Jazz Legends Unplugged: 'Cool Cats' Screening with Janus Køster-Rasmussen

The Chazen Museum of Art works to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit works of art and present related educational programs in support of the teaching, research, and public service mission of theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.We do this because the visual arts enrich individual human experience and because knowledge of art is essential to understanding diverse cultures, past and present.

Chazen Museum of Art

Immerse yourself in the world of jazz with 'Cool Cats', a documentary that explores the legendary careers of Dexter Gordon and Ben Webster.

Join us for a captivating evening in the Chazen Auditorium as we present a special free screening of the documentary Cool Cats. This film delves into the lives and careers of jazz legends Dexter Gordon and Ben Webster, offering an intimate look at their remarkable contributions to the world of jazz.Following the film, director Janus Køster-Rasmussen will join us in discussion, sharing his insights and experiences behind the making of this evocative documentary.This film is presented alongside the exhibition Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century.

About Cool Cats:Cool Cats tells the story of two jazz giants who are forced to relocate to a musical smalltown. In the mid-1960s, tenor saxophone stars Ben Webster and Dexter Gordon leave behind America. It institutional racism and the country’s fierce political climate – as well as long personal trails of heavy alcohol and heroin addiction. They settle down in Copenhagen, where they are greeted as musical saviors. But the attractions of the small, fairy tale-like Scandinavian capital soon turn out to be a threat to their music – and their lives. The film's visual backbone consists of Ben Webster's own 8MM footage which resurfaces here for the first time. About the exhibition:Love, adventure, educational opportunities, career advancement, sexual exploration and racism are among the myriad reasons African American artists traveled to Nordic countries during the first half of the 20th century. While some visited to learn and perform, others relocated in search of a vastly different life. <a href="https://chazen.wisc.edu/exhibitions/nordic-utopia-african-americans-in-the-20th-century/" title="https://chazen.wisc.edu/exhibitions/nordic-utopia-african-americans-in-the-20th-century/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Nordic Utopia? African Americans in the 20th Century</a>, explores this often-overlooked time. Organized by the National Nordic Museum in Seattle, the exhibition is the first comprehensive pan-Nordic show to illuminate the artists’ motivations and experiences abroad.This exhibition is on view in the Chazen's Garfield Gallery August 10 - November 10, 2024. About Janus Køster-RasmussenBorn 1972 in CopenhagenMA, rhetoric and literature from the University of Copenhagen (2004)Worked as a music critic and journalist for Denmark’s two leading broadsheet dailies, Politiken and Berlingske (1998-2008)Documentary director at DR, Denmark’s National TV Broadcasting Corporation (2008-2023), producing more than 30 TV and cinema documentariesNow works as an independent screenwriter, director and author. Currently working on a drama about Danish diplomats in Baghdad during the first Gulf War, and a documentary about Knud Langkow, a legendary Danish 1970s outsider artist who posed as the leader of a satanic cult, causing widespread moral panicKøster-Rasmussen received numerous international awards for best film, including Dock Of The Bay (San Sebastián, Spain), Jecheon International Film Festival (Korea) and New York Jazz Film Festival (US) for Cool Cats. The film was selected for Telluride and several other US film festivals.

Jazz Legends Unplugged: 'Cool Cats' Screening with Janus Køster-Rasmussen

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Jazz Legends Unplugged: 'Cool Cats' Screening with Janus Køster-Rasmussen

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