Who was Jackie Paris? Even dedicated aficionados of supper club jazz may only be loosely acquainted with the velvet-voiced singer who, following his early ’60s peak, was often reduced to a footnote in the history of American popular music.
Yet in his heyday, Paris was a celebrated figure within jazz circles, a headline act affectionately known as ‘the singer’s singer’.
With his interest pricked by a rare recording, jazz fan and filmmaker Raymond de Felitta sets out to find Paris, tracking him down to his retirement in a New York apartment.
It soon becomes evident that for de Felitta, the search for the real Jackie Paris starts here. Over the course of several years, he unravels the story of Paris’ early life, the rise and fall of his career, and his complex personal life. With contributions from Paris’ friends, family and admirers including Peter Bogdanovich and the writer Nick Tosches.