Three basketball players step onto the court, each with a rhythm of their own. As their movements are studied and reimagined, their game is then recontextualized into jazz, revealing the artistry within sport and the music hidden in motion.
When young musicians come together to play classical music, they send out a strong signal to our today’s world. The film follows talented young Swiss musicians as they work, search for inspiration, but also expose their thought how to play nowadays the “old” Classical music.
Joseph Zitt’s film dreamtext דברי חלום is a feature-length dream of coming to life in Israel. Four images of dancer Cheryl Nayowitz move past and through images of Israel and words spoken by the Holon Scratch Orchestra, along with music by the ensemble Gray Code. The film and its music are anchored by the song “Sachki Sachki,” sung by Vered Forbes. The film has no story, dialogue, or characters (other than the dancer). While there is text in Hebrew and English, you don’t need to know either language to enjoy the film. The English is a dreamlike text scrambled to approximate what you might hear while falling asleep. The Hebrew words which are heard and seen onscreen during much of the film are streams of consciousness, improvised by women’s voices on the themes of segments of the film. When we hear the song “Sachki Sachki,” the words appear onscreen both in the original Hebrew and in an English translation.
Aspiring director Corky St. Clair and the marginally talented amateur cast of his hokey small-town musical production go overboard when they learn that Broadway theater agent Mort Guffman will be in attendance.
With noise-canceling headphones, they communicate with an inaudible counterpart. Decoupled, they move around the room and meet their surroundings. Intimate stories and needs are discussed. The personal blends into a shared portrait.
Several comic greats pay tribute to the legendary stand-up stage founded by Budd Friedman in 1963.
Two young strangers meet in Naples and begin to flirt and dance in the street.
Comitiva Esperança
Duende: Joëlle Léandre solo
Cecil Taylor was the grand master of free jazz piano. "All the Notes" captures in breezy fashion the unconventional stance of this media-shy modern musical genius, regarded as one of the true giants of post-war music. Seated at his beloved and battered piano in his Brooklyn brownstone the maestro holds court with frequent stentorian pronouncements on life, art and music.
An exploration of the individual components that make up a jazz improvisation, told in 13 parts.
The life and times of artist Richard Ellis
An important audio-visual record of a landmark series of four concerts staged in London in 2022 when more than 30 musicians joined improviser, percussionist and animateur Eddie Prévost to mark his 80th birthday. The film takes a close look at improvisers who create music in the moment, free from the authority of a composer, score or conductor. Ranging from profound delicacy to subversive atonality, the “awkward wealth” of this music raises vital questions about artistic freedom, individual responsibility and what it means for people to make music together in the 21st Century. Featuring performances by John Butcher, Sue Lynch, Ute Kanngiesser, Marjolaine Charbin, Nathan Moore, Seymour Wright, Veryan Weston, Alan Wilkinson, John Tilbury and Eddie Prévost amongst others. Plus readings by musician and author David Toop. The film includes the last ever concert by AMM, the pioneering improvising group co-founded by Eddie Prévost in the mid-1960s.
Liberté, égalité, improvisez !
This is an acoustic live concert by the folk metal band Ensiferum filmed on October 28th, 2016 at On the Rocks in Helsinki, Finland.
Greensky Bluegrass took the stage to perform live at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Sunday September 15th, 2019 for a magically unforgettable evening. Billy Strings opened the event with his legendary flatpicking skills, then later returned to the stage to join the headliners during their set for a second round.
Beautiful Thing is a year in the life of Larry Keel. The film follows Larry and The Larry Keel Experience as they canvas from coast to coast, playing night after night in search of bigger and better crowds during 2002. Audiences range from a handful of disengaged people to standing ovations at world-renowned bluegrass festivals. Larry Keel remains somewhat obscure to audiences because his style, his interpretation of bluegrass and roots music is so personal that it is almost impossible to define, and subsequently, it is almost impossible to market. So Larry battles on, night after night, city after city, slowly generating a following of true believers, fans who sit and stare and smile in awe of this beautiful thing. Beautiful Thing is a glimpse into the life and spirit of a true artist, during his many tours and performances of 2002.
Two college students set out to capture a ghost on film to make millions instead of doing their finals.
An intimate documentary portrait of world-class improvisational and traditional pianist Mike Garson as he tours, performs, and teaches.
An indie film crew throw caution to the wind when they attempt to shoot a completely improvised drama where the film's big twist is being kept secret from their lead actress, while also navigating on-set mishaps, bizarre twists of fate, and the first year of a global pandemic.