60-year-old 'Jazz on a Summer's Day' documentary gets new life

A documentary made about jazz more than half a century ago has been given new life -- and new meaning -- due to the recent turmoil in our country.

"Jazz on a Summer's Day" was restored in time for the 60th anniversary of its release, and the film was shown at last year's New York Film Festival. Now, it is available to stream.

Rarely has one music festival had so much resonance after so much time has passed. It turns out the crowd that gathered in Newport, Rhode Island, in the summer of 1958 offers a lesson for today -- and tomorrow.

"It's a vision of an America that we all would like to live in," said Sandra Schulberg, president of IndieCollect, the non-profit group that restored the film. "One in which people can just embrace each other and the experience of the music.

She says viewers will "see fully integrated audiences."

"Jazz on a Summer's Day" was restored to its former glory thanks to a grant from the Library of Congress.

"What makes this work challenging is also what makes this work very satisfying," said Oskar Miarka, who spent hundreds of hours working to get the colors just right using advanced digital technology.

Watch the film and you will witness the shift in popular music from jazz to rock and roll. The two worlds collided on a single stage when Chuck Berry performs "Sweet Little Sixteen," complete with a clarinet solo in the middle of the number.

Berry and the other legends are all gone now, which makes the decision to rescue, restore, and reactivate this movie all the more important.

"Jazz on a Summer's Day" is available to stream now at KinoMarquee.com