Scarcely less abrasive now than when it first appeared.
The Negro is the only human American.
One of the most historically significant examples of African-American filmmaking.
Jazz was the Negro's act of transcendence.
Jazz is the one element of American life where whites must be humble to Negroes.
Bland's take on race and culture in America is still ahead of its time.
If white America can accept the Negro as the American hero, white America will have come of age.
The Cry of Jazz is the only film composer and musician Ed Bland ever helmed. It fused street grit and ivory tower intellect into a thirty-four minute celluloid whirlwind unlike anything before or since, all the while scored by a then unknown Le Sun Ra & his Arkestra. Deemed radical, alarmist, and amateurish by many upon its initial release, this black and white gem was eventually considered worthy enough by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2010.
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