CPH:DOX 2025 – Legacy

In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Scandinavia suddenly became a mecca for the most innovative music of the time: Jazz. The cold, dark north became a haven for black American jazz stars. Here, they could be far more at peace from the racism that persecuted them in the US and just play in local clubs, be spiritual and indulge in heroin use without being disturbed. They could be stars and be celebrated as they truly deserved. Many of them started families and had children. And it’s the adult children of superstars like Dexter Gordon, Don Cherry, Sahib Shihab, Joe Harris and Quincy Jones who tell the story in ‘Legacy’. A story of racism, segregation and political activism. A story about the consequences children sometimes have to pay for the freedom of their fathers. And of course, a story about music, and a treasure trove of a period in Scandinavian music history.