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Our Language

Jazz has been called the purest expression of American democracy; a music built on individualism and compromise, independence and cooperation. Ken Burns follows the growth and development of jazz music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to Chicago's south side, the speakeasies of Kansas city and to Times Square.

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Our Language

Season 1 Episode 3 | 106m 40s | CC

As the stock market continues to soar, jazz is everywhere in America, and now, for the first time soloists and singers take center stage, transforming the music with their distinctive voices and the unique stories they have to tell.

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Funding provided by: General Motors;PBS; Park Foundation; CPB; The Pew Charitable Trusts; The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism; NEH; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations; The Reva and David Logan Foundation; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundations; NEA; Helen and Peter Bing