Aaron Copeland

[ed. What a program, what a night (what videography). Entire concert here.]

When Leonard Bernstein met Eric Dolphy—and CBS captured it on camera.

Did you know that Leonard Bernstein shared the stage with short-lived jazz legend Eric Dolphy. It happened exactly 120 days before Dolphy died (from undiagnosed diabetes).

That surprised me. But the most amazing part of the story is that CBS showcased this event on a national TV broadcast.

You couldn’t imagine this happening today.

Along the way, the general public got to see Gunther Schuller, Don Ellis, Richard Davis, and Benny Golson. Bernstein himself reads a narrative script written by the eminent music critic Nat Hentoff. (THB)