Movies Similar to Art Pepper: Notes from a Jazz Survivor

The Man with the Golden Arm(1955)

When illegal card dealer and recovering heroin addict Frankie Machine gets out of prison, he decides to straighten up. Armed with nothing but an old drum set, Frankie tries to get honest work as a drummer. But when his former employer and his old drug dealer re-enter his life, Frankie finds it hard to stay clean and eventually finds himself succumbing to his old habits.

All You Can Eat(2025)

All You Can Eat is a brief yet captivating short film that highlights the hungry moments shared between Brylee and his partner as they enjoy a sushi date together at Trapper's Sushi.

Shoot the Piano Player(1960)

Charlie is a former classical pianist who has changed his name and now plays jazz in a grimy Paris bar. When Charlie's brothers, Richard and Chico, surface and ask for Charlie's help while on the run from gangsters they have scammed, he aids their escape. Soon Charlie and Lena, a waitress at the same bar, face trouble when the gangsters arrive, looking for his brothers.

Medeski Martin & Wood - Leverkusener Jazztage(2013)

Medeski Martin and Wood at Leverkusener Jazztage - Germany 12 November 2013 Tracklist: - 1969 - Seven Days - Black Elk Speaks - Amber Girls - Nostalgia in Times Square

Joe Zawinul & Trilok Gurtu - 25 Festival Jazz Frankfurt(1994)

Joe Zawinul & Trilok Gurtu duo amazes everyone! The 25th Frankfurt Jazz Festival in 1994 hosted this superhero duo.

Daybreak Express(1953)

Set to a classic Duke Ellington recording "Daybreak Express", this is a five-minute short of the soon-to-be-demolished Third Avenue elevated subway station in New York City.

Ray(2004)

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

Nice Girls Don't Stay for Breakfast(2019)

In the late 1990s, iconic photographer Bruce Weber barely managed to convince legendary actor Robert Mitchum (1917-97) to let himself be filmed simply hanging out with friends, telling anecdotes from his life and recording jazz standards.

Louis Armstrong: 100th Anniversary 1901-2001(2001)

A documentary featuring archive footage to celebrate the 100th birth of jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

Norman Granz’ Jazz in Montreaux presents Ella and Basie '79—"The Perfect Match"(1979)

The two musical masters swing out.

Jazz Icons: Oscar Peterson Live in '63, '64 & '65(2008)

Oscar Peterson is accompanied by the stellar duo of bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen for each concert performance. This is the classic Oscar Peterson Trio, considered by many to be the best Oscar Peterson Band ever. Oscar and the trio collaborate with trumpeters Clark Terry (Finland'65) and Roy Eldridge (Sweden'63) and re-create some of the excitement and fun of the Jazz at the Philharmonic (JATP) tours. Among the many highlights in this collection are the Oscar and vocalist-trumpeter Clark Terry collaboration on the ever-popular Mumbles ,and for the first time on commercial video, an Oscar Peterson Trio rendition of Tonight from his award-winning West Side Story album.

Magma - Myths and Legends Volume I(2006)

Magma - Myths and Legends Volume II(2006)

Magma - Myths and Legends Volume IV(2008)

Killing Zoe(1993)

Zed is an American vault-cracker who travels to Paris to meet up with his old friend Eric. Eric and his gang have planned to raid the only bank in the city which is open on Bastille day. After offering his services, Zed soon finds himself trapped in a situation beyond his control when heroin abuse, poor planning and a call-girl named Zoe all conspire to turn the robbery into a very bloody siege.

The Blues Brothers(1980)

Jake Blues, just released from prison, puts his old band back together to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood were raised.

Noble Sissle's Syncopated Ragtime(2018)

Combining footage unseen since WWI with original scores from the era, this film tells the story of Noble Sissle's incredible journey that spans "The Harlem Hellfighters" of World War I, Broadway Theatre, the Civil Rights movement, and decades of Black cultural development.

Jazz in Marciac 2000 - Biréli Lagrène et Sylvain Luc(2021)

Dear Director(2015)

During the summer of 1980, the American jazz concert pianist Kazzrie Jaxen writes a 16 pages long letter to director Ingmar Bergman. His film 'From the Life of the Marionettes' have sent her on a dramatic inner journey, making her realize that she is not alone in her own body.

Sweet and Lowdown(1999)

In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.