Queens of Jazz: The Joy and Pain of the Jazz Divas

Synopsis

The documentary tracks the diva's difficult progress as she emerges from the tough, testosterone-fuelled world of the big bands of the 30s and 40s, to fill nightclubs and saloons across the US in the 50s and early 60s as a force in her own right. Looking at the lives and careers of six individual singers (Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and Annie Ross), the film not only talks to those who knew and worked with these queens of jazz, but also to contemporary singers who sit on the shoulders of these trailblazing talents without having to endure the pain and hardship it took for them to make their highly individual voices heard above the prejudice of mid-century America.

Main Cast

Peggy Lee

Self (archive footage)

Age : 81 | Popularity : 7%

Sarah Vaughan

Self (archive footage)

Age : 66 | Popularity : 3%

Nina Simone

Self (archive footage)

Age : 70 | Popularity : 3%

Ella Fitzgerald

Self (archive footage)

Age : 79 | Popularity : 5%

Annie Ross

Self

Age : 89 | Popularity : 5%

Melody Gardot

Self

Age : 39 | Popularity : 3%

Madeleine Peyroux

Self

Age : 50 | Popularity : 3%

Billie Holiday

Self (archive footage)

Age : 44 | Popularity : 3%

Crew

Department	Role	Name
Production	Executive Producer	Mark Cooper
	Producer	Chris Rodley
Directing	Director	Chris Rodley
Editing	Editor	Sheryl Sandler
Department	Role	Name

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