A Jazzman's Journey
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Wednesday, April 15------Tonight, audiences at the Palm Beach International Film Festival were treated to a memorable film tribute to a jazzman's unique life and musical journey. TRYING TO GET GOOD: THE JAZZ ODYSSEY OF JACK SHELDON is an intimate portrait of a jazz giant whose personal story is one of triumph and tragedy.
National audiences know him as Merv Griffin’s trumpet-playing sidekick or as the indelible voice of “Conjunction Junction” and “I’m Just a Bill” from “School House Rock”, but Jack Sheldon is so much more. One of the founders of the West Coast Sound in Jazz, he is an American treasure, a triple threat performer whose virtuosity on the horn is matched only by his distinctive voice and ribald humor. From Sinatra to the Simpsons, from dingy gin mills to Carnegie Hall, Jack Sheldon is one of the unheralded giants of American music.
Bialystock & Bloom Theatrical Productions and February Films are the twin producers of the film, which had its world premiere screening here tonight. The film tells the story of Sheldon’s remarkable life and career—from his impoverished childhood in segregated Florida, to his formative Hollywood teenage years with the legendary Chet Baker, his stints with the legendary Stan Kenton and Benny Goodman bands, where he created a signature sound which still captivates audiences and fellow musicians to this very day.
With sidebar trips into the comedy world of Lenny Bruce and his own CBS sitcom, “Run Buddy, Run”, Jack Sheldon’s story is the tale of a serious artist with a decidedly non-serious persona. A personal story with a great score, archival footage of early Sheldon performances, and original scenes of Jack’s amazing 17 piece “Jack Sheldon Orchestra”, TRYING TO GET GOOD takes the audience into the head of a highly complex man who’s often times tragic life never derails his inspiring commitment to his art.
Sheldon’s story is told in his own words and on-camera interviews with friends and musical associates, including: Clint Eastwood, Billy Crystal, Merv Griffin (in his final on-camera appearance), Chris Botti, Grammy nominee Tierney Sutton, Terry Gibbs, three time Academy Awardã winner Alan Bergman, Dave Frishberg, Academy Awardã winner Johnny Mandel, “Indiana Jones”/”Borne Identity” producer Frank Marshall and many, many more.
The film was written, produced and directed by actress Penny Peyser, (“The In-Laws”/ “Crazy Like a Fox”) and Doug McIntyre, TV & Film writer/producer and host of “McIntyre in the Morning” on Talk Radio 790 KABC in Los Angeles. For more information on the film, log on to the website: www.TryingToGetGood.com
Sandy Mandelberger, Palm Beach FF Dailies Editor
