The jazzman from the Gulag

This film deals with the extraordinary life of Eddie Rosner, the first jazz musician of the communist world, child prodigy and of the youngest trumpet players in Europe during the twenties, the man whom Armstrong himself nicknamed the 'White Armstrong'. It is also about the man who was persecuted by the nazis as a degenerated musician, whom Stalin consecrated as a State Musician before banishing him to the gulag, and who was the wandering Jew who moved through the history of jazz, of Europe, of the Soviet Empire. Rosner experienced it all: fame, exile, horror, genius and poverty. For the first time, this documentary sets out to retrace, through a multitude of rare documents, film archive and invaluable accounts from Rosner's contemporaries, the fascinating, moving, and glorious adventures of this legendary figure, an extraordinary, endearing, generous man, who had everything and lost everything - except for his deep love of jazz. Awards: International Emmy for the Best Arts Documentary, New York 2000; Prix Italia 2000; Premio Ondas Spain 2000; Czech Crystal for the best documentary; Golden Prague 2000; Prix Vasco Design, Montreal 2000.