But Then, She's Betty Carter

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A documentary film with the title But Then, She's Betty Carter. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm acetate film with optical sound. This made-for-television documentary intercuts live performances with brief anecdotal interview clips of the legendary jazz singer Betty “Be-Bop” Carter. Produced and filmed between 1976 and 1980, the film uses footage from Carter’s 1980 Howard University concert as the primary performance source. Throughout the film, Carter discusses her rise to fame out of Detroit, Michigan and the many collaborations that assisted in making her a celebrated jazz musician. Lionel Hampton also appears in the film for interviews as well as onstage with Carter. She also spends a significant amount of time detailing the history of jazz music, its origins within the Black musical tradition, and the ways in which jazz music has influenced popular culture over the years.

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