Reminiscing in Tempo

Here’s a shocker: Reminiscing in Tempo, a doc about Duke Ellington, contains lots of sublime musical footage. There’s also plenty of endearing reminiscence, from the composer’s sister, Ruth, and effortlessly classy associates such as Bobby Short and Billy Taylor. Unfortunately, the film lacks direction. Filmmaker Gary Keys moves indiscriminately from recent meetings of the Duke Ellington Society to the composer’s 1968 Olympics appearance in Mexico and his childhood in D.C. Rather than fruitfully simulating the improvisational aspect of the Duke’s medium, this approach merely makes for listless viewing. (Opens Fri 15; Quad.)—Hank Shteamer