On the all-too-rare occasions when jazz gets an outing on television, many viewers make inevitable, and often unfavourable, comparisons with 'Jazz 625'. A well-informed presenter, a superb sound balance and an uncluttered approach to camera work and direction all combined to set a gold standard in the televisual representation of jazz. It was also in the right place at the right time. The end of the long-standing deadlock between the Musicians' Union and the American Federation of Musicians meant that big names from the US were coming over to Britain for the first time since the 1930's.
Many shows of its era are ill-represented in the BBC archives, as they were either junked after transmission or, if broadcast live, not recorded at all. Happily, this is not the case with 'Jazz 625'. With video tape recording still in its infancy, machines were in heavy demand. So, many programmes, particularly in the drama field, were 'telerecorded' onto 35mm film, from a feed of the studio output. This method made editing a lot easier, and has aided the survival of programmes recorded in this way.
Recorded at the BBC Studios, London, on March 19th, 1965
Bill Evans - Piano
Chuck Israel - Bass
Larry Bunker - Drums
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