Who is Jackie Paris?  Chance is that 99% of people reading this review have no idea.  Neither did director Raymond de Felitta until he heard the jazz crooner over the car radio.  Mesmerized by his voice, style and technique, Felitta gives Jackie Paris the fame through this documentary that has sadly missed him all his life.  Unfortunately this involves digging up a can of worms (a heroin addiction) as well.

Jackie Paris hung around the jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.  Someone compared his singing once (to his chagrin) to Frankie Lane.  He is a gifted singer, tap dancer and charismatic musician.  De Felitta’s film is just as much about how he goes about finding information about the man as about the man.

THE SEARCH FOR JACKIE PARIS would more likely appeal more to musicians and artists.  To the ordinary layman, de Felitta’s documentation is impressive more in his research than in its subject.