---
product_id: 28778376
title: "Sun Ra - Cry of Jazz"
brand: "george wallerdorothea hortonedward bland"
price: "€ 68.77"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 4
url: https://www.desertcart.nl/products/28778376-sun-ra-cry-of-jazz
store_origin: NL
region: Netherlands
---

# Sun Ra - Cry of Jazz

**Brand:** george wallerdorothea hortonedward bland
**Price:** € 68.77
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Sun Ra - Cry of Jazz by george wallerdorothea hortonedward bland
- **How much does it cost?** € 68.77 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nl](https://www.desertcart.nl/products/28778376-sun-ra-cry-of-jazz)

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- george wallerdorothea hortonedward bland enthusiasts

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## Description

Edward O. Blands polemical essay on the politics of music and race filmed in Chicago and finished in 1959. It is a landmark moment in black film, forseeing the civil unrest of subsequent decades. Also featured is the only known footage of of visionary pianist Sun Ra.

## Images

![Sun Ra - Cry of Jazz - Image 1](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/818Czv1EwXL.jpg)
![Sun Ra - Cry of Jazz - Image 2](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91WwG0L2SzL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐ 







  
  
    not so good ...
  

*by T***N on Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2021*

Oh, that's rough...There are some positives, but the written narration lacks a real understanding of the subject while meaning to sound informed, which makes the film difficult to stomach, especially 60+ years later. The music is great and the original intentions were certainly positive. Two stars for some historical significance, but I can't recommend this film in general; its unprepared stretch to describe jazz has not aged well.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Seminal discussion about the "death of jazz" and its roots
  

*by D***  on Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2014*

Since the 1950s a year doesn't go by without some music journal featuring a discussion on whether "jazz is dead". Likewise, discussion as to what extent jazz is "African American music" is a perennial topic, reawakened most recently and controversially by powerful and courageous trumpet master Nicholas Payton. Anyone exploring those topics would do well to explore "The Cry of Jazz", which, if not the absolute first exploration of these topics, certainly planted seeds of that order more than half a century ago. It is also safe to say that the discussion articulates emotions and politics that would later find a broader voice in the black power movement that blossomed in the 1960s.It is worthwhile to note that on the Edward Bland website, the late Mr. Bland, the filmmaker, is quoted saying he wished he had made a better film. I give it four stars because, although it is not a stupendous film, it is a historically significant film that should not be forgotten and would certainly be interesting to many people while of limited appeal to many more. Although dated in toneit is a sincere and forceful presentation that remains relevant and provocative more than half a century after its debut.The minimal plot centers around an after-hours cocktail party in which a small group of men and women, some black, some white, discuss jazz in a heated manner, with the film interspersing the polemics with segments of live jazz performances and scenes of poverty in the black community. The musical performers, at least in part, are presumably Sun Ra and members of his band during their days in Chicago, but the performances are presented in a shadowy nightclub setting and the identities of the musicians are not  clear. The packaging of the film stressing that it features "Sun Ra & His Arkestra" seems more of an afterthought to capitalize on Sun Ra's later notoriety. While the performances are of good quality, being more straight-ahead or bebop style than what Sun Ra would later become known for, the film provides only excerpts of performances those hoping to experience seminal Sun Ra performances could be disappointed.Above all this is an Edward O. Bland film, a heartfelt work of a serious-minded musician, composer and arranger (now deceased) who went on to ply his talents and philosophies in various aspects of the music world in the decades following the creation of this film. Ironically, but fortunately, those who come to this film for insights and inspiration from Sun Ra could very well find new fruits of creative thought and musical evolution by using this film as a spring board to delve into the significant but generally overlooked legacy of Edward O. Bland.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Jazz Raises its Fist
  

*by D***S on Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2006*

I first became interested in this film after reading about it in "Film as a Subversive Art" that said it was a "forerunner to black power". That said, yes it is dated but this was a turning point in jazz. Not the "death of jazz" but the birth of free jazz (Ornette and company were just getting warmed up)and Archie Shepp shouting in "Live at the Pan-African Festival", "Jazz is black power!". "The Cry of Jazz" is very much at a point in time, before rock really mattered, when jazz was music to be listened to, not yet music to take up a cause to. My only objection is titling it "Sun Ra-Cry of Jazz" because even though it has footage of Sun Ra, it is not a documentary about Sun Ra or a concert of his performances (though of course footage is shown). Instead it is a documentary about racial oppression and how jazz relates to it, in standing up against it. Of course, our society has progressed beyond that point now and jazz is mostly played sedately for appreciative audiences in expensive nightclubs (with notable exceptions such as Charles Gayle and David S. Ware). To travel back in time and see when jazz was just starting to take up a political cause, "The Cry of Jazz" will be a worthwhile find.

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*Product available on Desertcart Netherlands*
*Store origin: NL*
*Last updated: 2026-03-03*