If you enjoyed Ken Burns' stunning Civil War documentary, and his wonderful
baseball series, you might want to consider watching tonight as he kicks off his
Jazz documentary on PBS. It
promises to be engrossing as his work usually is. While George F. Will is
in rapture, more serious critics are
less impressed - but even the critics admit it's great TV.
Francis Davis really rips into Wynton Marsalis, who has a key role in this
production, and his logic seems reasonable. He is absolutely correct in
saying that either Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington deserve a multi-hour
treatment.
Doesn't matter to us. We're going to be watching, regardless.