On the road with Ellery Eskelin & Co

[Claude]

I´ve just discovered an ad on this new release on Jazz Corner. Contemporary "free jazz" artist can rarely be seen on DVD, so this already makes this disk remarkable. Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins & Jim Black are one of my favourite groups from the last decade, their hatOLOGY CDs are among the best releases from this label.

ELLERY ESKELIN With ANDREA PARKINS/JIM BLACK - On The Road With... [DVD] (self produced; USA) [double sided DVD with NTSC and PAL formats - playable anywhere!] On a last-minute whim while packing to go on the road, Ellery Eskelin decided to bring along his camcorder and a bagful of blank tapes. After three weeks on tour he came back with 25 hours of video from all across the European continent, including live performances, interviews, local color and a generous helping of road schtick. In the ensuing months Ellery put in countless late nights editing this bounty down to a one hour program. Now you can join Ellery Eskelin, Andrea Parkins and Jim Black on their 2003 European tour with this homespun and engaging video tour diary. Travel with them in taxis, trains and vans and sit on stage with them as the band performs for audiences from Paris to Poland. Get an insiders' view of life on the road, complete with flashes of brilliance, boredom and silliness tempered with a general lack of sleep yet fueled by adrenaline and a love of performing. The backbone of the program is a series of solo concerts done by Eskelin, Parkins & Black at the Festival Les 100 Ciels in Nancy, France, which are interspersed throughout the video. Also included are band performances from Germany, Poland and the U.K. as well as Paris appearances with guest vocalist Jessica Constable. Don't miss this look behind the scenes of one of today's most celebrated jazz/improv ensembles, now in its tenth year!

DVD $20.00 STOCK

http://www.dtmgallery.com/Main/Newsletter-2004-04-09.html

I only have some reservations about the possible technical quality of this DVD, as it was filmed by amateurs with a camcorder. I would hope this to be an enjoyable music DVD and not just a documentary for fans. Some stills can be seen here:

On the road with ELLERY ESKELIN w/ Andrea Parkins & Jim Black

Edited April 17, 2004 by Claude

[.:.impossible]

Looks pretty cool. I haven't heard this group before. I'll probably check it out. Let me know what you think once you've received your copy!

[JSngry]

Looks more than a little intriguing.