/10
A public celebration of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States of America at the Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall in Washington DC, on January 18, 2009.
On the Shoulders of Giants
7/10
The story of the Harlem Rens: the greatest basketball team you never heard of.
Herbie Hancock: Possibilities
6.9/10
Imagine the possibilities….. "Possibilities" is the musical event of the year. The album is a series of inspired encounters between Herbie Hancock and world-renowned musicians – including John Mayer, Sting, Trey Anastasio, Annie Lennox, Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan, Santana and Angelique Kidjo, Paul Simon, Christina Aguilera, Jonny Lang, Joss Stone, and Raul Midon. Herbie Hancock describes "Poss
Kareem: Minority of One
7.4/10
This documentary charts the complexity and genius of the NBA's all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's legendary career, both on and off the court. Spotlighting a six-time MVP and six-time world champion, the film examines his controversial and landmark moments, his outspoken feelings about race and politics, and the evolution of the game.
Experience Montreux
Filmed in high definition 3D, this set brings together the Experience Montreux film plus concert performances from the Montreux Jazz Festival by Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones and the Global Gumbo All-Stars. Experience Montreux, filmed at the 44th Festival in 2010, contains full live tracks by a range of artists that reflects the breadth and eclecticism of the Montreux Jazz Festival. The performances are interspersed with interviews with festival founder Claude Nobs and many of the artists involved and are accompanied by stunning footage of the festival setting, the town of Montreux, Lake Geneva and the Swiss Alps. Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock have both been frequent visitors to Montreux over the years and it s fitting that their performances form a part of this 3D celebration of the magic of the Montreux Jazz Festival.
It Must Schwing: The Blue Note Story
7.7/10
A documentary about the legendary jazz label Blue Note Records and its German founders Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff. As jews they had to flee Germany and the Hitler regime in the late 1930s. In New York they wrote music history with their record label Blue Note Records.
Marcus
Patrick Savey plunges us into Marcus's world, capturing the New York roots of the legendary bass player, following his path like the pebbles of Tom Thumb, as he meets masters of Jazz like Larry Graham, Jaco Pastorius, David Sanborn, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau and Miles Davis. A fantastic visual and musical journey through the history of this exceptional musician
River of Gold
7.3/10
Narrated by Academy Award winners Sissy Spacek and Herbie Hancock, River of Gold is the disturbing account of a clandestine journey into Peru's Amazon rainforest to uncover the savage unraveling of pristine jungle. What will be the fate of this critical region of priceless biodiversity as these extraordinarily beautiful forests are turned into a hellish wasteland?
Music
7.6/10
The story of music and the music industry told through interviews with musicians, composers and producers across genres.
Branford Marsalis: Steep
Recorded live on 13th November, 1987, at the Spirit Square Arts Centre, North Carolina, USA.
Dennis Hopper: The Decisive Moments
6/10
The inevitable fat cigar between his fingers, the American actor, director and fine artist Dennis Hopper (1936) self-mockingly looks back on his chequered life and career, at the request of Dutch director, photographer and fine artist Thom Hoffman. The latter sifted through the turbulent life story of Hopper, who is primarily known from the cult film Easy Rider (1969). Hopper went through as many high as low points. In conveniently arranged chapters, Hoffman shows the decisive moments in Hopper's life and asks colleagues like Wim Wenders, David Lynch, Sean Penn and Julian Schnabel to comment on them. The documentary is richly illustrated with film excerpts, photos, newspaper articles and anecdotes. The main reason for this film was the retrospective of Dennis Hopper's art work in the Amsterdam Stedelijk Museum in 2001.
Oscar Peterson: Music in the Key of Oscar
7/10
This riveting music documentary traces the history of Jazz piano legend Oscar Peterson, from his early days as Montreal's teenage Boogie-Woogie sensation through his meteoric rise to international celebrity with Norman Granz and the ground-breaking Jazz at the Philharmonic and beyond. In this award-winning autobiographical portrait, legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson narrates his story, from his beginnings in smoke-filled Montreal clubs to hallmark performances with jazz greats. Concert footage includes an unforgettable combo -- Nat King Cole with Jazz at the Philharmonic and the Oscar Peterson Trio Wall reunion. Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie are interviewed, among others. - Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Ella Fitzgerald
Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind
7.9/10
Joni Mitchell's career as a singer-songwriter and painter is extensively profiled in this in-depth documentary, which originally aired as part of the PBS American Masters series. Take a look at this prolific artist as she reflects on a career that spans decades and includes some of the most influential music of that era.
Quincy Jones: Breaking New Sound
Documentary about the writing and recording of Quincy Jones' score for Norman Jewison's 1967 film IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT.
Miles Davis: Kind of Blue
Kind Of Blue: Celebrating A Masterpiece incorporates material from the 2004 mini-documentary, Made In Heaven, including black-and-white still photography of the recording sessions and the voices of Miles (at the sessions), as well as excerpts of radio interviews with the late Bill Evans.
Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes
7.3/10
Explore the vision behind the iconic American jazz record label. Since 1939, Blue Note artists have been encouraged to push creative boundaries in search of uncompromising expressions. Through current recording sessions, rare archive and conversations with iconic Blue Note artists, the film reveals an intimate perspective of a legacy that continues to be vital in today’s political climate.
Blue Note - A Story of Modern Jazz
7.6/10
"It must schwing!" was the motto of Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff, two German Jewish immigrants who in 1939 set up Blue Note Records, the jazz label that was home to such greats as Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and Sonny Rollins. Blue Note, the most successful movie ever made about jazz, is a testimony to the passion and vision of these two men and certainly swings like the propulsive sounds that made their label so famous.
More Than Jazz
A tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, with Nina Simone, Miles Davis, Etta James, Marvin Gaye, David Bowie, and many more geniuses on tape; a cool Quincy Jones and a laughing Herbie Hancock; sweaty musicians, crazy audiences, and some very rare files.
