Masters Of American Music

1. E1. Bluesland - A Portrait In American Music

   Bluesland explores the Blues, with all its poetic irony, sly humour, eroticism and timeless power. A uniquely creative and highly visual look at American Blues.

2. E2. Louis Armstrong – Satchmo

   Born at the turn of the century, Louis Armstrong was a living symbol of 20th Century American culture. He revolutionized the world of music and became one of our most influential entertainers.

3. E3. Count Basie - Swingin' The Blues

   A leading musician of the Swing era and an outstanding representative of the Big Band style, Count Basie was an eminent bandleader and jazz pianist. He led one of the most enduring swing bands of all time; no other musician was ever more committed to stomping, shouting, swinging, jumping, and dragging away the Blues than Count Basie.

4. E4. Ray Charles - The Genius Of Soul

   Ray Charles was the innovator who fused Gospel, Jazz, and Blues to create modern Soul music. His crossover vision also widened the scope of Country and Western, his unique voice touching the hearts of people around the world.

5. E5. John Coltrane - The World According To John Coltrane

   Innovative, influential, and strongly revered, John Coltrane was the most revolutionary and widely imitated saxophonist in Jazz. Using previously unseen footage, The World According to John Coltrane celebrates this extraordinary and passionate musician

6. E6. Billie Holiday - Lady Day - The Many Faces Of Billie Holiday

   This story invites viewers to see the many faces of this “dark lady of the sonnets”, as one poet called her, and to appreciate her undying art more deeply. While she was a victim of hard times and drug addiction, the single fact of her life that matters above all others is that she was a great artist who, with Louis Armstrong, invented modern jazz singing.

+4 more episodes — open all seasons to browse every episode.