Jazz
tunes named after food tend to be greasy toe-tappers, like “Beans and Greens”
and “Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries”—usually soul jazz and soul food.
Tarts and soufflés, not so much. As a result, Milton Abel II crossed over into
an entirely different world from his Kansas City jazz musician father when he
started working at some of the most elite French restaurants in the world. Abel
fils reflects on his father and their relationship in Ben Proudfoot’s ultra-hip
short documentary, That’s My Jazz,
which screens during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.
Abel
Senior played with all the real deal KC players. According to his son, he was
asked to sing at Charlie Parker’s funeral. He definitely recorded with Jay
McShann (as did Bird), so you know he was legit. His son used to fall asleep on
the bandstand listening to his father (imagine the amazing music he snoozed
through, but he just a young kid at the time).
In
fact, the junior Abel clearly wishes he could rewind back to those times as
well. As the title implies, the son considers culinary arts to be his creative
outlet, like music was for his father. Maybe he did not explain that to his
father as well as he could have, but he’s only human. In any event, it is nice
to see Abel Senior get greater recognition, even if it is posthumous.
To
that end, Proudfoot does everything totally right. The short doc incorporates some
infectiously swinging music Abel played on, including the Kansas City Jazz
Spectrum Ensemble’s recording of “Big Noise from Winnetka.” Whatever you do,
don’t leave early, because the culinary-themed “Better than Anything,”
featuring Abel and vocalist Sherry Jones, plays over the closing credits.
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