Rabshakeh Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 (edited) In case anyone hasn't seen the press, there's a doc coming out about the early years of Free Jazz, that is directed by Tom Surgal. It comes out on Friday, which is my wife's birthday. I've been joking with her that I will take her to see it as a "treat". (Although I'm not sure it is getting a theatrical release over here, so sadly she may have to miss it.) The Guardian gave it a long write up today. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/sep/07/fire-music-history-free-jazz-documentary The write up makes it sound solid, but a little generic. Still, I am interested. I'd like to hear what any New Yorkers or Los Angeleans think of it. In the meantime, I'm reminded of this classic meme: Edited September 7, 2021 by Rabshakeh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjazzg Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 I'm hoping it might turn up here https://dochouse.org/ They showed the Milford Graves doc. I'm sure your wife will enjoy a trip to Bloomsbury... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabshakeh Posted September 7, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 10 minutes ago, mjazzg said: I'm hoping it might turn up here https://dochouse.org/ They showed the Milford Graves doc. I'm sure your wife will enjoy a trip to Bloomsbury... Thanks. I'll keep an eye out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 Seeing it on Saturday in NYC (and sitting on the Q&A panel w/ Surgal and Thurman Barker). Will report back -- though I'm on the panel, Tom hasn't given me the chance to pre-screen the film so I'm going in cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T.D. Posted September 7, 2021 Report Share Posted September 7, 2021 (edited) 9 minutes ago, clifford_thornton said: Seeing it on Saturday in NYC (and sitting on the Q&A panel w/ Surgal and Thurman Barker). Will report back -- though I'm on the panel, Tom hasn't given me the chance to pre-screen the film so I'm going in cold. Thanks, looking forward to the report. I checked the website, hoping for one near me (there are a couple of potential eventual sites in Mid-Hudson Valley), but only announced E. Coast screening is Friday 9/10 @ Film Forum. "More upcoming showings soon..." Edited September 7, 2021 by T.D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 yeah, 9/10 and 9/11 at Film Forum and more TBA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 Can they has more of that live footage that got snippited in My Name Is Albert Ayler? That was jolty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 Looking forward to this hopefully being available online or DVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted September 8, 2021 Report Share Posted September 8, 2021 It will be video-on-demand at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted September 9, 2021 Report Share Posted September 9, 2021 10 hours ago, clifford_thornton said: It will be video-on-demand at some point. Good news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted September 9, 2021 Report Share Posted September 9, 2021 This reminds me - if anyone here doesn't know "Imagine the Sound", you should check it out HERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted September 9, 2021 Report Share Posted September 9, 2021 (edited) 6 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said: This reminds me - if anyone here doesn't know "Imagine the Sound", you should check it out HERE. Damn right. And the ad doesn't even mention Cecil Taylor. Edited September 9, 2021 by medjuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabshakeh Posted September 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2021 3 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said: This reminds me - if anyone here doesn't know "Imagine the Sound", you should check it out HERE. I did actually make my wife sit through this. She was really entranced by Cecil Taylor, but formed a visceral dislike of Paul Bley. Everyone in this film looked like they were going through a tough patch at the time. Bley pontificating with rotten teeth, Shepp welling up constantly, and Dixon, still largely unknown, talking about himself, drunk. I'm not sure how Taylor compared to himself at his height. I really felt for them all: I got the sense that they felt left out in the cold at the turn of a rough decade, during which they must have been made to feel like irrelevancies. Regardless, i second the recommendation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted September 9, 2021 Report Share Posted September 9, 2021 Dixon was doing all right at the time; he had a good setup with Soul Note and the Black Music Division at Bennington was ongoing, though strife with the college administration was pretty heavy. It's a great documentary though. A bit like Spellman's Four Lives updated and translated to a slightly different scenario. And I remember some fun nights with a lot of wine in Bill's presence. Nothing wrong with that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyles Posted September 9, 2021 Report Share Posted September 9, 2021 I will probably be in NY Friday and I am tempted to go see the film. Oops ... just checked ticket availability ... unfortunately sold out for my preferred time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felser Posted September 10, 2021 Report Share Posted September 10, 2021 21 hours ago, Chuck Nessa said: This reminds me - if anyone here doesn't know "Imagine the Sound", you should check it out HERE. Never heard of it, but now #1 in my Amazon Prime queue - thanks Chuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 Fire Music is quite good but it is short at 88 minutes in length. There is a lot to cram into that space, as you might imagine. The film basically stops in the early 1970s -- there's a little bit on the Europeans, but it's quite superficial. I know Tom knows that music so it was certainly a time constraint issue. Nothing on Japanese or South Korean improvised music. A big area of focus was on Ornette, Cherry, and Dolphy through the eyes and ears of Bobby Bradford, Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons, and Carla Bley. Ayler, Coltrane, Cecil, Sun Ra, the Jazz Composers' Guild, and the AACM/BAG were also discussed, but to me it seems like the Dolphy/Ornette angle was the leaping-off point. It was great to see footage of some of our departed masters -- Burton Greene, Noah Howard, Rashied Ali, Sirone, Prince & Simmons -- in interview. The Q&A had to be cut short because of time as well, but we did get some conversation in. Thurman Barker can unfurl passionately on the topic, and it was great to hear him speak. He lives not too far from me so I'm sure we will break bread at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabshakeh Posted September 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 That's good to hear. I'm definitely interested and will see it when it comes out in London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted September 15, 2021 Report Share Posted September 15, 2021 Is a stream possible in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted September 15, 2021 Report Share Posted September 15, 2021 16 hours ago, bertrand said: Is a stream possible in the future? Yes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted September 16, 2021 Report Share Posted September 16, 2021 Any idea where that Ayler footage lives now, and how much of it there is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted September 20, 2021 Report Share Posted September 20, 2021 I can inquire with Tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted September 20, 2021 Report Share Posted September 20, 2021 Please! The few seconds they showed of it in that Ayler doc was a crisp, well-recorded video and it will wake the shit up out of you. STRONG! But fleeting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlhoots Posted September 20, 2021 Report Share Posted September 20, 2021 Actually going to play soon in Albuquerque, Dallas & Austin!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medjuck Posted June 12, 2022 Report Share Posted June 12, 2022 On 9/15/2021 at 7:46 PM, bertrand said: Is a stream possible in the future? On the Criterion Channel. Watched it last night. Good stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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