It’s fair to say that — off the court, anyway — the Jazz pulled out all of the stops for the team’s 50th anniversary last season.
The final aspect of the celebration? A 98-minute documentary called “Note Worthy: 50 Seasons of Jazz Basketball.”
The team hired filmmakers Heart and Hustle productions to make the production, one that was originally intended to be about 30 minutes. Over the course of the year, the team expanded it to the full-length show that will be released this week.
“Who wants to cut Karl Malone and John Stockton and Jerry Sloan short? Who wants to cut Ryan and Ashley (Smith) and coach Hardy and the future part of the storytelling short? The 90s could be a 90-minute piece on its own,” director Rashad Floyd said. “And so ultimately we kind of came to decide, ‘Hey, let’s make sure that everyone’s represented in the total run time.”
How to watch
The documentary will debut at the Delta Center during a free screening event on Saturday. Doors to the arena open at 4 p.m., with the film starting at 5 p.m.
From 4-4:45 p.m., fans will be able to shoot free throws on the court. Select concession stands will be open, including those offering $3 popcorn for the movie.
After the documentary, there will be a short panel with former Jazz personalities Thurl Bailey, Ron Boone, and Adrian Dantley about the film, moderated by play-by-play announcer Craig Bolerjack.
The film makes its streaming debut on the Jazz+ platform starting Monday, Aug. 12 at 5 p.m. The team will put it on YouTube for the general public at 5 p.m on Tuesday, Aug. 13 for on-demand viewing.
What to expect
Media received an early screening of the film. It’s very slick, professional, and well produced — a good watch.
“Note Worthy” generally takes a chronological approach to Jazz history, which is then interspersed with current-day figures reflecting on how they want to live up to, and even surpass, the historical example. In general, the historical portions are stronger than the modern-day cutaways, as the latter feel like public relations.
Nearly everyone of consequence you could imagine in Jazz history among those still with us on Earth was interviewed in this documentary. Adrian Dantley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Jeff Hornacek, Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, and so many other players were brought in. Three generations of Jazz ownership (Sam Battistone, Gail Miller, and Ryan and Ashley Smith) are on camera.
Coaching is an important part of the film, and Frank Layden, Quin Snyder, and Will Hardy all make appearances. Layden especially remains an absolute treat, with some new stories from his old players I hadn’t heard before. Jerry Sloan is revered throughout.
The documentary’s strongest parts, as you might expect, are around the Stockton and Malone years as the team reached the NBA Finals. Stockton’s interviews, especially, are more emotional than we’ve ever seen him, at least about basketball.
But note, though, that this isn’t “The Last Dance.” There’s precious little footage that long-time Jazz fans haven’t seen before. “Note Worthy” relies on game tape and media coverage from the time to spruce up the interviews, and it all does work, but nothing will especially surprise.
That’s also true of how the documentary treats issues of controversy. Really, only two are significantly addressed during the 98-minute run time: Dantley’s feud with Layden, and Williams’ feud with Sloan. The film doesn’t shed new light on how either situation unfolded; everything the men say about their departures from the Jazz has been said before. Other negative aspects on and off the court — including Malone’s rape allegation — are ignored. A 360-degree view of history could have been fascinating and groundbreaking, but this isn’t that.
Still, Jazz fans are going to love it. There are going to be plenty of parents showing this documentary to their kids to explain how and why they came to love Jazz basketball. As a nostalgia delivery system, it is incredibly effective, and there’s something to be said for that.
