It Must Schwing! The Blue Note Story

A unique and intimate look at the most exciting era in modern music, It Must Schwing! is an emotionally thrilling and brilliant monument to jazz and the legendary Blue Note Records label. Through stunning animation, performances, and an ensemble of some of jazz music's greatest talents, this engrossing film tells the story of two German friends, Alfred Löw and Frank Wolff, who fled from Berlin before the Nazi regime and emigrated to New York. There, they changed their names to Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff and founded the Blue Note Records label in 1939, which quickly gained a reputation and rose to prominence for recording contemporary jazz and assembling an impressive roster of jazz greats, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Quincy Jones and many more. At a time when African American musicians in the USA were discriminated against and ostracised, Blue Note Records respected them as artists and equals. Executive produced by three-time Oscar-nominee Wim Wenders, It Must Schwing! tells the moving story of these two friends, united by a passionate love for jazz, and of their profound belief in equality and freedom for every single human being.

Featuring a special live jazz performance by the Wolf & Lion Quintet.

Director Eric Friedler will be in attendance to introduce the film and participate in an extended conversation moderated by WLRN Radio Host Michael Stock.