*The New York Times review – CRITICS’ PICK – by Jeannette Catsoulis – “Everything a worthwhile documentary should be, and then some: engaging, informative, thorough and brimming with delightful characters.”
*Chicago Tribune review – by 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.”
*Cineaste Magazine review by 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.”
*The Village Voice review – by Aaron Hillis – “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.”
*Los Angeles Times review – by 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.”
*Indiewire / Leonard Maltin’s Movie Crazy review – by Leonard Maltin – “By any measure Judy Chaikin’s loving documentary is a standout.”
*SFWeekly review – by 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.”
*San Francisco Chronicle review by Mick LaSalle – “….Highlighted with lots of impressive musical performances, from the days of Hazel Scott and Lil Hardin Armstrong through today.”
*The International Review of Music review by Don Heckman – “Brilliantly surveys an aspect of jazz that has generally remained below the surface.”
*Groove Notes review by Robin Lloyd – “Alternately touching and humorous….A theme running through most of Chaikin’s work is “righting a wrong,” and she spent eight years making this film so that the stories and the art of these musicians would not disappear.”
*Variety review by Robert Koehler – “A lock for widespread fest travels and ancillary sales, the pic may prompt a rewrite of jazz history…”
*Screen Daily International review by 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.”
*The Hollywood Reporter review by Sheri Linden – “An important step to repairing the broken links and resurrecting almost a century of music and the women who made it.”
*Chicago Sun-Times review by Dave Hoekstra – “A clarion of hope that illustrates the many ways music can be a bonding force.”
*All About Jazz review by Richard J. Salvucci – “This wonderful documentary is a historical, musical, cultural and artistic treasure all rolled into one.”
*The Macguffin review by 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.”
*Santa Fe New Mexican review – by 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.”
*SantaFe.com review by 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.”
*Jazz Mostly review by Bruce Crowther – “A rewarding, entertaining, and revealing exploration of what life was like in the 1930s and 1940s for people who did not fit into preconceptions of what made a jazz musician.”
*No Festival Required commentary by 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.”
*Shorewood Patch review by 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.”
*News Blaze review by Prairie Miller – “Alternately eloquent, solemn and laced with stinging wit….The women, like this documentary, triumph.”
*Examiner.com review by Kay Shackleton – “Not only a fascinating journey of woman jazz musicians and the times they lived in, but an example of excellent filmmaking too!”
*Digby’s Hullabaloo review by Dennis Hartley – “Chaikin has assembled an absorbing, poignant, and celebratory piece….an overall eye-opening documentary.”
