Film Series
Rock’n’Roll in the Fall at the Nation’s Library
Curated by Norman A. Middleton, Jr., Music Division, Library of Congress
Monday evenings at 7:00 pm - Mary Pickford Theater, 3rd Floor, James Madison Building. No tickets required. Seating is limited. Reservations may be made one week before any given screening by calling (202) 707-5677 between 9 am and 5 pm. Reserved seats must be claimed at least 10 minutes before show time, after which standbys will be admitted. Programs subject to change without notice.
Monday,
November 19, 2007
The Big T.N.T. Show
(1966) directed by Larry Peerce
David “Man from Uncle” McCallum hosts Ray Charles, Petula Clark, the Lovin’ Spoonful, Bo Diddley, Joan Baez, the Ronettes, Roger Miller, the Byrds, Donovan, the Seeds, the Modern Folk Quartet, and Ike and Tina Turner on this extravaganza, taped live at Hollywood’s Moulin Rouge. Pianist Phil Spector accompanies Baez. (93 minutes)
Monday,
November 26, 2007
Blue Wild Angel - Jimi Hendrix at the Isle of
Wight
(1971) directed by Murray Lerner
In his final UK performance on August 30, 1970, the legendary guitarist
with Mitch Mitchell on drums and Billy Cox on bass rip through such songs
as “Lover Man,” “Foxy Lady,” “Ezy Rider,”
“Purple Haze,” “Red House” “Machine Gun,”
“God Save the Queen” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts
Club Band.” (118 minutes)
Monday,
December 3, 2007
The Concert for Bangladesh
(1972) directed by Saul Swimmer
Organized by George Harrison (his first as a solo headliner) and Ravi Shankar at Madison Square Garden, this concert on August 1, 1971, must have seemed like a breath of fresh air, long before the music world had heard of “Live Aid” and “We Are the World.” Among other featured artists are Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, and Bob Dylan. (95 minutes)
Monday,
December 10, 2007
Janis
(1974) directed by Howard Alk
This biography, compiled after Janis Joplin died in 1970, includes performances
with Big Brother and the Holding Company, the Full Tilt Boogie Band, and
the Kozmic Blues Band, with which she recorded her final album Pearl, along
with gigs at the Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock, and the Dick Cavett Show.
(96 minutes)
Monday,
December 17, 2007
Elvis: That's the Way It Is
(1970) directed by Denis Sanders
A documentary of The King onstage and off, culminating with his return
to the stage in Las Vegas–his first live appearance since 1957. Songs
include “Sweet Caroline,” “You've Lost That Loving Feeling,”
“Love Me Tender,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “All
Shook Up,” “Can't Help Falling In Love.” Elvis at his
best! (94 minutes)
Jazz in the Spring at the Nation's Library
curated by Larry Appelbaum, Music Division
Wednesday evenings at 7:00 pm in the Mary Pickford Theater, 3rd Floor, James Madison Building. No tickets required. All programs are free, but seating is limited to 60 seats. Reservations may be made by phone, beginning one week before any given show. Call (202) 707-5677 during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm). Reserved seats must be claimed at least 10 minutes before show time, after which standbys will be admitted to unclaimed seats. Programs subject to change without notice.
Wednesday,
April 2 at 7:00 pm
Imagine The Sound
Sphinx Productions, 1981/restored 2007.
Director, Ron Mann. (90 mins, DVD).
Ron Mann’s recently restored version of his now classic 1981
documentary features interviews and beautifully shot studio performances
by four free-jazz firebrands: pianist Paul Bley, trumpeter Bill Dixon, saxophonist
Archie Shepp and pianist Cecil Taylor.
Preceded by
Jazz: Rhythms of Freedom
JAK Films Inc. 2007.
Director, Mike Welt. (32 mins, Digibeta video).
This short film, one of 94 historical documentaries recently produced
by Lucasfilm, explores the use of jazz as a tool for liberation with profiles
of contemporary musicians Billy Taylor, Kahil El’Zabar and Joe McPhee.
Wednesday, April 9 at 7:00 pm
Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz
Singer
Elan Entertainment/UGO Productions, 2007.
Director, Robbie Cavolina & Ian McCrudden.
Producers, Robbie Cavolina, Ian McCrudden and Melissa Davis. (90 mins, DVD).
Legendary jazz vocalist Anita O’Day (Anita Colton) became popular
singing with the Gene Krupa and Stan Kenton Big Bands before carving out
a long up and down career as a solo artist. In this new documentary, the
so-called “Jezebel of Jazz” looks back over her life and tells
the story of her struggles in the music world and triumphs over addiction,
with rarely seen film performances and interviews with Annie Ross, Margaret
Whiting, Bill Holman, Johnny Mandel and Gerald Wilson.
Director and producer Robbie Cavolina will introduce the film and take questions after.
Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 pm
Brotherly Jazz: The Heath Brothers
DanSun Productions, 2006.
Director, Jesse Block.
Producer, Danny Scher. (70 mins, DVD).
In a series of revealing interviews, Brotherly Jazz paints a vivid
portrait of Philadelphia’s hard-bopping Heath Brothers; bassist Percy
Heath talks about his long tenure with the Modern Jazz Quartet; saxophonist/composer
Jimmy Heath discusses his painful past and how he turned his life around;
and youngest brother, drummer Al “Tootie” Heath admits that
“had it not been for my older brothers, I might have gone astray and
become a doctor or lawyer.” The film features selections from a 2004
California concert that marked one of the last times the brothers performed
together.
Wednesday, April 23 at 7:00 pm
Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris
Outsider Pictures, 2006.
Writer/Director, Raymond De Felitta.
Producer, David Zellerford. (100 mins, DVD).
For a time in the 1950s and 60s, the Italian-American jazz singer
and guitarist Jackie Paris seemed poised for stardom. He worked on 52nd
Street during its heyday, won the Down Beat Critics Poll, toured with Charlie
Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Lionel Hampton, and recorded with luminaries
Charles Mingus, Donald Byrd and Gigi Gryce. Then inexplicably, Paris’s
career went into free-fall and he lapsed into undeserved obscurity. Filmmaker
Raymond De Felitta searches out the 79-year old singer while he attempts
a comeback and unravels the mystery behind the roller coaster career of
this one time über-hip jazz singer.
Wednesday April 30 at 7:00 pm
The Gig
Castle Hill Productions, 1985.
Director, Frank D. Gilroy. (91 mins, 35mm).
Frank Gilroy’s often overlooked feature film concerns five
white middle-aged amateur jazz musicians who accept an offer for a gig in
the Catskills, only to find problems when they must fill out the group with
a jaded black professional bassist (played by Cleavon Little). Cast also
includes actors and amateurs, with Andrew Duncan, Jerry Matz, Daniel Nalbach,
Wayne Rogers, Joe Silver and real-life trumpeter Warren Vache who plays
his own music onscreen. Musicians on the soundtrack include Kenny Davern,
Milt Hinton, George Masso, Dick Wellstood, John Bunch and Reggie Johnson.
Tap Dance Festival at the Library of Congress
The Legacy of Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, May 20-24, 2008
“Bojangles” Films - curated by Norman A. Middleton, Jr.,
Music Division
7:00 pm - Mary Pickford Theater, 3rd Floor, James Madison Building. No tickets required. Seating is limited. Reservations may be made one week before any given screening by calling (202) 707-5677 between 9 am and 5 pm. Reserved seats must be claimed at least 10 minutes before show time, after which standbys will be admitted. Programs subject to change without notice.
Tuesday,
May 20, 2008
THE LITTLE COLONEL
(1935) directed by David Butler
starring Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Shirley Temple, Lionel Barrymore,
and Hattie McDaniel
Elizabeth Sherman—banished by her father, a Confederate colonel during the Civil War, for marrying a Yankee—returns home with her husband and daughter, “The Little Colonel” (Shirley Temple). Reluctant at first, the father slowly warms up to his granddaughter. The film includes a famous tap-dance sequence with Robinson and Temple. (80 minutes)
Wednesday,
May 21, 2008
THE LITTLEST REBEL
(1935) directed by David Butler
starring Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, Shirley Temple, Jack Holt,
John Boles and Frank McGlynn, Sr., as Abraham Lincoln.
Shirley Temple plays Virgie Cary, the daughter of a Confederate officer who is arrested when he sneaks back to his plantation to see his family. A Union officer arranges for his escape but both are captured and sentenced to be shot. Accompanied by Uncle Billy (Robinson), Virgie goes to Washington and obtains a pardon from President Lincoln himself. (70 minutes)
Thursday,
May 22, 2008 - Double Feature
THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS: FLYING HIGH
(1999) produced by Steven Smith Hosted by Harry Smith
and narrated by Peter Graves
The film traces the dancing career of Fayard and Harold Nicholas, from their earliest appearances in 1920s Philadelphia, through the Cotton Club and the Ziegfeld Follies in the 1930s to the end of the twentieth century. On Broadway, international tours, and film, they overcame racism, inspiring generations of black entertainers. (60 minutes)
STORMY
WEATHER
(1943) directed by Andrew L. Stone
starring Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Katherine Dunham, the Nicholas Brothers,
and others
The story—loosely based on the life of Bojangles himself—of
a WWI veteran who falls in love with a singer, Selina Rogers (Lena Horne),
but their careers take them in different directions. This was Bojangles’s
biggest movie role in a film that concludes with an all-star show hosted
by Cab Calloway. (78 minutes)
Special Events
Tap Dance Concert
Friday, May 23 - Coolidge Auditorium - 8 pm
(Tickets required)
featuring Ayodele Casel, Tappers with Attitude, Dianne Walker, Baakari Wilder,
and others.
Masterclass
with LaVaughn Robinson and Germaine Ingram
Saturday, May 24 - Knock On Wood Studios - time tba
8700 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910 - (301) 495-0395 -
www.knockonwood.org