Ornette movie at Lone Star Film Festival

[JSngry]

This is a heads up to let you know that I helped get the Lone Star Film Festival to screen the movie "Ornette: Made In America". This was filmed in Fort Worth in 1983 by the legendary, independent film maker, Shirley Clarke, for the opening of Caravan of Dreams and the premier of Ornette's orchestral piece, "Skies Over America". It has been a cult, and very hard-to-find, movie for a long time.

Ronald Shannon Jackson has agreed to speak after the movie along with representatives of the symphony who participated with Ornette.

Also, before the film, there will be screening the first part of "The Musicians of the FWSO". This is a fantastic, 10-part documentary series that I helped produce with Erik Clapp about the various musicians in the FWSO and their varied stories.

Please help spread the word about this, once-in-a-lifetime, screening.

The movies will be shown at the AMC Sundance Theater in downtown Fort Worth on November 10 at 1:45 PM.

Best,

Paul Unger

[Gheorghe]

I remember after it came out it was available as VHS video. Too bad I didn´t buy it then. Couldn´t find a DVD.

The only Ornette Coleman "Movie" I have is a DVD with the Trio from 1966 (with David Izenzon and Charles Moffett) That would be great, but the film is quite silly, very few music, just hipsters dancing around and scenes of the musician carrying their instruments to the airport or so....I had hoped they taped a performance.

But I remember well the recordings from Caravan of Dreams. The string thing "Time design Prime design" and "Opening at Caravan of Dreams". I love every aspect of Ornette´s music, from the beginning to the really exiting performances of "Prime Time". And I love the way he composes and writes for strings.

[Joe]

Damn.

Of course, I have a conflict and cannot check this out.

[mjzee]

The movie will also be shown in Houston on the same day (Nov 10) at 6:30 PM:

Houston Cinema Arts Society

[ghost of miles]

I'm seeing it tomorrow night at the IU Cinema in Bloomington.

[JSngry]

All of a sudden it's a blockbuster!

[robertoart]

All of a sudden it's a blockbuster!

Great! Maybe it will get an encore run over here. 25 years after its illustrious one shot screening.

I was there. It screened as part of a Jazz double bill with a Sonny Rollins concert doco. All the way back in 1987? I remember Ornette rambling about the difference between Male and Female and Men and Women???? Or something like that. Keep an ear out for it

[Adam]

That's great. I showed it as part of a Shirley Clarke retrospective in 1998, and have a VHS tape from them. Milestone Films intends to release it on DVD at some point as part of their Shirley Clarke DVD series. They issued The Connection already (with Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd); are working on Portrait of Jason; and Ornette would be next.

I like this film; others have issues with it. It is of its time, and has some long interview segments with Ornette, lots of playing by his bands in Fort Worth, and a few reenactments of "young Ornette" walking around in Ft. Worth.

Does the Caravan of Dreams still exist? The producer of the film was associated with them, and I think they own the rights to it, or whatever that organization has become.

[robertoart]

That's great. I showed it as part of a Shirley Clarke retrospective in 1998, and have a VHS tape from them. Milestone Films intends to release it on DVD at some point as part of their Shirley Clarke DVD series. They issued The Connection already (with Jackie McLean, Freddie Redd); are working on Portrait of Jason; and Ornette would be next.

I like this film; others have issues with it. It is of its time, and has some long interview segments with Ornette, lots of playing by his bands in Fort Worth, and a few reenactments of "young Ornette" walking around in Ft. Worth.

Does the Caravan of Dreams still exist? The producer of the film was associated with them, and I think they own the rights to it, or whatever that organization has become.

Earlier thread that answered some of the Caravan Of Dreams questions.

my link

[ghost of miles]

Richard Brody's New Yorker write-up.

[robertoart]

Richard Brody's New Yorker write-up.

Yep. Excellent concise piece of writing. The avant-gutbucket description is a bit hackneyed but otherwise a great read.

Maybe there's going to be an Electric- Harmolodic revival. I better go and tune up the axe

[allblues]

I saw the Ornette film at a Fort Worth theater when it was first released. My wife and I were the only people in the audience.

[JSngry]

Just got back from the screening. I found it to be a little - or more - goofy as a "film", but there is so much performance footage that I can't really say that that mattered.

No FW Symphony people showed up for the Q & A, but Shannon Jackson did. Asked him afterwards about Red Connors, what kind of a sound did he have, and the answer was "he had a sound like Albert Ayler, he could fill up a whole room", which was an answer that for some reason I was not expecting, but really makes perfect sense.

[Chuck Nessa]

I hear you about Connor's sound. My old acquaintance Shannon should be a fine reporter.

[medjuck]

The film is showing in LA this week at The New Beverly Cinema.