‘A Great Day in Harlem’

Back in 1958, long before he became an esteemed filmmaker, Robert Benton decided to gather all the jazz musicians he possibly could for a group photo, taken by the late Art Kane, in front of a Harlem brownstone for an Esquire cover story on the golden age of jazz. Documentarian Jean Bach has been no less inspired than Benton in getting the surviving musicians to speak of those who have died--legends like Thelonius Monk, Lester Young, Charles Mingus and Pee Wee Russell. They tell their stories in this wonderful 1994 documentary, augmented by rich archival material (Bravo Friday at 8 p.m.).