The Stories about Music Films: 53. Born to Be Blue (2015)

 

 

Basic Info

Title: Born to Be Blue

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music

Country: Canada, United Kingdom

Language: English

Running time: 97 minutes

Release date: 13 September 2015 (TIFF), 11 March 2016 (Canada)

Staff

Director: Robert Budreau

Producer: Jennifer Jonas, Robert Budreau, Leonard Farlinger, Jake Seal

Screenplay by: Robert Budreau

Music: David Braid, Todor Kobakov, Steve London

Cinematography: Steve Cosens

Edited by: David Freeman

Cast

Ethan Hawke as Chet Baker

Carmen Ejogo as Jane/Elaine

Summary

"Born to Be Blue" is a 2015 drama film directed, produced and written by Robert Budreau. Starring Ethan Hawke and Carmen Ejogo, the film premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. The film tells the story of American jazz musician Chet Baker, portrayed by Hawke.

Chet Baker

Chet Baker was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist, born on December 23, 1929 and died on May 13, 1988, nicknamed the "Prince of Cool" in the cool jazz scene. Baker's 1950s albums, particularly "Chet Baker Sings (1954)" and "It Could Happen to You (1958)," received much attention and critical acclaim.

Album "It Could Happen to You", Chet
Baker

Jazz historian Dave Gelly described Baker in his early career as "James Dean, Frank Sinatra and Bix Beiderbecke, rolled into one." However, along with fame and notoriety for drugs, he was found dead with serious head injury on the street below his room in Hotel Prins Hendrik in Amsterdam on May 13, 1988.

Chet Baker plaque at the Hotel Prins
Hendrik

Movie Review

“Even Miles Davis would applaud for this movie”

“A touching story”

“Ethan Hawke shines in this film about Chet Baker”

“A good movie”

“Excellent”

“Beautifully Acted”

“Terrific Performances”

“Classy and atmospheric”

“Beautiful movie”

Interesting stories about the film

1. According to Ethan Hawke, he wanted to play Chet Baker going back 15 to 20 years before.

Ethan Hawke

2. Stephen McHattie, who played Chet Baker's father in this film, also starred as Chet Baker in Robert Budreau's short film "The Deaths of Chet Baker (2009).”

Stephen McHattie

3. Ethan Hawke wore prosthetic teeth to get the teeth gap in the first scene of the film.

4. This is not the first film Robert Budreau wrote and directed about Chet Baker, and he also made a short film called "The Deaths of Chet Baker (2009)."

The Deaths of Chet Baker (2009)

5. Both Ethan Hawke and Carmen Ejogo have appeared in a Purge movie. Hawke appeared in "The Purge (2013)" and Ejogo appeared in "The Purge: Anarchy (2014)."

The Purge (2013)

The Purge: Anarchy (2014)

Thank you.

Movie Trailer

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52. The history of Jazz: 8. Cool Jazz, ACJ Music Academy

How are you?

Following the last week, I am going to start my 52nd lecture.

I had conducted music lectures at Art Collage JANG in Seoul, South Korea every Saturday from March 2015 to December 2017.

I am going to introduce the lecture by the lecture’s order every Saturday.

The 8th theme of “The history of Jazz” I will introduce this week is “Cool Jazz”. It is a summary of the contents of “52nd ACJ Music Academy, The history of Jazz: 8. Cool Jazz”, which was introduced on June 18, 2016.

“Cool Jazz” is a genre of modern jazz music that originated in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by its comfortable tempo and light tone. Cool Jazz, contrasted with the tense and complex Bebop style, often uses formal arrangements and elements of classical music. In addition, it is a jazz style that gives more comfort and a sense of stability than other jazz genres that existed at the same time. 

The term “Cool” began to be used for the music in this atmosphere after the release of Capitol Records' album <Classics in Jazz: Cool and Quiet> in 1953. 

Mark C. Gridley of ‘All Music Guide to Jazz’ identified music categories belonging to Cool Jazz, among which are included the music in the album of <Birth of the Cool> by ‘Miles Davis’, the works of the ‘Modern Jazz Quartet’, the music of Gerry Mulligan, especially with Chet Baker and Bob Brookmeyer, and the works of George Shearing and Stan Getz.

Birth of the Cool, Miles Davis (1957)

Miles Davis

American jazz critic Ted Gioia has identified Cornet player ‘Bix Beiderbecke’ as early progenitors of the Cool Jazz. Beiderbecke alleviated strong rhythmic impact of jazz by employing complex techniques such as unusual harmonies and whole tone scales in favor of maintaining melodic flow.

Bix Beiderbecke

Cool Jazz is often used synonymously with “West Coast Jazz”. For the background, Gerry Mulligan and his colleagues in California often referred "West Coast Jazz" despite the fact that Lester Young, Claude Thornhill, and Miles Davis were based in New York at the time. With frequent use of the term, “West Coast Jazz” has gradually become synonymous with “Cool Jazz”.

Chet Baker

Cool jazz has influenced various music genres such as bossa nova, modal jazz, and even free jazz. 

Some critics argue that Hard Bop was developed, which will be introduced in next week, with the remarkable popularity decline of Bebop and to the response of Cool Jazz which was very popular at the time.

Stan Getz

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Next week, I will introduce you “Hard Bop” as the 9th theme of “The history of Jazz” lectures.

Thank you.

51. The history of Jazz: 7. Bebop, ACJ Music Academy

How are you?

Following the last week, I am going to start my 51st lecture.

I had conducted music lectures at Art Collage JANG in Seoul, South Korea every Saturday from March 2015 to December 2017.

I am going to introduce the lecture by the lecture’s order every Saturday.

The 7th theme of “The history of Jazz” I will introduce this week is “Bebop”. It is a summary of the contents of “51st ACJ Music Academy, The history of Jazz: 7. Bebop”, which was introduced on June 11, 2016.

'Bebop' is a jazz genre developed in the United States from the early to mid-1940s. In the history of jazz, the emergence of Bebop was a big event, and ultimately it became a signal that marked the start of the "Modern Jazz." Bebop was led by a new generation of young jazz musicians who were eager to turn popular, dance-oriented Swing music into new music for genuine music appreciation.

Bebop was no longer music for dancing, therefore musicians were able to play "quicker tempos". Also, unlike many other jazz genres, Bebop has been thoroughly recognized as the sanctuary of the black people that cannot be infiltrated by white people because it was the music which were thoroughly led and driven by the black people.

Looking at the background of the birth of Bebop, in order to prevent the dance called Swing, it was necessary to create music that were much faster or slower than Swing music, and Bebop was born as a reaction to the Swing. Bebop provided a decisive opportunity for jazz to escape from the dance hall, but it was difficult to reach the public. Bebop was an innovation among musicians of the time, but it was during the 1950s that Cool Jazz was formed when the public recognized the Bebop which was formed in 1940s.

The word ‘Bebop’ was derived from the meaningless syllables used in the vocal adlib ‘Scat Singing’, which features complex chord progression, including rapid tempo and chord changes, advanced instrument playing techniques, and improvisation.

Bebop's leading musicians include saxophone player Charlie Parker and trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie. Charlie Parker had the nickname “Bird,” and he was a true genius who never achieved such a high artistic level while achieving musical innovation for such a short period of time. Dizzy Gillespie, on the other hand, wasn't a genius, but played an almost equal role in the formation of Bebop as Charlie Parker, and the term “Bebop” also officially began in the song "Bebop" released by Gillespie.

Charlie Parker

Dizzy Gillespie

By the 1950s, Bebop formed a very wide base among musicians, forming one of two great mountain ranges of jazz with Cool Jazz. Bebop's position in the popular music industry is very important. Until the formation of Bebop, popular music did not deviate greatly from the means for entertainment, but after Bebop appeared, many jazz musicians began to focus on this genre. Bebop was a unique and abstract music, and a genre in which jazz provided a place for aesthetic evaluation. 

"Bird Lives" sculpture, Robert Graham, Kansas City, Missouri

Statue of Gillespie in his hometown of Cheraw, South Carolina

You can also review this lecture from following media.

Next week, I will introduce you “Cool Jazz” as the 8th theme of “The history of Jazz” lectures.

Thank you.

Charlie Parker's grave, Lincoln Cemetery

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