At last, Bertrand Tavernier’s ‘Round Midnight is re-released today (9 May 2022) on Blu-ray by Criterion. The film, originally made in 1986, is master film director Tavernier’s impressionistic love letter to the Black American bebop musicians who, escaping the appalling [...]
The critic Eric Thacker once suggested Ran Blake’s music, especially music evoked by movies, was a good fit for Wordsworth’s notion of poetry as “emotion recollected in tranquillity”. It’s still fair comment, and something of the same air attaches to [...]
A labour of love, almost by definition, takes a long time to bring to fruition. Director Nick Wells first saw Dave Holland at the age of 16 and instantly fell in love with the bass. Years later he interviewed his [...]
“The world is full of eminent musicians deserving of documentaries,” German-Canadian film-maker Brigitte Berman explained on Friday night 6 August, the 90th anniversary of the death of Leon (Bix) Beiderbecke. “But to make a documentary you need to be ready [...]
By now you have probably heard about this film, which debuted in UK cinemas at the weekend and will move to Star on Disney+ at the end of the month. However I would urge you, if you can, to experience [...]
“It’s like one song I am trying to sing all my life.” As Charles Lloyd says this, he covers his eyes. And then laughs. The moment feels like a summation not just of the new hour-long documentary, Love Longing Loss, [...]
It goes without saying that any new release bearing Wes Montgomery’s name is a highly-anticipated and welcome event. The last few years, particularly, saw important and valuable releases from Resonance Records. In The Beginning (REVIEW)and Back On Indiana Avenue (REVIEW) [...]
