film review: They Shot The Piano Player

 

Directed by Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal

Written by Fernando Trueba

Review by Allan Tong

ChinoKino score: B+

This is a stunning, but flawed animated docu-drama about legendary Brazilian jazz pianist, Francisco Tenório Jr. who disappeared in 1976 after a gig. He was 34. You probably never heard of him, but Tenório Jr. he played a role in elevating bossa nova to world status in the 1960s and 1970s.

Part detective story and part history lesson about this wonderful music but also the totalitarianism that strangled South America, They Shot The Piano Player is told from the point of view of a writer. New Yorker Jeff Harris is researching a book about boss nova when he stumbles upon Tenório Jr.s' masterful playing and is hooked. He proceeds to interview the pianist's close friends, bandmates and family in and around Rio de Janeiro as well as Buenos Aires where Tenório disappeared. 

These include bossa nova's godfather, João Gilberto, as well as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Vincius de Moraes and Paulo Moura. Their music is liberally heard throughout the film in dazzling, colourful sequences. Pure pleasure. Altogether, they tell the story about boss nova's rise until it broke internationally through in 1964, even challenging the Beatles on the charts.

Harris spends equal time, if not more, learning about the U.S.-backed military regimes which terrorized Brazil and Argentina in the 1970s. Credit the film for not pulling any punches. A harrowing sequence finds Harris touring Buenos Aires' ESMA (Navy Mechanics School), a notorious place in the 1970s where political prisoners (mostly innocent) were tortured and execute. Appalling, ESMA had a ward for pregnant prisoners.

A sequence involving jazz great Ella Fitzgerald is a highlight

Eventually, Harris solves the mystery of Tenório Jr.'s disappearance. The problem is that this moment is not a revelation. The audience has a good idea of what happened long before the ending, which is a key flaw in this film. It lacks suspense. Perhaps the directors got too close to the subject, but the film could have been more powerful after another edit to shuffle scenes and gradually build to this reveal.

Another concern, though not a dealbreaker, is why the filmmakers created the Harris character to tell this story. Was it necessary?

That said, this is a highly enjoyable film of a worthy subject.

They Shot The Piano Player opens March 15 in Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City; March 22 in Ottawa, Saskatoon and Victoria; then throughout the spring in other cities.

film review: Darryl Jones: In The Blood

 

 

Directed by Eric Hamburg

ChinoKino score: C

Review by Allan Tong

Superman is boring. Superman can soar, twist steel, beat any bad guy into a pulp and save entire planets. Aside from kryptonite, nothing can weaken Superman, certainly not destroy him. He is perfect.

That's how I felt about Darryl Jones after watching the first half of this new documentary profiling the bass player for the Miles Davis, Sting and the Rolling Stones. Don't get me wrong: Mr. Jones is one of the greatest musicians to have ever picked up a bass. Chosen by taskmaster Miles Davis alone catapults him into the top echelon of bassists on any planet. This guy can play.

 

However, this documentary does a shaky job in telling us who he is. For starters, the film opens on the Rolling Stones heaping praise on Jones for being (what else?) a great player as well as a cool guy, a nice guy and a prolific reader. But does anyone name a book? Nope. This sort of facile, fawning interviewing starts In The Blood poorly. Further, you're left wondering if the film is about the Stones (disclosure: I love the band) or Darryl Jones.

Eventually, the film lets Jones tell his story, starting with growing up on Chicago's South Side in the times of the 1960s race riots, of developing a race consciousness, of joining the Civil Rights Movement, and of course, of falling in love with performing. When he was a boy, Jones felt the love of an appreciative audience and wanted only that for the rest of his life. His parents supported his passion. His parents loved music and taught him a few instruments. Meanwhile, one played jazz constantly, another adored soul and local radio played everything from James Brown to the Beatles. Quite an education.

This part of the film is good. It's meaty and revealing. However, the style of filmmaking is rudimentary and unimaginative. It's 90% talking heads, with interviews taking place in random parts of (what I presume) Jones' house. There's no attempt at lighting or clearing distracting kitchen appliances or furniture out of the background. The footage looks like something shot on someone's phone. Further, there's no use of establishing footage, like a wide shot of Chicago to tell the viewer where they are, or flourishes like seeing Jones' fingers pluck his bass strings. Shots are static. The camera hardly moves. At best, an interview cuts to stock footage of a still photograph or concert for a few seconds. Jones' recollections aren't told through animation, a common--but effective--tool for documentarians and which would have elevated this film.

Oddly enough, there's no background music playing underneath the interviews. Instead, we hear local traffic roll by. Distracting. Cold. That's strange for a film about a musician.

Again, don't get me wrong. Jones is a great bassist. I wanted to see this film for this reason and because I know nothing about the guy. In The Blood demystifies the man and paints a portrait, but this doc is ultimately too long and unsatisfying.

film review: Cold War (Zimna wojna)

Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski
Written by Pawel Pawlikowski and Janusz Głowacki with Piotr Borkowski
  
ChinoKino score: A-

Review by Allan Tong

One of the best films of 2018 is Cold War from Poland. Sure, act three takes a few questionable turns, but Cold War boasts the best cinematography I have seen in a long time, shot in gorgeous black-and-white by Lukasz Zal and unusually framed in 4x3. The film is also driven by strong performances by Joanna Kulig and Tomasz Kot.

They play turbulent lovers in postwar Poland after Wictor (Kot) hires Zula (Kulig) to sing and dance in a folk music ensemble that crosses Communist Europe. They spark at first sight. Zula is emotional and impulsive. The stoic and handsome Wictor flees to Paris at the height of the Cold War and waits for Zula to join him. What happens after that is unpredictable and is satisfying depending on whether you believe the choices the lovers make (not entirely for me).

NXNE presents Canadian premiere of Amy biodoc

by Allan Tong

From live bands to comedy, NXNE offers a wide array of things of hear and see from June 17-21, but one highlight is the Canadian premiere of Amy.

Directed by Asif Kapadia, Amy, is a powerful documentary covering the life and demise of Amy Winehouse, the London soul and jazz singer who died of alcoholism after a brief, but stunning career. There have been several TV documentaries that have sensationalized Winehouse's well-known battles with booze and heroin, but Kapadia's actually cuts deep and presents the whole story.

The film is largely told by Winehouse on screen using candid home movies and audio interviews, and through childhood friends and associates such as her bodyguard, drug counsellor and ex-lovers. Mitch Winehouse, her father, comes off as exploitive, as does her last manager, but the true villain is Amy herself who self-destructed in a slow suicide.

Keep On Keepin' On - An Evening in Honour of Clark Terry, with Performance by Justin Kauflin

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON: AN EVENING IN HONOUR OF CLARK TERRY
AT THE BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA ON MAY 11—ONE NIGHT ONLY!
FEATURING A PERFORMANCE BY JUSTIN KAUFLIN

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and The Royal Conservatory of Music are honouring the legacy of the late jazz trumpeter Clark Terry with a magnificent evening filled with music and film. The night kicks off with a screening of Hot Docs 2014 Top Ten Audience Favourite, KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON (D: Alan Hicks, USA, 2014, 84 min, PG), followed by a performance and Q&A, on Monday, May 11, at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (506 Bloor Street West).

Legendary jazz trumpeter Clark Terry played alongside Charlie Barnet, Count Basie and Duke Ellington, and mentored a young Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. At 93 he continued to leave his indelible mark, working with the next generation of young and emerging musicians. KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON is a powerful story about Terry and his mentorship of Justin Kauflin, a 23-year-old blind piano prodigy, which celebrates the wonder of music, perseverance and friendship.

2015 JUNO Awards – winners

It was a star-studded night of musical celebrations as Canada's top talent took to the red carpet and stage for Canada's biggest night in music, The 2015 JUNO Awards, on Sunday, March 15. CTV's live broadcast from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre dazzled viewers with an all-star lineup of performances, special tributes to Canadian music legends, and the presentation of JUNO Awards in six categories.

Performer Kiesza was the weekend's big winner, garnering a total of three JUNO Awards. Having already picked up two JUNO Awards at Saturday night's JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards for Dance Recording of the Year and Video of The Year (Sponsored by MuchFACT, exclusively funded by Bell Media) for her chart-topping hit "Hideaway", the electro-dance starlet added another statuette to her collection during the broadcast: the JUNO Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year (sponsored by FACTOR, the Government of Canada, Radio Starmaker Fund and Canada's Private Broadcasters). She also graced the stage for a dynamic mash-up performance of "Sound of A Woman" and "Hideaway."

2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards – winners

Canada's music elite gathered to toast 35 JUNO Award winners at the 2015 JUNO Gala Dinner & Awards presented by SiriusXM Canada last night in Hamilton. Hosted by Jessi Cruickshank at the Hamilton Convention Centre, the evening's festivities featured performances by a spectacular lineup of 2015 JUNO Award nominees and winners, as well as unforgettable tributes to some of the most influential names in Canadian music.

Multiple Award winners at the Gala included alternative singer-songwriter Bahamas, who won honours for both Songwriter of the Year and Adult Alternative Album of the Year; and electro-dance sensation Kiesza, who earned Dance Recording of the Year and Video of the Year. Kiesza will also be making her JUNO Award performance debut during the Sunday night Broadcast on CTV from Hamilton's FirstOntario Centre.

57th annual Grammy Awards – winners

Last night, the Recording Academy held their 57th Annual Grammy Awards ceremonies, with a pre-telecast event at the Nokia Theater and the telecast show at the Staples Center. Generally, the telecast was a dull affair. Most of the performers did slow, sombre numbers. The notable exception was Sia's "Chandelier" which had Kristen Wiig dancing in costume and a wig.

Sam Smith was the night's biggest winner, taking three of the four big awards. He won for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist, as well as Best Pop Vocal Album.

The other major award Album of the Year went to the surprise winner Beck for Morning Phase. Kanye only half-jokingly went up on stage with him to pull a Kanye (as he did with Taylor Swift in 2009), however he turned around and returned to his seat. Beck also won for Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Album – Non-Classical.

2015 JUNO Awards – nominations

The nominees for the 2015 JUNO Awards were announced by The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) at a press conference at The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto this morning, as Canada's top artists now get ready for a trip to JUNO Week in Hamilton, March 9 – March 15, 2015.

Magic! garnered a leading five nominations: JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Breakthrough Group of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Pop Album of the Year.

Close behind with four nods were Kiesza (Single of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, Dance Recording of the Year, Video of the Year) and Leonard Cohen (JUNO Fan Choice, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Adult Alternative Album of the Year).

Artists with three nods each are Hedley (JUNO Fan Choice, Single of the Year, Album of the Year), Nickelback (JUNO Fan Choice, Album of the Year, Group of the Year), and Serge Fiori (JUNO Fan Choice, Album of the Year, Francophone Album of the Year).

57th annual Grammy Awards – nominations [UPDATED]

The Recording Academy did a slow roll-out of announcing the nominations for the 57th annual Grammy Awards today. Pharrell Williams and Ed Sheeran announced some of the bigger categories this morning at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. The remainder were unveiled on Twitter by various celebrities throughout the day.

Beyoncé picked up five more nominations to become the most-nominated female in Grammy history, surpassing Dolly Parton's previous record of 46. Surprisingly, however, she was not nominated for Record of the Year. British singer Sam Smith also picked up five nominations for his hit “Stay With Me.”

The following list of nominations is complete except for the category Album of the Year which will be revealed during tonight's broadcast of A Very Grammy Christmas.

First artists announced for the 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

Jesse Cook, Snarky Puppy, The Stanley Clarke Band, Steven Wilson, The Bad Plus with Joshua Redman, Bebel Gilberto, Eliane Elias, Dee Dee Bridgewater and a Tribute to Piaf by Richard Galliano and Sylvain Luc

We’re delighted to announce the very first artists of the 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan—just in time to add them to everyone’s Christmas wish lists!

Tickets for these concerts go on sale this Friday, December 5 at noon… although Spectra Newsletter subscribers (subscription is free at infolettrespectra.ca), can purchase them Thursday, December 4, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal announces free outdoor programming

A 35th anniversary for the Festival: everyone is invited to the party!
Free outdoor program of the 35th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

Thirty-five years—already! Well, for an occasion like this, it’ll be Party Time every day from June 26 to July 6 during the 35th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan! The 2014 free outdoor program offers concerts for every taste, in every possible genre related to or descended from jazz, from new discoveries to major names to festive events.

The Festival is a genuine engine for the social, economic, cultural and tourism development of Montreal, inviting the entire world to plunge into its oasis in the heart of the du Quartier des Spectacles, the perfect place to surrender to a musical celebration in complete security on a people-friendly site packed with free music and activities, with all of your worries left at home! With that magic formula, it’s no wonder that our event annually draws 2 million entries!

Festival International de Jazz de Montréal announces indoor shows for 35th annual festival

35 candles…and a thousand musical fireworks!
Tickets go on sale Saturday at noon
Exclusive pre-sale for Infolettre Spectra subscriber starts tomorrow!

And yes, sparks will fly during the indoor program of this 35th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan! Sparks will light up our eyes and our stages, ignited by a constellation of the greatest names from the world of music! Night after night, fans can expect unexpected encounters, exclusive creations, musicians who flirt with or achieve perfection, or soar into the sublime… In other words, the Festival treats itself—and all of us!—to an unprecedented 35th birthday program! From June 26 to July 6, jazz unveils all of its splendour in our venues, featuring the greatest artists from here and abroad, breathing new life into the music in its purest form or its many related musical genres, from blues to hip-hop. Tickets for these concerts go on sale this Saturday, April 26 at noon… although Infolettre Spectra subscribers (subscription is free at infolettrespectra.ca) can purchase them starting tomorrow at 9 a.m. until Friday at 9 p.m.!

The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal wraps up its 34th edition

After all the dark clouds that have converged on Montreal recently, it was time for our city to hoist high its colours and reclaim its legendary joie de vivre! And without a sliver of doubt, that’s exactly what happened over the past 10 days and nights, thanks to the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan. Montreal once again showcased all of its characteristic splendour for the entire world, revealing its elemental nature: a welcoming, friendly city with an original, lively persona, where all live and share in harmony. Yes, Montreal once again had Planet Jazz talking about its finest, noblest qualities: its unique party spirit, its warmth and humanity, cultural curiosity and open mind, heart and soul.

As a result, our city once again laid claim to its enviable position as the capital of peaceful, celebratory large-scale public gatherings, established 34 years ago by its renowned Jazz Festival, this massive, refreshing international breeding ground of musical genres and artists ranking among the most talented in the world. We witnessed a dazzling variety of concerts, from jazz to hip-hop, blues to country, intimate to wide-screen, performed by new discoveries and legends alike, all under the umbrella of a common denominator: quality. Let us offer a particular tip of the hat to the outdoor program: it was virtually impossible to stroll the site without happening upon some utterly surprising concert, leading us to forget our original destination in the face of so much talent at every stop! In short, we experienced a magical and enchanting 34th edition, which injected a healthy dose of optimism back into Montreal!

Review: Oliver Jones sparkles in an intimate solo concert

Montreal's own jazz superstar Oliver Jones played the first of two sold-out shows last night and was quite brilliant as usual. However, this time he played the entire night unaccompanied and unamplified, a lovely and all-too-rare presentation. The entire experience was delightful and even thrilling, earning him fully-deserved standing ovations.

He opened the show with "It Could Happen to You" and took us through a whirlwind of standards such as "Georgia On My Mind" and "All the Things You Are," his own "Something for Chuck," and compositions by his friend and mentor Oscar Peterson "Place St. Henri," "When Summer Comes" and "Hymn to Freedom." Interestingly, he included three medleys by audience favourites Nat King Cole, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. Each was very warmly received and had some in the audience humming along discreetly.

Review: Feist jazz fest opener an enjoyable but low-key affair

The 34th annual Festival International de Jazz de Montréal got off to a bit of a soggy start with a cold and rainy day that threatened to put a damper on opening day festivities. Shows carried on in spite of it all during the day. And when it came time for Feist to put on her official festival-opener, the rain finally stopped and the the usual 100,000-plus crowd materialized.

She gave a shout of appreciation for this fact, declaring near the start, "It stopped raining!" This was a great relief for her, no doubt, because she had to conduct her mid-afternoon sound check wearing rain-gear during a light shower.

Watch the interactive documentary Burgundy Jazz online for free

Today is the official opening day for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the world's largest jazz festival. To get into the spirit of things, check out the interactive documentary I directed called Burgundy Jazz that launched last week to great fanfare.

Burgundy Jazz is an exploration of the rich history of jazz in Montreal in the decades before the festival, with a focus on the black community that was centred in the area now called Petite-Bourgogne or Little Burgundy. You'll discover many new things about Montreal and jazz, and hear about personalities such as Oliver Jones, Nelson Symonds, the International Band, the Sealey Brothers, Charlie Biddle and of course Montreal's most celebrated jazz star Oscar Peterson.

2013 Montreal International Jazz Festival announces complete lineup

It’s finally time to unveil the free outdoor program of the 34th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan! In keeping with its formula, now an artistic and entertainment signature unique to Montreal, the world’s biggest jazz festival offers over 2/3 of its program free of charge! From June 28 to July 7, this unique event sets up shop in the heart of the Quartier des Spectacles, on a site perfectly conceived to offer an unparalleled entertainment experience, drawing 2 million visits to its 10 stages and hundreds of concerts and entertainment activities in a convivial and safe atmosphere.

Here’s a glimpse at what awaits us in 10 days and nights of discoveries, delights and surprises arrayed for aficionados of jazz, but also fanatics of blues, rock, world music, folk and other music genres born in the spectrum of jazz influence. In this vast range of formulas and formats, you’re guaranteed to discover a wealth of hidden treasures, gems of the next generation and essential legends, thousands of musicians invited from some thirty countries, playing electric guitars alongside balafons, double bass next to turntables, in intimate musical rendezvous and large-scale concerts in the heart of downtown, from noon into the wee hours… Yes, it’s free music at its absolute summer best!