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Documentary: Bobby Womack
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
Soul singer-songwriter Bobby Womack died on Friday, June 27, at age 70. His career lasted 50 years, and he played a role in the recording careers of Sam Cooke, Sly Stone, the Rolling Stones and many other artists. His heartfelt sound is probably closest to Marvin Gaye and his influence was substantial, connecting gospel to romantic and socially conscious soul of the 1970s. The BBC recently produced an hour-long documentary on Womack that summarizes his life and contribution perfectly. A ...
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Don Cheadle pays tribute to jazz hero with "Miles Ahead"
Source:
Michael Ricci
Using crowdfunding site Indiegogo, Don Cheadle announces he'll pay homage to hero and jazz legend Miles Davis. Don Cheadle is making a movie about Miles Davis, but he's quick to stress: It's not a biopic. “Standard biopics touch all the standard benchmarks for five seconds, then move on," Cheadle says. “They don't tell you a full story." So Cheadle decided to tell a full story about a few days in the life of the famed jazz trumpeter/bandleader/composer. Miles Ahead, which ...
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Cincinnati music history fits Miles Davis film
Source:
Michael Ricci
Actor Don Cheadle has filmed movies around the world, so he's not totally surprised to be preparing to shoot his Miles Davis feature in Cincinnati. “You have architecture and the look here that can approximate the era that we're shooting in Manhattan, which Manhattan doesn't really have a lot of anymore," said Cheadle in the “Miles Ahead" Downtown production office Wednesday. “Cincinnati is built on a grid; that helps. It has the support network, the crew. The incentives here are ...
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Actress, Singer Cynthia Basinet Comes Out To Support The Biff Presentation Of Blue Gold
Source:
Cynthia "c." Basinet
New York, NY: Cynthia Basinet comes out to support The Ninth Annual BIFF presentation of Blue Gold, a feature documentary the actress, singer appears in celebrates the cultural impact of American Blue jeans. Behind the designers and brands that cultivated an iconic Americana grit culture and the rugged work ethic of American miners. Through the artists and rock stars that created an iconic wearable art that transforms with every wear and how one unlikely garment ended up connecting us all. ...
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A Film on Bill Frisell by Emma Franz
Source:
All About Jazz
A new film is being made on guitarist Bill Frisell. As one of the most influential and creative musicians of our time, a film about Frisell seems somewhat overdue. Filmed with unique access over three years, this documentary will be an intimate, behind-the scenes portrait. The film has been shot, directed and produced to date by independent filmmaker and musician Emma Franz, whose last film project was the award-winning feature music film, Intangible Asset Number 82. Franz filmed in the ...
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Harlem To Hollywood Documentary Focuses On Billy Vera
Source:
Tamela D'Amico
Filmmakers Alan Swyer and Brad Spurr have begun an Indiegogo.com campaign for their documentary film “Harlem to Hollywood" that focuses on multi-talent Billy Vera; a singer, songwriter, music producer, Grammy winner, voice artist, actor, archivist, and disc jockey. It is a behind the scenes look at what it takes to succeed in the music industry and build a career that spans over five decades. As stated on their Indiegogo campaign, “The film will take us from Vera’s early career in ...
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Documentary: The Rock Album
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
The long-playing album was conceived in 1948 as a convenient product for adults who wanted to listen to music in their living rooms without getting up every three minutes to turn over smaller 78s. Targeting the at-home adult market was a relatively new concept for the record industry in '48—and one that came out of necessity. Prior to '48, the record industry had focused primarily on selling 78s to jukebox operators and getting radio stations to play them. The aim ...
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The Bill Holman Film
Source:
Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
The Bill Holman documentary that I helped with late last year is moving closer to reality. Its producer, Kathryn King, has launched a fund-raising drive to help her and her crew complete the filmon schedule. That is how many projects are accomplished these days when they don’t have the backing of big Hollywood investors. Few of them have that kind of support, especially when the ventures have to do with the arts. In November, I spent a few days in ...
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