Program Note

*Cool Cats* tells the story of two jazz giants who were forced to relocate to a small musical town. In the mid-1960s, tenor saxophone stars Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon leave America behind, escaping its fierce political climate and their struggles with heavy alcohol and heroin abuse. They settle in Copenhagen, where they are welcomed as musical saviors. However, the charm of the small, fairy-tale-like Scandinavian capital soon turns into a threat to both their music and their lives.

Director

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  • Janus Køster Rasmussen
  • Born in Copenhagen in 1972, Janus Køster Rasmussen studied literature and rhetoric and contributed music criticism to two of Denmark’s leading daily newspapers. Over the past decade, he has created documentaries in various fields including politics, culture, music, history, and sports for Danish national broadcaster DR. *Cool Cats* is his directorial debut.