'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris (2009) Review

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The career arc of Jackie Paris--widely considered one of the greatest jazz singers of all time--is studded with a tragic succession of "what ifs." What if he hadn't turned down an invitation to join Duke Ellington after being the first white vocalist to tour with Lionel Hampton? What if his live performances with Charlie Parker had been recorded and released? And, not least, what if temperament, bad luck and ineffectual representation hadn't conspired to prevent him from grabbing the brass ring and becoming, say, another Tony Bennett? These are some of the intriguing questions that filmmaker Raymond De Felitta pursues in this engrossing, emotionally compelling documentary. De Felitta became obsessed with Paris after hearing him on a Los Angeles radio station. By that time, Paris had dropped so far off the collective cultural radar that a jazz encyclopedia listed him as having died in 1977. Paris' best decade was the 1950s, during which he was the first singer to record the song "Round Midnight," was named Best New Male Vocalist for 1953 by Downbeat magazine, recorded two albums under his own name, and earned accolades from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Charles Mingus. Yet somehow, mainstream stardom eluded him. Paris also fell victim to changing musical tastes, as the jazz-inflected 1950s made way for the rock-dominated 1960s. Having found Paris living in New York City, De Felitta recorded a number of on-camera interviews with the charismatic singer, and fleshed out his film with archival footage, still photos, audio clips, and interviews with singer Anne Marie Moss (one of Paris' ex-wives), plus musicians Billy Taylor, James Moody, Billy Vera and several others. De Felitta's film not only attempts to answer the question of why Paris never hit it big, but, perhaps more important, explores the very nature of creativity and all the obsessions, good intentions, and personal demons that fuel it. "Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris," is essential viewing for anyone interested in jazz, and in what separates winners and also-rans, not only in music, but in any walk of life.

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Tis Autumn - The Search for Jackie Paris is more than a documentary film about a great but unhearalded jazz singer - it's also a brutally truthful exploration into what it is to live the life of an artist in its least glamorous aspects; the years of ups and downs, the constant hope that success is just around the corner, the humiliation of public ignominy, the private tragedies that grow out of artistic frustration, and the final, self-inflicted wounds which all too often are a prelude to complete obscurity. With interviews by a host of jazz legends including Dr. Billy Taylor, James Moody, Anne Marie Moss, Mark Murphy, George Wein and many others, this DVD boasts over 70 minutes of bonus features that include extended interviews with a number of jazz luminaries, filmmaker commentary, the theatrical trailer and concert footage of Jackie Paris' final performance.

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