VIDEO REVIEWS : From Paris Players, the ‘Schizo’ Music of Middle Age

*** 1/2 THE LEADERS “Jazz In Paris 1988” Rhapsody Films

The players, all in their 40s and 50s, play what their trumpeter Lester Bowie says is “not jazz, not blues . . . let’s call it schizo music.” The first piece is a long vamp leading to a mysterious, edgy, minimalist melody. Pianist Kirk Lightsey, in a pleasant interlude, introduces his colleagues while lauding them to the skies. A fast, furious avant-bop tune finds Chico Freeman’s tenor in passionate form, Arthur Blythe super-intense on alto, bassist Cecil McBee soloing with abandon and drummer Don Moye providing energy-driven backup. There are backstage scenes with the musicians, mainly Bowie, expounding their theories: Elvis and the Beatles are black music, European classical music has black roots. The finale is a very basic, non-schizo blues.

* SUN RA & HIS ARKESTRA ‘Mystery, Mr. Ra” Rhapsody Films

The true mystery of Mr. Ra is that he has been taken seriously by a cult following of reputable critics. His percussion-obsessed “Myth Science Arkestra” is heard off and on, but the center of attention is Ra, a bulbous man in flowing multicolored robes who tells us, “I am Ra, the living simplicity of an angel visiting planet Earth.” He is aided by a narrator, who speaks French, but understanding French doesn’t help. Ra plays cocktail piano behind a horrendously inept saxophonist; later another sax player lies on the floor and plays while kicking up his heels. Meanwhile, Ra’s simplistic rap cliches, passed off as profundities, lead to a warning that nuclear war may be imminent, but if we listen to his music, the human race will be saved. Yes, and if you believe that, he has this bridge he wants you to buy

*** 1/2 EDDIE JEFFERSON with RICHIE COLE “Live from the Jazz Showcase” Rhapsody Films

Jefferson, though a nondescript singer technically, was the pioneer of vocalise--setting complex lyrics to recorded jazz solos--long before Jon Hendricks and others made it fashionable. His most famous work, “Moody’s Mood For Love,” is included, along with masterful vocalizations of Coleman Hawkins’ “Body and Soul” and several be-bop standards. Richie Cole’s alto sax doesn’t quite catch fire, but his solos are agreeable interludes. Two days after this 1979 Chicago club date, Jefferson was shot dead on a Detroit street--to this day, no one knows why.

**** BEN WEBSTER IN EUROPE “Big Ben” Rhapsody Films

The only fault here is brevity. Johan van der Leuken, who made this black-and-white film in Amsterdam, tried to compress into 31 minutes the life and times of the expatriate tenor sax giant (1909-73). In addition to poignant moments of Webster playing “My Romance” and other standards, this odd montage shows him playing along with a Fats Waller record, talking to his Dutch landlady (“She’s like a second mother to me”), reminiscing about Duke Ellington’s band (“You never get it out of your system”), shooting pool, visiting the zoo. Here is a masterful example of filmmaking that truly penetrates the heart of this big, sad, lonely bachelor.

** MOSCOW SAX QUINTET “The Jazznost Tour” View Video

The Soviet Union has produced some gifted and original jazz groups, but the MSQ, taped during a U.S. tour, is not one of them. At its best, this is a fair attempt to emulate Supersax (“Yardbird Suite,” “Parker’s Mood,” “Donna Lee”), but the nadir is reached with “I Got Rhythm” (they sing the melody!), “In the Mood” a la Glenn Miller, and the ever-abominable “Flight of the Bumble Bee.” Vocalist Lyubov Zazulina gives her impression of Ella Fitzgerald. Sax solos are at the U.S. high school level. An a cappella arrangement of Fats Waller’s “Smashing Thirds,” with flutes and clarinets replacing saxes, shows that the capacity for innovation does exist in this ill-focused unit.

*** STEPHANE GRAPPELLI “Live in San Francisco 1985” Rhapsody Films

You might call this the Quartet of the Hot Club of France (the violinist), England and Scotland (the guitarists) and Holland (the bassist). They blend impeccably as the French genius applies his unique legato swing to old Django Reinhardt collaborations, jazz standards, even Stevie Wonder and the Beatles. Oddly, his piano playing, heard in two tunes, is unswinging and almost Jonathan Edwards-like in its floridity. The finale is a grand jam with mandolinist David Grisman and three of his sidemen.

**** LEE KONITZ “Portrait of an Artist as Saxophonist” Rhapsody Films

This feature-length (83 minutes) color documentary offers a well-rounded picture of the alto saxophonist, who is best known as a product of the Lennie Tristano cool school. Seen in various settings in Montreal--teaching students, playing duets with the sympathetic pianist Harold Danko, transposing a Louis Armstrong solo to his horn, rehearsing, listening to a Stuff Smith record--he comes across as a witty and dedicated artist. A surprise highlight is his scat-vocal unison duet with Danko.