As other reviewers previously mentioned ,I was probably more confused about the life of Buddy Bolden after watching this movie than before. It jumps way too much between timelines ,which usually works when used in moderation ( think " Get On Up " , "Ray " , " Miles Ahead " etc.)
In the filmmakers' defense ,I think this is meant to convey the choppy memories of a schizophrenic looking back on his life ,while listening to a radio concert of Louis Armstrong. A good enough Idea ,but dragged out over a couple of hours ,it just tends to get confusing ,and frankly ,annoying.
There are a couple of good fantasy(ish) scenes. The scene of when he was a young boy at his mother's workplace was brilliant ,and the parachute scene was just ,well ,bizarre! I had to google the history of the parachute ,just to be sure!
All in all ,the acting was okay with what little dialogue there was ,the music was brilliant ,but maybe could have flowed a bit better.
Overall ,maybe worth killing a couple of hours if you're interested in the history of jazz ,but I don't believe this movie will be a classic in years to come ,like some other musical biopics.