Follow the Leader: A dusty, rhythmic relic

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school jazz, maybe. If you are looking for a plot, look elsewhere. This is basically a filmed concert with a tiny bit of filler acting to hold the stage together.

Seriously, if big band music makes you want to tap your foot, you’ll enjoy it. If you need a narrative hook, you will probably be bored out of your mind within three minutes.

The vibe is... very 1930s

Watching Isham Jones work is kind of fascinating if you like seeing how these bands operated back then. There’s a tightness to the sound that you just don't get with modern recordings. It feels live, even if the cameras are acting a bit stiff.

There is a segment where the band just keeps playing, and honestly, I stopped looking at the screen and just listened. It’s better that way. The visuals are pretty static, just a lot of guys in suits looking very serious about their brass instruments.

It’s funny how movies like this exist alongside things like Tiger Shark. One is pure, gritty drama, and this is just... guys playing music. It’s a totally different frequency.

Odd little details

• The lighting is incredibly harsh. Everyone looks like they’re sweating under a spotlight.
• The transitions between songs feel like they were edited with a blunt pair of scissors.
• Fred Waller is there, I guess? He's doing his best, but the music is the only thing that actually matters here.

I felt like the movie was trying to convince me this was a big, high-stakes variety show. It’s not. It’s a band in a room. But sometimes, a band in a room is actually enough if the rhythm section is solid.

Compared to the sheer chaos of something like The Bat Whispers, this feels like a very quiet, very safe afternoon. No mystery, no shadows, just saxophones and a lot of very shiny floor polish.

It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just trying to capture a sound. 🎺 It succeeds at that, even if it feels like a museum piece today.