The above two quotes perfectly capture the significance of the Jazz Icons series of DVDs. These DVDs cover nearly every major jazz artist of significance during the fifties and sixties (Miles Davis excepted), with all the artists recorded during their prime creative years. The DVDs were filmed in Europe, primarily in Scandinavian countries, for TV broadcast from the late fifties through the early seventies, with most dating from the period encompassing 1958-1966. They have sat, seemingly perfectly preserved, up to the present. Now the third volume in the series has been released (they come in box sets or individually), and it easily matches the quality of the first two volumes [which included such outstanding concerts as Art Blakey in 1958 (with Lee Morgan and Bobby Timmons), John Coltrane in the early-to-mid-sixties (with Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and Eric Dolphy), Dave Brubeck in 1964 & 65 (with Paul Desmond), Charles Mingus in 1964 (with Dolphy and Jaki Byard), Ella Fitzgerald in 1957 and 1963 (with Ray Brown and Oscar Peterson), and Duke Ellington in 1958 with his 16-piece orchestra, not to mention concerts by Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, and local boy Wes Montgomery, among many others]. The DVDs include complete 50-90 minute concerts, some with two or more such performances on a single disc. There are no "talking heads"/critics getting in the way of the music, and the fact that these are full performances, rather than just individual songs, makes the experience completely satisfying. The sound quality is flawless, and they are also superbly filmed, letting you see the interaction and empathy between the players, as well as focusing on the individual soloists.

For Volume 3, pride of place must first be given to the Nina Simone DVD. There are two concerts here, from 1965 and 1968, and Simone is absolutely mesmerizing in both. Playing both solo and with a small group, she rips through such songs as Dylan's "Ballad Of Hollis Brown" and her own "Four Women" with absolute ferocity, while in other songs she projects a soft tenderness and longing. The DVD of the Oscar Peterson Trio must also be given special mention. This is Peterson's classic trio of himself, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums, and the three performances here, from 1963-65, are stunning. Especially noteworthy is how the camerawork frequently frames all three players in tight quarters. You can literally see the musical communication and empathy going on within the trio. They swing regally throughout, and it is completely riveting. Equally outstanding is the Cannonball Adderley concert from 1963, which features Nat Adderley on cornet, Louis Hayes on drums, Yusef Lateef on flute, and Joe Zawinul (later of Weather Report, but bald even at this young age) on piano. Lateef and Zawinul are particularly masterful. Lionel Hampton's 1958 performance with a full orchestra sees the bandleader showing his stuff on vibraphone, as well as taking on drums, piano, vocals, and even the dancefloor. At times beautifully mellow, at other times deliriously joyful, the music and images of Hampton's talents are perfectly captured. Rahsaan Roland Kirk, in two concerts dating from 1963 & 67, shows his unusual abilities in performing on two or more separate instruments simultaneously, with both his avant-garde and more mainstream tendencies in evidence throughout. A series of performances by Bill Evans from 1964-75 are sublime, and Sonny Rollins, in two concerts from 1965 & 68, captures all sides of this great artist. In sum, I have never seen anything that compares to this series. Historically significant, musically mind-blowing, and visually stunning, everything is done right here. If you are a jazz lover, or music lover, of any stripe, you will be in seventh heaven for hours on end.