Music

A revelatory, thrilling and emotional journey behind the scenes of Blue Note Records. Since 1939, Blue Note has been inspiring generations of musicians in search of individual expression. Through current recording sessions, rare archive material and in talks with Blue Note stars such as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Ambrose Akinmusire, Sophie Huber tells of the dawn of jazz to Hip-Hop.

Told through performances, TV interviews, home movies, family photographs, private letters and unpublished memoirs, the film reveals the essence of an extraordinary woman who rose from humble beginnings in New York City to become a glamorous international superstar and one of the greatest artists of all time.

The film tells the story of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s marriage, one of the key points in his biography. His decision to change his life by getting married to put an end to rumors caused a serious mental crisis. When he subsequently made up his mind to separate from his wife, it devastated the young woman and ultimately drove her crazy.

Paolo Conte is one of the greatest exponents of provincial culture in the world. His visual songs form an imaginary atlas of the soul, a compendium of sound and poetry. Often they are like short films, capable of taking on a life of their own, for Conte carries you away and enchants you with his variety show. Paolo Conte, Via con me tells the almost fifty-year-long story of an eclectic figure. An imaginary journey, an interweaving of poetry and music through the songs, concerts, friends and reflections of the singer. Verdelli has drawn on the immense stock of material in Conte’s personal archives, combining it with footage shot for the purpose: interviews, films of international tours and other occasions in a unique career. Through these images, the docufilm ventures into the labyrinth of his songs, including the ones he has written for a wide range of performers (Adriano Celentano, Enzo Jannacci, Jane Birkin, Caterina Caselli, Bruno Lauzi), and that of his passions (jazz, puzzles, painting, law, the movies) in a continual exploration of the familiar and the unfamiliar, of the stories, verses and songs of that extraordinary elsewhere which is the world of Paolo Conte.

Los Angeles, today. Henry is a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humor. Ann, a world-renowned opera singer. Under the spotlight, they form a wholesome and glamorous couple. The birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious little girl with an exceptional destiny, will turn their lives upside down.

A musical journey through the world of tones, sounds and noises: with Manfred Eicher, the outstanding producer of contemporary music. The film traces his life at concerts, in recording studios, in back rooms and off the beaten path with such musical contemporaries as Arvo Pärt, Dino Saluzzi, Jan Garbarek, Eleni Karaindrou, Anouar Brahem, Gianluigi Trovesi, Kim Kashkashian, Nik Bärtsch, Marilyn Mazur and many others.

Nardos, an Azmari singer from Addis Ababa, dreams of telling stories about the lives of ordinary people through her music. In her search of stories for her songs, she meets Gennet, a poet who lives on the streets with her children. As Nardos puts the lives of Ethiopian women, their visions and power at the centre of her creation, we dive deeper and deeper into a rapidly changing country.

Richie Bravo, once a celebrated «Schlager» star, is chasing his faded fame in wintry Rimini. Lost between permanent intoxication and concerts in front of bus tourists, his world begins to collapse when his adult daughter suddenly turns up. She wants money from him that he doesn't have.

A documentary film about Swiss musician and singer/songwriter Stephan Eicher, his Yéniche roots and the history and persecution of the Yéniche people in Switzerland and their links to Swiss music.

Brittany, 1980s. A bunch of friends yearning for excitement broadcast a free radio station from their hometown in the countryside. Jerome leads it with unique charisma while Philippe, the technical genius, lives in the shadow of Jerome, his big brother. When called for the military service, Philippe has no choice but to leave for West Berlin. He’s determined to keep on broadcasting, but realizes that he just lived the last glorious moments of a world on the verge of extinction.

In May 1747, the aging Johann Sebastian Bach (Vadim Glowna) meets the young King Frederick II of Prussia (Jürgen Vogel) in Potsdam. For one week, these two titans of the Baroque era play out a father-and-son relationship that is sometimes painful, yet often humorous. A battle of giants that provokes joyful chaos, both among the Bach clan as well as in the royal palace.

The documentary road movie recounts the journey of the African singer Youssou N'Dour: From Atlanta to New Orleans, from New York via Luxembourg and Dakar to the slave island of Gorée, he follows the traces of the black slaves and their music, jazz. He is guided by the blind pianist Moncef Genoud. Together with extraordinary musicians, they create a repertoire in the course of the journey that is permeated by the different cultures.

A mediocre musician dreams of becoming a rock star: Julius sets out to find legendary American guitar maker Elmore Silk, with whom he wants to make a deal. He follows Silk's tracks and meets important people from his past. A journey during which the "American Dream" is taken ad absurdum. Atmospherically staged road movie through the USA with a soundtrack by Tom Waits, Leon Redbone, Arto Lindsay, Joe Strummer and David Johansen.

The film sets out in the footsteps of German writer Marc Fischer who obsessively searched for the last musical legend of our time, the founding father of Bossa Nova, Brazilian musician João Gilberto. Fischer described his journey in a book, «Hobalala», but committed suicide one week before it was published. By taking up Marc Fischer’s quest, following his steps one by one, thanks to all the clues he left us, we pursue João Gilberto to understand the history, the very soul and essence of Bossa Nova. But who can tell whether we will meet him or not?

A luthier is obsessed with the idea of crafting a violin, the sound of which is so exceptional that it will thrill the musician who plays it and caress the souls of those who hear it. This will require a special type of wood, cut from a hallowed tree that is only found in a Balkan forest. A musical quest that is as thrilling as a high-stakes treasure hunt.

The a-ha hit "Take on Me" is one of the most widely played songs of the last century. More than three decades later, this documentary follows the group over a four-year period and tells the story of how three young men realized an impossible dream.

Two South Africans set out to discover what happened to their unlikely musical hero, the mysterious 1970s rock 'n' roller, Rodriguez. The film won Best Documentary at the 85th Academy Awards.

Leningrad, one summer in the early eighties. Smuggling LP’s by Lou Reed and David Bowie, the underground rock scene is boiling ahead of the Perestroika. Mike and his beautiful wife Natasha meet with young Viktor Tsoï. Together with friends, they will change the destiny of rock’n’roll in the Soviet Union.

Janis Joplin is one of the most revered and iconic rock & roll singers of all time, a tragic and misunderstood figure who thrilled millions of listeners and blazed new creative trails before her death in 1971 at age 27. With Janis: Little Girl Blue, Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil, West of Memphis) examines Joplin’s story in-depth for the first time on film, presenting an intimate and insightful portrait of a complicated, driven, often beleaguered artist.

Set at the Newport jazz festival in 1958, this documentary mixes images of water and the town with performers and audience. The film progresses from day to night and from improvisational music to Gospel. It's a concert film that suggests peace and leisure, jazz at a particular time and place.

Inspired by the life of Blaze Foley, the unsung songwriting legend of the Texas outlaw music movement that spawned the likes of Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, Blaze weaves together three different periods of time, braiding re-imagined versions of Blaze’s past, present and future. The different strands explore his love affair with Sybil Rosen; his last, dark night on earth; and the impact his songs and death had on his fans, friends and foes. The braided storyline terminates in an ending that acknowledges Blaze’s profound highs and lows, as well as the impressions he made on the people who shared his journey.

The Music Room shows the end times of a decadent landlord in Bengal and his efforts to maintain his family's reputation even in economically difficult times. The landlord, Biswambhar Roy (Chhabi Biswas), is a just but unworldly man who likes to spend time listening to music and setting up spectacles instead of managing his lands devastated by floods and the Indian government's abolition of the Zamindari system. He is challenged by a simple man who has gained wealth through business, spectacle and musical festivals.

Renowned old musician Mamo has been granted permission to perform a concert in Iraqi Kurdistan. His faithful friend Kako will drive a school bus and help gather together Mamo's ten musical adult sons, scattered throughout Iranian Kurdistan. Mamo is determined to make this trip across the majestic landscape despite all obstacles. The old Kurdish musician has waited some 35 years for the chance to perform freely again in Iraqi Kurdistan. Mamo even ignores his son's premonition that something awful awaits him before the next full moon. Mamo is convinced that the essence of the upcoming performance is the celestial voice of a woman. He has chosen Hesho, who lives in a mountain retreat with 1334 other exiled female singers. Old Mamo must persuade reluctant Hesho to join them, because her self-confidence and voice have been weakened by oppression. Since women are forbidden to sing in front of men in public in Iran, Hesho must be carefully concealed in the bus. The journey of Mamo and his musical group is not without difficulties. But persistent Mamo guides everyone toward adventure, emotion and magic ...

This is the story of a ball. A grand ball. Every summer, more than two thousand people come from accross Europe to dance together, dance even more, during seven days and seven nights, in the countryside of France. A joyful crowd of men and women from all ages, speaking different languages, beginners, virtuosos, enthusiasts. A crowd that reveals how different it is when we dare look into one's eyes, when we dare touch one another. And how life pounds.

The Leningrad Cowboys, a band with foot-long quiff hairstyles and long Winklepicker shoes to match, are seeking success in Siberia, but nobody seems to like their music, except for the mute village idiot, Igor (Kari Väänänen). Thwarted by a lack of local commercial potential, they are encouraged to move to America, for people will "buy anything" there. They depart for New York, bringing with them a band member who had frozen the previous night while practicing outside. They arrive at the CBGB bar in Manhattan. An agent offers them a gig at a wedding in Mexico and recommends that they change their musical style to rock and roll. They buy a used 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Limousine, strap the coffin carrying their frozen band member onto the roof and set off to earn their way through the Deep South, adapting their musical style to suit local tastes at each new location. All the while they are being driven on and exploited by their money and food hoarding manager Vladimir (Matti Pellonpää), who has a seemingly unlimited supply of beer in the ice-filled coffin. Meanwhile, Igor, who stowed away on the plane, follows the band by his own means of transportation. When he finally catches up with them, they appoint him as their road manager. During the trip, the band spends time in jail, has their car engine stolen, causes a nightclub to close after playing an unsuccessful show, and reunites with a long-lost cousin (Nicky Tesco) whose singing gives positive reception from the audience. They eventually make it to Mexico and perform their wedding gig, where the thawing bass guitarist is revived with a shot of tequila and joins the group on stage, as does Igor. Vladimir watches them play then wanders off, but the band finally finds success in Mexico, making the top ten.

On June 12, 1993, more than 50 000 people witnessed a historical event on the Senate Square in Helsinki. For the first time and on the biggest screen stage ever seen in Finland, the rock group Leningrad Cowboys performed together with the 100 singers, 40 musicians and 20 dancers of the Alexandrov Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble. The programme included rock classics from "Happy Together" and "Delilah" to "Gimme All Your Lovin’" and "Knocking On Heaven’s Door", as well as traditional hits from the Ensemble’s own repertoire. From the beginning to the end, the concert was a roaring success. «Total Balalaika Show» is a documentary on the concert, an extraordinary, unforgettable encounter of the old and the new, of East and West.

Vitus is a boy who almost seems to be from another planet: He has hearing like a bat, he plays piano like a virtuoso and studies encyclopaedias at the age of five. No wonder his parents begin to anticipate a brilliant future for him. They want Vitus to become a pianist. However, the little genius prefers to play in his eccentric grandfather’s workshop. He dreams of flying and of a normal childhood. Ultimately, with one dramatic leap, Vitus takes control of his own life…

An international smash hit and the world's most popular film about klezmer music, A TICKLE IN THE HEART captures the story of the Epstein Brothers (Max, Willie and Julius) klezmer legends on a joyous and hilarious international tour. The Epsteins are natural performers, and their sense of life, music and family as they tour through places they loved (from Poland to Brooklyn to Florida) is as life affirming and intoxicating as the joyous music they play.

In the sorrow of exile, a group of Argentinians in Paris seek solace and connection to their culture by staging a set of tangos. The film alternates between their vibrant rehearsals and their circumscribed lives in low-rent apartments, underemployed, fitfully communicating with families back home, trying to make do with what they hope are only temporary arrangements in a foreign land. Director Fernando Solanas had to spend several years in exile, some of them in Paris. There he tells us the story of people from Argentina spending their time in Paris and longing for Buenos Aires. One of the strongest movies about living in exile.

An artist, a musician, a filmmaker. Three worlds, three ways of thinking, three interpretations. Fused to an energetic work. Beat Zoderer’s work fascinate with quiet humor and the intelligent challenge of distrusting a conventional view of things. Nik Bärtsch’s sound is characterized by his love for the architecturally articulated space and rhythmic overlaps. Filmmaker Jürg Egli has brought the two artists together in a studio session. The result is a cinematic performance of unique intensity. „The idea can sometimes only be thought out in its realization.“ Beat Zoderer Sketchbook IX 1999

This documentary is a poetic journey to the unique music of the Argentine maestro Eduardo Falú (1923 - 2013). At the same time it is a vivid portrait of this outstanding musician. Starting from his particular relationship with the landscapes of northwestern Argentina, with his beloved hometown Salta, with the vast plains of the Pampa, the enormous mountains of the Andes with their dramatic canyons, fertile valleys and deserted high plateaus, the film follows the manyfold stations of Falús life and career.

When two friends collect money for the so-called “suffering in America” in the streets of Accra, is it for fun, political provocation, or a prophecy? Two Swiss filmmakers will answer these questions with the help of seven musicians from Ghana – M3NSA, Wanlov The Kubolor, Adomaa, Worlasi, Akan, Mutombo Da Poet, and Poetra Asantewa – who have written new songs and produced video clips especially for the documentary film Contradict. Tomorrow’s ideas and trends are emerging more decentralized than ever in a globalized world. What do global developments and shifts in values look like from the ground up in Ghana and the African continent? How do we want to confront and contradict those changes? Can new visions for the future become global realities?

The story of Rafael, a fun-loving youth on the verge of manhood who is trying to make his dream of total freedom become reality. Determined to conquer the world with his Utopia Blues Band at any cost, Rafael's philosophy is that “life is a game”. But the game unexpectedly becomes bitter earnest. How much freedom is permitted?

Set in the 1960s, high school student Toru Watanabe loses his only friend Kizuki after he commits suicide. Toru, now looking for a new life, enters a university in Tokyo. By chance, Toru meets Kizuki's ex-girlfriend Naoko in the university. They grow close because they both share the same loss. As Toru and Naoko grow even closer, Naoko's sense of loss also grows. After Naoko's 20th birthday, she leaves for a sanitarium in Kyoto. Watanabe, devastated by the situation, meets pure-hearted Midori during the spring semester. Midori looks like a small animal that just came into the world ... Based on Haruki Murakami's novel of the same name.

Picking up where Leningrad Cowboys Go America left off, the band has settled in Mexico after charting a top ten hit there. However, many band members become alcoholics spending most of their day drinking tequila. Before long, more than half of the band members have died from excessive drinking. The surviving members have, in the mean time, become naturalized Mexicans, complete with mustaches, Mexican wardrobe but with their pompadours still intact.

Stéphane, a young French man from Paris, travels to Romania. He is looking for the singer Nora Luca, whom his father had heard all the time before his death. Wandering along a frozen road, he meets old Izidor, a member of the Roma and tells him of Nora Luca. Izidor seems to understand and takes him to his village. Stéphane believes that Izidor will take him to Nora Luca when the time has come. So, he lives in the Roma village for several months.

Jeffrey Levy-Hinte has brought the disparate and unedited film of Zaire '74 together into one coherent form for the first time. The rainchild of South African musician Hugh Masekela and American record producer Stewart Levine, Zaire '74 was a three-day music festival that took place in Kinshasa in 1974. The event assembled America's biggest rhythm and blues talents – including James Brown and the Mighty JBs, Bill Withers, B.B. King, and the Spinners – along with top African acts such as Miriam Makeba and Afrisa. The festival was held in conjunction with the boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman known as the "Rumble in the Jungle." Most of the American performers, emboldened by the civil rights movement, were visiting Africa for the first time, exploring their roots and somewhat naive beliefs about the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko. The promoters hired a team of esteemed documentary cameramen to film everything, including street life in Kinshasa and behind-the-scenes footage of the show being assembled. The crew masterfully recorded classic numbers such as Makeba's "The Click Song," King's "The Thrill Is Gone," and of course, Brown's "Soul Power." And then the footage sat unedited for over thirty years, until now. DHE MUSIC *************** SOUL POWER Written by James Brown Performed by James Brown & the J.B.’s Under License from Unichappell Music, Inc. on behalf of Crited Music, Inc. (BMI) BAKOBOSANA Written by Lita Bembo Performed by Lita Bembo & Les Stukas All rights reserved - Tous droits réservés I'LL NEVER LET YOU BREAK MY HEART AGAIN Written by Fred Wesley, Charles Bobbit, Reggie Bryan Performed by “Sweet" Charles Sherrell and the J.B.’s Under License from Unichappell Music, Inc. on behalf of Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI) ONE OF A KIND (LOVE AFFAIR) Written by Joseph B. Jefferson Performed by The Spinners Under License from Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) SIMBA NKONI Written by François “Franco” Luambo Makiadi Performed by OK Jazz featuring Franco All rights reserved - Tous droits réservés HOPE SHE’LL BE HAPPIER Written by Bill Withers Performed by Bill Withers Under license from Songs of Universal, Inc. on behalf of Interior Music Corp. (BMI) THE CLICK SONG Written by The Manhattan Brothers Performed by Miriam Makeba Under license from Makeba Music Company ON AND ON Written by Curtis Mayfield Performed by Sister Sledge Under License from Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. on behalf of Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. and Todd Mayfield Publishing (BMI) THRILL IS GONE Written by Rick Ravon Darnell and Roy Hawkins Performed by B.B. King Under license from Universal Music-Careers (BMI) PUT IT WHERE YOU WANT IT Written by Joe Sample Performed by the Crusaders Under license from Chrysalis Songs (BMI) QUIMBARA Written by Junior Cepeda Performed by Celia Cruz and the Fania All Stars Under license from Universal –Musica Unica Publishing on behalf of Fania Music (BMI) PONTE DURO Written by Johnny Pacheco Performed by the Fania All Stars Under license from Universal - Musica Unica Publishing on behalf of Fania Music (BMI) BONJOUR L’AFRIQUE Written by Big Black Performed by Big Black Published by Jokot SELI-JA Written by Tabu Ley Rochereau Performed by Tabu Ley Rochereau & L’Afrisa International Under License from EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. PAYBACK Written by James Brown, John H. Starks, and Fred Wesley Performed by James Brown & the J.B.’s Under License from Unichappell Music, Inc. on behalf of Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI) COLD SWEAT Written by James Brown and Alfred James Ellis Performed by James Brown & the J.B.’s Under License from Unichappell Music, Inc. on behalf of Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI) I CAN’T STAND MYSELF (WHEN YOU TOUCH ME) Written by James Brown Performed by James Brown & the J.B.’s Under License from Unichappell Music, Inc. on behalf of Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI) SAY IT LOUD (I’M BLACK AND I’M PROUD) Written by James Brown and Alfred James Ellis Performed by James Brown & the J.B.’s Under License from Unichappell Music, Inc. on behalf of Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI) . SAME BEAT Written by James Brown Performed by Fred Wesley and the J.B.’s Under License from Unichappell Music, Inc. on behalf of Dynatone Publishing Co. (BMI)

Giuseppe Verdi's «finest work», as he himself described it, still stands today on the Piazza Buonarroti in Milan. It is the «Casa di riposo», founded by Verdi in 1896 for «people who are less fortunate than I» - people who never made a big career, and people who have long spent their dream salaries. Today they live, all long forgotten, in a small room with a suitcase full of memories.

Five highly original musicians from different countries form the Accordion Tribe. Together they aim to reinforce the original power of the long disdained instrument. The film follows the energetic soundscapes and their performers on a journey through Europe. An extraordinarily intensive documentary on the communicative, connecting power of music.

Revisit with the remaining original members of the Buena Vista Social Club and explore their contribution to the unknown history of Cub

Inspired by the famous story “The Abduction of Sita” from the great classic of ancient Indian and South East-Asian literature the Ramayana, OPERA JAWA is a musical like no other in cinema. It tells of a passionate love triangle that leads inexorably to conflict, violence and death. Setio and his wife Siti, run a pottery business in a small village where Ludiro, a powerful and ruthless butcher, controls all the trading activities. When the couple’s business collapses, Ludiro, who has always been in love with Siti, seizes his chance, abducts and tries to seduce her. Inevitably the two men begin to fight over Siti...

The movie tells the story of Laerte (Lázaro Ramos), a talented violinist who after failing to be admitted into the OSESP Orchestra is forced to give music classes to teenagers in a public school at Heliopolis. His path is full of difficulties, but the transforming power of music and the friendship arising between the teacher and the students open the door into a new world.