Duke Ellington at the Cote d’Azur With Ella Fitzgerald

The musical genius of “Sir Duke” is on display in this 1966 film about a string of concerts he gave at the Cote d’Azur. His orchestra plays a range of material, from pure jazz to experimental African rhythms, but the biggest surprise in the program is a midsection devoted to modern art. Spanish artist Joan Miró makes an appearance during a performance by Ellington and a small combo outside the Leger Museum, and we view works by Calder, Giacometti and Picasso. The film’s only drawback is that the guest star, the incomparable Lady Ella Fitzgerald, only appears in the final 15 minutes. One of the numbers she does, though, is a terrific bossa nova tune that is well worth the wait. Also included is a bonus disc, “The Last Jam Session,” which features Duke with guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Ray Brown and drummer Louie Bellson.

Shelf Talk: Jazz aficionados won’t need much encouragement to snap up this slice of musical history, as the Cote d’Azur concerts have been available on CD over the past few years as both a double album and a deluxe eight-CD set. The film is enough of a fan favorite to have been immortalized the 21st century way: the Duke/Ella numbers have been uploaded to YouTube.