[Dixielandjazz] Buddy Bolden Movie

[Charles Suhor]

Hello, Joe—

I'm going to see the movie tonight, with mixed expectations. I've been forewarned by Syncopated Times and other sources that it isn't intended as a true “biopic," which would be tough given the limited and disputed information about Bolden's life and the actual sound of his music. Re the latter, I'm looking forward to hearing the jazz in the movie but I’m guessing there's no way Wynton Marsalis & all will try to imitate  the elusive sounds of the time. I'm just ready for some good jazz. Otherwise, I'm keeping an open mind (I think) and hoping the movie will deliver on the director's intention to capture the feeling of the times through authentic settings, clothing, language, etc.  

I'm sure Don Marquis' book provided a lot of helpful biographical information for the movie and I hope the deeply researched data will be favored over romanticized legend, much of which Don debunked. Serendipitously, I’m now reading a new book, Jazz Transatlantic: The African Undercurrent in Twentienth Century Jazz Culture, by Gerhard Kubik. Have you seen it? Kubik cites Marquis at length but offers new evidence about Bolden's life (and also about Bunk, Jelly Roll, and others) that's fascinating. The guy is a monster researcher. Much of the book reaches beyond my technical knowledge of music and ethnomusicology, but where Kubick hones in on early jazz, he's usually persuasive. It’s an expensive book, around $80, but after borrowing it on interlibrary loan I decided to buy it. Dough well spent.

I always enjoy your writings in Syncopated Times. IMO, under Andy Senior it’s not only a great contribution to today’s music scene but to the evolution of jazz journalism.

Charles

> On May 7, 2019, at 11:30 AM, Joe Bebco <joe.syncopatedtimes at gmail.com <mailto:joe.syncopatedtimes at gmail.com>> wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> I'm sort of surprised no one has mentioned the new Buddy Bolden movie.
> Maybe it is because it is only being released in the US for now.
> 
> We've been trying to get ahead of any increased curiosity about early
> jazz with a host of stories about Buddy Bolden and related topics.
> Counting items from the archive we have collected 13 of them here,
> including reviews of the Wynton Marsalis soundtrack, and the movie
> itself: https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-real-buddy-bolden/ <https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-real-buddy-bolden/>
> 
> enjoy,
> 
> Joe Bebco
> Associate Editor
> SyncopatedTimes.com <http://syncopatedtimes.com/> (315) 507-5490
> A monthly newspaper covering Hot Jazz, Ragtime, and Swing.
> 
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