Now I want to tell a story that needs a larger canvas. This is a one-hour documentary about a soon-to-be ninety year old trumpeter named Pauly Cohen, still following his big band dream.
Pauly is a Jazz elder who graduated from Lincoln High School in Brooklyn and within a few years, was working as a big band lead trumpeter with Tommy Dorsey, Artie Shaw and Charlie Barnet. His credits include hundreds of recording sessions, TV and Radio programs, and many many years on the road.
An early mentor and friend was Dizzy Gillespie, dating back to the mid-40s, when they were both in the trumpet section of the Earl Hines Big Band that also included Charlie Parker. Pauly reached a creative peak in the 70s when he played lead trumpet with Count Basie.
When Pauly moved to South Florida in his early 80s, he didn’t retire. Instead, he formed his own group populated by other big band veterans, which he continues to lead today, on the eve of his 90th birthday.
Pauly Cohen is still driven by the same pursuit for musical excellence that made him one of the great lead trumpet players in big band jazz, and the same passion for life that’s motivated him to work on himself and become a better man. The formerly irascible horn man, who always had a great sense of humor, now reveals that he also has a heart of gold.
Pauly’s story is not just for music fans. It has a more universal appeal because it's about something everyone experiences: aging. Most people lead a less active life after the age of seventy. But rather than stay home and watch big band tributes on PBS, Pauly Cohen charges forward, focused solely on the music he's playing today with his own band.
This film is about a man about to turn ninety, still actively pursuing his big band dream at a time in life when those who have survived the ravages of old age are most likely retired and lined up for an early dinner. Thankfully, there is a man of action like Pauly Cohen, to remind us that we can continue to do what we love, long past forced retirement.
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