Global politics, jazz, decolonization, and assassination all play key parts in Johan Grimonprez’s absolutely thrilling Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat, which takes a deep dive into a mostly forgotten dark chapter of world history—the murder of the Congo’s elected leader Patrice Lumumba. The film opens with a flurry, as socially minded jazz musicians Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln crash the U.N. Security Council to protest the murder of Congo’s president, Patrice Lumumba, as Soviet premier Nikita Kruschev bangs his shoe on the table (an act which Dizzy Gillespie interprets charitably). What’s going on? Grimonprez goes on to explain, in glorious detail. In an attempt to win the hearts and minds of African citizens during the Cold War, the State Department sent jazz musicians to perform in Africa, starting with the most famous of all, Louis Armstrong. Jazz immortals like Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie and Nina Simone follow suit, all grappling with the obvious contrast: why does the country these great artists represent still embrace segregation. And are they just being used as a smokescreen for some disturbing CIA covert actions? Grimonprez paints the scene vividly with eyewitness accounts, government memos, CIA-backed mercenaries, Lumumba’s own speeches, and a near-endless run of jazz icons, including John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Melba Liston and Eric Dolphy. Incredibly researched—even longtime jazz aficionados will be stunned by the wealth of material that director Johan Gimonprez has unearthed—this breathtaking film documents the moment when African history and American jazz collided. ~SM