Air Tonic

The first part of this Academy Award-winning short consists of a behind-the-scenes look at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra as it prepares to perform Ravel's "Bolero." Individual musicians offer their thoughts as workers set up chairs and music stands; there are also comments by conductor Zubin Mehta and scenes of Mehta and the orchestra rehearsing. The rest of the film features a complete performance of "Bolero" with striking images of the orchestra as the music relentlessly approaches its climax.

A brief history of Stan Kenton's musical career from taxi-dance gigs to his successful big band orchestra.

Artie Shaw and his orchestra perform four popular songs, "Alone Together", "Jeepers Creepers", "Deep Purple", and "Lady Be Good".

A high school bandleader captures the interest of a popular co-ed.

In this vivid transposition of contemporary music for television, Cahen "responds" to the complex musical transitions of Répons, a work by French composer Pierre Boulez. Performed by the Ensemble InterContemporain and conducted by Boulez, the intricate Répons was designed for an ensemble of twenty-four musicians, six soloists and a "real-time" digital processor. In Cahen's re-composed interpretation, he responds with visual and temporal transformations, "opening" the images in space and time and applying electronic techniques to engulf the instrumentalists in ocean, sky, and trees. Mirage-like superimpositions, temporal shifts, mirroring effects and de-synchronization result in a rhythmic confluence of the illusory and the real. Immersing the viewer in image and sound, Cahen mirrors the transformative process of Boulez's music.

In a nightclub setting, Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra, with two of his vocalists, perform four of the group's best known songs. For the complete list of songs, check the soundtrack listing.

Count Basie does a little rhyming rapping before going into this Benny Goodman instrumental composition. While he's playing, plenty of couples are jitterbugging constantly until, one by one, they get tired and start to fall down on the floor.

Darta, a man from an impoverished family, is rejected by the wealthy parents of the woman he loves. Desperate, he strikes a bargain with the Monkey King, performing a dark ritual to gain wealth. However, in doing so, he accidentally curses his wife and child to a life of suffering. Rooted in Indonesian mysticism, this universal narrative explores the insatiable hunger to become something one is not and the boundaries one is willing to cross to achieve it.

On a set resembling a yacht, Roger Wolfe Kahn leads his orchestra in several popular tunes of the day. Billed and un-billed guest acts also perform. At the end, Kahn thrills his guests by piloting a biplane.

Critical review of the music of the Electric Light Orchestra during the Roy Wood era. Features highlights from tracks including '10538 Overture', 'Jeff's Boogie 2', 'Queen of the Hours' and 'Ball Park Incident'. The Independent biography traces the foundations of the band through its metamorphosis from The Move in 1970 and later to the point where Roy Wood quit the group leaving Jeff Lynne to steer the band in to worldwide stardom. Narrated throughout by a team of music journalists and musicians. Also included are a bonus live set filmed in 1972 originally called Granada's Set of Six and features four of the six songs, These songs are the only known live original Roy Wood ELO tracks ever filmed. The DVD was originally released in 2005 under the title Inside the Electric Light Orchestra 1970–1973 minus the bonus live tracks.

Johnny Green leads the MGM Symphony Orchestra in a medley of waltzes and other familiar pieces by three members of the Strauss family. Filmed in CinemaScope.