In the 1950s and '60s,
Jackie Paris was one of the most celebrated jazz vocalists of his generation; he collaborated with such giants as
Charlie Parker,
Charles Mingus, and
Dizzy Gillespie, he was a favorite of leading music critics, and recorded for such top jazz labels as Impulse and East-West. But ten years on,
Paris had fallen so far off the radar that a major jazz reference work reported that
Paris had died in 1977, even though he was still around and occasionally performing at the time. In the 1990s, filmmaker
Raymond De Felitta heard some of
Paris' recordings and became an instant fan, and was deeply curious about
Paris' life and career, and how an artist with such gifts had become little more than a footnote in music history.
De Felitta's search eventually led him to
Paris himself, and a fascinating story of bad luck, a wildly dysfunctional family, dangerous pride, a hair-trigger temper, and a remarkable voice that somehow survived it all, even if his career did not.
'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris is a documentary which chronicles
De Felitta's search for the elusive singer; the film includes interviews with
Paris' family, friends, and fans, including
Dr. Billy Taylor,
Billy Vera,
Joe Franklin,
Ira Gitler,
Harlan Ellison, and
James Moody.
Frank Whaley,
Nick Tosches, and
Peter Bogdanovich contribute dramatic readings of reviews of
Paris' work from his heyday. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide