Reportedly, during the filming of this short, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart paid a visit to the set and observed filming (hearing that something great was happening). According to one musician, Bogart came up to him and said, "Are you getting paid good money for this? If you aren't, you should strike!"
Guitarist Barney Kessel is the only white performer in this film. He was seated in the shadows to shade his skin, and, for close-ups, his hands were stained with berry juice.
Director Gjon Mili had been an award-winning still photographer for Life magazine but had never made a movie before.
In 1995, Jammin' the Blues was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".