Underplayed Gems

Piano Blues (2003)

Piano Blues poster
Directed by
Clint Eastwood
Genre
documentary film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 28m
Rating
6.5 of 10 from 10 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Clint Eastwood directs this documentary as part of The Blues series. It focuses on piano players in blues and jazz, mixing interviews with archival and live performances.

informativeaffectionatenostalgicrelaxedconversationalappreciativerhythmic

What happens

Piano Blues is a 2003 documentary film directed by Clint Eastwood as the seventh installment of the documentary film series The Blues produced by Martin Scorsese. The film features interviews and live performances of piano players Ray Charles, Dave Brubeck, Dr. John and Marcia Ball. In the documentary Eastwood explores his lifelong passion for piano blues and jazz. He interviews artists as Ray Charles, Dr. John, Marcia Ball, Pinetop Perkins, Dave Brubeck, Jay McShann, Henry Gray and shows archival performances of Dorothy Donegan, Fats Domino, Otis Spann, Art Tatum, Albert Simmons, Pete Johnson, Jay McShann, Big Joe Turner, Nat King Cole, Martha Davis, Professor Longhair, Charles Brown and Duke Ellington. Remarkable are two early performances of the Chess Records houseband with Otis Spann (piano), Willie Dixon (bass) and, probably, Fred Below (drums). Eastwood shows his interest in jazz music with an interview and performance of improvising musician Pete Jolly, who introduces Phineas Newborn. Also Oscar Peterson and Thelonious Monk are present in the film with several performances. Eastwood explains his love for piano playing because of how his mother brought many Fats Waller records home saying; "This is real piano playing!". As Clint Eastwood states in the documentary, "I've always felt that jazz and blues were true American art forms. Maybe the only really original art forms that we have." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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