Rating: 
Summary: latin music video for jazz fans
Review: As a passionate lover of Cuban music, I went to see Calle 54 on the big screen at a film festival. The film has a very disjointed feel, consisting as it does of a series of studio performances by the artists, stapled together by the intrusive narration of director Fernando Trueba, who completely fails to get out of the way.
The music itself is a real mix. Elaine Elias was a delightful inclusion, but Chano Dominguez and Michel Camilo in particular are simply relentless. Despite all this, there are some great moments, most especially the final scene, a duet between Bebo Valdés and Israel Lopez playing Lagrimas Negras.
If you like your latin jazz more jazz than latin this is worth seeing, but don't think this is a great documentary on the lines of Buena Vista or Tango Mio - it isn't.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best Music You'll Ever See
Review: At the insistence of a friend, I began watching this movie, thinking I'd sample a little bit here and there (Afro-Cuban music, Salsa, etc. can be loud and repetitious). Forget it. The film is absolutely addictive and intoxicating, building to the kind of musical climax normally associated with a Bach B Minor Mass or a Verdi Requiem or a Strauss Domestic Symphony.Indeed, the film has a "script" along with cinematic-editing virtuosity, but the testimony to the power of both is that from the viewer's perspective the music itself soon becomes the only narrative. I've seen all of the great "jazz" films--Jazz on a Summer's Day, Bird, Round Midnight--and none comes close to offering the rich experience of this film. But this is far more than a unique film about jazz, or Latin jazz, or Latin music. I can't imagine even the most devoted follower of the classical music scene not being captivated by its sounds and images. In fact, if the film has a "star," it's the Steinway piano, which has never been more beautifully filmed and recorded (be sure to view the DVD with a good audio system, minus a sub-woofer). The instrument becomes an Excalibur whose power comes alive only in the most privileged hands (in this case, about 6 different pairs). Sadly, a film like this would not be made by an American, an irony it shares with Bernard Tavernier's poignant "Round Midnight." No matter. It's an event to be cherished.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Music You'll Ever See
Review: At the insistence of a friend, I began watching this movie, thinking I'd sample a little bit here and there (Afro-Cuban music, Salsa, etc. can be loud and repetitious). Forget it. The film is absolutely addictive and intoxicating, building to the kind of musical climax normally associated with a Bach B Minor Mass or a Verdi Requiem or a Strauss Domestic Symphony. Indeed, the film has a "script" along with cinematic-editing virtuosity, but the testimony to the power of both is that from the viewer's perspective the music itself soon becomes the only narrative. I've seen all of the great "jazz" films--Jazz on a Summer's Day, Bird, Round Midnight--and none comes close to offering the rich experience of this film. But this is far more than a unique film about jazz, or Latin jazz, or Latin music. I can't imagine even the most devoted follower of the classical music scene not being captivated by its sounds and images. In fact, if the film has a "star," it's the Steinway piano, which has never been more beautifully filmed and recorded (be sure to view the DVD with a good audio system, minus a sub-woofer). The instrument becomes an Excalibur whose power comes alive only in the most privileged hands (in this case, about 6 different pairs). Sadly, a film like this would not be made by an American, an irony it shares with Bernard Tavernier's poignant "Round Midnight." No matter. It's an event to be cherished.
Rating:
Summary: A must have for Chico O'Farrill fans
Review: Brief but fabulous overview of the origins of Latin Jazz and its
creators. It showcases some of the greatest (old and new) Latin Jazz musicians. Outstanding performances by Paquito D'Rivera with Dave Samuels, Dario Eskenazi and other great young jazz musicians. Tito Puente's last performance on video with Dave Valentin, Hilton Ruiz. Bebo Valdez first-ever recording with Cachao and a superb performance by the greatest Afro-Cuban composer and arranger of all times: Chico O'Farrill. Watch (and listen to) his Afro-Cuban Jazz Suite and you'll witness the greatness of this often forgotten and under-recognized genius. This track makes the DVD worth buying. The sound quality is superb. Calle 54, a must-have for the serious jazz lover. A jewel for those who really treasure Afro-Cuban jazz.
Rating:
Summary: A music lover's dream movie
Review: Director Fernando Trueba's eye for composition and passion for music yield a true sonic and visual feast for music fans. The movie features an awesome collection of the very best Latin Jazz musicians--Chucho Valdez, Michel Camilo, Tito Puente QEPD, among many others--each performing a terrific song with a truly outstanding dolby 5.1 soundtrack. The sound is absolutely gorgeous...as close to listening to a live performance as you will ever get. Included is a spellbinding performance by the sultry Brazilian pianist Eliane Elias that swept me off my feet. A must have for any Jazz or Latin music fan.
Rating: 
Summary: Calle 54
Review: Excellent production, sound quality and video image. The problem I had with this production is that there is too much talking and narration. This is unfortunate becuase as a lover of latin music I was really hoping to have a musical DVD and not a documentary about such great performers. Very little music to listen and enjoy because the narration is simply too much. The information about the life of these wonderful performers could have been recorded in a seperate chapter/section of the DVD. Let the music play. Show me the music!
Rating:
Summary: Sheer Delight
Review: For many reasons this is one of the finest examples of music video coverage I've ever seen. If you are a fan of latin or jazz music you will not be dissapointed. From a technical standpoint the camera work and editing of the performance segments is outstanding. When any player does something outstanding from a trill on the bass to the double kick of a bass drum...the camera is there. The directing/editing of the music segments takes me where my eyes would have taken me had I been there. So often in music performance videos it seems the editors have no clue about what is really important in the music, thankfully that is not the case with Calle 54. Music shot with a musicians perspective in mind!
Rating:
Summary: Will make you addicted to Latin Jazz
Review: From the opening remark by Trueba, you are hooked: "A principio de los ochenta, un amigo me regalo un disco que complico mi vida. Me volvi un adicto al jazz latino." (At the beginning of the eighties, a friend gave me an album that complicated my life. I became addicted to Latin Jazz.)
Having read his introductory words, you may understand why the comparison between Fernando Trueba's "Calle 54" and Wim Wenders' "Buena Vista Social Club" is not only unfit but also unfair to both movies. While "Buena Vista..." focuses on a handful of Cuban legends, many of whom continued to make great classic Latin music in the island in spite of the passing of time, "Calle 54" introduces the viewer to how Latin music was embraced and transformed by a number of musical geniuses across the continent to give shape to what would later be known as Latin Jazz.
Well known Paquito D'Rivera, Tito Puente, Bebo (and Chucho) Valdez, along with Gato Barbieri and many others showcase their brilliance and sense of innate connection with the genre's roots, while keeping an exquisite balance with the essence of jazz: improvisation. D'Rivera throws in a Venezuelan "cuatro" (a small form of a four-string guitar) into a "sabrosa" mix of metals and latin percussion. A nostalgic Baribieri comes across as a Miles Davis playing sax to latin rhythms. Puente introduces us to the fathers of Latin Jazz through the murals in his restaurant, while Valdez puts his heart into it all with his impeccable piano performance. Then again, some more improv, a fusion of Flamenco and Jazz -the miracle (as Trueba puts it) that Chano Dominguez accomplishes, blending Thelonius Monk and Camaron de la Isla. Eliane Elias hypnotyzing the listener with her beauty and her exquisite blend of bossa and jazz...
There is so much to "Calle 54" that hours of writing about it would never do it justice. Trueba, a storyteller at heart, and a convinced fan of the genre, tells the tale of this exquisite music for those that are familiar with it, and to help guide by the hand those who don't into the fate that he ran into over twenty years ago: becoming addicted to Latin Jazz.
Rating:
Summary: One from the heart
Review: I had a chance to watch (or, is it 'listen to'?) this incredible film at the Ýstanbul Film Festival a few days ago.Why compare it to 'Bueno Vista Social Club'? That was about PEOPLE making music: a masterpiece on beautiful people making beautiful music. This is about MUSIC, and a good 100 minutes of it.You may know each and every one of the musicians and the music they play but the film is a masterpiece in itself, a composition and one from the heart.
Rating:
Summary: MUSICALLY BRILLIANT!
Review: I just saw this WONDERFUL film. It is the BEST jazz film, Latin or otherwise, I have ever seen. The musicality; the direction; even the ending credits were done so tastefully. I have all of the musicians' recordings, but this film brought out the very best of their creativity. I cannot recommend it highly enough. How many stars can I give this??? 100? It was SUPERB!!!!!
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