Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is one of those rare films with only one major setting: a Chicago recording studio in 1927. The entire film, and the play it was based on, tells the story of four backing musicians waiting for Madame “Ma” Rainey (Viola Davis) to arrive and cut some sides. According to the label on the 78, Rainey’s 1927 recording of “’Ma’ Rainey’s Black Bottom” and her remake of “Moonshine Blues” of that year was done by “Ma” Rainey and her Georgia Jazz Band.
The Musicians
There are no session notes on the musicians who played on the title song of the Netflix film. Indeed, when Den of Geek sat down with the cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom actor Glynn Turman told us, “We found photographs of her band members, but that was the closest and most detailed information that we had. Not so much as any particular...
The Musicians
There are no session notes on the musicians who played on the title song of the Netflix film. Indeed, when Den of Geek sat down with the cast of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom actor Glynn Turman told us, “We found photographs of her band members, but that was the closest and most detailed information that we had. Not so much as any particular...
- 12/22/2020
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Jazz is an art form that can be examined any number of ways — historically, racially, structurally, even philosophically — but choosing one of those runs the risk of ignoring the equally-important rest. Sophie Huber’s thoughtful but unfocused documentary “Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes” falls short primarily because it tries too much, examining history, modern-day impact and legacy all in one.
Nevertheless an engaging thumbnail overview of the record label’s heyday, its key players, and the descendants and disciples committed to carrying on its name and vision, “Beyond the Notes” succeeds better as an introduction to Blue Note and jazz in general than as an expert or in-depth examination of the musical genre or one of its most iconic distributors.
Part of the challenge is deciding where to start: With the musicians who pioneered the genre, or the earliest fans-turned visionaries who helped get them heard? Huber begins with Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff,...
Nevertheless an engaging thumbnail overview of the record label’s heyday, its key players, and the descendants and disciples committed to carrying on its name and vision, “Beyond the Notes” succeeds better as an introduction to Blue Note and jazz in general than as an expert or in-depth examination of the musical genre or one of its most iconic distributors.
Part of the challenge is deciding where to start: With the musicians who pioneered the genre, or the earliest fans-turned visionaries who helped get them heard? Huber begins with Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff,...
- 6/12/2019
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Wrap
Fats Domino, the amiable rock 'n' roll pioneer whose steady, pounding piano and easy baritone helped change popular music while honoring the traditions of the Crescent City died Tuesday at the age of 89, the Jefferson Parish Coroner says.
The New Orleans musician's daughter said he died peacefully while surrounded by family and friends, CBS affiliate Wwl-tv reports.
In appearance, he was no Elvis Presley. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a haircut as flat as an album cover. But Domino sold more than 110 million records, with hits including "Blueberry Hill," ''Ain't It a Shame" and other standards of rock 'n' roll.
Photos: Stars We've Lost in 2017
He was one of the first 10 honorees named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Rolling Stone Record Guide likened him to Benjamin Franklin, the beloved old man of a revolutionary movement. The magazine listed Domino at No. 25 in its list of...
The New Orleans musician's daughter said he died peacefully while surrounded by family and friends, CBS affiliate Wwl-tv reports.
In appearance, he was no Elvis Presley. He stood 5-feet-5 and weighed more than 200 pounds, with a wide, boyish smile and a haircut as flat as an album cover. But Domino sold more than 110 million records, with hits including "Blueberry Hill," ''Ain't It a Shame" and other standards of rock 'n' roll.
Photos: Stars We've Lost in 2017
He was one of the first 10 honorees named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Rolling Stone Record Guide likened him to Benjamin Franklin, the beloved old man of a revolutionary movement. The magazine listed Domino at No. 25 in its list of...
- 10/25/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
When it comes to British blues, all roads lead to John Mayall. As a multi-instrumentalist, he delivered a shot of pure Chicago-style directly to the heart of the nation’s capital, jumpstarting a movement that re-defined the genre. As a bandleader, he mentored some of the biggest names in rock history.
Having honed his craft backing Delta greats Johnny Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williams on their first English tours in the early 1960s, Mayall added his daring artistic spirit and amped-up wattage to his own band, the Bluesbreakers. The seminal group became a cornerstone of the burgeoning blues scene in London,...
Having honed his craft backing Delta greats Johnny Lee Hooker and Sonny Boy Williams on their first English tours in the early 1960s, Mayall added his daring artistic spirit and amped-up wattage to his own band, the Bluesbreakers. The seminal group became a cornerstone of the burgeoning blues scene in London,...
- 1/27/2017
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
When a friend of Fats Domino's invited filmmaker Joe Lauro to hang out at Domino's New Orleans house in the early 2000s, he knew he had to make a film about the rock & roll architect. More than a decade later, Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock 'n' Roll will air tonight, on Domino's 88th birthday. The film captures how the New Orleans pianist cut what many believe is the first rock & roll record, 1949's The Fat Man, and went onto sell 65 million records, making the Billboard pop chart...
- 2/26/2016
- Rollingstone.com
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