The Jazz Television of Robert Herridge

There was a time jazz and classical musicians, even including opera singers, regularly performed on The Tonight Show. That was when Johnny Carson hosted—and it certainly helped that he idolized Buddy Rich. Yet, the idea all music deserves representation goes back to Robert Herridge, who produced many arts-focused anthology and variety programs for CBS. In fact, Herridge oversaw some of the most important jazz programs to ever air on American television. His close jazz advisor, the late, great Nat Hentoff explains how and why they came to be in John Sorensen’s documentary, The Jazz Television of Robert Herridge, which screens this Sunday at Anthology Film Archives, to celebrate the publication of The Herridge Style (edited by Sorensen).

When Herridge decided to produce a jazz showcase, he first sought the counsel of critic Whitney Balliet, who connected the producer with the younger Hentoff, who became his jazz guru. Together they assembled an amazing, but not obviously commercial line-up for The Sound of Jazz, which is now considered a pivotal moment in jazz history and spawned a perennially popular companion album.

You might have heard about these sessions in Ken Burns’ Jazz and other documentaries, because they captured Billie Holiday’s final performance with her indefinably close friend, Lester Young. It also documented one of the first TV appearances for Thelonius Monk, who many critics and fans dismissed at the time as too outré. Hentoff and Herridge were way ahead of the curve recognizing his genius. Yet, they also programmed traditional Dixieland artists, like Peewee Russell, whom many considered too passé.

Perhaps Miles Davis was most notable jazz musician of the era not represented in The Sound of Jazz, so Herridge and Hentoff convinced him to appear in The Sound of Miles Davis, featuring his So What quintet and a big band conducted by Gil Evans. Unfortunately, it is much harder to find, in toto, than The Sound of Jazz. A third program, Jazz from Studio 61, followed featuring the very modern Ahmad Jamal (whose popularity at the time approached that of Davis) with an all-star ensemble of swing and traditional musicians, including Buck Clayton and Ben Webster.

Herridge and Hentoff also collaborated on two showcases for blues and folk, which also arguably had a lasting impact. Indeed, according to Bob Dylan, he first heard Joan Baez when she performed on one of these broadcasts, so you could make a case Timothee Chalamet owes his second Oscar nomination to Herridge.

Hentoff is the sole voice heard throughout the hour-long documentary. The rest are clips from the amazing programs. This actually makes sense, because Hentoff (who was quite eloquent, especially on the subject of jazz) was sadly one of the only surviving participants by that time. It is a shame Sorensen did not have an opportunity to interview the still active Jamal, who was true jazz royalty—but he was also in high demand until his final days.

Sorensen’s doc and the episode of Herridge’s Moby-Dick adaptation (also screening at Anthology) nicely demonstrate the breadth and quality of the producer’s work. They will also leave many viewers frustrated so little of his output is currently accessible. Regardless, it is always nice to hear more from the deeply principled and impeccably tasteful Hentoff. The Jazz Television of Robert Herridge is highly recommended (as are the programs it documents), when it screens Sunday (5/11) at Anthology Film Archives.