Reviews - The Girls in the Band-The Official Site of the Music Documentary

Jeanette Catsoulis - CRITIC'S PICK -

"Everything a worthwhile documentary should be, and then some: engaging, informative, thorough and brimming with delightful characters."

Howard Reich

"The film's final extended sequence, which is too hauntingly beautiful to give away here, underscores the value of this tale and the elegance with which it is told."

Gary Goldstein

"Lively and entertaining ... sheds long overdue light. Director Judy Chaikin...infuses this fine portrait with grace, nostalgia and a well-calibrated dose of social commentary."

"It's a cultural travesty that the women of early jazz...have become a neglected footnote in music history, but Judy Chaikin's well-researched, buoyantly entertaining documentary portrait could be the corrective."

Sherilyn Connelly

"The Girls in the Band" is by no means dry or academic; it's joyous and packed with great music, much of which is not as familiar as it should be, since the fact that these female bands and performers never got their due is the point."

Mary Bowen

"The Girls in the Band takes its cue from jazz itself, resulting in the joyful, free-form interplay of ensemble and solo, courage and community."

Mick LaSalle

"....Highlighted with lots of impressive musical performances, from the days of Hazel Scott and Lil Hardin Armstrong through today."

Dave Hoekstra

“A clarion of hope that illustrates the many ways music can be a bonding force."

Robert Koehler

"A lock for widespread fest travels and ancillary sales, the pic may prompt a rewrite of jazz history..."

Mark Adams

"A fascinating, moving and wonderfully tuneful documentary...powerful examination of the struggles by talented musicians to break into the resolutely male world of jazz."

Sheri Linden

"An important step to repairing the broken links and resurrecting almost a century of music and the women who made it."

Richard J. Salvucci

"This wonderful documentary is a historical, musical, cultural and artistic treasure all rolled into one."

Loren Bienvenu

"...Offers the perfect blend of sometimes grainy, sometimes vivid archival footage and thoughtful interviews with both the surviving pioneers of the early years and those who have carried the baton in each subsequent generation."

Adelaide Blair

"Informative and fun...this is not just a film for feminists and jazz-lovers, (although feminist jazz freaks are going to LOVE it) it's for anyone who likes great movies."

Casey St. Charnez

"Absorbing and eye-opening...offers a panoply of frank and funny interviews with the still living, and is packed with vintage film clips of the departed, who now, because of this movie, are no longer forgotten."

Alan Jones

"For me at least, the dark sad side appears at the end credits: There are 36 women listed as featured artists in the film, but I knew of only 6. And I've been following jazz for 50 years."

Andrea Thompson

"It's certainly very refreshing to see such topics explored in such an accessible, non-self-righteous way. Even documentaries such as 20 Feet From Stardom, which place women of color at the center of their narratives, have the tendency to completely ignore issues of race and gender."