Synopsis

Jazz legends like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis are household names, but few are familiar with musicians like Pierre Michelot, Tomasz Stańko, or Miroslav Vitouš. This reflects how European jazz has a shorter history and often receives less attention than its American counterpart. In Play Your Own Thing – A Story of European Jazz, director Julian Benedikt explores the arrival of jazz in Europe after World War II and the emergence of European musicians who made the genre their own. The documentary highlights the efforts of contemporary European jazz artists striving to create original music instead of simply imitating American styles. Though it has a shorter legacy, European jazz has a distinct charm, enriched by the diversity of cultures across the continent. The film features classic favorites such as Duke Ellington’s “Blow by Blow,” Clifford Brown’s “Blues Walk,” and Miles Davis’s “Nuit sur les Champs-Élysées” (from the film Elevator to the Gallows), along with music by European artists like Joachim Kühn, Tomasz Stańko, and Per Oddvar Johansen.

Director

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  • Julian Benedikt
  • Originally an actor, Julian Benedikt was captivated by the music of drummer Chico Hamilton, which led him to direct the 1994 documentary Chico Hamilton – Dancing to a Different Drummer. His next work, Blue Note – A Story of Modern Jazz (1997), was nominated for a Grammy and won the prestigious Peabody Award. He continued to chronicle the world of jazz with Jazz Seen: The Life and Times of William Claxton (2001) and Play Your Own Thing – A Story of European Jazz (2006), among other acclaimed music documentaries.