"The Blues" series on PBS

[Guest Chaney]

THE BLUES

The seven-part film series includes:

Feel Like Going Home by Martin Scorsese

The Soul of a Man by Wim Wenders

The Road to Memphis by Richard Pearce

Warming by the Devil's Fire by Charles Burnett

Godfathers and Sons by Marc Levin

Red, White & Blues by Mike Figgis

Piano Blues by Clint Eastwood

The Blues, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, consists of seven feature-length films that capture the essence of the blues while exploring how this art form so deeply influenced music and people the world over.

The series begins with the journey from Africa to the Mississippi Delta — where the music grew from slaves' field hollers, work songs and spirituals — then travels up the Mississippi River to the juke joints, house parties and recording studios of Memphis and Chicago, and culminates with the emotional embrace of this African-American creation by musicians and people throughout the world.

"The blues is at once American and worldly," said Martin Scorsese, who began work on the project six years ago. "It's a form of storytelling that is so universal that it has inspired people beyond our borders and continues to influence music here and abroad. We're hopeful that the series and YEAR OF THE BLUES will introduce new audiences worldwide to this music and also inspire kids, whether they like rock or hip hop, to better understand the struggles and genius that gave birth to what they listen to today."

"Our goal never was to produce the definitive work on the blues," Scorsese added. "It was, from the start, to create highly personal and impressionistic films as seen through the eyes of the most creative directors around with a passion for this music."

The Blues is the culmination of a great ambition for Scorsese — to honor the music he loves, to preserve its legacy and to work closely with talented feature film directors united in their desire to celebrate this art.

Edited September 18, 2003 by Chaney

[jpmosu]

I'll watch every minute of this with great interest.

But here's my question: could it ever provoke a firestorm to equal Ken Burns' *Jazz*?

I suspect not.

[Rooster_Ties]

The Blues™, executive produced by Martin Scorsese, consists of seven feature-length films that capture the essence of the blues while exploring how this art form so deeply influenced music and people the world over.

The series begins with the journey from Africa to the Mississippi Delta — where the music grew from slaves' field hollers, work songs and spirituals — then travels up the Mississippi River to the juke joints, house parties and recording studios of Memphis and Chicago, and culminates with the emotional embrace of this African-American creation by musicians and people throughout the world.

"The blues is at once American and worldly," said Martin Scorsese, who began work on the project six years ago. "It's a form of storytelling that is so universal that it has inspired people beyond our borders and continues to influence music here and abroad. We're hopeful that the series and YEAR OF THE BLUES will introduce new audiences worldwide to this music and also inspire kids, whether they like rock or hip hop, to better understand the struggles and genius that gave birth to what they listen to today."

"Our goal never was to produce the definitive work on the blues," Scorsese added. "It was, from the start, to create highly personal and impressionistic films as seen through the eyes of the most creative directors around with a passion for this music."

The Blues is the culmination of a great ambition for Scorsese — to honor the music he loves, to preserve its legacy and to work closely with talented feature film directors united in their desire to celebrate this art.

Go behind the scenes for more information on The Blues, with film synopses, director bios and transcripts, video clips, musician bios, and a discography for each film.

Directed by Martin Scorsese

Written by Peter Guralnick

Director Martin Scorsese (The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, Gangs of New York) pays homage to the Delta blues. Musician Corey Harris travels through Mississippi and on to West Africa, exploring the roots of the music. The film celebrates the early Delta bluesmen through original performances (including Willie King, Taj Mahal, Otha Turner, and Ali Farka Toure) and rare archival footage (featuring Son House, Muddy Waters, and John Lee Hooker).

Says Scorsese: "I've always felt an affinity for blues music — the culture of storytelling through music is incredibly fascinating and appealing to me. The blues have great emotional resonance and are the foundation for American popular music."

Performances in Feel Like Going Home

Corey Harris

John Lee Hooker *

Son House *

Salif Keita

Habib Koité

Taj Mahal

Ali Farka Toure

Otha Turner

Muddy Waters *

Keb' Mo'

Willie King

Lead Belly *

*indicates archival performance

Interviews in Feel Like Going Home

Corey Harris

Sam Carr

Toumani Diabate

Willie King

Dick Waterman

Taj Mahal

Johnny Shines *

Otha Turner

Ali Farka Toure

Habib Koité

Salif Keita

Keb' Mo'

Written and directed by Wim Wenders

Director Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club; Wings of Desire; Paris, Texas ) explores the lives of his favorite blues artists — Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson, and J. B. Lenoir — in a film that is part history and part personal pilgrimage. The film tells the story of these artists' lives in music through a fictional film-within-a-film, rare archival footage, and covers of their songs by contemporary musicians, including Bonnie Raitt, Lucinda Williams, Lou Reed, Eagle Eye Cherry, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Cassandra Wilson, Garland Jeffreys, Los Lobos, and others.

Says Wenders: "These songs meant the world to me. I felt there was more truth in them than in any book I had read about America, or in any movie I had ever seen. I've tried to describe, more like a poem than in a 'documentary,' what moved me so much in their songs and voices."

Performances in The Soul of a Man

T-Bone Burnett

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds

Eagle-Eye Cherry

Shemekia Copeland

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion

Alvin Youngblood Hart

Skip James *

Garland Jeffreys

Chris Thomas King

J.B. Lenoir *

Los Lobos

John Mayall *

Bonnie Raitt

Lou Reed

Vernon Reid

Marc Ribot

James "Blood" Ulmer

Lucinda Williams

Cassandra Wilson

*indicates archival performance

Cast:

Skip James: Keith B. Brown

Blind Willie Johnson: Chris Thomas King

Directed by Richard Pearce

Written by Robert Gordon

Director Richard Pearce (The Long Walk Home, Leap of Faith, A Family Thing) traces the musical odyssey of blues legend B.B. King in a film that pays tribute to the city that gave birth to a new style of blues. Pearce's homage to Memphis features original performances by B.B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon and Ike Turner, as well as historical footage of Howlin' Wolf and Rufus Thomas.

Says Pearce: "The Blues is a chance to celebrate one of the last truly indigenous American art forms, before it all but disappears, swallowed whole by the rock and roll generation it spawned. Hopefully we'll get there before it's too late."

Performances in The Road to Memphis

Fats Domino *

Rosco Gordon *

B.B. King

Little Milton

Little Richard *

Bobby Rush

Ike Turner

Howlin' Wolf *

The Coasters *

*indicates archival performance

Interviews in The Road to Memphis

Bobby Rush

B.B. King

Rosco Gordon

Rufus Thomas

Calvin Newborn

Hubert Sumlin

Chris Spindel (WDIA program officer)

Don Kern (WDIA Production Manager)

Dr. Louis Cannonball Cantor

Cato Walker III

Little Milton Campbell

Sam Phillips

Ike Turner

Jim Dickinson

Written and directed by Charles Burnett

Director Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, To Sleep with Anger) presents a tale about a young boy's encounter with his family in Mississippi in the 1950s, and intergenerational tensions between the heavenly strains of gospel and the devilish moans of the blues.

Says Burnett: "The sound of the blues was a part of my environment that I took for granted. However, as years passed, the blues slowly emerged as an essential source of imagery, humor, irony, and insight that allows one to reflect on the human condition. I always wanted to do a story on the blues that not only reflected its nature and its content, but also alludes to the form itself. In short, a story that gives you the impression of the blues."

Performances in The Warming by the Devil's Fire

Big Bill Broonzy *

Elizabeth Cotten *

Reverend Gary Davis *

Ida Cox *

Willie Dixon *

Lightnin' Hopkins *

Son House *

Mississippi John Hurt *

Vasti Jackson

Bessie Smith *

Mamie Smith *

Victoria Spivey *

Sister Rosetta Tharpe *

Dinah Washington *

Muddy Waters *

Sonny Boy Williamson *

*indicates archival performance

Directed by Marc Levin

Director Marc Levin (Slam, Whiteboys, Brooklyn Babylon) travels to Chicago with hip-hop legend Chuck D (of Public Enemy) and Marshall Chess (son of Leonard Chess and heir to the Chess Records legacy) to explore the heyday of Chicago blues as they unite to produce an album that seeks to bring veteran blues players together with contemporary hip hop musicians. Along with never-before-seen archival footage of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, are original performances by Koko Taylor, Otis Rush, Magic Slim, Ike Turner, and Sam Lay.

Says Levin: "When we were shooting Sam Lay and his band at the Chicago Blues Festival, they were playing Muddy Waters' classic, 'I Got My Mojo Workin.' I closed my eyes and was transported back to when I was a 15-year-old hanging in my buddy's basement listening to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band for the first time. My life was changed that day, and 35 years later the music's still shakin' my soul. The feel of that day in the basement is what I have set out to capture in this film."

Performances in Godfathers and Sons

Lonnie Brooks

Paul Butterfield *

Common

Chuck D and Public Enemy *

Bo Diddley *

Sam Lay

Ike Turner

Pinetop Perkins

Otis Rush

Magic Slim

Smokey Smothers

Koko Taylor

Sonny Terry * & Brownie McGhee *

"Electric Mud Band":

Pete Cosey, Phil Upchurch, Louis Satterfield, Morris Jennings

Kyle Rahzel and Ahmir (a.k.a. ?uestlove) of The Roots

Muddy Waters *

Sonny Boy Williamson *

Howlin' Wolf *

Willie Dixon *

Blind Arvella Gray *

Carrie Robinson *

*indicates archival performance

Interviews in Godfathers and Sons

Marshall Chess

Chuck D

Jamar Chess

Phil Chess

Koko Taylor

Magic Slim

Common

Sam Lay

Directed by Mike Figgis

Director Mike Figgis (Stormy Monday, Leaving Las Vegas, Time Code) joins musicians such as Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Tom Jones, performing and talking about the music of the early sixties British invasion that reintroduced the blues sound to America.

During the 1960s, the UK was the location for a vibrant social revolution. London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle all had their own music scenes. Musicians from Belfast and Glasgow moved to London to be part of the club scene there.

The post-war traditional jazz and folk revival movements produced the fertile ground for a new kind of blues music — entirely influenced by the authentic black blues of the USA, and, for the most part, entirely ignored by the good citizens of the US. It was new in the sense that certain key musicians took the blues and molded it in an entirely personal way to fit the new awareness of the UK in the sixties. Importantly, for the most part they continued to pay homage to the originators of the music and to make a huge global audience aware of the likes of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Freddie King, etc.

Mike Figgis' film examines the circumstances of this vibrant period. Figgis himself participated, albeit in a minor way, in this period of history, playing in a blues band with Bryan Ferry, a band that was the nucleus for the first Roxy Music.

A series of musical interviews with the key players of the blues movement is augmented with a live session at the famous Abbey Road recording studios. Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Van Morrison, and Lulu all improvise around some classic blues standards, accompanied by a superb band made up of younger and not-so-younger-musicians. The results are electrifying.

Says Figgis: "I'm interested in why there was such excitement about this black music among Europeans. To that end, I've put together a group of these musicians, augmenting the line-up with some younger talent as well. Hopefully the resulting recording session of some blues standards, and the discussions that follow, shine some light on why at a particular moment the blues was reinterpreted abroad and reintroduced in a new form that was universally embraced."

Performances in Red, White & Blues

Jeff Beck

Big Bill Broonzy *

Cream *

Lonnie Donnegan

Georgie Fame

Chris Farlowe

Tom Jones

B.B. King

Peter King

Alexis Korner *

Albert Lee

Lulu

Humphrey Lyttelton

Sonny Terry * & Brownie McGhee *

Van Morrison

Rolling Stones *

Sister Rosetta Tharpe *

Muddy Waters *

Lead Belly *

Jon Cleary

*indicates archival performance

Interviews in Red, White & Blues

Tom Jones

Jeff Beck

Van Morrison

John Porter

Humphrey Lyttelton

George Melly

Lonnie Donnegan

Chris Barber

Eric Clapton

John Mayall

B.B. King

Albert Lee

Chris Farlowe

Bert Jansch

Eric Burdon

Stevie Winwood

Davey Graham

Georgie Fame

Mick Fleetwood

Peter Green

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Director — and piano player — Clint Eastwood (Play Misty for Me, Bird, Unforgiven) explores his life-long passion for piano blues, using a treasure trove of rare historical footage in addition to interviews and performances by such living legends as Pinetop Perkins and Jay McShann, as well as Dave Brubeck and Marcia Ball.

Says Eastwood: "The blues has always been part of my musical life and the piano has a special place, beginning when my mother brought home all of Fats Waller's records. Also, the music has always played a part in my movies. A piano blues documentary gives me a chance to make a film that is more directly connected to the subject of the music than the features that I have been doing throughout my career."

Performances in Piano Blues

Marcia Ball

Dave Brubeck

Ray Charles Jay McShann

Pinetop Perkins

and many more!

[kh1958]

What I would recommend is simply to get the new two volume DVD set, American Folk Blues Festival, 1962-1966. It is great--with T Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Spann, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Howlin' Wolf, Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker, Lonnie Johnson, Willie Dixon, Misissippi Fred McDowell, etc--well filmed, and well recorded...

[Jad]

[WD45]

There is a radio series about the blues as well, hosted by Keb' Mo' that will be starting on many stations the same week as the TV specials.

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Has anyone heard any of the discs from the series?

The Wenders directed "Soul of a Man" looks very interesting. I've always loved Garland Jeffreys...Raitt & Wilson in their 'element'... and hearing some Ulmer and Ribot would be good, too. I very much look forward to this series.

[RDK]

"Our goal never was to produce the definitive work on the blues," Scorsese added. "It was, from the start, to create highly personal and impressionistic films as seen through the eyes of the most creative directors around with a passion for this music."

Didn't Ken Burns say something just like this?

(just trying to cause some trouble...)

[Simon Weil]

Scorsese did do The Last Waltz, which is a good film.

Simon Weil

[paul secor]

I probably shouldn't be a naysayer before I see this, but I'm not expecting much. I hope I'm wrong.

[grey]

I saw the first episode in this series last Monday on PBS Detroit (WTVS) and it was very interesting. It was the first time I ever saw many of the artists which previously I had only heard. If the rest of the series is as interesting as this first episode I would certainly recommend it if you are interested in the 'blues'.

[Guest Chaney]

From Jazzmatazz:

Martin Scorses Presents - The Blues - 5 CD set (Hip-O) Sept 9 

— comprehensive collection of the music from the seven part PBS Series, The Blues, executive produced by filmmaker Martin Scorsese. A definitive overview of blues, from its earliest recordings over 80 years ago, to contemporary artists and new recordings made specifically for The Blues. 116 tracks on 5 CDs, plus 60-page collector's booklet with stunning photos and illuminating essays. Features introductory essay by Martin Scorsese.

[Jim R]

I've seen a couple of promo spots on PBS over the past few weeks, and they didn't exactly impress me. One of them included a video clip from an interview with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler (sp?), saying something like "I love the blues, and I'm glad I've got 'em".

The detail in Rooster's post has me feeling a little more encouraged. Thanks for posting this info, guys.

[bluenoter]

Re the seventh episode, Piano Blues, directed by Clint Eastwood:

Performances in Piano Blues

Marcia Ball

Dave Brubeck

Ray Charles Jay McShann

Pinetop Perkins

and many more!

There are a lot of jazz giants in this one. Here's a more detailed list:

1. Jimmy Yancey

How Long Blues - 3:01

(L. Carr)

Jimmy Yancey (piano solo)

Recorded May 4, 1939

Unissued Soul Art recording

2. The Boogie Woogie Boys

Boogie Woogie Prayer, Pt. 1 - 2:22

(A. Ammons/M. Lewis/P. Johnson)

Albert Ammons, Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis (piano)

Recorded December 30, 1938

Originally Vocalion VO 4606

3. Count Basie And His Orchestra

How Long Blues - 3:00

(L. Carr)

Count Basie (piano, leader); Buck Clayton, Ed Lewis, Harry Edison, Shad Collins (trumpet); Dickie Wells, Dan Minor, Benny Morton (trombone); Earl Warren (alto saxophone); Jack Washington (alto, baritone saxophone); Buddy Tate, Lester Young (tenor saxophone); Freddie Green (guitar); Walter Page (bass); Jo Jones (drums); Jimmy Rushing (vocals)

Arranged by Eddie Durham

Recorded June 24, 1939

Originally Vocalion 5010

4. Johnny Moore's Three Blazers

Driftin' Blues - 3:12

(C. Brown/J. Moore/E. Williams)

Charles Brown (piano, vocals); Johnny Moore (guitar); Eddie Williams (bass); Johnny Otis (drums)

Recorded September 11, 1945

Originally Philo 112

5. Fats Domino

The Fat Man - 2:38

(D. Bartholomew/A. Domino)

Fats Domino (piano, vocals); Dave Bartholomew (trumpet); Joe Harris (alto saxophone); Clarence Hall, Herb Hardesty (tenor saxophone); Alvin Tyler (baritone saxophone); Ernest McLean (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums)

Produced by Dave Bartholomew

Recorded December 10, 1949

Originally Imperial 5058

6. Art Tatum

Tatum Pole Boogie - 2:23

(A. Tatum)

Art Tatum (piano)

Produced by Gene Norman

Recorded 1949

Originally Columbia CS 9655

7. Professor Longhair

Tipitina - 2:40

(R. Byrd)

Professor Longhair (piano, vocals); Lee Allen (tenor saxophone); Red Tyler (baritone saxophone); Edgar Blanchard, Irving Charles (guitar); Frank Fields (bass); Earl Palmer (drums)

Produced by Ahmet Ertegun & Jerry Wexler

Recorded November, 1953

Original release info unknown

8. Ray Charles

What'd I Say, Parts 1 & 2 - 5:07

(R. Charles)

Ray Charles (electric piano, vocals); Marcus Belgrave, John Hunt (trumpet); David Newman (alto, tenor saxophone); Hank Crawford (baritone saxophone); Edgar Willis (bass); Milt Turner (drums); The Raeletts (background vocals)

Produced by Ahmet Ertegun & Jerry Wexler

Recorded February 18, 1959

Originally Atlantic 2031

9. Otis Spann

Good Morning Mr. Blues - 3:19

(O. Spann)

Otis Spann (piano, vocals)

Produced by Karl Emil Knudsen

Recorded Copenhagen, 1961-1962

Originally on Piano Blues, Storyville 168

10. Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus & Max Roach

Backward Country Boy Blues - 6:33

(E.K. Ellington)

Duke Ellington (piano); Charles Mingus (bass); Max Roach (drums)

Produced by Alan Douglas

Recorded September 17, 1962

Originally on Money Jungle, Blue Note 7243 5 38227 2

11. Thelonious Monk

Blue Monk - 6:14

(T. Monk)

Arranged and conducted by Oliver Nelson

Thelonious Monk (piano); Conte Candoli, Robert Bryant, Frederick Hill (trumpet); William Beyers, Mike Wimberly (trombone); Bob Brookmeyer (valve trombone); Gene Cipriano, Charlie Rouse, Thomas Scott, Ernie Small, Ernie Watts (saxophone); Howard Roberts (guitar); Larry Gales (bass); John Guerin (percussion); Ben Riley (drums)

Produced by Teo Macero

Recorded November 19, 1968

Originally on Thelonious Monk: The Composer, Columbia CK 44297

12. Big Joe Turner & Jay McShann

Piney Brown Blues - 5:00

(J. Turner)

Jay McShann (piano); Big Joe Turner (vocals)

Produced by Bruce Ricker

Recorded 1974

Originally from the film The Last Of The Blue Devils

13. Jay McShann & Dave Brubeck

Mission Ranch Blues

(J. McShann/D. Brubeck)

Dave Brubeck, Jay McShann (piano)

Produced by Clint Eastwood, Bruce Ricker

Recorded Carmel, California, September 21, 2002

First issue

14. Joe Turner

The Ladder - 2:30

(J. Turner)

Big Joe Turner (piano)

Produced by Hank O'Neal

Recorded February 25, 1975

Originally on King Of Stride

15. Dr. John

Honey Dripper - 3:38

(J. Liggins)

Dr. John (piano)

Produced by Jack Heyrman, Ed Levine

Recorded 1981

Originally on Dr. John Plays Mac Rebennack, Clean Cuts, 720

16. Henry Townsend

World Full Of People - 3:59

(H. Townsend)

Henry Townsend (piano, vocals); Ron Edwards (slide guitar); Sho Komiya (bass)

Produced by Chad Kassem

Recorded October 12-13, 1999

Originally on Henry Townsend: My Story, Analogue Production Originals APO2014

17. Dr. John

Big Chief

(J. Gaines)

Dr. John (piano, vocals)

Produced by Clint Eastwood, Bruce Ricker

Recorded Burbank, July 1, 2003

First issue

18. Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins & Marcia Ball

Carmel Blues

(J. Perkins/M. Ball)

Marcia Ball, Joe Willie "Pinetop" Perkins (piano)

Produced by Clint Eastwood, Bruce Ricker

Recorded Carmel, California, September 21, 2002

First issue

19. Dave Brubeck

Travelling Blues

(D. Brubeck)

Dave Brubeck (piano)

Produced by Clint Eastwood & Bruce Ricker

Recorded Carmel, California, September 21, 2002

First issue

20. Dr. John, Pete Jolly, Henry Gray

How Long Blues

(L. Carr)

Dr. John (piano, vocals); Pete Jolly, Henry Gray (piano)

Produced by Clint Eastwood, Bruce Ricker

Recorded Burbank, July 1, 2003

First issue

[jazzbo]

I picked up a new cd out by the Hendrix estate as a part of the Scorcese bit, and it's great. Twenty minutes of unreleased material is included. I have about fifty or more boots, but not the two tracks of unreleased matereial here. That was an ecouraging surprise. Sounds like a million bucks too, audio wise.

[Brad]

I read a review of the series in last Sunday's NYT and it indicated this is not really for newcomers but people experienced with the blues since it assumes that you know somethings about the legends, whereas that wasn't the case with Burns, where he tried to do too much and wound up with not enough.

This (knowing something about the blues) probably takes in a good lot of us and on this basis there shouldn't be the same kind of criticism. I'm not bursting at the seams to watch this but I definitely want to see it so it should be interesting.

[BruceH]

There's a review in the latest New Yorker ("Blues Clues")----unfortunately, the reviewer didn't get to watch the Clint Eastwood segment which looks the most promising to me.

[Brad]

There's a further article in today's Times about the series. The one I most want to see is the Eastwood one of Jay McShann, with Pinetop Perkins. There was a very nice but brief article in the New Yorker a few months ago about Clint making this segment.

[7/4]

What I would recommend is simply to get the new two volume DVD set, American Folk Blues Festival, 1962-1966. It is great--with T Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, Otis Spann, Otis Rush, Magic Sam, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Howlin' Wolf, Memphis Slim, John Lee Hooker, Lonnie Johnson, Willie Dixon, Misissippi Fred McDowell, etc--well filmed, and well recorded...

I'm looking forward to it, I just ordered it a few days ago.

[Alexander]

First episode just aired...

Any comments?

For me, the first thing that distiguishes this series from the Ken Burns "Jazz" series is the fact that they talk to MUSICIANS. Also, there's no attempt to sell a particular version of the music's history. Perhaps the history of the Blues is less politicized than that of jazz, but I saw no attempt to "spin" the story one way or the other. Obviously, there was also less of an attempt to tell the "whole" history. Instead, the film focused on the journey of one particular musican and the people his search involved. Quite good. I really enjoyed it. I had a fight to stay awake during the Burns series, but I was very interested in this film from start to finish. Plus, there were so many riviting performances! I don't have any Son House (well, I have one cut on a compilation CD, but that doesn't count) and obviously I will have to fix that POST HASTE! Wonderful film. I can't wait to see what the other six filmmakers are going to do!

Any thoughts from others who saw the show tonight?

Edited September 29, 2003 by Alexander

[Michael Fitzgerald]

Only caught a brief moment of tonight's episode - did I really see the lyric caption say "blowing my home" [instead of 'horn']? Maybe I was hallucinating.

Regarding comparisons to Burns, I think the crucial difference is that this series is NOT the work of one person. I guess Burns's ego is much bigger than Scorsese's. Had Burns shared things and divided his 20 hours amongst 10 filmmakers, I think we as the evil jazzerati would have been much happier - even if we didn't like one episode, there would be the chance that the next would be more to our tastes. Alas, it was not to be. We got stuck with something that sacrificed historical accuracy (among other things) for the sake of overarching themes because the 20 hours needed a single storyline.

Mike

[Soul Stream]

Saw the first episode and already am not a fan. Maybe the other directors will have a different approach.

I found it to be thin. Corey Harris, Keb' Mo...paleeese. Taj. I'm not a huge fan, but at least he's had first hand contact and relations with some of the masters. Keb Mo at one point kept going on about his exposure to a Robert Johnson song was through a Led Zepplin 8 track. If the director's intent was to show lineage, he failed right there. Any suburban white kid has the same story.

The best part was footage of Johnny Shines playing in the 60's in his living room. That was some bad shit.

If you want to see a pretty good blues doc., check out Robert Gordon's one-hour Muddy Waters documentary running on PBS. Much more informed. \

....my problem with these PBS-sponsered blues and jazz docs, is that they're are produced and directed by people who don't seem to have that big of grasp on the topic at hand.

....I turned it off at one point it was so boring. A BIG disappointment for me on this first episode. I bet Eastwood's episode is the best considering he has real knowledge about the topic.

[Simon Weil]

Tom Piazza, the conservative Jazz writer, has this on his website:

Martin Scorsese Presents THE BLUES

Tom’s 5,000-word essay on the blues is the main text of the booklet accompanying the just-released 5-CD set Martin Scorsese Presents THE BLUES. The set is the companion piece to the series of films produced by Scorsese and airing on PBS this fall. The individual films, directed by Clint Eastwood, Wim Wenders, Scorsese himself, and other luminaries, are personal and very idiosyncratic takes on the blues.

For those looking for comparisons to the Burns series, Piazza is something of a Wynton loyalist, with views on Jazz parallel to those of Murray, Crouch et al - Burns' series was of course throughly steeped in these views.

I don't suppose the series is going to be telling us that that the Blues can save America - as Burns apparently believed about Jazz.

But that booklet should make "interesting" reading.

Simon Weil

Edited September 29, 2003 by Simon Weil

[Jim Dye]

I purposely avoided reading any threads or reviews of this before it aired. I really enjoyed the first episode. Most of the historical footage was new to me. The Son House stuff was really great. I also dug the West African musicians and enjoyed the performances. The fife and drum segments were outstanding as well. I'll watch again, tonight.

[Joe]

Well, having watched episode 1, I think it would be a mistake to judge this series too harshly. Scorsese's "piece" is not a documentary per se; its just a non-fiction, non-narrative film. Yes, it was slightly disjointed, but I do feel that it was at least an honest expression of the various participants' experience of the music.

And, as good as the Johnny Shinces footage was, I most enjoyed watching Son House. Damn!