CinemaOSMovie · 2013 · 0h 59m

Queens of Jazz: The Joy and Pain of the Jazz Divas

IMDbDocumentaryMusic

The documentary tracks the diva's difficult progress as she emerges from the tough, testosterone-fuelled world of the big bands of the 30s and 40s, to fill nightclubs and saloons across the US in the 50s and early 60s as a force in her own right. Looking at the lives and careers of six individual singers (Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and Annie Ross), the film not only talks to those who knew and worked with these queens of jazz, but also to contemporary singers who sit on the shoulders of these trailblazing talents without having to endure the pain and hardship it took for them to make their highly individual voices heard above the prejudice of mid-century America.

Directed byChris Rodley

Play
Status
Released
Runtime
0h 59m
Language
EN
Released
May 10, 2013
Studios
BBC Four

Featuring

Cast & crew

8 credited
Starring
Peggy Lee

Peggy Lee

Self (archive footage)

Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan

Self (archive footage)

Nina Simone

Nina Simone

Self (archive footage)

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald

Self (archive footage)

Annie Ross

Annie Ross

Self

Melody Gardot

Melody Gardot

Self

Madeleine Peyroux

Self

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday

Self (archive footage)

Creative team
Directed by
Chris Rodley
Chris Rodley
Produced by
Chris Rodley
Chris Rodley

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