Bittersweet music

’Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris
thoughtfully documents the rise and fall
of an obscure jazz singer

LOST VOICE: ’Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris

by MALCOLM FRASER

Musician/filmmaker Raymond De Felitta, who’s previously helmed low-key comedies and dramas such as The Thing About My Folks and Two Family House, turns his attention to documentary with ’Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris. When De Felitta hears Paris, an obscure jazz singer, on the radio, he becomes obsessed and endeavours to find out as much as he can about the singer’s life and career.

What he discovers is that Paris, though today a footnote in jazz history, was centrally involved in the New York City bebop scene of the ’40s and ’50s, playing with many of the greats and developing a reputation as a “singer’s singer.” Although acclaimed by critics and respected by his peers, he released few albums, and after the early ’60s, his career tapered off. A jazz encyclopaedia lists him as deceased, but then De Felitta discovers a listing for a live show in New York in 2004.

He shows up and meets Paris, and the film begins to weave together different threads: an intimate portrait of a complicated and guarded person, a teasing detective story about what happened to his career, and a meditation on the significance of an artist’s biography to his art.

The film’s key question is why Paris never attained greater success. He has an unquestionably unique and appealing voice, and his work with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Peggy Lee and Lenny Bruce presumably could have won him much wider acclaim. But the combination of a volatile personality, a series of tragically missed opportunities, and the trend-driven vagaries of the music business added up to bad luck for Paris, and De Felitta detects a look in the singer’s eye that says, as he eloquently interprets it, “being unique was a tired substitute for being popular.”

The film feels like a labour of love made by any means necessary, which means moments of lo-fi camera and sound technique. Also, the copious insider talk about jazz and the music business may alienate some casual viewers. But it’s definitely a must-see for jazz fans and aficionados of old-school entertainment, and De Felitta’s thoughtful musings and respectful approach make it worthwhile for anyone interested in real-life human drama.

Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie
Paris opens this Friday, June 20

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