nwFilmCenter

25th Reel Music Festival

Welcome to our 25th edition of Reel Music. We've been on the look out over the year for new works—and very timely classics—for our annual celebration of sound and image and music and culture. As always, our special thanks go to Willamette Week and Music Millennium for helping to make it all happen. We hope you find something in this year's eclectic lineup to get your New Year off on the right note. Enjoy.

Fri, Jan 11, 2008 at 7 PM	65 REVISITED DIRECTOR: D.A. PENNEBAKER US 65 REVISITED is Pennebaker's companion piece to his classic DON'T LOOK BACK (1965), which chronicled Bob Dylan's famous UK Tour. A collage of incidents, encounters and mob scenes drawn from more than 20 hours of footage, the film includes live performances of songs such as "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), and a rehearsal for his 1966 masterpiece "Blonde On Blonde." Los Angeles Times critic Robert Hilburn describes the new film simply: "The greatest rock movie ever just got better." ( 65 min ) ^ Top
Fri, Jan 11, 2008 at 8:30 PM	THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR BOB DYLAN LIVE AT NEWPORT DIRECTOR: MURRAY LERNER US This new film from Murray Lerner (FESTIVAL, MILES ELECTRIC, JIMI HENDRIX ON THE ISLE OF WRIGHT) offers a revealing portrait of the metamorphosis of Bob Dylan from scrawny Guthrie-inspired protest singer to Ray-Banned rock icon in just three years. Drawing from hours of previously unseen footage that he shot from 1963-1965 at the Newport Folk Festival—in both formal nighttime concerts and informal daytime workshops—we witness the fascinating transformations in Dylan's persona and style. The film features stirring versions of some of his most famous songs, including some legendary duets with Joan Baez. ( 83 min ) Sponsored by 97.1 Charlie FM. ^ Top
Sat, Jan 12, 2008 at 2:30 PM	BRASILERINHO DIRECTOR: MIKA KAURISMÄKI BRAZIL/FINLAND "Finnish director Mika Kaurismäki's film is a soul-stirring love letter to choro, Brazil's original urban music born out of a mixture of European dances and Afro-Brazilian rhythms in the late 1870s. Played on mandolin, tambourine, guitar, clarinet and trombone, Choro sounds something like a jazzy, folksy flamenco and was hugely popular in the first half of the twentieth century before being displaced by bossa nova in the '60s. However, much like flamenco in Spain or fado in Portugal, it enjoyed a resurgence in the late '70s that continues today. Kaurismäki, who settled in Brazil in the early '90s, obviously loves the music and the musicians who play it and he sets out to do for choro what Wim Wenders's BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB did for Cuban son."—TIME OUT, London. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Jan 12, 2008 at 4:45 PM	TRANCES DIRECTOR: EL MAANOUNI MOROCCO/FRANCE The first restoration by Martin Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation is this classic documentary profiling the legendary Moroccan band Nass El Ghiwane. The group's "Trances" are the equivalent of western soul music, fusing influences from the last thousand years of Moroccan and African music and history with the energy of rock. Huge stars in their home country when the film was made Nass El Ghiwane were known as "the Rolling Stones of Africa." The film meshes footage from an electrifying stadium performance with enlightening, low-key interviews with the charismatic and self-effacing stars, creating an Eastern equivalent of Scorsese's own LAST WALTZ. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Jan 12, 2008 at 7 PM	PETE SEEGER: THE POWER OF SONG DIRECTOR: JIM BROWN US One of the legends of American music, Pete Seeger was the architect of the folk revival, penning such classics as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," "Turn, Turn, Turn" and "If I Had A Hammer." An outspoken advocate of peace, unionism, civil rights and ecology, he was targeted by the Communist witch hunt of the 1950s and was picketed, protested, blacklisted and, despite his enormous popularity, banned from television for more than 17 years. With a combination of never-before-seen archival footage, Seeger's own personal films, and interviews with musicians like Joan Baez, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Natalie Maines, and Peter, Paul and Mary, Brown paints an intimate portrait of an icon who has profoundly influenced the fabric of American music. ( 93 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Jan 12, 2008 at 9 PM	AMAZING JOURNEY: THE WHO DIRECTOR: MURRAY LERNER, PAUL CROWDER US Lerner and co-director Paul Crowder (RIDING GIANTS, DOGTOWN AND Z BOYS) explore the legendary band's ingenious bravado and its continuing evolution. The film moves from the group's origins as a 1960s schoolboy R&B cover band, through their meteoric rise and artistic breakthroughs, to the infighting, the breakups and reconciliations, and the untimely deaths of drummer Keith Moon and bassist John Entwistle. In addition to never-before-seen private materials released by the group and its fans worldwide, the film includes extensive interviews with Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, and many prominent witnesses and personal friends. ( 120 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Jan 13, 2008 at 5 PM	IN SEARCH OF MOZART DIRECTOR: PHIL GRABSKY BRITAIN Featuring Renée Fleming, Magdalena Kozená, and a host of others, this ambitious documentary, filmed in ten countries, is an engaging biographical portrait and a master class in Mozart's collected works. Grabsky traces the composer's life through his music and extensive personal correspondence, with performances by the greatest musicians of our time and commentary by some of the world's most renowned musical scholars. From K1a to K626 (Requiem), over 80 works are featured in chronological order, revealing striking parallels between the music and the composer's own experiences. Though the music takes center stage, his letters reveal an extraordinary personal voice, which rings out on a human level, full of joy, passion, pain, rage, jokes, bawdy humor and great sensitivity. ( 120 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Jan 13, 2008 at 7:30 PM	ANITA O'DAY THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER DIRECTOR: ROBBIE CAVOLINA IAN MCCRUDDEN US This moving portrait of the high-spirited diva, finished mere weeks before her death at 87 in 2006, reveals an extraordinary jazz life. A swing era vocalist who wanted nothing more than to spend her life singing, O'Day survived alcoholism, rape, numerous abortions, a 20-year heroin addiction and jail time to become a true jazz icon—and a woman who lived by her own rules. Her career spanned seven decades, 82 albums and collaboration with such legends as Gene Krupa, Roy Edlridge, Louis Armstrong and Hoagy Carmichael. A treasury of rare vintage performances, interviews with fellow musicians and vocalists, and candid interviews with the feisty legend herself gives a poignant and often funny account of a singular odyssey. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Tue, Jan 15, 2008 at 7 PM	RESPECT YOURSELF THE STAX RECORDS STORY DIRECTOR: MORGAN NEVILLE, ROBERT GORDON US Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Stax Records, Neville and Gordon (MUDDY WATERS: CAN'T BE SATISFIED) chronicle the rise of the Memphis soul label that changed the world. RESPECT YOURSELF is jammed with amazing archival rarities, live performances, forgotten TV appearances, home movies, news footage, and lost recordings of all the legendary Stax artists from Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes to Booker T & the MG's, Sam & Dave and The Staples Singers. Their definitive film is also the story of the civil rights movement and how the music created at Stax mirrored the glories and pains of that struggle. ( 115 min ) ^ Top
Tue, Jan 15, 2008 at 7 PM	IN A DAY'S TIME DIRECTOR: BEN HARBERT US A chronicle of an ordinary day of music-making at the medium security California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo, IN A DAYS TIME offers an alternate view of these men behind bars. The performances—from rap to ranchero to rock—are interlaced with interviews and conversations, and reveal on a very human level how music is an inner and outer mirror for lives full of regret and hope, loneliness and camaraderie, and opportunities yet to come. ( 32 min ) ^ Top
Wed, Jan 16, 2008 at 6:30 PM	NOISY PEOPLE DIRECTOR: TIM PERKIS US NOISY PEOPLE opens a window into a tightly knit group of unusual sound artists and musicians from the S.F. improvisational music community. Filmmaker Perkis, a respected player in the Bay Area experimental music scene, followed his subjects for a year, filming them in their homes and studios, rehearsals and performances. You have likely never encountered the likes of George Cremaschi, Tom Djll, Greg Goodman, Phillip Greenlief, Cheryl Leonard, Dan Plonsey, Gino Robair, and Damon Smith unless you travel the sonic margins, but they are part of a very creative and quirky community of people who show us a way of life outside the commercial musical mainstream. ( 74 min ) ^ Top
Wed, Jan 16, 2008 at 8:15 PM	ORNETTE: MADE IN AMERICA DIRECTOR: SHIRLEY CLARKE US Jazz-like in structure, ORNETTE: MADE IN AMERICA combines old and new footage, dramatic sequences and interviews, and electronically processed video interludes to construct a portrait as complex and exciting as jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman himself. Clarke and Coleman worked together—the film is more of an artistic collaboration than a portrait—exploring his career and ideas about music, artistic creation, and life. Employing performance footage from 1968–83 in Morocco, Nigeria, Berkeley, and Fort Worth (for a performance of his "Skies of America" with the Forth Worth Symphony), along with commentary from people as varied as William Burroughs, Jr., Buckminster Fuller, Robert Palmer and Coleman's son Denardo, it remains essential viewing for Coleman fans. Winner of a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 2007, Coleman will headline this year's Portland Jazz Festival, February 15-17. ( 90 min ) Sponsored by KMHD, 89.1 jazz. ^ Top
Thu, Jan 17, 2008 at 6:30 PM	THE OLD, WEIRD AMERICA: HARRY SMITH'S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC DIRECTOR: RANI SINGH US Every fan of American music owes a debt to Harry Smith. Filmmaker, musician, painter, mystic and collector of oddities, Smith was catapulted into American cultural consciousness with the release of "The Anthology of American Folk Music" in 1952, a work driven by his unique sensibility and passion for authentic, rural American music. Drawn from his collection of thousands of 78 rpm records by obscure 20's and 30's country and blues performers, the Anthology brought attention to numerous unrecognized, if not lost, artists and songs, and inspired generations of songwriters and performers. Singh celebrates Smith's life and work through archival footage, interviews, and the performances of a diverse group of contemporary artists, including Nick Cave, Percy Heath, Philip Glass, Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Beck, Richard Thompson, Sonic Youth, Beth Orton and Elvis Costello. "My dreams came true . . .I saw America changed by music."–Harry Smith. ( 90 min ) Rani Singh will present the film. Tickets to this film will also be good for the 8:30 screening of KNOWING YOU ALL LIKE I DO. ^ Top
Thu, Jan 17, 2008 at 8:30 PM	KNOWING ALL OF YOU LIKE I DO DIRECTOR: IVY LIN US In the course of its 30 years on 23rd Avenue, Music Millennium's Northwest store became the heart and soul of the neighborhood, never mind musical fix, for generations of Portlanders. On August 31, 2007, the store closed its doors, an event everyone hoped would not come to pass. The staff then had a month to decommission the space and turn it back to the landlord stripped to the walls. Ivy Lin, a former store employee decided to be on hand for the final days of demolition and deconstruction—physical and mental—and interviewed some of the regulars as they dropped by for the last time, chronicling the process and paying fitting, haunting homage to this unique neighborhood shop. ( 48 min ) Followed by Q & A with director Ivy Lin. Tickets to this screening will also be good for the 6:30 screening of THAT OLD WEIRD AMERICA: HARRY SMITH'S ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN FOLK MUSIC. ^ Top
Fri, Jan 18, 2008 at 9 PM	YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME DIRECTOR: KEVEN MCALESTER US As the riveting front man to Texas psyche-punk band The 13th Floor Elevators, Roky Erickson was one of the progenitors of psychedelic music—a manic, white blues singer who would be Janis Joplin's (and San Francisco's in general) primary influence. Arrested for simple marijuana possession in 1969, Erickson entered an insanity plea and spent three years subjected to drug and electroshock treatments in the state hospital. The man that emerged would never be the same—without irony, he sang about ghouls, zombies, and Satan; christened himself "the Evil One"; and legally declared himself an alien—and, most agree, produced his most compelling, brilliant work. With incredible archival footage (including the Elevators' infamous appearance on American Bandstand), and featuring interviews with Billy Gibbons, Thurston Moore, and Patti Smith, YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME is a devastating exploration of the life and world of one of rock's most legendary, tragic and influential figures. ( 91 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Jan 19, 2008 at 2 PM	RUNNIN' DOWN A DREAM: TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS DIRECTOR: PETER BOGDANOVICH US Rarely has the history of a major rock band been explored with the care and depth Peter Bogdanovich brings to this epic documentary about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Liberally peppered with rare concert footage—from Florida bars to major stadium appearances—the film chronicles Petty's epic battles with the record industry and his collaborations with Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Roger McGuinn and the Traveling Wilburys. Free of the cynicism that usually accompanies longevity in rock music, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers have remained fresh, feisty and popular for over thirty years. ( 253 min ) Presented with a brief intermission. Sponsored by Bart Day/Entertainment Law West, LLC. ^ Top
Sat, Jan 19, 2008 at 9:15 PM	FABRICATING TOM ZÉ DIRECTOR: DECIO MATOS JR. BRAZIL Filmed during a 2005 European concert tour, this lively behind-the-scenes portrait uses video, animation, and film to chart the personal universe of musician Tom Zé, for whom a guitar and a vacuum cleaner have the same melodic potential. An uncompromising and inspired artist, Zé is considered by many (including David Byrne and Arto Lindsay) to have revitalized the ever-evolving Tropicalia movement. Zé, who narrates his own story, is a very special musical phenomenon in a genre mostly associated with Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil—both of whom warmly assess the musical genius of their enigmatic friend. ( 89 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Jan 20, 2008 at 2 PM	THE TALENTED MR. RABINOWITZ LECTURE In the midst of a series on film and music, what better guest to have than an orchestra conductor who has led an extraordinary life in music. The film conductor's job is preparing and leading the orchestra in a film scoring session—bringing the skills of the composer, musicians, orchestrators and music editors together to realize the music that goes with the images and the vision of the director. Harry Rabinowitz emigrated from South Africa to London in the 1940s, and quickly established a career in television and film. He has conducted the BBC orchestra, composed his own scores, and conducted the orchestras for more than 60 films. Now a Portlander, this afternoon he'll share clips and musical passages from some of his favorite film projects, including BON VOYAGE, THE GOLDEN BOWL, REMAINS OF THE DAY, CAMILLE CLAUDEL, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, COLD MOUNTAIN, REVOLUTION, HOWARD'S END, and SHIRLEY VALENTINE, and talk about his work and many musical adventures. ( 90 min ) Cosponsored by All Classical 89.9 KBPS. ^ Top
Sun, Jan 20, 2008 at 7 PM	SOUL DEEP: THE STORY OF BLACK POPULAR MUSIC—PART I DIRECTOR: WILLIAM NAYLOR BRITAIN William Naylor, producer of the wonderful BBC documentaries on '60s pop (WALK ON BY) and country music (THE LOST HIGHWAY) traces the evolution of soul music and its offshoots from its roots in the 1940s up to the present day explosion of urban music. We will screen the series' six one-hour episodes in two three-hour programs, the first of which includes: THE BIRTH OF SOUL, which concentrates on the roots of the genre and features previously unseen interviews with the late Ray Charles as well as archival footage of James Brown and Bobby Womack; THE GOSPEL HIGHWAY, which surveys how Sam Cooke changed pop music forever and set the standard for every artist that followed him; and THE SOUND OF YOUNG AMERICA, an exploration of how Berry Gordy's Motown factory created a sound which appealed to whites as much as to blacks. ( 180 min ) Sponsored by KPSU, Portland's college radio. ^ Top
Mon, Jan 21, 2008 at 6:30 PM	SOUL DEEP: THE STORY OF BLACK POPULAR MUSIC—PART II DIRECTOR: WILLIAM NAYLOR BRITAIN SOUTHERN SOUL, the fourth episode of SOUL DEEP, charts the rise of Otis Redding from his early days at Stax records in Memphis to the Monterey Pop Festival, where he found a massive white audience. Episode Five, AIN'T IT FUNKY, traces the roots of funk from James Brown's seminal "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" to the crazy psychedelia of George Clinton and the tough, urban rhythms that were the soundtrack to the riots and revolutions of the late 60s and early 70s. Finally, in FROM GHETTO TO FABULOUS, Mary J. Blige, the queen of hip-hop soul, speaks candidly about the journey from ghetto to the top, a journey which mirrors Black music's 50-year rise to the top of the charts. ( 180 min ) Sponsored by KPSU, Portland's college radio. ^ Top
Tue, Jan 22, 2008 at 7 PM	MY NAME IS ALBERT AYLER DIRECTOR: KASPER COLLIN SWEDEN John Coltrane called saxophonist Albert Ayler the most important innovator in jazz. One of the leading figures in the avant-garde of the 1960s, Ayler was frustrated by the lack of acceptance for his music, which left most perplexed. Born in Cleveland, Ayler recorded his first album in Sweden in 1962; only eight years later, at age 34, he was found dead in New York's East River, a mystery still unsolved. Collin's film is filled with rich and rare archival material along with the intimate recollections of family, friends and colleagues. "One of the most starkly beautiful and moving documentaries ever made about a jazz musician."-Thomas Conrad, JAZZ TIMES. "Remarkable."- The NEW YORKER "You don't have to like or even appreciate Ayler's striking brand of music to be moved by this heartfelt tribute. ...[it] will have a profound effect on a basic level." -FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL ( 79 min ) See also www.mynameisalbertayler.com ^ Top
Wed, Jan 23, 2008 at 7 PM	LES PAUL: CHASING THE SOUND DIRECTOR: JOHN PAULSON US Les Paul is synonymous with the electric guitar. As a player, inventor, and recording artist (he and wife Mary Ford ruled the pop charts in the 50s), Paul has been an innovator all his life. Idolizing Gene Autry as a young musician, he fashioned his first amplified instrument while still a teenager. In the 1930s he discovered jazz and, immersed in music, went on to invent scores of ingenious recording techniques, including overdubbing and multi-track recording, as well as the solid-body electric guitar at the heart of the rock and roll revolution. Still spry at age 92, Paul tells his own classic rags-to-riches story highlighted by home movies and archival and current performance footage (he still plays a weekly gig at Iridium in New York). The soundtrack includes hits from Bing Crosby, Chet Atkins and B.B. King, as well as rock legends Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Paul McCartney. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Wed, Jan 23, 2008 at 7 PM	THE MAKING OF OHM DIRECTOR: JIM SWENSON US Portland instrument maker John Sullivan, who died of cancer at age 53 last year, always loved wood. He started his professional life as an arborist and later was in great demand for his woodworking and carpentry skills. A mandolin player, he started making acoustic instruments in response to requests from friends, and eventually became one of the most respected luthiers in the Pacific Northwest. Swenson's warm homage captures Sullivan's passion and craftsmanship, and his dedication to creating instruments that balance the richest possible tone and responsiveness with playability and beauty. ( 15 min ) ^ Top
Thu, Jan 24, 2008 at 7 PM	A LIFE in the DEATH OF JOE MEEK DIRECTOR: HOWARD S. BERGER, SUSAN STAHMAN US Before the Beatles, the first British pop record to hit #1 on the U.S. charts was the Tornado's spacy instrumental "Telstar" in 1962. It was produced by Joe Meek, a maverick English recording engineer and songwriter, acknowledged as one of the world's first and most imaginative independent record producers. Hailed as Britain's answer to Phil Spector, Meek's rule-breaking sound alchemy was singularly his own. As interested in a recording's "Sonic Signature," as its tune, Meek entertained everyone who was anyone in his DIY "home studio" (his apartment), where effects such as compression, reverb, echo and sampling helped make hits for Lonnie Donegan, John Leyton, Heinz, and The Honecombs ("Have I the Right?").His meteoric success was short-lived, however; he became crippled by debt, drugs, paranoia, charges of "importuning for immoral purposes," and depression. In 1967, Meek murdered his landlady before turning the gun on himself. At 37, he died eight years to the day after his hero, Buddy Holly, but lives on as a legendary indie spirit. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Fri, Jan 25, 2008 at 9:30 PM	GOLDEN DAYS DIRECTOR: CHRIS SUCHORSKY US Whatever you've heard about or suspected about music biz greed and its related hypocrisies will only be confirmed in this tale of rock and roll. In 2001, Alex Dezen asked a couple friends to record a few songs with him. Shortly thereafter they would form the indie band The Damnwells. "Two years later they had toured the country, opened for rock legends, and had a song featured in a major motion picture. By 2004, they had signed a major record deal with EPIC Records. In March of 2005, The Damnwells went into the studio to record their first professional album. They immersed themselves in preproduction, recording, and mixing. But as months passed, their release date was moved further and further away. In January 2006, Alex received a call they never expected. The band was being released from their contract and the fate of the album and their career was unknown...Will the band break up, will they go their separate ways or will they take back their future?"—Jennifer Grimm. ( 95 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Jan 26, 2008 at 5 PM	BETWEEN TWO NOTES DIRECTOR: FLORENCE STRAUSS FRANCE/CANADA "When you put your ear close to the earth of this place and listen, you don't hear jazz." These are the words of one of the many musicians in Strauss' lyrical, musical, and visually beautiful road movie that moves between Iraq and Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, Israel and Egypt. It echoes the deep links between places and people across the Middle East, where classical Arab music has served as a common source of joy and expression for diverse communities. Attempting to trace her own cultural heritage, Strauss gives voice to such great masters as Umm Kulthum and Abdelwahab, and to the quarter tones which touch Jewish, Muslim and Christian heritage alike. ( 87 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Jan 27, 2008 at 2 PM	MUSIC ON THE CUSP: FROM FOLK TO ACID ROCK IN PORTLAND COFFEEHOUSES, 1967-1970 LECTURE Before bars and taverns became licensed as music venues in Portland in the early 1970s, coffeehouses were where multi-instrumental folk bands flourished, as well as a multitude of alternative, hybrid-vision rock, blues, jazz and country inspired bands. Looking forward, and backwards from the popular scene dominated by Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Kingsmen and other "Northwest sound" party bands, a counterculture of musicians was looking for something new. They found and created it in such places as The Agora, 9th Street Exit, Café Espresso, Catacombs, Charix, Crystal Ballroom and Folksinger. Notary Sojac, The Weeds, U.S. Cadenza, Total Eclipse, Melodius Funk, Nazzare Blues Band and Portland Zoo were among the many bands that fashioned a new, musically diverse scene and provided the wellspring for a generation of musicians that can still be found playing today. This afternoon we welcome Portland music historian and musician Valerie Brown, whose extensive research provides an informative, if not nostalgic, look back at the music, politics and culture of the era. ^ Top
Sun, Jan 27, 2008 at 7:15 PM	MONKS: THE TRANSATLANTIC FEEDBACK DIRECTOR: DIETMAR POST, LUCIA PALACIOUS GERMANY/SPAIN/US The Monks, five American GIs in cold war Germany who billed themselves as the anti-Beatles, were heavy on feedback, nihilism and electrical banjo. With strange haircuts, dressed in black, they mocked the military and rocked harder than any of their mid-sixties counterparts while managing to herald the advent of industrial, heavy metal, punk, and techno. This genre-overlapping film not only illustrates the pop music phenomenon in its political, social and cultural historic contexts but also reveals the Monks project as the first marriage between art and popular music, long before Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground. After more than 30 years the five former Monks for the first time talk about their adventure. ( 100 min ) Director Dietmar Post is scheduled to attend. ^ Top
Tue, Jan 29, 2008 at 7 PM	CHASIN' GUS' GHOST DIRECTOR: TODD KWAIT US Kwaits's infectious film traces the history of American Jug Band Music and its influence on the popular folk and rock movements of the 1960s, beginning with Gus Cannon and Cannon's Jug Stompers, The Memphis Jug Band and the Dixieland Jug Blowers from the 1920s. Vintage performance footage, interviews and live performances by Jim Kweskin, Fritz Richmond, Geoff Muldaur, Maria Muldaur, Bob Weir (Grateful Dead), John Sebastian (Lovin' Spoonful), Paul Rishell and Annie Raines, Charlie Musselwhite, and many more influenced by jug band musicians reveal that Gus Cannon's spirit and music resonate in surprising places. ( 97 min ) ^ Top
Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 7 PM	SLIM GAILLARD'S CIVILIZATION - PART I DIRECTOR: ANTHONY WALL BRITAIN Vout-aroonee with a Floy-Floy. "For Dean Moriarty Slim Gaillard was God. To Slim the world was just one big Orooni" as famously stated in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road". Miles Davis said the only two living jazz musicians he truly admired were Dizzie Gillespie and Slim Gaillard. Anthony Wall's four-part series on the life of the legendary Mr. Galliard (1916-1991), rich in music and reminiscence, reveals a wealth of things about the man so good looking that he was nicknamed "Dark Gable." Slim spoke seven languages, could play any instrument, was Marvin Gaye's father-in-law, was the darling of Hollywood in the 40s, and had his song "Cement Mixer Putty Putty put in a time capsule at the New York World's Fair to represent American culture—he even lived and played in Portland for a spell! ( 120 min ) The first two installments, "Traveler's Tale" and "How High the Moon" screen at 7PM Wednesday, January 30th; "My Dinner with Dizzy" and "Everything's OK in the UK" screen at 3PM on Saturday, February 2nd. Admission by donation. ^ Top
Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 7 PM	IMAGINE THE SOUND DIRECTOR: RON MANN CANADA IMAGINE THE SOUND remains one of the best documents of free jazz ever made. Ron Mann and Coda Magazine editor Bill Smith profile four artists who were influential in the evolution of jazz into a free-form musical art beginning in the early '60s. The film catches pioneering pianists Cecil Taylor and Paul Bley, tenor saxophonist Archie Shepp, and trumpet player Bill Dixon in dynamic performances and fascinating interviews shedding light on their approaches to music and life and the history of this unique musical genre. ( 90 min ) Cecil Taylor will be among the headliners at this year's Portland Jazz Festival, February 15-17. ^ Top
Thu, Jan 31, 2008 at 9 PM	TRUMPET'S REPUBLIC DIRECTOR: STEFANO MISSIO, ALESSANDRO GORI SERBIA Gvozden Rosic, chief of a small orchestra in a tiny rural village in the heart of Serbia, trains for the Sabor Trubaca, the biggest competition for brass orchestras in the world. Once used to launch attacks during wartime, the trumpet, not originally a Serbian instrument, lost its military significance to become an emotional part of the everyday lives of the Serbian people. It is played when children are born, when people move into a new house, when sons go off to the army, and when the deceased are escorted to their final resting place. ( 50 min ) ^ Top
Fri, Feb 1, 2008 at 7 PM Sat, Feb 2, 2008 at 8 PM Sun, Feb 3, 2008 at 6:30 PM	LET'S GET LOST DIRECTOR: BRUCE WEBER US The title of Bruce Weber's film on the life of jazz great Chet Baker aptly describes the driving force of the man and his music. His James Dean looks and cool sound set Baker apart from other musicians of his time and gave a generation of 50s and 60s jazz fans a "doomed youth" of their very own. Baker's life played out like a Kerouac creation, as did his death (he fell out of an Amsterdam hotel window in 1988 at the age of 58), but out of a life noir came some of the most lyrical trumpet playing and jazz vocals ever heard. Filled with the romance of renegade art, glamorous women, smoky jazz cellars and exile in Europe, Weber's documentary is as free-form and contemporary as Baker's music. This transfixing, bittersweet film won the Critics' Prize at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award. Nearly 20 years since its premiere and nearly 15 since it has been seen in any medium, we're pleased to present a brand new 35mm print of a recent restoration done by Weber himself. "Jazz music and film have rarely been spun together more evocatively."—Stephen Holden, NEW YORK TIMES. ( 119 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Feb 2, 2008 at 3 PM	SLIM GAILLARD'S CIVILIZATION - PART II DIRECTOR: ANTHONY WALL BRITAIN Vout-aroonee with a Floy-Floy. "For Dean Moriarty Slim Gaillard was God. To Slim the world was just one big Orooni" as famously stated in Jack Kerouac's "On the Road". Miles Davis said the only two living jazz musicians he truly admired were Dizzie Gillespie and Slim Gaillard. Anthony Wall's four-part series on the life of the legendary Mr. Galliard (1916-1991), rich in music and reminiscence, reveals a wealth of things about the man so good looking that he was nicknamed "Dark Gable." Slim spoke seven languages, could play any instrument, was Marvin Gaye's father-in-law, was the darling of Hollywood in the 40s, and had his song "Cement Mixer Putty Putty put in a time capsule at the New York World's Fair to represent American culture—he even lived and played in Portland for a spell! ( 120 min ) The first two installments, "Traveler's Tale" and "How High the Moon" screen at 7PM Wednesday, January 30th; "My Dinner with Dizzy" and "Everything's OK in the UK" screen at 3PM on Saturday, February 2nd. Admission by donation. ^ Top
Sat, Feb 2, 2008 at 8 PM	PSYCH-OUT DIRECTOR: RICHARD RUSH US Missed out on the Summer of Love? No problem. Exploitation master Richard Rush (HELL'S ANGELS ON WHEELS, THE STUNTMAN) dives into the Haight-Ashbury psychedelic scene with 17-year-old deaf runaway Susan Strasberg, who hitches a ride to San Francisco to find her missing psycho-sibling Bruce Dern. She's taken under the wing of the well-meaning, longhaired musician Stony (pony-tailed Jack Nicholson), who gives her a guided tour of flower-power scene. Loaded with the art, fashion and sentiments of the era, including music by The Seeds (Sky Saxon) and Strawberry Alarm Clock, PSYCH-OUT, intended by producer Dick Clark to quickly cash in on the hippies, endures as its own cultural time capsule. ( 101 min ) Screening at the Baghdad Theater, 3701 SE Hawthorne, as part of Supertrash. Special Admission-$5. After the film, come see Sky Saxon and Stardust Love live at the East End Club, 203 SE Grand. ^ Top
Sun, Feb 3, 2008 at 2 PM	NOUBA OF GOLD AND LIGHT DIRECTOR: IZZA GENINI MOROCCO/FRANCE Western classical music listeners interested in its origins, formal principles and stylistic evolution soon discover the rich musical heritage of the Arab world. A millennium ago, while Europeans were listening to simple troubadour ballads and dance music, in the great cities of the Islamic world, from Spain and North Africa to India, composers and instrumentalists were creating orchestral compositions of symphonic complexity. Izza Genini explores the enduring influence of nouba, a traditional Algerian song with five movements, with some of the most eminent Moroccan music orchestras. NOUBA OF GOLD AND LIGHT reveals that the classic melodies of the nouba of Andalusia (Moslem Spain), found in Cordoba and Seville, in Tangier and Fez and throughout North Africa, still blossom around the world, resonating with all generations, classes and religions. ( 90 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Feb 3, 2008 at 4 PM	NINA SIMONE: LA LEGENDE DIRECTOR: FRANK LORDS FRANCE Nina Simone (1933-2003), "The High Priestess of Soul," was, as they say, beyond category. Singer, pianist, arranger and composer, she effortlessly flowed through soul, blues, folk, jazz and pop with her powerful and emotional voice. Based on her autobiography "I Put A Spell On You," LA LEGENDE features performances from different periods of Simone's career, interviews with friends and family, various interviews with Simone while she was living in the Netherlands, and a trip to her birthplace. She also discusses her participation in the civil rights movement and voices opinions that were controversial then and remains so now. Ultimately, Lord offers a strong, intimate portrayal of the pain that was Nina Simone's. ( 52 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Feb 3, 2008 at 4 PM	LA LUPE, QUEEN OF LATIN SOUL DIRECTOR: ELA TROYANO US Mambo aficionados might know Lupe Yoli, otherwise known as La Lupe, but she is virtually unknown outside of New York City, where she lived after leaving her native Cuba in the early 1960s. A contemporary of Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Mongo Santamaria (who discovered her), she transformed Latin music in New York prior to the national embrace of salsa. Renowned for her emotional performances, the volcanic, voluptuous La Lupe—the quintessential bad girl—died in 1992, broke and invisible. ( 60 min ) Sponsored by Miracle Theatre. ^ Top