The Jazz Ambassadors

"The untold story of America's coolest weapon in the Cold War"

2018 1h 0m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 2

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The Cold War and Civil Rights collide in this remarkable story of music, diplomacy and race. Beginning in 1955, when America asked its greatest jazz artists to travel the world as cultural ambassadors, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and their mixed-race band members, faced a painful dilemma: how could they represent a country that still practiced Jim Crow segregation?

“The untold story of America's coolest weapon in the Cold War”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Leslie Odom Jr.
Narrator
Quincy Jones
Self
Dizzy Gillespie
Self (archive footage)
Louis Armstrong
Self (archive footage)
Darius Brubeck
Self
Bill Crow
Self
Duke Ellington
Self (archive footage)
Charlie Persip
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hugo Berkeley
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 60-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 8 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hugo Berkeley, shot by Dewald Aukema. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nse Asuquo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Leslie Odom Jr. and Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The untold story of America's coolest weapon in the Cold War".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt7858992 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hugo Berkeley directs. Dewald Aukema behind the camera. Nse Asuquo cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 60-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 8 years ago.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Hugo Berkeley, shot by Dewald Aukema. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Nse Asuquo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Leslie Odom Jr. and Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The untold story of America's coolest weapon in the Cold War".
8IMDB entry: tt7858992 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.